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It was pure temptation and her heart bled as she struggled to find the words to dismiss the idea while she still had the strength. ‘But you don’t love me! You know you don’t!’
He shrugged, setting the knife down with a clatter which made her flinch. ‘That is irrelevant. Love isn’t the be-all and end-all of a relationship.’
Irrelevant? It was everything. Now, more than ever, she knew that. Being here with David, living with him day by day, was slowly teaching her that, although she shied away from wondering why.
‘I don’t know what to say to convince you how ridiculous the idea is, David.’
‘Then don’t try. Just think about it, then maybe you’ll see that it makes sense.’
‘Sense?’ She laughed almost hysterically. ‘I don’t know what makes sense any more!’
‘That’s because you’re confused. You’ve been through a lot recently, Beth. You need time to think things through.’ He came back and took her face between his hands to tilt it to his. ‘I could give you another child, Beth, if that’s what you want, but I don’t intend to rush you into making a decision you might come to regret.’
He brushed her mouth with his, his lips so tender, so gentle that she barely had time to feel the kiss before he let her go. ‘Think about it, Beth. That’s all I ask.’
She touched her mouth, feeling the lingering whisper of heat his lips had left behind, a heat which stayed tantalisingly with her for the rest of the night so that when she lay in bed it wasn’t the rights or wrongs of turning their marriage into a real one which she thought about, but how wonderful it would be to have David kiss her like that all the time.
CHAPTER SEVEN
BETH had taken great care with her appearance, brushing her red-gold hair until it shimmered like shot silk as it curled on to the shoulders of her navy wool dress, but as she looked in the mirror she experienced a deep, very feminine regret that her figure still hadn’t regained its usual slender lines.
Picking up the delicate cameo brooch that had been her mother’s, she pinned it to the shoulder of the dress, but it did little in her eyes to detract from the rich curves of her body. With a rare show of temper, she snatched up her hairbrush and flung it across the room, then jumped guiltily when the telephone suddenly rang.
There was a snap in her voice when she picked up the receiver, a bite which just about covered the threatening tears. Her emotions still seemed to swing from one extreme to the other, laughter turning to tears almost at the touch of a button. Perhaps it was still the lingering shock of the miscarriage or maybe it was the tension which seemed to fill the flat whenever she and David were together now. She didn’t know which it was, but her nerves were raw from living like this.
‘Yes?’
‘Mmm, you don’t sound too pleased with life. What’s the matter, Beth? Has something upset you?’
Colour flooded her face as she heard David’s deep tones and she took a quick little breath to stem the wild leap her heart gave. It kept happening all the time now since that day he’d kissed her and asked her to think about making their marriage real and, although he had never mentioned the subject again, Beth knew it lay between them like an almost tangible presence.
‘There’s nothing wrong. Why should there be? What have you rung for? Are you going to be late?’
‘I’m afraid so.’ His tone was cool, smooth, untroubled by all the tension which affected her, it seemed. How she envied him that composure, that ability to hide his feelings. She had the idea that he knew exactly how she’d been feeling recently and the reasons for it. It wasn’t a comforting thought at all. David was far too clever and astute to miss an opportunity to get what he wanted, but Beth didn’t want to be rushed into making any decision she might regret.
‘What time will you get here, then?’
‘I won’t. I’ve been expecting a special delivery, but so far it hasn’t materialised. I can’t take a chance on missing it so I’ll get one of the men to collect you in my car. I take it that you’re all ready and packed?’
Beth bit back a sigh, all too conscious of the edge in his voice now. They were due at Maggie’s in a few hours’ time and she still wasn’t certain that it was the right thing to do. ‘Yes. Everything is ready.’
