Love's Duel

by Carole Mortimer

  Leonie’s expression was challenging. ‘And if I have?’

  ‘Giles would never believe you, especially now.’

  ‘Why especially now?’ she asked sharply.

  ‘Well, you’ve had a husband, and no doubt numerous other men. It would be a bit difficult to act the innocent now,’ Jeremy derided.

  If only he knew, she thought bitterly. Why was it that both he and Giles presumed she had the morals of an alley-cat?

  ‘Giles is very possessive about his women,’ Jeremy mused. ‘He wouldn’t let me near Sonja. Still, no doubt she’s up for grabs now. Maybe I should give her a call.’

  Leonie spiked one of the cubes of melon on her plate. ‘I doubt if Giles would feel any differently about your involvement with her,’ she said dully.

  ‘You mean he and she—? Well, well,’ he smiled. ‘I didn’t know he had the time for two women in his life, especially two like you.’

  ‘Well, now you know.’ She looked at him unflinchingly, once again wondering what she had ever seen in him. There was a weakness about him that she hadn’t been aware of before, and she knew he possessed none of Giles’ strength of character.

  She sat back as the waiter removed their plates, only to put their salmon in front of them seconds later. It surprised her how well Jeremy had remembered the food she liked, sure that there had been many other women in his life.

  They ate in silence for several minutes, the wine Jeremy had chosen to go with the meal excellent as usual. Jeremy was an expert on wines, and his knowledge of them had greatly impressed the naïve eighteen-year-old she had once been.

  She refused a sweet, although she had to sit and wait to leave while Jeremy ate his cheese. He suggested they have their coffee in the lounge, and she readily agreed, anxious to escape the attentions of the three waiters who had served their meal.

  ‘Shall we get to the point of this meeting?’ she suggested tersely once they were in the lounge.

  Jeremy sat back, completely relaxed. ‘You already know what I want—and that’s you.’

  She paled, her worst fears realised. ‘Me?’

  ‘That’s right.’ His hand covered hers as it lay on the sofa beside him, his fingers tightening as she would have moved away. ‘I was in love with you four years ago, Leonie.’ His tone was deadly serious now.

  ‘You had a funny way of showing it,’ she scorned.

  ‘You shouldn’t have tried that trick on me. If you’d been just a little more patient you would have been my wife. Oh, yes,’ he insisted hardly, ‘I was going to divorce Glenda for you.’

  Her eyes were wide. ‘You would have married me?’

  ‘Yes,’ he admitted harshly, all the boyish surface charm erased. ‘I was mad about you. You wouldn’t agree to the relationship I wanted, so I was going to marry you. When I saw you at Giles’ flat the other night I thought I was finally going to get a second chance with you. And then he announced your engagement to him!’

  ‘Jeremy, I—’

  ‘But I’m going to have you, Leonie,’ he went on savagely. ‘I’m sick and tired of seeing a pair of accusing blue eyes in my mind whenever I think of you.’

  She was only half listening to him, having been aware of being observed the last few minutes. There was a woman sitting a few feet away from them, and she had been watching them with an interest that Leonie found unnerving.

  She was a woman in her late fifties, possibly early sixties, her hair obviously kept that golden blonde colour by the expertise of her hairdresser, her face agelessly beautiful, her eyes blue or grey, it was hard to tell from this distance, her figure slender in the fitted blue dress she wore. She was a very attractive woman, and the man seated with her obviously thought so too, although at the moment he was having trouble holding her attention, and her gaze was more often then not on Jeremy and Leonie.

  ‘Leonie!’ Jeremy’s voice was sharp.

  ‘Sorry,’ she dragged her attention back to him with effort. ‘An admirer of yours?’

  He followed her line of vision, turning back with a shake of his head. ‘Afraid not. Very attractive, though.’

  Leonie sighed, the woman now forgotten. ‘What’s the matter with you, Jeremy? Why can’t you stay with one woman?’

  ‘I intended to,’ he said sharply, ‘but you got away from me.’

  ‘I didn’t mean me,’ she snapped impatiently. ‘Your wife is very beautiful, and you have a lovely daughter too. Why couldn’t you have tried to make that a happy marriage?’

  ‘I tried to, in the beginning. Unfortunately Glenda is one of those liberated women who believe in freedom in marriage, and I wasn’t going to sit at home waiting for her to come home from her latest lover.’

  ‘You could have divorced her years ago, married someone who didn’t have those views on marriage.’

  ‘I told you, I was going to. And now Giles has claimed you,’ he said bitterly, standing up to pull her to her feet by the hold he still had on her hand. ‘Let’s get out of here. We can go to my flat and talk.’

  Leonie hung back. ‘Not the same flat you told Giles I visited in the past?’

  ‘The same.’ He gave a tight smile, his hand under her elbow propelling her out of the hotel and into a passing taxi. ‘I want to be alone with you,’ he told her, regardless of the listening taxi-driver.

  She shook her head. ‘No, Jeremy, I—I don’t have the time right now. I told Emily I would be back early. And—and Giles is coming down this evening. You’re supposed to be my aged aunt, remember,’ she added desperately. ‘She would hardly spend the afternoon dashing around the shops, which is what I would have to tell Emily I’d been doing.’

  Jeremy’s eyes were narrowed to icy blue slits. ‘Is that the only reason you’ve refused?’

  She looked down at her hands. ‘I’m in love with Giles, you know.’

  ‘Yes,’ it came out as a hiss.

  ‘Don’t you care that I’m not in love with you?’

  ‘Of course I damn well care! But I’m willing to take what I can get. I don’t suppose you would consider marrying me instead of Giles?’

  ‘After your divorce?’ she asked bitterly, aware that the taxi-driver must be listening to every word—and wondering exactly what he was listening to!

  ‘Would you, Leonie?’

  ‘No, I wouldn’t!’ she told him indignantly. ‘I’m in love with Giles.’

  ‘Four years ago you were in love with me,’ he reminded her angrily.

  ‘We all have moments of madness,’ Leonie derided coldly.

  His mouth tightened fiercely. ‘You little bitch! All right, you won’t marry me, but you will come back up to town one day next week and meet me at the flat. I insist, Leonie,’ he said as she started to protest. ‘You do want your wedding to take place, don’t you?’ he added threateningly.

  She wasn’t sure any more, the price of being Giles’ wife seemed to be very high. Ridiculed by the man she loved, threatened by a man she didn’t love. She was beginning to wonder if it was worth it, especially as Giles could throw her out of his life the day after the wedding.

  ‘Call me one day next week,’ she evaded. ‘We’ll arrange something then.’

  ‘You mean that?’

  ‘I don’t lie, unlike some people. I’m perfectly well aware of all the lies you told Giles about me.’

  ‘And he believed every word.’ Jeremy smiled his pleasure.

  ‘You made sure he did. Stop the taxi here,’ she touched the driver’s shoulder, opening her car door. ‘I’ll see you next week, Jeremy,’ she told him coldly. ‘The—gentleman will pay,’ she spoke to the driver before hurrying away to find her car.

  ‘Giles called while you were out,’ Emily told her as soon as she entered the cottage.

  Leonie bit her lip. ‘Did he say what he wanted?’

  ‘Just to talk to you dear,’ Emily told her absently, ‘I told him you were visiting an aunt.’

  She went up to her room. Giles would no doubt question her when they met tonight. She was righ
t, he did, not even saying hello before he started questioning her.

  ‘I didn’t even know you had an aunt.’ He eyed her with open suspicion.

  ‘Well, now you know I have.’ She evaded the intensity of his gaze. ‘Would you like a drink?’ She moved to the drinks trolley.

  ‘Whisky, straight.’ He took the glass from her, looking very attractive in dark blue shirt and light blue suit. ‘Tell me about her,’ he ordered abruptly.

  ‘She’s an old lady, a deaf old lady. Now aren’t you going to kiss me hello?’

  His mouth twisted. ‘You saw Trent in London! After all that I told you—’

  ‘No, no, I didn’t,’ she was able to answer honestly. ‘Please believe me, Giles, I didn’t see Phil.’ But she had been tempted, oh, so tempted.

  He continued to look at her for several minutes longer. Finally he shrugged. ‘Okay, so you didn’t see him. Will your aunt be coming to the wedding?’

  Leonie heaved an inward sigh of relief. ‘No, she—she can’t make it. But she sends her best wishes. I—Will I be allowed to invite Phil to the wedding?’

  ‘No. It’s going to be a very quiet affair, only close family—’

  ‘Phil is my close family,’ she interrupted.

  ‘Too damned close!’ Giles growled, scowling heavily. ‘I don’t want him there.’

  ‘Well, I do. He—’

  ‘Isn’t it enough that one of your ex-lovers will be present? Do we have to invite the whole damn lot of them?’

  ‘I want Phil there,’ she said stubbornly.

  ‘If he comes he’ll bring Wanda, and I wouldn’t guarantee peace and harmony when Phil and Wanda meet up with Glenda and Jeremy.’

  Leonie swallowed hard. ‘You’re inviting Jeremy?’

  ‘What other ex-lover did you think I had in mind?’ He glared.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she cried. ‘Oh, Giles, why are you always so grim? Don’t you ever smile? Can’t you ever be happy?’

  His glass landed on the table with a clatter. ‘I’m so tied up in knots about you I’m surprised I can even speak.’ He was breathing hard. ‘I’ve missed you this week, the house seems empty without you.’

  Leonie blushed, a smile of pleasure lighting up her strained features. ‘That’s nice,’ she said huskily.

  ‘Not for me it isn’t,’ he sighed. ‘You’re on my mind day and night. You may find that funny, but—’

  ‘Not funny, Giles,’ she denied instantly, moving so that she was standing only a few inches away from him, her hands resting lightly on his chest. ‘Never funny. I’ve been having sleepless nights myself.’

  His eyebrows rose. ‘Over me?’

  ‘Of course over you.’ Her laugh caught in her throat, her expression chiding. ‘I—I want you,’ she gulped at the enormity of her admission. ‘I’ve missed you too, darling.’

  ‘I didn’t know endearments came with the deal,’ he murmured before his mouth closed gently over hers.

  It was an undemanding kiss, an asking where before there had only ever been taking. It was a kiss given without passion, just a gentle caress that made Leonie feel closer to him than if they had actually made love. She had the answer to her earlier question, moments like this made marrying Giles worth any amount of insults and suffering.

  Giles leant his forehead on hers. ‘You’re everything a woman should be,’ he said shakily. ‘Beautiful to look at, fun to be with, sometimes childishly innocent and at other times completely uninhibited. Making love to you should prove quite an experience.’

  Leonie bit her bottom lip. ‘I—er—What if I don’t satisfy you?’ She looked at him anxiously.

  His eyes narrowed. ‘Are you offering me a trial run?’

  ‘No! I just thought—’

  ‘I didn’t think you would be.’ He moved away from her. ‘I might not bother to marry you then, might I?’

  ‘I didn’t mean that,’ she gasped, knowing their gentle moment together had passed—for the moment.

  ‘Of course you did.’ He poured himself some more whisky, swallowing it down in one gulp. ‘God, I’m drinking too much,’ he put the glass down with an expression of self-disgust. ‘I hardly ever used to drink before we met again.’

  ‘Then you mustn’t drink now. You shouldn’t endanger your career in this way.’

  The laugh he gave was bitter. ‘So you see yourself as a prominent barrister’s wife after all,’ he scorned.

  ‘Jeremy said—’

  ‘Jeremy?’ His face was black with a dangerous anger, his fingers squeezing painfully into her arm. ‘When did you see Jeremy? Today? Did you see him today?’

  His anger was barely leashed and Leonie knew it. ‘He mentioned at the dinner party that your career is important to you.’

  ‘When did he mention it?’

  ‘Just before he made that pass at me. I told you about that.’

  ‘So you did,’ he agreed tautly.

  ‘Giles, can’t I invite Phil to the wedding?’ She had to get his attention away from Jeremy. Goodness, what a slip that had been! She would have to be more careful what she said.

  ‘No, you can’t. But while we’re on the subject of him, he hasn’t cashed that cheque.’

  Leonie frowned. ‘He hasn’t?’

  ‘No,’ Giles shook his head. ‘I warned my bank about it, as it was such a large amount. But so far they’ve heard nothing.’

  It was Phil being proud again. She should have known he wouldn’t accept the money. I’ll have to see him—’

  ‘No!’ he instantly cut in. ‘And you won’t telephone him either. I’ll deal with it myself.’

  Her eyes widened. ‘You’ll go and see him?’

  ‘I’ll deal with it.’ His expression was remote. ‘By the way, we have a dinner invitation.’

  ‘We do?’

  ‘Mm. Glenda has invited us to dinner on Wednesday.’

  Leonie gulped. ‘Glenda Lindsay?’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘But I—You didn’t accept, did you?’ Oh God, she hoped not! And Jeremy hadn’t mentioned this invitation at lunchtime, although as it came from his wife perhaps he didn’t know about it yet.

  ‘I did,’ Giles told her arrogantly. ‘They happen to be my friends.’

  ‘Yes, but surely—’

  ‘We’re going, Leonie. You can come up to town in the afternoon. I’ll tell Davenport to expect you.’

  ‘Giles, please—’

  His face was stony. ‘Don’t argue with me, Leonie.’

  ‘Why the hell shouldn’t I?’ She lost her temper, tired of his domineering attitude. ‘I don’t want to go to dinner with the Lindsays. And I think I should be allowed some say in what we do. If you wanted a complacent wife then perhaps you should have chosen someone else.’

  ‘Finished?’ he raised his eyebrows mockingly. ‘Good. I don’t remember there being any question of choice where you’re concerned, I just need to have you. But I don’t expect to give up my friends when I marry you.’

  ‘I didn’t expect to have to give up my family, but you made me.’ she reminded him bitterly.

  ‘The only person I’ve made you give up is Philip Trent.’

  ‘Exactly, my family. And if you count Jeremy as a friend then I hate to think what your enemies are like.’ There were two spots of bright colour high in her cheeks. ‘He doesn’t give a damn about your friendship. He just uses people, as he’s using—’

  ‘Yes?’ Giles prompted. ‘Using…?’

  ‘You,’ she made up. ‘He didn’t care that you’d just announced our engagement when he made that pass at me last week.’

  To her chagrin Giles only smiled. ‘Jeremy makes a pass at every woman he comes into contact with. He wouldn’t be Jeremy if he didn’t.’

  ‘And that excuses him?’ Leonie asked shrilly.

  ‘It proves you aren’t any different to him than any other woman he meets. If he had ignored how beautiful you are then I would have been suspicious.’

  Clever, clever Jeremy. How well he knew Giles�
��and how little Giles knew Jeremy!

  The question of going to the Lindsay’s was dropped as Emily joined them for dinner. Leonie noticed that the older woman seemed nervy, her sentences disjointed, her eyes fever-bright. There was something wrong with Emily, and it was obvious to anyone who knew her well.

  ‘What is it, Aunt?’ Giles finally asked her, having watched as she picked at her food throughout the meal but ate nothing.

  Emily’s hand shook momentarily as she poured their coffee, although she soon regained her equilibrium. ‘Wrong?’ she asked lightly. ‘What could possibly be wrong?’

  ‘You tell me.’ He was sitting beside Leonie on the sofa, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

  ‘There’s nothing wrong, my dear boy. If I seem a little preoccupied it’s because I’m so excited about the plans for the wedding.’

  ‘It isn’t excitement,’ Giles insisted. ‘You’re worried. Now tell us what’s bothering you.’

  ‘Noth—All right,’ she sighed. ‘I—er—I had a telephone call from Dawn this afternoon.’

  ‘Hell!’ Giles stood forcefully to his feet, pacing the room.

  Leonie had seen him angry before, more times than she could mention, but never like this. Whoever this Dawn was she meant something in Giles’ life. A shaft of jealousy racked Leonie’s body.

  ‘What did she want?’ he demanded, his face a mask of anger.

  Emily was even more agitated. ‘She’s come back to England to attend the wedding.’

  ‘She isn’t coming!’ Giles instantly denied. ‘I don’t want her at my wedding. How did she know about it?’ he asked suspiciously.

  ‘I—er—I—’ Emily bit her lip in a distracted fashion. ‘I told her, Giles. I thought she should know.’

  ‘You should have asked me first,’ he snapped. ‘She has no right to know anything about my life, no right at all.’

  ‘But, Giles—’

  ‘She isn’t coming here, is she?’ he cut in.

  Emily nodded. ‘Tomorrow.’

  ‘What time?’ he asked grimly.