The Wedding Arrangement

Minnie reached up to take his face between her hands, looking at him intently, torn by two powerful emotions, full of confusion.

‘What is it?’ he asked. ‘Which of us are you looking at?’

‘Luke-don’t-’

‘Who is it, Minnie? Him or me?’

This time it was she who drew him close. ‘Not now,’ she whispered.

He wanted to protest that it mattered, but the sweet scent of her was in his nostrils. He’d been strong for her sake, but now it was she who wanted him to be weak and that was harder to fight.

When her lips brushed against his he knew that resisting her wasn’t going to be hard, but impossible. The passion he’d thought under control welled up now, so that she was flame in his arms, burning and igniting him, driving him to kiss her with a kind of ruthlessness.

And at once he felt her response to that ruthlessness. She was no green girl but a woman who’d experienced passionate love, but had then lived celibate while desire built in her, waiting to be triggered by the right man. It was all there in the heated movements of her mouth, the sensuality that made her press closer to him, the hot breath that mingled with his.

She offered no resistance when his lips trailed down her neck to the base of her throat, then further to the swell of her breasts. He could feel the pounding of her heart, hear the soft groan that broke from her and everything in him urged him on to what could be a blissful conclusion.

Or disaster.

‘Minnie-’ He seemed to hear himself say her name as if from a distance. ‘Minnie-wait-’

Using all the strength he could find, he drew away and held her at arm’s length.

‘Wait-’ he said again. ‘Not like this.’

‘What?’ she whispered.

‘Look at me,’ he said urgently. ‘Look at me.’

Her face was upturned to him but he saw with alarm that her eyes were unfocused.

‘Where are you, Minnie? You’re not here with me. Where are you?’ And who’s there with you? he wanted to add.

‘Why do you worry about things now?’ she whispered.

‘Because I want you too much to risk what we could have,’ he said hoarsely. ‘Or maybe I’m fooling myself and we could never have it-’

‘No, you’re not fooling yourself but… So much has happened. Luke-if you want me-’

‘I do. I want you as much as any man has ever wanted any woman, but not like this.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Where is Gianni? Can you tell me that?’

There was a stunned look in her eyes, as though she were pulling herself together with an effort.

‘He’s here, isn’t he?’ Luke raged. ‘He’s here because he’s always here, but that’s not good enough. I want you to come to me, me, not some fantasy figure that’s half me and half the man you really love.’

He gave a little shake. ‘Get rid him,’ he growled. ‘Or tell me how to get rid of him.’

‘I don’t know how.’ It was a cry of pain.

‘You must, if there’s ever to be anything for us. I want to make love to you. God knows how much I want that, but only when I come first with you. Until then-’

A tremor shook him, made up of thwarted desire and rage.

‘Until then there’s nothing between us,’ he managed to say before thrusting her from him and walking away.

It felt brutal, but he had to do it while he still had the strength.

He got as far away from her as possible, but then turned back. He wanted to tire himself, even though he knew it was no cure for what was raging through him. There was only one cure for that, and he began to think he would never find it.

Looking up, he saw a light in Minnie’s window. He longed to go up to her room, beg her to forget what had passed tonight, say he would accept anything if only he could find a home in her bed, in her heart.

But this was the most dangerous temptation of all. He ran from it, turning into a path that led away from the house, into the trees, then out again to where he knew there was a garden seat, overlooking the bay. There he could be safely alone.

But someone was there before him.

‘Come and sit with me, my son,’ Hope invited, patting the space beside her.

He did so, seating himself with a sigh, and running a hand through his hair. Hope watched him, silent but understanding.

‘So now I’ve met your “chambermaid”?’ she said at last, with a twinkle.

‘Chambermaid?’

‘The one who answered the phone that morning. There now, don’t I have a marvellous memory for an old woman?’

‘You’ll never be old, and I’ve sometimes wished that your memory was a little less marvellous.’

‘I know that. It’s quite disconcerting how well I remember certain things. You said she was the chambermaid.’

‘Mamma, I didn’t actually say that. You suggested it and I-’

‘Saw a useful way out,’ Hope teased. ‘Admit it.’

She was laughing, and after a moment he joined in. ‘All right, I’m a coward. No question about it.’

‘You may also recall,’ Hope said, ‘that I heard in her voice that she had a passionate nature. Now I’ve heard that voice again, and I know I was right.’

‘Yes,’ he murmured, still trying to calm himself. ‘Yes. But Mamma, it’s not like that.’

‘Perhaps it’s time you told me what it is like.’ Hope came to the point of real importance. ‘Am I going to have another daughter-in-law, or not?’

‘I don’t know,’ he admitted. ‘It’s complicated.’

‘Then why not tell me about it?’

‘What is this? The Inquisition?’

‘Just a mother’s curiosity.’

‘Is there a difference?’

‘Not much,’ Hope admitted, patting his hand. ‘So, give in and tell me everything without making me work harder.’

‘Yes, that was always the easiest way,’ he recalled. ‘All right, she was in my hotel room, but I wasn’t there with her.’

‘Then where were you? Tell me.’

‘Yes, tell us,’ said a voice from the shadows, and they both looked up to see Olympia standing there with a glass of champagne in her hand. She strolled forward and settled herself on a fallen tree trunk that lay nearby, and looked at their faces.

‘I’m all ears to hear where you were,’ she said.

‘The trouble with acquiring a sister,’ Luke said with careful restraint, ‘is that it’s just one more female to put her nose into a man’s private affairs.’

‘Good, then I’m doing the right thing,’ Olympia said gleefully. ‘Come on, tell. Where were you?’

Luke took a deep breath. There was no putting this off any longer.

‘I was in a police cell,’ he said through gritted teeth.

If this disconcerted his mother she gave no sign of it, merely nodding her head as if to say that sooner or later every young man saw the inside of a police cell. Which was probably what she did actually believe. Olympia contented herself with a little choke of laughter.

‘What were you doing there?’ she asked mildly.

‘I got involved in a brawl and was arrested. Charlie was brawling too-he’s Minnie’s brother-in-law.’

‘And his name’s Charlie?’ Olympia asked.