Bond of Fate

by Jane Corrie

  Melanie stared at him. He most certainly was not referring to any swimming lessons now, as indeed he hadn't been before, but to actually give notice of his intended assault on her defences like that was surely beyond the pale! 'I've no idea what you're talking about,' she got out, trying to inject some indignation into her voice, which wasn't too hard to do, as she was still suffering from shock.

  `Of course you don't,' said Julian with a touch of amusement in his voice. 'I was forgetting your commonsense outlook,' he added, as he jumped up and quickly towelled himself down, then, with a wicked side glance at the still stunned Melanie, led the way back to the villa.

  When they got back, Melanie was devoutly grateful for Celia's company at the lunch table, and her animated chatter brought back some semblance of sanity after the morning's shocks. 'How did you get on?' she asked Melanie.

  Melanie sent a quick glance towards Julian before replying, 'Not so well. I got a ducking after losing one of the floats '

  Julian interposed here, with, 'She's giving up. How many times did you go under, Celia ?' he asked.

  `Heaps of times!' said Celia with a grin. 'I wanted to chuck it in too, but Dad wouldn't let me. He won't let you either, Melanie, you'll see,' she added earnestly. `You won't want to sit on the beach all the time when everybody else is in the water, will you?' Her argument was reasonable.

  Melanie felt she was being pushed into a corner from where there was no retreat. She knew that Julian was watching her with those all-knowing eyes of his, and wanted to protest that Celia didn't know the half of it. She sighed inwardly. It was no fault of hers that her father had some devious plan in his head to keep her with them until such time as he deemed her presence unnecessary, and that could be a very long time indeed. If she stuck to her guns, and said she was quite prepared to sit on the beach, she didn't see what anybody could do about that. It was up to her, and she was fighting for her future. 'I shall do very well on the beach,' she replied primly. 'I'm not the sporty type,

  you know,' she said to Celia, with a smile to soften the disappointment.

  `She's a coward, I'm afraid, Celia,' said her father in mock solemnity.

  `She is not!' Celia leapt to Melanie's defence like a tigress defending her young. 'You're not a coward, are you, Melanie? You show him by learning to swim. If you still want to sit on the beach afterwards, then it's your choice, isn't it?' she demanded fiercely.

  There couldn't have been many occasions when Celia ganged up against her father, but this was certainly one of them, and Melanie could feel the net being drawn tighter around her. Celia was playing directly into her father's hands, as he had known that she would. It was a case of no holds barred where this man was concerned, she thought despairingly. 'Perhaps I need some support from a friend,' she said lightly, conquering the impulse to scream in frustration at the easy way Julian had got what he wanted. This time he wasn't having it all his own way. 'Come and hold my hand tomorrow, Celia,' she said, darting a baleful glance towards Julian, whose bland expression of self-satisfaction made her want to retract her words.

  Celia blinked and stared at her father. 'You've been bullying her, Dad !' she said accusingly, and looked back at Melanie. 'He bullied me, too, you know, but you're different,' she added with an indignant look towards her father.

  Julian's brows shot up, and his handsome features took on a pained expression. 'I hardly think "bullying" is the word. Firmness would be more apt. How far do you think you would have got if I had turned soft when you tried to throw in the towel?' he asked his daughter.

  Celia's dark eyes acknowledged the point, then she laughed 'Okay,' she said, and turned to Melanie. `What he means is, it's all for our own good,' she explained with a twinkle in her eyes. 'Don't worry, Melanie, I'll come with you tomorrow,' she promised.

  `You'll do nothing of the sort!' Julian said firmly. `The last thing Melanie needs at the moment is an audience, and I'm certainly not having you two ganging up on me when she gets faint-hearted again.'

  Celia opened her mouth in protest. But I only was as far as Julian let her get.

  `I think we'll take that belated picnic on the beach this afternoon,' he remarked casually as if Celia hadn't spoken, but both girls knew that that was the end of any intended opposition to his wishes.

  While Celia and her father spent the afternoon swimming and sunbathing, Melanie stayed on her lilo, protected from the heat by a large sunshade. Although she had a book with her, her thoughts were too chaotic to allow her to make any sense of the words in front of her eyes. Her sudden realisation that she loved Julian had come as an unwanted complication in her already muddled state of affairs, and as she had tried to come to terms with this unpalatable fact, she had found herself facing the even more worrying one of Julian's determination to enmesh her in the family, by fair means or foul.

  His excuse, of course, was that he was only thinking of Celia, but there was no getting away from the fact that he was also providing himself with an insurance policy against any further involvement in the marital stakes,

  What if he should meet the one woman who could satisfy his high ideals of femininity? Melanie sighed inwardly. There would be no problem there for him,

  for Miss Greensmith would be given her marching

  orders, supplied with an annulment and a wad of cash.

  As for Celia? Melanie frowned. If Julian ever did fall in love, she was certain that Celia would simply have to toe the line and accept the woman he had chosen.

  Melanie moved restlessly, and the book slipped off her lap. The next minute she heard Julian's voice say, `I'm glad you're getting some rest. You'll need plenty of strength for tomorrow's ordeal, won't you?' as he replaced the book on to her lap.

  Melanie started. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't realised that they were back from their swim, but when she looked around for Celia, she saw that she was still in the water, and she felt a surge of anger as his words sunk in. 'I might have second thoughts on that,' she said stiffly.

  `You might, but you won't, will you?' Julian answered softly, as he stretched himself out on the white sand beside her.

  Melanie's eyes gleamed with temper behind her dark glasses. 'I can't see why you should be so sure of that,' she said coldly.

  `Because I know you—a little more, perhaps, than you realise,' he replied quietly.

  `You don't know me at all!' said Melanie, indignantly. 'If you did, you wouldn't have accused me of ' Her voice faltered ; she had already said more than she should have done. `I admit that was a mistake,' he replied, 'and I'll own to it. There are times, you know, when you don't give me the benefit of the doubt either. Why, for instance, do you suppose, that I took such an abhorrence to your altered appearance? I rather liked your hair as it was, you know,' he added casually, ' but

  there was more to it than that. One day I'll tell you, but that's enough for now. Go back to your dozing and enjoy the sunshine,' he ended, as he settled back on the sand.

  There was little chance of Melanie doing that! Here again he was attacking her peace of mind. She went over his words. It was almost as if he was giving notice. Notice of what? she thought, as she closed her eyes. What an extraordinary man he was !

  Melanie might have slipped into a doze at this point had not another thought suddenly come to mind, one that swiftly brought her back to full wakefulness. He liked his own way, didn't he? Enough to force the issue once and for all. She was his wife, business arrangement or not, in the eyes of the law; he was her husband, and husbands expect certain rights—she swallowed. Not that, she thought. He might be capable of doing a lot of things to get his own way, but he wouldn't go as far as that. Not without her consent.

  A rush of pure panic enveloped her as she recalled the way she had felt about him that morning at the pool, when she had wanted to cling to him. He was no stranger to the sudden rushes of emotion women showered upon him. So he had known! Hadn't he said that he knew her a little better than she had given him credit for! She close
d her eyes. Now she felt like the sacrificial goat waiting for the tiger to pounce, dreading, yet completely hypnotised, in spite of the fate awaiting it. The goat, poor thing, would be tethered to a post, but she was still free, wasn't she?

  As she fought to control the waves of panic flowing through her, she told herself firmly not to be such an idiot. It was just relief at finding herself once more snatched from drowning that had produced that sudden rush of emotion where Julian was concerned.

  Two sinkings in two days had been just too much for her, and it was little wonder that she had felt such an overwhelming thankfulness towards her rescuer. And that was all there was to it. Purely and simply thankfulness!

  No sooner had they got back to the villa, she thought, following through the morning's events, than she had got back to normal, resenting his high handed way of steamrollering through her casual request that Celia should join them during the next lesson. Surely, she reasoned sagely, had she been in love with him, she would have gone positively gooey-eyed over his adamant ruling against that proposition, but what had she felt? Nothing but extreme annoyance, and a fervent wish to wipe that self-satisfied expression off his too handsome face !

  She drew in an inward sigh of relief. So there was nothing to worry about. If Julian thought it was going to be simply a matter of gentle persuasion, and that she would fall in with his plans, he was due for a shock. He was so sure of his attraction, spoilt by adoration on all sides, that it was small wonder that he had taken it for granted that Melanie would fall overboard for him. She would be much more compliant then with his future plans. She got on with Celia, and that weighted the scales against her eventual freedom.

  No, it wouldn't, she vowed silently. If he thought she would be content to live a life of infatuation with a man who didn't care two hoots about her, and only suffered her presence because she was useful to him, then he was far off the mark, which only went to prove that what she had said to him about him not knowing her at all had been right.

  Celia then joined them, and they packed up the remnants of the picnic and started off back to the villa.

  Melanie, listening to Celia asking her father if they could watch a thriller later on television, felt a sense of relief deep down. She felt she had faced all her fears, and come out much calmer and certain about the future. She was just as determined to prevent Julian from reaching his goal as he was to attain it. Had she gone pie-eyed over him, things would have been very different, but as it was, she knew she was in the right, and if she was ever tempted to take the easy way out, her pride would soon put her back on the road again.

  Had Melanie needed any confirmation on her earlier thoughts where Julian's plans were concerned, she got them that evening. Celia's suggestion that they watched a thriller had been agreed to and Melanie, sitting in her usual seat across the room from where Julian and Celia normally sat during their chess sessions, found to her intense annoyance that Julian was more occupied in watching her than in the plot being unfolded on the screen before him. She didn't know how long he had been studying her, for she was caught up at first in the story, but eventually she felt this concentration seeping through her absorption in the film.

  What was he trying to do? she thought crossly. Mesmerise her? Her chin went out in a gesture to repulse this unwanted attention, and she could have sworn that Julian's eyes had a glint of amusement in them before he turned his gaze back to the screen again.

  Melanie's soft lips firmed. Yes, he would think it was amusing, and it must be a novel experience for him to find someone who was immune to his charms. How long would it take to discourage him? she wondered. He wasn't a patient man. She would be doing him a service, she thought sagely, in showing

  him that he couldn't have his own way all the time,

  and she would show him, there was no doubt of that!

  The following morning, Melanie found herself actually looking forward to the swimming lesson. In her own way she had declared war on Julian, who was of the opinion that all women could be manipulated to suit his purposes. This time he had made a slight miscalculation.

  When they arrived at the pool, Melanie remembered what he had said about her being able to keep afloat by lying flat on the water and kicking her legs should she lose the float again, and she would certainly put that advice to good use this time, she told herself, as she entered the water and looked around for the float, but saw no sign of it.

  `I'll take you across,' Julian said. 'Perhaps it was a little too early for you to take the float. Now, come towards me,' he ordered, as he stood a little way away from her and held out his hands for her to clasp. Melanie did as she was bid, feeling all the time that this was a deliberate move on his part to bring her to heel. Perhaps he meant to push her under until she capitulated?

  With her thoughts not entirely on the lesson, it was small wonder that little progress was made, for Melanie was intensely aware of Julian's strong grip on her hands, and his grey eyes that seemed to watch her every movement like a hawk.

  `Use your legs,' he ordered, as she began to sink again. 'I'm not supposed to be hauling you across.'

  `I'm trying,' Melanie managed to splutter out as she swallowed some water.

  `Very,' he commented drily, and made her swallow another mouthful as she saw the funny side of things and couldn't help laughing.

  `Shades of Celia,' said Julian, his eyes taking on a look that abruptly brought sobriety back to Melanie and made her really concentrate on her lesson.

  From then on, she progressed so well that by the time the lesson was over she was able to get across the pool without any aid at all. It was true that her stroke resembled a kind of dog paddle, but she was definitely afloat, and as Julian remarked, all she needed now was tuition in perfecting a good stroke.

  Her efforts had left her completely worn out, and as she began to wade back to the steps to leave the pool, Julian called, 'Here,' and held his hands out for her to grasp and be lifted out. Melanie, too exhausted to stand on her dignity, accepted the help offered. She might have been a featherweight by the casual easy way he caught her and lifted her out of the pool, and before she knew what was happening he held her close to him before releasing his hold on her, and, to add insult to injury, gave her a light kiss on the tip of her nose. 'Good girl,' he said approvingly.

  All Melanie's exhaustion left her. She was so angry she found it hard to control her voice. 'I'm not Celia!' she got out furiously. 'You have no right ' She paused for breath.

  Julian's grey eyes travelled slowly over her flushed features and lovely pansy-blue eyes that now shot sparks of fire. 'I have every right,' he said meaningly. `If I were you, I'd be grateful for the fact that I do treat you like Celia. The time for you to worry will be when I decide otherwise.'

  Melanie stared at him. If she could only believe that, but she didn't. Somewhere along the line he had already taken that other decision. This was only a softening-up process, and as long as she was aware of it, she was safe.

  `I'd like that in writing,' she muttered fiercely, her slim body still taut with anger, and her chin thrust forward in defiance.

  Julian's eyes showed their amusement. 'Which part?' he queried wickedly. 'The first or the second?'

  Melanie was no match for him, and she knew it. She also knew that there were times when it was better to remain silent, and this was one of the them, so she shook her head in a gesture that showed that she intended to ignore that provocative remark, and towelled herself down.

  `Coward,' Julian said softly as he followed her example and, with a mock bow at the still fuming Melanie, indicated that she should lead the way back to the villa.

  It all pointed to game, set and match to Julian Cridell, Melanie thought sourly when they got back to the villa, and she made her way to the bathroom for a shower before joining Julian and Celia for lunch, during which time she would have to put up with Celia's queries on her morning's progress, try to keep her mind strictly on the subject in hand, and somehow ignore those mocking grey ey
es that seemed to see right through her pathetic attempts to avoid his calculated attacks on her emotions.

  After her shower, Melanie dressed, putting on a cool silk suit, and sat down at the dressing table to comb her hair. What on earth had she done to deserve landing up in a mess like this? she asked her sober reflection. All she had wanted was a job. She hadn't bargained on finding herself landed with a husband as well!

  No, not a husband. That was only the wording on the certificate. A business partner who obviously intended to be around for a long time, and who, if he

  had his way, would become a sleeping partner in every sense of the word !

  Melanie blanched at her thoughts. But it was no good wrapping it up and trying to pretend that there were no such thoughts in Julian Cridell's mind, not after he had gone to such lengths to make her aware of his intentions.

  She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Any woman would be proud to acknowledge such a man as her husband, or even lover, come to that, so what was wrong with her? Why this stupid coyness on her part?

  Her fine eyebrows rose as she stared back at herself, then she suddenly blinked and shook her head. `Because fair was fair,' she whispered fiercely.

  A man like Julian Cridell wouldn't have looked twice at her in any other circumstances. She had no looks, and certainly not the kind of background a wife of his ought to have.

  They simply had nothing in common with each other, and if anything, she seemed to annoy him by her strict adherence to the rules. She sighed. Used to annoy him, she thought sadly. Now it only amused him that a slip of a girl like her would dare to oppose his wishes.