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‘Oh, without Luke, of course,’ Verity agreed softly. ‘But then you can hardly have expected to keep him; a mere child like you.’ She moved sinuously, revealing the perfect curves of her body, her expression almost felinely triumphant. ‘You see, my dear, compared with me you can only be the clumsiest amateur. I’m sure we don’t need to fence with one another. Luke is a deeply sexual man, and I know how to arouse, fan and appease that sexuality as no other woman ever will. It is true that I stupidly allowed a natural need for security to blind me to the truth, but fortunately I realised in time that Luke is the man for me, just as I am the only woman for him. Oh, he may have amused himself with you; enjoyed the novelty of making love to a complete novice, but you could never hope to keep him satisfied for long.’
Her words only echoed Genista’s own fears and feelings. It was obvious that Luke had confided in Verity; had told her about their marriage, and she did not know which was the hardest to bear—the knowledge that he had openly discussed her with Verity, or the fact that much of what Verity was saying was true. The mere fact that Luke had invited his old love to the house, where Lucy would see her, shrieked the truth out loud; his need for her was so great that even Lucy’s feelings no longer mattered.
She still had some tattered remnants of dignity, some age-old instinct which made her lift her head and say proudly,
‘If Luke wants me to leave he only has to tell me. I have no intention of staying where I’m not wanted, but until he does, this is still my home, and you are still an intruder. Coming here when you must have known that Lucy would be here is in the worst possible taste, in view of the fact that you were living with her father until quite recently. As you say, we have no need to fence with one another, so I’m sure you’ll understand me when I tell you that I’m going upstairs to Lucy, leaving you to wait for my husband on your own.’
‘Your husband!’ Verity laughed mockingly. ‘How the words trip off your tongue, but very soon they’ll only be an empty phrase. Luke is mine!’
The words reverberated through Genista’s mind as she hurried upstairs. As she had expected she found Lucy huddled up on her bed, her expression woeful.
‘She said Uncle Luke had asked her to come here!’ she burst out as Genista opened the door. ‘I don’t believe it. He wouldn’t do a thing like that—he hates her!’
‘I’m sure whatever he did was for a good reason,’ Genista soothed. After all, it was the truth. No doubt to Luke his love for Verity was an adequate reason for putting it before everything else. ‘Look,’ she suggested, ‘why don’t you give your mother and father a ring? I’m sure they’ll be delighted to hear from you. They weren’t planning to go away, were they?’
Lucy shook her head, and Genista could see that her suggestion had taken root. They made the call together, Lucy insisting that Genista stay while she spoke to both her parents.
‘Father wants me to go home,’ she told Genista as she replaced the receiver. ‘Oh, Genista, they both sounded so happy! Mother was quite different, more like she used to be before…before…’
‘You’ll have to speak to your uncle before you make any plans to go to France,’ Genista warned her. When Lucy was on the phone she had heard a car outside and automatically her body tensed in dread of the confrontation to come. Verity must have made her presence known to Luke by now. Was she in his arms? Was he assuring her that she, Genista, would be leaving his house at the earliest possible opportunity. The child he had given her was destined never to know its father. She tried not to let the thought hurt.
She was in their room when Luke walked in. He threw his jacket down on to the bed, and loosened his tie impatiently.
‘Ve
rity tells me you were very unpleasant to her. Why?’ he demanded without preamble. ‘She is a guest in my house and as such entitled to courtesy if nothing else.’
‘While I, as your wife, am entitled to nothing, I suppose,’ Genista challenged. ‘Have you any idea of the effect it had on Lucy to find her here?’
Just for a moment an expression she could not fathom crossed his face, but it was gone before she could begin to unravel it.
‘Don’t hide behind Lucy, Genista,’ he said harshly. ‘You insulted Verity, and I should like to know why.’
‘Insulted her? On the contrary!’ Genista took a deep breath and held it. Whatever she said about his mistress Luke would side with Verity. Arguing with him was pointless. It only caused her more pain.
‘I’m the one who’s been insulted, Luke,’ she said quietly at last. ‘Insulted by being forced to endure sex without love; a marriage which makes a mockery of all that marriage should be.’
She heard the door slam, but it was several minutes before she was able to turn round—minutes during which she had battled against the tears threatening to fall, but it was all in vain. She was alone in the room, and several minutes later she heard the hum of the BMW’s engine and saw the two people sitting in the car.
Lucy was slightly subdued over dinner, and Genista hoped she had not heard them quarrelling. She thought that given time Lucy would come to realise that men and women could find happiness together if they had enough love and trust, but she sensed that the younger girl was hurt by Luke’s behaviour.
‘Are you going to wait up for Uncle Luke?’ she asked Genista anxiously after dinner.
Genista shook her head, striving to show a confidence she could not feel. She had no wish to destroy Luke’s relationship with his niece, although she suspected that Verity would soon make sure there was room only for herself in his life.
When she did go to bed she lay sleepless, waiting for his return. Dawn was breaking before she acknowledged that he would not be back—not that night, at least. The anguish was almost unbearable.
She managed to put on a brave face in front of Lucy, letting the younger girl think that Luke had returned and gone out again, and hoping that Lucy would not think to comment on the fact that his car was still outside.
She had been sick again, and could now ignore the signs no longer. She was carrying Luke’s child. A part of her paganly rejoiced in the knowledge while another, more sensible part pointed out the problems she would have to face as a single parent, and the possible effect the lack of a father could have on her child. It was still too early to think about visiting her doctor, but intuitively she knew that she had conceived Luke’s baby.
Lucy had decided to go riding again, but this time Genista declined to accompany her. Hadn’t she once read somewhere that the early weeks could be critical for an unborn child? The very fact that she was so anxious about the safety of the life she carried told her how precious it had already become to her in such a short space of time.
She was sitting in the garden, trying to concentrate on a book she had found in the library when she heard footsteps on the gravel path. At first she thought it was Luke, and her heart leapt in anticipation, but it was Bob’s more homely features which she saw when she looked upwards.
‘Luke not here?’ he asked her, frowning when she shook her head. ‘He rang me last night and asked me to bring some papers down here. He said they were urgent.’
‘I’ve no idea where he is,’ Genista admitted. ‘Can you stay and have lunch with me, or do you have to rush back?’
