The Jilted Bridegroom

by Carole Mortimer

  ‘Who was that man?’ Ben demanded, his face flushed with indignation.

  ‘—make myself clear?’ she completed firmly, totally ignoring his question.

  He met her gaze defiantly for several long, tension-filled minutes.

  Sarah had never before seen such a likeness to Clarissa in this eldest Forbes child. Of the three she had so far found Ben the most amenable; but not when things didn’t go his way, apparently.

  With one last furious glare in her direction he turned on his heel and left the room.

  Somehow Sarah didn’t think he would be joining them for the evening meal!

  She took several deep breaths to calm her own jangling nerves. Another two weeks of this and she was going to need a holiday to get over this one. That, or a strait-jacket!

  ‘Where did you go this afternoon?’

  Sarah turned to find Sally hovering at her elbow, her youthfully beautiful face alight with curiosity.

  This young woman, tall and leggy like her mother, but with her father’s dark colouring, had been named after Sarah as a compliment to Clarissa’s old school-friend. So that no confusion should ensue the younger Sarah had duly been designated the name Sally in its stead.

  Anyone less like herself Sarah thought it would be difficult to find. Or perhaps she was being unfair; Sally was at that awkward age, not yet considered quite a woman, but definitely not still a child either, and it was difficult for people to know quite how to treat her. Consequently they tended to waver between the two, and usually failed dismally to communicate with Sally on any level. Sarah knew she was as guilty of this as the family.

  The two of them certainly weren’t the best of friends, and Sarah viewed her friendliness now with suspicion, shrugging dismissively. ‘It took a little longer at the villa than I had expected.’ She went over to check the steaks under the grill.

  Sally leant in the doorway. ‘I thought Ben mentioned a man…’

  ‘Then you had better talk to Ben about it, hadn’t you?’ Sarah said uninterestedly, knowing that Sally wouldn’t do that; the eldest of the Forbes children weren’t yet of an age where they could appreciate each other’s worth.

  Sally remained in the doorway, her frustration with the conversation tangible. Finally she flounced off, and seconds later there was the predictable sound of a door banging, followed by over-loud pop music being played.

  Another enjoyable evening with the Forbes family!

  It only needed Stephen to start on her and they would have a hat-trick!

  But the next outburst came from Clarissa. Apparently Roger had decided he didn’t really feel like going out this evening after all, and Clarissa was absolutely furious about it.

  ‘If that’s the way you feel,’ she stormed into the lounge ahead of a surprisingly stubbornly determined husband, ‘I’ll just have to get Ben to take me out instead!’

  ‘Clarissa—’

  ‘He’s old enough, Roger,’ she told him defiantly, her cheeks hot with anger, the red body-hugging dress she wore provocative to say the least, her long legs tanned and bare beneath its short length.

  It was amazing how Clarissa changed the rules to suit what she wanted to do; she wanted to go out for the evening, and so Ben was no longer a ‘child’ to be left at home but completely mature enough to accompany her.

  It was no wonder the children were a rebellious mass of contradictions.

  Of course, there was no argument from Ben about this suggestion, and he did look very handsome in a suit borrowed from his father, not having brought anything that formal with him; he obviously knew from experience what his evenings were going to be like when they went on holiday!

  He shot Sarah a disdainful glance before accompanying his mother out of the door.

  Oh, dear, her only ally in this household had now deserted her!

  ‘Cheer up, Sarah,’ Roger drawled, having eaten the salad and steaks his children had refused. ‘Just think of the peaceful evening we’re going to have!’

  She returned his smile ruefully, knowing that for most of the time he was slightly in awe of the fact that someone as beautifully vivacious as Clarissa could be his wife. But he obviously needed a break from all that on occasion!

  ‘A game of chess?’ he suggested lightly.

  The highlight of all her evenings spent here! But at least Roger was a worthy opponent.

  As evenings went on this holiday, it stood out as one of the better ones.

  ‘How cosy,’ Sally drawled. ‘I’m sure this isn’t what Mummy thought you had in mind when you said you wanted “a quiet evening”!’

  Sarah looked up sharply from the board where she and Roger were just playing the deciding game out of three. Neither of them was an expert, but they were at least well-matched.

  Sally’s suggestive tone as she viewed them mockingly, from across the room, spoilt all that.

  ‘So you’ve decided to come out of your bedroom at last, have you?’ Roger seemed to have decided to ignore his daughter’s insulting tone. ‘There’s food in the fridge, if you’re hungry.’

  ‘I’m not,’ she scorned in a voice that made Sarah itch to slap her. But Roger was her parent—it was up to him to reprimand her if he felt she needed it. He didn’t. ‘I’ll leave the two of you alone again, as you seem to be having such a good time together,’ she added tauntingly.

  ‘Leave her,’ Roger advised wearily as Sarah would have risen angrily and followed the young girl as she left the room. ‘I’ve been assured she will outgrow these moods.’ He shook his head disbelievingly.

  She had better; Sarah was fast coming to the end of her patience where this family was concerned. Mother or no mother, she would leave them to it the moment she just couldn’t take any more.

  But she would be leaving Griff Morgan behind too if she did that, a little voice inside her warned.

  She gave a start of surprise at this unbidden thought.

  What did it matter if she never saw Griff Morgan again? He was nothing to her.

  Was he…?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘COME and join us.’

  ‘Us’ consisted of Sally, a languid Jasper stretched on her bare legs as she sat in a poolside chair at the Majors villa, wearing only a brief bikini, and Griff Morgan, sitting in an accompanying chair, wearing only a pair of bathing trunks, light blue this time, making his tan look even darker!

  Sarah had had no idea when Sally had disappeared earlier this morning that she had come over to the villa, had assumed she had gone off on one of the sulky walks she had been indulging in since they’d arrived here.

  But from the look of her, and from the confidence of her invitation to Sarah, Sally had been here for some time, and had made herself very much at home!

  As for the damned cat, after the way he had behaved with her yesterday, when he had half scared her to death, draping himself all over Sally was absolutely disgraceful!

  Griff seemed to be following her line of thought with amusement, his own reaction to this unexpected guest not apparent as yet, although on the surface he didn’t appear too perturbed.

  Or perhaps he just didn’t realise yet that his privacy had been well and truly intruded upon, that Clarissa was sure to learn of his presence here now, and Clarissa was even more determined than her daughter, wouldn’t give him a moment’s privacy.

  But that was Griff’s problem, Sarah told herself firmly; she wasn’t some sort of watchdog service for him.

  He must have known he was taking the risk of being recognised wherever he disappeared to. It would be up to him to convince Clarissa she didn’t want to reveal his whereabouts to the Press. He probably had charm enough…

  Sour grapes?

  No, of course not, she defended; she was just a little disconcerted to find Sally here, that was all.

  ‘Not just now,’ she called down to them from the villa steps. ‘I’m just going to see to the plants—’

  ‘I told you I would do that today,’ Sally cut in lightly, her gaze challenging.
<
br />   The little madam had even lied to get herself admitted to the villa!

  But Griff hadn’t had to invite her to stay after she’d completed the task…

  ‘So you did,’ she accepted tightly. ‘Well, in that case, I’ll leave you two to it,’ whatever ‘it’ was!

  ‘Do come and join us,’ Griff repeated the invitation, standing up in one fluid movement, crossing the paved area beside the pool before padding across the grass to stand in front of Sarah. ‘Please,’ he added desperately, for her ears alone.

  Sarah’s anger at Sally’s duplicity disappeared as quickly as it had arisen as she sensed his urgent request for help, her mouth quirking with amusement as she glanced across to where Sally still posed in the chair. ‘Having a few problems?’ she taunted softly as she turned back to Griff.

  He looked even more harassed. ‘That particular young lady is a bundle of mischief marked “trouble”!’

  Didn’t she know it! Sally was one of the prime people making her stay here so unbearable; she should have guessed the young girl would try something like this. ‘And the two of you seem to be having such fun together,’ Sarah mocked.

  ‘Sarah!’ he said warningly.

  She grinned up at him, the first time she had had anything to smile about since she’d seen him yesterday. ‘Well, if you really would like me to stay for a while…?’

  ‘I insist upon it.’ He frowned. ‘I’d get down on my knees and beg, but I think Sally might become a little suspicious if I did that!’

  ‘When you put it like that…’ Sarah shrugged.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Have you tried plying her with the “Morgan coffee”?’ she delayed.

  He raised his eyes heavenwards. ‘She liked it!’

  Sarah’s mouth twitched at his obvious disgust. ‘Then it’s obviously more serious than I thought.’

  ‘Very funny.’ Griff grimaced at her humour in the face of his predicament.

  Sarah nodded. ‘Sally seems to have a “serious case of being attracted to you”,’ she repeated his words of yesterday concerning herself and Ben in an effort to show him how these infatuations could happen without the slightest encouragement. After Ben’s behaviour to her the evening before she was inclined to think Griff could be right about that particular observation. And Sally was at a stage in her young life where she was attracted to any male who was reasonably good-looking and mature enough to offer her something more interesting than boys her own age.

  ‘Maybe we should gang up on the spoilt little brats and show them we aren’t interested in either of them,’ Griff muttered.

  ‘What are the two of you talking about over there?’ Sally had sat forward and was watching them with narrowed eyes.

  ‘And to think I was complaining about my lack of company yesterday,’ Griff sighed longingly.

  Sarah laughed softly. ‘We had better go and join her.’

  ‘You mean you will stay for a while?’ he pounced eagerly.

  She nodded. ‘But I think I should warn you, Sally can be very determined,’ she told him softly over her shoulder as she strolled across the grass to join Sally by the pool.

  The cat had jumped down from Sally’s legs now, purring softly as he padded over to Sarah, twining himself in and out of her legs.

  ‘Creep,’ Sarah told him good-naturedly as she bent down to absently stroke one furry ear.

  Sally was looking at her speculatively. ‘No wonder you wanted to keep him to yourself!’

  Sarah turned sharply to look at Griff behind her, but he seemed to have disappeared inside the villa, probably to get fresh drinks for them all, she realised. ‘You do know who he is, Sally?’ She frowned at the young girl.

  ‘Of course I do,’ she dismissed. ‘And how he was left standing at the altar on Saturday. Sandra Preston must be a pretty stupid woman,’ she scorned, ‘letting someone like him escape.’

  ‘Sally,’ she began impatiently, ‘we can’t know the full circumstances—’

  ‘I wouldn’t care what the “circumstances” were if I could be with a man like Griff Morgan,’ Sally told her eagerly.

  That was the difference between Sally’s naïveté and Sarah’s having learnt the hard way that it wasn’t always as simple as that. The difference between still being a child and growing up…

  ‘His fiancée obviously had her reasons for what she did.’ Sarah shrugged dismissively.

  ‘Stupidity,’ Sally nodded knowingly. ‘And she’s his ex-fiancée,’ she muttered, directing a dazzling smile over Sarah’s shoulder.

  It didn’t need two guesses to realise Griff had rejoined them, and he had brought out with him a jug of fresh lemonade and three glasses.

  Looking at him, so tall and powerfully muscular, Sarah had to admit she couldn’t help agreeing with Sally at that moment. It could possibly be the first time—and was probably the last!—that she had agreed with the young girl, but she couldn’t help thinking Sandra Preston had to be stupid, too!

  It was embarrassing to watch Sally’s immature flirting with Griff over the next hour, although Griff, despite the impression he had given earlier, seemed to be handling it very capably, treating Sally with the casualness of an older brother or uncle.

  And Sally didn’t like that at all!

  ‘You must come over for dinner one evening,’ she suggested suddenly, sitting up.

  Sarah frowned as Griff couldn’t hide his expression of dismay; socialising was the last thing he felt like doing. ‘Sally, I don’t think—’

  ‘Tonight?’ Sally continued excitedly, completely ignoring Sarah.

  Griff drew in a deep breath, obviously thinking fast. ‘I’m sure your parents—’

  But not fast enough!

  ‘Mummy adores dinner guests,’ Sally determinedly cut in on his objections, with more enthusiasm than actual truth; Clarissa did enjoy having guests for dinner, as long as she didn’t have to actually do any of the work involved in catering for them. Which she usually didn’t. ‘And you would be a lovely diversion for Mummy and Daddy,’ Sally continued. ‘They seem a little… bored by each other’s company at the moment.’ She shot a sideways glance at Sarah after this last remark.

  Her eyes widened. Just what did Sally mean by that? Really, she shouldn’t have let herself be persuaded from giving this young girl a verbal dressing down the evening before!

  Griff was watching the optical exchange between them with curiosity, finally shrugging his shoulders as neither of them seemed about to add anything to the conversation. ‘I really don’t think I would be good company for them at the moment—’

  ‘Nonsense,’ Sally dismissed. ‘I’m sure you’re good company at any time,’ she added coyly.

  His fiancée obviously hadn’t thought so, Sarah thought drily, and she could see Griff found the effusive compliment embarrassing.

  His mouth tightened with irritation. ‘I’m actually working while I’m here,’ he told Sally firmly.

  ‘Working?’ Blue eyes widened. ‘But I thought you were here because—’

  ‘I’m working,’ Griff repeated determinedly, ‘actually.’ He stood up in one fluid movement, and Sarah couldn’t stop herself watching the play of muscles across his body.

  He was so obviously masculine, exuded a sensual magnetism Sarah was fast finding fascinating, her breath shallow in her chest.

  If only Griff weren’t here recovering from a broken heart…

  If only she weren’t here recovering from a broken heart…

  ‘I should be working now,’ he continued briskly, his narrow-eyed gaze studiously avoiding Sarah’s, needing her support very badly just now.

  She took the hint, even if Sally didn’t, straightening in her chair. ‘I think it’s time we were leaving now, Sally.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘Griff is a busy man,’ she added firmly, standing up, her legs long and golden beneath the brief purple shorts she wore with a yellow and purple T-shirt.

  As she had pulled on the garish clothing this morning, hastily b
ought for this time away in the sunshine, Sarah had known she would never be seen wearing them in England!

  ‘And I thought you were supposed to be going shopping to Juan-les-Pins today with your mother,’ she reminded pointedly, knowing that Clarissa’s anger, and the lure of the boutiques in the popular resort, would be too much for the young girl.

  ‘Oh, God, yes!’ Sally shot up, grabbing up her pile of clothes from the grass. ‘I’d better go,’ she told Griff apologetically, not sparing Sarah a second glance as she hurried away.

  Griff watched her go, looking like a man who felt as if he had just been run over by a steamroller!

  Sarah looked up at him with amusement; she knew how he felt—she had been feeling the same way herself for the past twelve days!

  ‘Is the mother anything like that?’ Griff finally asked weakly.

  Her mouth quirked as she restrained her humour. ‘Worse!’ she said with feeling.

  ‘Oh, God…!’ He sat down again heavily, running a hand over his brow.

  Sarah held back her humour now with effort, green eyes glowing with suppressed amusement.

  Griff looked across at her with an air of desperation. ‘How am I going to get through this dinner invitation?’

  Because both of them knew the invitation would be forthcoming!

  ‘Clarissa and Roger can be good company,’ she told him slowly, knowing Clarissa was sure to be at her most dazzlingly charming with such a distinguished guest.

  Griff eyed her sourly. ‘You don’t sound too sure about that.’

  She grinned. ‘Well, it promises to be an interesting evening anyway.’

  ‘With me as the “interest”,’ he realised with a grimace. ‘I suppose it was too much to hope I was going to be able to come here and achieve the anonymity that I wanted,’ he sighed.

  ‘I hope you don’t think that I—’

  ‘I’ve told you what I think of you, Sarah Williams, and nothing has happened since then to change my opinion,’ he cut in lightly. ‘You’re a nice woman. And no, I don’t think you went blabbing my presence here all over the valley.’