The Bridegroom's Dilemma

by Lindsay Armstrong

  ‘At the time it did. Nick…’ She stopped.

  ‘Go on,’ he said quietly.

  ‘You—only last night you said that I must have some regrets otherwise it didn’t make sense. But you don’t seem to have any at all.’

  ‘If you’re talking about Wynn—’

  ‘Wynn herself has made it obvious there’s more to you and her than there ever was between Bryce and me,’ she pointed out.

  ‘We’re not sharing a room, Skye,’ he said.

  ‘That’s because Sally told me she always gives everyone who is not married their own room on principle. Whatever happens from there on she has no control over.’ She looked at him impatiently.

  ‘So you’ve been imagining me creeping along the veranda in the dead of night?’ He looked amused.

  ‘It’s not hard to imagine of Wynn,’ Skye countered.

  ‘Ah, but I do happen to respect Sally’s principles,’ he murmured.

  Skye blinked. ‘All the same—no regrets?’

  ‘Of course there are regrets,’ he said sombrely. ‘But that doesn’t change me, Skye.’

  More tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.’

  He bent his head and kissed her lightly on the lips. ‘If it’s not Bryce, there’s someone else out there for you. Funnily enough…’ he paused thoughtfully ‘…it’s how nice you are to him that makes me sure you’re too good for me, Skye.’

  ‘I really treat him like a younger brother, Nick,’ she protested.

  He shrugged. ‘Perhaps that’s it. You’d be good with kids, Skye. The way you got him to dance before—’ he looked rueful ‘—he lost his footing was inspired. I’m good with machines and minerals, business, the stock market, but I don’t somehow think I’d have much patience with kids.’

  ‘All the same, Bryce is not a kid.’

  He looked down at her with so much amusement now, she flinched visibly. Because he might as well have said that Bryce was light years behind him in worldliness and how to handle women.

  Then he said quietly, ‘If there’s one thing I don’t regret, Skye, it’s…’ He stopped as if unsure how to go on. ‘Although I didn’t altogether work you out accurately, I always knew there was something different about you, Skye. Now that I know what it is, I can only be glad I didn’t change it.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’ She frowned.

  ‘Put it this way—months of sleeping with me could have—This is harder to say than I anticipated,’ he murmured dryly.

  ‘Do you mean that some of your worldliness and cynicism might have rubbed off?’

  ‘Precisely.’ He didn’t look at all amused now. ‘Then again, I don’t know why I’m applauding myself for the fact that it didn’t—’

  ‘You were never worldly and cynical in bed, Nick,’ she interrupted. ‘Is it a problem now with Wynn?’

  ‘Wynn knows how to play the game, Skye,’ he said evenly.

  ‘Does that mean she’s also worldly and cynical?’

  He didn’t answer. Instead he turned her to face him and looked down at her with his lips twisted. ‘I’m going to do something I shouldn’t do now, Skye. Because I think we’ve said it all and I hope that this time I’ve done a better job of—accepting all the things you so accurately perceived as being wrong between us. Things that wouldn’t have made for a happy marriage.’

  She opened her mouth to speak but he touched her lips gently with his forefinger. ‘Goodbye, Skye—to a relationship I should never have started with you. But I will always love you in a way and I’m sorry I was so unnecessarily brutal when we parted. Could we be friends? Perhaps we should give it a try.’ And he bent his head to kiss her.

  For an instant it was like old times. All the old sensations swept through her although his hands only rested on her lightly and his kiss was only brief. But the contact was enough to arouse an inner trembling and the lovely feeling of desire she was so afraid only Nick Hunter would be able to arouse in her.

  And when it was finished she buried her face in his black shirt for an equally brief moment, but long enough to drink in the essence of this man through her senses and her pores—for the last time. Then she moved away and they started to walk towards the marquee.

  ‘Skye?’ he said gently.

  ‘It’s OK, Nick.’ She tried to smile. ‘I’m actually— I hated us parting in anger the way we did. So, now that I can’t be angry with you any more, now that I don’t feel it was all such a waste and that perhaps I can understand, I feel better. Friends?’ She paused and grimaced. ‘No, I don’t think so. Let’s just lay it to rest peacefully like this—for once and for all.’

  CHAPTER FOUR

  SHE dreamt that night of a cool, dewy patch of grass and a bunch of flowers lying on it in the starlight.

  She woke up briefly to find that she’d been crying in her sleep, but when she woke the next morning she was curiously calm. It crossed her mind that she might have at last laid her relationship with Nick to rest.

  However, there was still another day to get through, not to mention some speculation to endure about what had happened to her the night before. She’d asked Nick to take her up to the house and he’d complied although he’d gone back to the ball himself. Perhaps he’d explained that she was simply tired out? She devoutly hoped so.

  One bright spark to this new day, she discovered when she got to a rather subdued breakfast gathering, was that Maggie had joined the house party. Another—she found herself breathing a sigh of relief—was the non-appearance of Wynn. So that apart from a couple of curious glances from Bryce there was not so much to endure at all.

  Just Nick, she thought, just Nick… And waited for the familiar pain to close around her heart as he sat down at the table on the veranda in the same clothes he’d worn two days ago when she’d arrived.

  It didn’t happen and she was able to turn her attention to Mary and her grandmother’s cookbook gratefully. If she wasn’t cured, she was certainly anaesthetized.

  Although, even anaesthetized in the region of her heart, her antennae were still unusually sensitive, she discovered. Because, while she could genuinely enthuse over the old leather-bound volume stuffed with handwritten recipes—some calling for a dozen eggs!—and the delightful drawings in the margins, she could still tune into Nick’s conversation with Bryce and Maggie.

  And it dawned on her that Nick was skilfully and subtly doing what she herself had hoped to do. Which was to draw Bryce and Maggie together via their similar interests and their recent accidents. Maggie was ruefully explaining that it had been her own clumsiness that had seen her fall off the boat and break her arm when she hit the duckboard. Which was strange, she’d gone on to add, because she was really at home in the water…

  Why was Nick doing it? Skye wondered, somewhat stunned, as Bryce began to confide his own difficulties out of the water. Had he decided Bryce wasn’t the one for her? But what did it matter to him now, anyway?

  The table was cleared while all this was going on and deliciously fragrant coffee served. Then Wynn trod out onto the veranda with the utmost delicacy. She wore white jeans, a scarlet blouse tied in a knot at her midriff and a large pair of dark glasses.

  ‘Don’t talk to me, anybody, please,’ she said faintly. ‘I have a killer hangover and I’m liable to bite. If I could just have some black, strong coffee…’

  Mary sat up immediately and paged through her book. ‘There’s a wonderful cure for hangovers in here. Let me see—raw eggs and—’

  But Jack intervened as Wynn looked sickened. ‘Try this.’ He put a glass of tomato juice down in front of her.

  ‘Not a Bloody Mary—Jack, you wouldn’t be so civilized as to have made me a fair dinkum—’

  ‘I would,’ Jack said shortly. ‘But you weren’t particularly civilized yourself last night.’

  ‘Then you shouldn’t have been so free with the champagne, Jack, dear,’ Wynn responded with a definite bite in her voice. ‘In fact I’m forced to wonder wh
ether you connived to get me drunk so Skye here—dear, silly Skye—could lure Nick away to try for a reunion! If you felt like that—’ she turned to Skye and went on with pure venom ‘—you should never have let him go in the first place.’

  Nick stood up, pulled Wynn to her feet and propelled her indoors.

  ‘What…happened?’ Skye heard herself asking cautiously.

  It was Bryce who explained while everyone else looked immeasurably embarrassed. ‘She accosted Nick in the middle of the floor and tried to pour a bottle of champagne over him. He caught her hand just in time so most of it went over her—’

  He broke off to look briefly amused. ‘She then started to berate him in very unladylike language, during the course of which she made several references along the lines of—what had he thought he was doing, anyway, to bring her to this Hicksville neck of the woods, and surrounding her with the most ultimate hicks she’d ever met in her life? All of which,’ Bryce concluded, ‘was audible to everyone in the tent.’

  ‘That was rather masterly, Bryce,’ Jack remarked. ‘I’ve never seen such a disgraceful exhibition in my life. Heaven alone knows why Nick—’

  ‘Because he was looking for the exact opposite of Skye, Jack,’ Sally said impatiently. ‘Why are men so blind? And to be honest, before Skye arrived—sorry, Skye—but all the same we found ourselves quite liking Wynn.’

  ‘I knew I should never have stayed.’ Skye stood up. ‘I’m so sorry—’

  ‘Sit down, Skye,’ Nick said authoritatively, coming out through the French doors. ‘Look, my apologies to everyone—and Wynn is now feeling very sick and sorry for herself but she’s prepared to apologize too. She has asked for your understanding—she’s been under a lot of pressure lately. But if you’d rather we left, Jack and Sally, I’d quite understand.’

  It was Sally who said slowly, ‘I think Skye is the one who deserves an apology.’

  ‘Undoubtedly, but what you may not realize is that Skye has a lot more inner fortitude than Wynn, who is not that confident under her glossy exterior.’

  Everyone did a double take.

  ‘Well,’ Jack said slowly, ‘well, in that case—’

  ‘Don’t go, Nick,’ Sally finished for him.

  ‘Are you quite sure, Sal?’

  Sally and Jack nodded together.

  ‘Then—’ Nick picked up a cup of coffee and the Bloody Mary, ‘—I’ll see if these help her—’

  ‘Water,’ Skye heard herself say. ‘She should drink a lot of water.’

  He dipped his head in her direction and went inside again.

  ‘You’re very sweet, my dear,’ Mary said admiringly.

  ‘I’m not really.’ Skye shrugged. ‘I’ve said a few unkind things to her but I didn’t know…’ She stopped and frowned. It was Bryce who put into words the thoughts that were running through her mind.

  ‘I wonder if he’s only being a friend to her?’

  ‘I don’t think she quite sees it that way, but, you never know,’ Jack contributed.

  Sally stood up in a way that was rather obviously meant to quash any further discussion on the subject of Nick and Wynn, and said brightly, ‘It’s the same timetable today, early lunch then down to the track, but could you come to lunch already dressed for the races? It’s a bigger program today so it starts earlier. Skye, Jack and I would like you to present the Mount Gregory Cup for the feature race today so would you like to come and choose another hat?’

  ‘Well, I’m going to wear my grey dress—the one I wore the first night—so—Why didn’t he just take her home?’ Skye turned from Sally’s hats to look at their owner. ‘Unlike me, he doesn’t have to rely on lifts or anything.’

  ‘I don’t know. I wish he had but we’ve known Nick a long time—I can’t work out why he never brought you up here, Skye!’

  ‘Neither can I, but that was one of our problems. We lived in a bubble, just the two of us, for the most part—How about this one?’ She turned away to pick out a hat.

  Sally looked at her back wisely and said only. ‘It might have been made for your dress, Skye.’

  Skye turned back and twirled the white hat on her hand. It was small and very chic. A pillbox with a taffeta bow on the top and a pert, concealing little veil. ‘You have wonderful taste in hats, Sally. Thanks!’ She hugged the other woman quickly then went away to her room.

  And on this morning she did what she’d said she was going to do yesterday. She opened her laptop and worked away doggedly on her book until it was time to get ready.

  Wynn was at lunch looking subdued and dressed almost conservatively in a beige linen dress and a simple straw hat. She waited until everyone was seated then quietly and sincerely apologized for her awful behaviour, especially towards Skye.

  There was an awkward little silence then Skye raised her glass and said, ‘Wynn, I just hope that when I have to make a public apology—and I guess it can happen to all of us—I can do it as well as that. Here’s to you.’

  Everyone took up the toast and soon things at Mount Gregory homestead were back to normal.

  ‘I didn’t know you were part of the presentation,’ Skye said to Nick as he led her out to the patch of lawn in front of the winning post.

  He looked her up and down, at the taffeta flower on top of her hat, her eyes behind the mesh of her veil, her severely pinned-up hair, her grey dress with which she wore a short white bolero with cap sleeves and a stand-up collar, and the tips of her stockinged toes in her silver sandals. ‘Or you mightn’t have agreed to it?’ he suggested.

  ‘Well, no, I might not have,’ she said slowly, taking in his beautiful lightweight grey suit worn with a darker grey shirt and a charcoal tie.

  ‘Why?’

  She stopped and sighed. They’d come to a table on which the Mount Gregory Cup sat in all its glory with two smaller cups beside it. There was a microphone and there was a crowd gathered on the other side of the running rail. One tired horse was being led around and its connections were starting to gather. And suddenly her nerves started to tighten.

  ‘I don’t know why I agreed to it at all,’ she looked around anxiously ‘—but thank heavens you’re—I mean, what are you doing here, Nick? I don’t have to make any speeches, do I?’ she added tautly.

  ‘I’m the MC today, a man of many talents,’ he said wryly. ‘And all you have to do is look beautiful and hand over the cups. Looking beautiful is not a problem, by the way.’

  ‘Oh. Thanks.’ She coloured suddenly under his scrutiny.

  ‘I see you’ve improvised again.’ He touched one front corner of the white grosgrain bolero. It ended just below her breasts and didn’t meet at the centre but it nevertheless provided a touch of afternoon chic to a dress she normally wore in the evenings.

  She shrugged and said a little helplessly, ‘That’s how you do it. Shawls, boleros and so on. I mean change an outfit. Nick—’

  ‘You were also very gracious towards Wynn, Skye,’ he added quietly as he raised the microphone to his height. ‘Thank you.’

  Skye opened her mouth impulsively to say, Does she mean so much to you? But fortunately he started to speak into the mike and the moment was lost.

  There was a roar from the crowd when he introduced her and the owners, trainer and jockey of the winning horse looked immensely gratified to receive their trophies from the hands of Skye Belmont. Then it was all over and she heaved a sigh of relief and started to walk back along the track towards the tent.

  ‘By the way, were you doing what I thought you were doing before all the drama at breakfast this morning?’ she asked curiously, feeling almost lightheaded with relief.

  He stopped in the middle of the track and looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

  ‘Trying to bring Bryce and Maggie together,’ she enunciated a little impatiently.

  ‘Yes, as a matter of fact, I was.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Don’t tell me it didn’t occur to you that they might have an awful lot in common, Skye?’

/>   She shrugged. ‘Yes, it did. And I was going to, well—’

  ‘Do a little matchmaking of your own?’ he supplied with a wicked glint.

  ‘Yes. But I have a vested interest. You don’t,’ she pointed out. ‘In fact, ever since I arrived you’ve done your best to push me towards him.’

  ‘I’ve changed my mind. A budding marine biologist who also has trouble coping with dry land—well, a boat, but nevertheless who happens to be living in Townsville, which is not that far from Cairns, has to be pretty nearly perfect for Bryce Denver.’

  ‘I do know all that—’

  ‘Besides which,’ Nick went on serenely, ‘I know you have his best interests at heart.’

  Skye made a little sound like a frustrated kitten but he led her towards a gate in the running rail and what she was about to say was lost as she passed through and an excited crowd raced up to engulf her.

  It was terrifying; she’d not been expecting it, neither had Nick, and it took him a few moments to control things and give her a bit of breathing space.

  ‘That was my fault, sorry,’ he said grimly. ‘OK? I think if you sign a few race books they’ll be happy.’

  Skye swallowed. ‘All right.’ So she did for a little while, even managing to laugh and chat with the crowd, but anyone looking at her closely would have noticed that she was taking very deep breaths.

  Then someone called out, ‘Are you two back together? You must have been mad to let her go, Nicky, boy!’

  Skye froze but Nick said easily at large, ‘Don’t I know it? Thanks, everyone—here come the horses for the next race.’

  The crowd melted away and he took her hand and led her away.

  ‘Where are we going?’ she asked with difficulty.

  ‘Out of sight,’ he said with that trace of grimness back in his voice.

  The out-of-sight he provided for them was two folding chairs behind Jack’s Land Rover, which was parked well away from the proceedings, and he procured two glasses of champagne on the way.

  ‘Thanks.’ Skye sank down and sipped her champagne.