AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He came over to the table and pulled out a chair. ‘It can be whatever you want it to be, Beth.’
‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’ She laughed bitterly. ‘Stop playing games, David. I’m far too tired to cope with that. Did you or did you not intend this marriage to be a real one?’
‘If by that you are asking if I expect you to sleep with me, then no. That wasn’t what I intended.’ He caught her eyes, the lean planes of his face seemingly carved from stone. ‘I never intended that you should jump into bed with me as some sort of a payment, Beth. I’m well aware of how you feel about Andrew.’
‘Payment? Fine payment it would be in my present state!’ She glanced down at her thickening waistline, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. ‘I’m hardly the catch of the year, am I?’
‘Stop that!’ He caught her chin to lift her head so that he could look deep into her eyes, and Beth was shocked to see anger burning in his. ‘You are a beautiful woman, Beth. Being pregnant doesn’t change that fact.’
She smiled shakily, more disturbed by the look and the touch of his fingers then she cared to admit. ‘You’re just saying that. I’m not beautiful. Maggie is beautiful, so you should be able to see the difference by comparing us.’
His fingers contracted, making her wince as they bruised her flesh before he let her go. ‘Let’s leave Maggie out of this. She doesn’t concern either of us right now.’ He looked past her and Beth had the sudden, strangest feeling that he was lost in thought and bitter thought at that. He seemed to collect himself all at once, his face smoothing out. ‘I want you to marry me, Beth, because it would be the perfect solution all round. There is nothing sinister about my reasons for suggesting it, just a long-overdue desire to clear the air once and for all, to end an old grievance before anyone else gets hurt. I don’t want to pressurise you, but you should look at this from a rational viewpoint. If Andrew had been free then none of this would be happening. But he is married, and presumably, from what happened that first time we met, fully intending to stay that way. I will provide for you and the child for however long you need. It’s as simple as that.’
‘”Simple”? It isn’t “simple”! The whole idea is full of pitfalls!’ She glared back at him, but he seemed unmoved and she hurried on, desperate to make him understand, desperate to make it clear inside her own head why she couldn’t accept. ‘We hardly know one another. Who’s to say if we can live together in any degree of harmony? A couple of weeks here in the flat is hardly any guarantee!’
‘No? From where I’m standing it seems a reasonable bet. You aren’t a difficult person to have around, Beth.’
She ignored the deliberate compliment, racking her brain for more reasons, good ones this time. ‘But what happens if circumstances change and you meet someone you really want to marry? There will be all the delay of obtaining a divorce.’
‘That won’t happen.’ He stood up to walk over to the sink to wash the milky glass, a stiffness to his actions as he swirled water round and round the bowl.
‘How can you be sure? Life doesn’t always follow the route we plan. I know that.’
He turned round, drying his hands on a towel. ‘Maybe not, but I can state quite categorically that love is the last thing I’m looking for from life.’
Beth shivered, chilled to the bone by the coldness of the response. ‘I guess I can second that. Love isn’t something I’m looking for after what’s happened.’
‘Then doesn’t it make even more sense that you should agree? Look, Beth, you know you’re embarrassed by your present state. I might not be the child’s father, but marrying me will help you cope more easily with the coming months, plus it will make my life far simpler.’
‘Will it?’
‘Yes. Come on, Beth. What have you got to lose?’
She smiled shakily, wishing he weren’t so persuasive. He knew exactly how to cut right through all her objections. ‘On the surface I haven’t anything to lose, but I’m not so sure about you.’
