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It wasn't until she heard the car start that Beth came to life, without thinking, she ran across the room and flung open the door, calling his name. The car was already out of sight, she stumbled across the garden to the gate, Harvey hung anxiously at the side of her, but it was too late. He had s. And she knew this time he wouldn't be coming back.
CHAPTER TEN
'You did what?' Catherine stared at her, utterly aghast.
'I finished with Travis,' Beth repeated flatly. 'Yesterday morning. It's over, really over.'
'But why? I thought everything was going so well. I mean...' Catherine ran out of words to express what she meant and instead collapsed on a kitchen stool.
Beth had knocked at her sister's door five minutes before and, James being upstairs in his cot for his morning nap, had decided to get the confession over and done with. She had let Catherine assume she had travelled down to London for a quick visit until her sister had made the coffee and they had a plate of chocolate biscuits in front of them. Then she had broken the news. It had gone down like a lead balloon.
'And,' she said now, 'I've moved back into my flat. Last night. So, life as normal.'
Catherine was looking at her as though she was mad and Beth couldn't really blame her. She felt she was going mad.
'Life as normal?' Catherine shook her head, her fair hair swinging disapprovingly. 'Life without Travis, you mean?'
Hearing it put like that was like a punch in the stomach. But she deserved it. She deserved much worse, Beth thought miserably. She was the biggest coward out and she knew it. Travis had said as much and she agreed with him. Travis. Oh, Travis. She could hardly believe she wouldn't see him again.
'What did he do wrong?' Catherine took a sip of her coffee, her eyes narrowing on Beth's pale face and pink-rimmed eyes.
'He asked me to marry him,' Beth said woodenly.
Catherine gave a squeak and sat bolt upright. 'And that's it? Not even you would be so stupid. What else happened?'
'It's complicated.' Or terribly simple. She wasn't sure.
'Knowing you, it would be,' Catherine said with sisterly frankness. 'But do I take it he didn't cheat or turn violent or confess to being an axe-murderer?'
'Of course he didn't.' Beth reared up at the possibility.
'So basically the guy tells you he loves you and you dump him. Yes? He bares his heart and you show him the door?'
'I told him I wanted to end it before he told me he loved me,' Beth said flatly, knowing it was no defence.
'Oh, that's all right, then.' Catherine glared at her. 'You've just dumped a guy in a million for what reason, Beth? I mean, tell me, because I'd really like to know.'
'You're not making this easy.' Actually Catherine's antag¬onism was easier to deal with than sympathy. Sympathy would have had her howling like James in one of his tantrums, especially as she knew she didn't merit any.
'Good reason for that.' Catherine bit into a chocolate biscuit with enough force to reduce it to spraying fragments. 'I think you're stark staring mad. Especially because you like him, don't you? And don't deny it, I know you do.'
'I wasn't going to deny it.' She needed someone to talk to and family fitted the bill. Perhaps.
'Hmm.' Catherine fixed her with a big sister frown. 'Is that like him or really like him?' she pressed.
Beth just looked at her, her expression answer enough.
'So why did you finish with him, then?' Catherine asked vehemently. 'Beth, this is madness.'
'Because it wouldn't work,' Beth said miserably.
'Says who? It was working pretty well from where I was standing. 'He loves you, you love him. He's talking marriage, for goodness' sake. What's not to work?'
'Catherine, it's not like you think.' Beth rubbed at her eyes, which hadn't recovered from the marathon of weeping and were sore and smarting. 'We...we hadn't actually slept together, for a start. Not that Travis didn't want to,' she added quickly in case Catherine got the wrong idea, 'but I said at the beginning I needed more time before anything like that and he promised to take it at my pace. I...'
She didn't know how to put this. She rubbed at her eyes again and then decided to just say it. 'I love him but I can't take the risk of it all falling apart again. I'm not ready for a relationship, let alone marriage. I don't think I ever will be. It's not how I see the future.'
Catherine said an extremely rude word. 'It's him, Keith, isn't it?' she growled. 'You're letting him influence how you think about things. For crying out loud, Beth. Travis isn't Keith. Surely you can see that? How can you let Keith ruin any chance of happiness in the future?'
'That's what Travis said.' Beth stared at her sister.
'He's right.' Catherine jerked her head in agreement.
'Travis also said it was about time I finished with self-pity and that people have gone through worse than I did.'
'Did he?' Catherine looked impressed. 'I think he's right again but I wouldn't have dared say it.'
