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She shuddered, her whole body trembling, and the hands tightened so that the man’s fingers bit into her flesh in a way that was oddly comforting.
‘We came here to have lunch. Does that answer your question?’ There was a cold dismissal in the deep voice now and the woman gave an anguished little moan before pushing past him and running from the restaurant.
‘Come along. Let’s get you out of here.’ The man slid a hand under her elbow and half lifted her to her feet, then guided her through the maze of tables towards the door. Beth could feel the curious stares they were attracting, hear the faint whispers, but it felt as though it were all happening to someone else. Deep down she knew she had to shake herself out of this trance, but it seemed beyond her capabilities at this moment. Her whole world seemed to have shrunk to a few brief words and one stark fact: Andrew was married!
Dropping some money on to the cashier’s desk, the man opened the door and steered her outside, steadying her as she stumbled over the step. ‘Just take your time. My car’s over there. Can you walk that far or do you want me to carry you?’
Beth shook her head, her face the colour of putty, her eyes filled with despair. ‘No, you’ve done enough. I…I’ll be all right now.’
She tried to ease her arm away, but his fingers merely fastened tighter around it. ‘You’re not all right. So don’t act stupid. If I let go of you you’ll end up in the gutter from the look of you. Just do as you’re told and stop being more of a fool than it appears you’ve been already.’
That stung and her head came up as she glared at him. ‘I never asked for your help or your opinions, thank you.’
‘Nobody said that you did, but you’re getting both for free. Now unless you want to continue making a spectacle of yourself for the enjoyment of everyone back there then I suggest that you get into the car.’ He nodded towards the restaurant and Beth felt her cheeks burn when she saw the interested faces watching them through the window. She let him lead her to the car and climbed inside without another word, sitting stiffly in the soft leather seat while he slid behind the wheel.
‘Fasten your seatbelt.’ He shot her a quick glance as he started the engine, waiting patiently while she struggled to snap the buckle into place with trembling fingers.
‘Here, let me do it.’ He pushed her hands aside and dealt with the belt, leaning sideways so that his hair brushed her cheek. It smelled clean and fresh, just like Andrew’s hair always did, and Beth felt tears sting her eyes. She turned her head to stare out of the side window, wondering what she was going to do now, how she would manage. She was twenty-two years old and her life was in tatters. There was no one to turn to, no one to offer help or comfort. She was completely on her own from here on in.
‘There’s no point in crying. It won’t help. All it will do is make you feel rotten.’
She jumped when the man spoke, turning to glance at him as she rubbed a hand over her wet face. In the light spilling through the windscreen his face looked stern and remote, his grey eyes cool, his thick blond hair more silver than gold. He was a stranger, so what was she doing getting in the car with him like this?
Panic rose in a sudden, sharp surge and he must have seen and understood the reason for it because he smiled tightly as he skimmed a long, cool look over her.
‘You can stop worrying about my intentions. You are quite safe. I don’t kick a person when he or, in this case, she is down. Just tell me where you live and I’ll drive you home. And, as I said before, forget about the tears because they won’t help a bit.’
Why did she believe him? For a moment Beth struggled to reason it out, but couldn’t; yet she knew instinctively that he meant her no harm. She fumbled in her bag for a tissue and wiped her face. He was right, of course. No amount of tears would change the fact that Andrew had lied to her. It was something she was going to have to come to terms with. She had loved him so much and he had taken every scrap of that love and used it to his own ends.
‘That’s better. Now if you’ll just give me the directions then I’ll soon have you home.’ He slid the car into gear, but Beth hurriedly shook her head.
