Marigold Chain (39 page)

‘
Only to
those who know you best.’ He paused again. ‘I’ve known for some
time that you … have grown fond of Alex.’

Chloë looked
down at her hands, glad of the darkness.

‘
I see.
Then you know what I’m afraid of.’

‘
Yes. I’m
sorry.’

‘
Don’t
be. I always knew that something like this might happen.’ She
looked up at him and her voice was utterly logical. ‘For he’s never
pretended to love me, you know – or ever given any sign that one
day he might.’

Giles forced
down an impulse to take her in his arms.

‘
I know,’
he said gently. ‘I know. But that doesn’t mean he won’t stay with
you.’

She gave an odd
little laugh. ‘Lady Sarah wouldn’t agree with you.’

‘
You’ve
seen her?’

Chloë nodded.
‘She visited me on Tuesday. To warn me that Alex would be seeking
an annulment. Of course, she doesn’t know that he already has
been.’

There was a
long silence. Giles felt his fingers begin to ache with the
strength of their grip on each other but they were the gauge of his
control and he dared not release them. He drew a long breath and
when he spoke it was in his usual level tones.

‘
And if
he gets an annulment … what will you do?’

She gazed
unseeingly out of the window into the dark. ‘I don’t know. What
would you suggest?’

A muscle moved
in his cheek and then was still.

‘
That you
accept it. Not for Alex, but for yourself. You shouldn’t waste the
rest of your life. You’re worth more than that. I can understand
what you feel for Alex – but it will pass. And there will be
someone else one day. Someone who loves you as you deserve to be
loved. All you need do is give yourself some time.’

‘
You’re
suggesting I might marry again.’ Her voice was flat. ‘And I daresay
you are right – I could. But not to someone who loved
me.’

‘
Why
not?’ There was an intensity in the question that he couldn’t quite
subdue.

‘
Because
all I have to offer is friendship – and that could only hurt a man
who loved me. You see, I know how it feels. And it wouldn’t be
fair.’

‘
If he
loved you,’ said Giles evenly, ‘he might not mind. And things
change, Chloë.’

The coach drew
to a halt and the driver climbed down to open the door. Chloë
gathered her skirts and then fixed Giles with a gaze of austere
candour.

‘
Some
things do – and some never can.’ She managed a crooked smile.
‘Stupid and useless and my own fault. Unfortunately. Goodnight,
Giles.’

And she was
gone, with no idea what she had said or the hurt she had left
behind her.

~ * * * ~

It was a little
after seven on Friday, August the thirty-first, when Mr Deveril
finally arrived home again to find the house deserted, save for
Naomi. He stood for a while in the hall, sternly reminding himself
that he had been away for a full week and had sent no warning of
his return so it was therefore childish to feel disappointed. He
looked round at Naomi and willed himself to speak normally.

‘
Do you
know where Mr Lewis is?’

She shook her
head. ‘No, sir.’

‘
And my
wife?’

‘
At
Court, sir. She’ll be home around midnight.’ Naomi felt a sudden
twinge of sympathy for her intimidating employer and then thought
of something that might cheer him and remove the strange, blank
look from his eyes.

‘
There’s
a letter for you, sir. It’s been here since Tuesday.’ She held it
out to him.

Alex glanced
down without much interest and, for a moment, Naomi thought he
wasn’t going to take it. Then he stretched out his hand and
received it while his expression grew, if anything, even more
withdrawn and he walked wordlessly away to the parlour.

He stood before
the empty fireplace staring absently at Persephone.

“
Thou art fairer than the evening air, clad in the beauty of a
thousand stars.”

For the first
time, the words meant something to him and he turned sharply away.
His head felt light with fatigue and he supposed that it would be
sensible to go to bed; but his need, as it had been through all
this interminable week, was to see Chloë so he sat down, preparing
to wait. It was only then that he saw Sarah’s letter still in his
hand and, because there did not seem to be anything else to do, he
opened it.

It was
quite short but he found he had to read it twice before its meaning
reached him – the reward, he realised, of inadequate sleep – and
then he simply tore it across and dropped the pieces in the empty
hearth. If there was anyone, thought Alex grimly, that he
did
not
want to see just now,
then it was Sarah. Sarah with her airs and graces, her insincerity
and her monumental self-conceit; Sarah, with her shallow heart, her
vapid brain and her flaunting, deceptive beauty. Sarah – which
whom, incredibly, he had once thought himself in love.

He looked down
at the torn pieces of paper. She’d made it sound urgent … but that
only meant she wanted to see him and was determined, as always, to
have her own way. Well, let her wait. He did not want to go –
couldn’t think of any reason why he should; except that she was the
most ruthlessly persistent being he had ever met and would continue
disrupting his peace until she got what she wanted.

‘
Oh damn
it to hell!’ said Alex to himself, wearily quitting his chair.
‘Better to get it over at once, I suppose. But this time … this
time had better be the last.’

*

‘
Alex! My
dear!’ Lady Sarah flew across the room in a swish of pearl-grey
satin and then stopped, ludicrously unable to cast herself against
his chest as she had intended. ‘But you are so dirty! Whatever have
you been doing?’

‘
Riding,’
said Mr Deveril succinctly.

‘
Oh!’
Sarah brightened. ‘You’ve come straight here to see me without even
stopping to change? But how gallant! I’m flattered.’

‘
Don’t
be. I hadn’t even thought of it.’ He looked at her and his eyes
matched his voice, cool and faintly impatient. ‘I haven’t much time
so perhaps we can come to the point. What do you want?’

Some of the
vivacity drained from the lovely face and she eyed him petulantly.
Then, recovering, and managing a melting sigh, she said, ‘You don’t
know then. I had thought that someone must have told you – your
wife, perhaps?’

‘
I
haven’t seen her,’ he replied briefly. ‘What is it?’

The cornflower
eyes rested on him mistily. ‘It’s Graham. He’s dead.’

It was the last
thing he expected and it threw him slightly off balance.

‘
Oh. I’m
sorry,’ he said politely.

‘
And I,’
continued Sarah with restrained emphasis, ‘am a widow. A
very
rich
widow.’

Alex appeared
to give this a modicum of thought. Then, ‘Well, I expect you’ll
enjoy that. It’s what you always wanted, isn’t it?’

There was a
pause and then she said carefully, ‘You’re mistaken. I don’t want
to be a widow at all.’

‘
Don’t
you?’ Boredom was beginning to creep into Mr Deveril’s face. ‘Then
I don’t suppose you’ll have much trouble finding someone to help
you change that. Only take my advice, Sarah – choose somebody young
and healthy with safe habits this time – or you may find your
suitors wondering if your fatal charms aren’t rather more fatal
than charming.’ He smiled perfunctorily. ‘Why did you want to see
me?’

And for the
first time, Sarah – who thought she’d already told him – was lost
for words.

Alex looked at
her, remotely indifferent; then something in her face penetrated
his mind and stirred it into life.

‘
You
didn’t,’ he asked with slow incredulity, ‘think that I might become
Number Three? Did you? Is that why I’m here – to lay my heart at
your feet and offer you my name?’

She did not
reply but two spots of colour began to burn high on her
cheekbones.

Mr Deveril
stared at her with an oddly desperate expression in his eyes. Then,
his voice not entirely steady, he said, ‘My compliments, Sarah. You
are unbelievable!’ And dissolved into helpless laughter.

‘
Stop
it!’ shouted Sarah, stamping her foot. ‘Stop it this instant! I
will not be laughed at. How dare you?’

With an effort,
Alex pulled himself together.

‘
I
apologise. But you must see – or no. You can’t, of course.’ He was
conscious of a crazy wish that Chloë was there to share this
priceless moment and then pushed it aside. ‘But you do appear to
have forgotten that I’m already married.’

‘
No, I
haven’t.’ Her voice was sulky. ‘But that’s nothing. Any fool can
tell you’ve never bedded her – don’t try to deny it! – so you can
easily have it set aside.’

Alex was
suddenly very serious indeed.

‘
It’s an
interesting concept – but what makes you so sure? I doubt Chloë has
told you so.’

Sarah had
recovered her poise and was aware of a need for caution. It would
be as well not to mention her visit to Chloë or their
conversation.

‘
She
didn’t need to. One can tell simply by looking at her. And it’s
hardly surprising. She is dreadfully commonplace – with absolutely
nothing to attract you.’ She smiled with teasing malice. ‘Except
her brain, of course.’

Mr Deveril
smiled back. ‘So you thought I’d be glad to be rescued from such
mediocrity – and would get rid of Chloë in order to marry you?’

Lady Sarah took
his hands and peeped seductively into the silver-blue eyes.

‘
And
won’t you?’ she asked huskily.

Alex allowed
his hands to remain passively in hers.

‘
No,
Sarah. I won’t,’ he said flippantly; and felt the shock run through
her body to her fingertips. He disengaged himself then and took a
step away from her and when he spoke again his voice was hard and
cold. ‘This farce has gone far enough and it’s time we made an end
of it. You have miscalculated. I will not annul my marriage for you
for the simple reason that I don’t want to. To be frank with you,
my egocentric little leech, I’d as soon choose a wife from
Bridewell or from any street corner.’

‘
But you
love me. You’ve always loved me!’

‘
No.’ His
gaze was frigidly implacable. ‘It’s true that I once thought so –
but that was long ago and I now know how wrong I was. I neither
love you nor want you and I wouldn’t care if I never laid eyes on
you again. In fact,’ he said clearly, ‘I should prefer
it.’

Sarah stared at
him as though he were speaking a foreign language and then the
beautiful mouth curled back over the small white teeth.

‘
You
stupid bastard! You’re nothing – do you near me? Nothing! So go
home to your tedious little wife and I hope she makes you as
miserable as you deserve – because you’ll never forget me – never!
Unless,’ she finished with blistering sarcasm, ‘you’re going to
tell me that you are in love with that plain, sorry
creature?’

A slow, strange
smile lit the sculpted face.

‘
But I
am,’ replied Alex. ‘Completely and totally in love with her. And
for my life-time.’

There was a
long silence and then Sarah laughed derisively.

‘
You’re
losing your mind. You’ve been married for eight months and your
wife is still a virgin - and you say you love her? What is it,
Alex?’ she asked vindictively. ‘Won’t she have you? Or aren’t you
capable?’

Mr Deveril
shrugged. ‘I don’t expect you to understand – only to believe that
it is so and accept that there’s no more to say.’ He looked for a
moment into her stunned, silenced face and swept a deep, formal
bow. ‘Life, you should know, is full of small disappointments. But
I’m sure you’ll soon get over it. Goodbye, Sarah.’

And he left
without waiting for her reply.

*

Back in
Southwark, with the clock of St Mary Overie just striking half past
nine, there was still no sign of Matt or Chloë. Alex went upstairs
to wash and change, then returned to the parlour. It was still only
a little after ten; two hours to wait; an eternity. He poured a
glass of wine, picked up the first book that came to hand and sat
down to read. Ten minutes later, when the glass was empty and he
had not turned a page, he got up irritated by his own restlessness
and walked over to re-fill his glass.

Completely and totally … and for my life-time
,
he had said; and it was true – though he wasn’t sure why he had
said it to Sarah. Alex stared into the ruby-coloured liquid and
came to the conclusion that there was a terrible tyranny in words.
Just a collection of syllables with no meaning except what one
chose to give them, no life until they were uttered. They could say
anything or nothing – be a bridge or a chasm; and once spoken, they
were inviolate, existing indestructibly in one’s mind.

You’ve been married for eight months and your wife is still a
virgin
. The annulment, he recalled hazily, had been
Chloë’s suggestion and never once had she given any sign of having
changed her mind. She had never sought his company nor tried to
bring herself to his attention in any way; in fact, she had seemed
almost unaware that he was both masculine and her husband – merely
offering him a placid, sexless friendship where there was no need
for pretence, no room for shyness. And that, he now realised, was
as unusual as it was depressing.