Marriage of Convenience

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Freya's eyes flicked upwards, searching his. One of them wasn't thinking straight. Either she was hearing things she wanted to hear or he'd made a misstep, admitting paternity in the emotional heat because that was the way he'd wanted it.

His strong hands were still gripping her shoulders, she could feel every fingertip burning through the thin fabric of the sleeveless dress she wore. And he was too close, too male, and too much loved.

'Did I hear what I think I heard?' she asked acidly. She felt his hands drop to his side. 'Do you admit the child is yours?'

'Yes.' The approval made his face go hard and she stared at him disbelievingly. Had he finally concluded that she could be trusted? Had he cared about her enough to work it out for himself?

'I don't blame you for hating me, Freya, and I have a lot to apologize to you for.' His face was empty, his teeth biting down on his lower lip as he spread his hands hopelessly in a gesture of defeat she wouldn't have believed him capable of. Then he moved away from her, staring out of the open door to the sunlit tangle of the gardens. 'I don't have the right to expect you to accept my apologies, but I hope you'll believe me when I say I'm desperately sorry for everything.' He turned then, facing her, his eyes shuttered. 'Under the circumstances, I'm willing to give you the divorce you want. It's the least I can do.'

A muscle worked jerkily at the side of his jaw and his voice was husky as he swung on his heels, making for the open door. 'If you want to look around outside while we're here I'll wait for you over there'.

'Her mind was faltering. None of this made any kind of sense! He had, at last, decided he'd been wrong about her, that the child she carried was his. He had even apologized! And yet, he was willing to divorce her! A few days ago, still believing the worst of her, he'd stipulated no divorce for several years!

She ran after him, He heard her rapid footsteps, turned, his eyes puzzled and she told him breathily, 'You can't leave it at that.'

'No?' Whether he deliberately misunderstood her, she couldn't tell, but he went on, 'Don't worry. According to the estate agent, the house isn't solid yet.' He sank on the stone seat, his eyes closed wearily and she snapped, 'I wasn't talking about the house, dammit!'

His eyes flicked open, 'If you've got something to say, say it.' He sounded bored and she couldn't understand him, not at all.

'It's about divorce.' She sat beside him, her heart pattering. She knew she shouldn't hope, but she really, couldn't help it. Telling herself that he regarded her as a boring burden, to be offloaded as soon as possible, didn't stop her remembering how he'd said he cared what happened to her and her child.

'It will take time, Freya, but I'll put the wheels in motion tomorrow.' He spoke gently as if to an impatient child, and she shook her head abruptly, sending her hair flying about her face. He was determined to misconstrue everything she said!

'I meant,' she began with gritty patience, 'that there doesn't need to be one, surely?'

'What are you? He jerked up from the seat, his body tense with inner violence she couldn't understand. The line of his mouth was savage. 'It's the only course that makes any sense. When Kate told me how Leo had been trying to blackmail you told me what had happened ' He smacked one fist into the open palm of the other hand. 'My God! If I see him again, I'll kill him!'

'Kate told you?' Freya's mouth was dry. She had thought she could trust Kate, but the broken promise didn't signify, not now. She had idiotically believed he'd decided to trust her all on his own because he cared about her.

'Kate promised' she began woodenly, her voice trailing away, and he looked at her, almost sympathetically.

'I know. And yes, she told me. But you don't know her well enough. She always makes her mind up and would break a promise with about as much as she would break an egg if she believed good would come of it. You told Kate what had been going on between you and Leo why didn't you tell me?

'Oh, God!' Freya buried her head in her hands, almost laughing but nearer to tears at the injustice of his remark. 'Because you damn well wouldn't listen!'

She shot him an angry look. 'Leo was doing his best to rape me when you walked in that day. And all you could do was jump to nasty, insulting conclusions!'

'I'm sorry!' he groaned, dropping to the seat beside her again, and Freya, flicking him a sideways look, saw that his hands were shaking. But the cramp was over in a second and he was back in control again, leaning forward, his hands dangling between his knees, loosely held and almost relaxed.

'As I said before, any apologies of mine have to be inadequate and the only thing I can do after making life intolerable form you agree to your request for a divorce.'

She stared at him, wanting to shake him. Of course, she had asked for a divorce, but that had been in the heat of the moment, in desperation! Didn't this man know the divorce was the last thing she wanted? She loved him, she carried his child, he was her husband, for pity's sake! But could she tell him all this, would her pride let her? And could they ever be happy together again? Could they make the marriage work?

She didn't know, but she was willing to try because, somehow, pride didn't come into it anymore. And she was turning words over in her mind when he said coolly, 'I shall want access to the child, of course, regularly. You won't make any difficulties over that?'

And then she knew, and the knowledge chilled her, and it was her turn to jerk to her feet, 'Of course I won't.' She pulled herself to her full graceful height. 'Now you have everything you wanted, don't you? A child as an heir, the shares so what would you want with a wife?'

She twisted on the heels of her strappy sandals and marched away, her back rigidly straight, her emotions heaving. 'I'm going to look over the grounds,' she spat over her shoulder. 'While you sit there and count your blessings!'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Only one chapter remaining