Convenience

Part 23

Beatrice had no intention of being his responsibility. Stupid man! He'd had that option five years ago. And David had discarded that option.

Discarded her. Beatrice was not going to put herself in a similar situation again.

She couldn't help but point out how ludicrous the current situation was. "Now that you want a divorce? Does that not strike you as rather odd? Back to front?"

David accepted the hit. She was right, he hadn't done anything to help her, or look after her, despite that being part of the deal. "I accept I haven't helped you achieve this." He gestured vaguely at her environment. "But to be fair, as you said, you haven't helped me to build my business either." He wondered why he was baiting her like this. Perhaps guilt.

Of course she hadn't helped him build his business. That was down to him. He had not been inclusive, at any stage. In fact until just recently he'd all but forgotten he had commitments. Made promises to this woman. Guilt once again swamped him. How was it that for five years he'd managed to excuses his lifestyle? Managed to ignore the fact he was suppose to be looking out for her? That was part of the deal.

She'd taken a step sideways and he'd let her. Instead of ensuring that she received her side of the bargain he had determinedly set about ensuring the Cardoso family business did not sink. He accepted that at the start most of his energy and focus needed to be on the business as it teetered on the precipice. When she took herself out of his life, he'd seen it as a blessing. For it meant he had one less thing to worry about. But he'd turned things around within a year and started growing the business by the second year. Financially things were on a solid footing within eighteen months. So why hadn't he gone looking for his wife? Why hadn't he honoured his debt? He was better than this. He was an honest man. Decency. A forthright man who was blunt and honest. He had honour. Until now.

"Was I expected to?" Beatrice asked coolly even though her eyes heated up once again. She reminded herself that it was pointless getting angry with this man. After all, until quite recently he'd barely taken any notice of her. So there was simply no point in taking anything he said to heart.

He was just transiting through her life. Yet, it felt sad. Why? She didn't like him!

The sooner the better, she thought as she said with a fair measure of frost in her tone and ire in her eyes, "My understanding was that in marrying me, you gained access to timely funds. I supposedly gained security by way of the name of a husband."

He heard the irony in her voice and it made him bristle. If she wanted him to look after her she could have asked! She could have stayed in Auckland. She could have dealt with his PA instead of dismissing his PA's assistance. It wasn't as if he hadn't tried to ensure she had some measure of security.

Enough! Enough guilty! He interrupted, "Just wait a second..."

Beatrice all but sizzled. She'd had enough.

The five years of waiting for her husband to finally realise he had a wife and obligations started to take its toll. The first year had been the toughest. Without her grandfather she was alone. She had a husband. A man who had for all intents and purposes forgotten he had a wife! She had learnt to accept that she was married on paper only. To add insult to injury in that first year she'd read many an article in the social columns about her husband and his latest date! None of his women appeared to last very long. But then, neither had this marriage in reality. Beyond the piece of paper that saw them in a legally binding association there was no relationship.

In the second year of their marriage Beatrice stopped reading about David in the social columns. Not because the papers did not carry gossip and stories about him but because she realised it was counter productive. It was demoralising reading about a man who was supposed to looking out for your interests, when he clearly had other interests. Fidelity, loyalty, all the aspects she assumed came with the title husband seemed to have been mislaid where this man was concerned.

For him, marriage to her was simply a business deal. A silent partner in a business contract. She knew that. And he knew that.

But now, it is different. He didn't want a wife. He has one: The one standing in front of him. And he didn't want a silent partner. And he didn't want a business deal. He wanted to have a real marriage. With his current wife! The divorce was off! Just a shame that Beatrice didn't know that.