‘Hey!’ Kate gave her a reproachful look, her eyes teasing. ‘You’re supposed to be on my side. I thought you approved of my seeing him.’
Sheri nodded, taking the wedding gown as Kate stepped out of it and putting it in the soft tissue paper to pack it away in the box provided. ‘I thought it a good idea for you to go out with him, yes. But marriage! That’s completely different. To go out with a man like Damien is an experience not to be missed. I went out with him myself a couple of times, and believe me, I can understand you falling for him.’
‘But …?’
‘But you didn’t have to marry him,’ Sheri finished bluntly.
Kate shrugged. ‘You married James, and as I remember he was just as much of a rake as Damien’s ever been.’
Sheri nodded. ‘I think he would be the first to admit it. But I also think I’m right in saying he would have preferred you to have an affair with Damien rather than have you marry him.’
‘James would?’
‘He doesn’t want you to be hurt, Kate.’
‘And you don’t think having an affair with Damien would hurt me?’ Kate slipped on the black velvet suit and cream blouse.
‘But I thought you— We both thought—’
‘No,’ Kate answered firmly, ‘we haven’t.’
‘I see.’ Sheri bit her lip. ‘And you love him very much, don’t you?’
‘Very much.’
‘Then I won’t say another word. How do you get on with Damien’s mother?’ she added. ‘She seems very nice.’
For the first time that day Kate gave what she felt to be a natural smile. She had liked Sarah Savage at their first meeting and that liking had blossomed into real affection, on both sides. This tiny, still very attractive woman was the only person that Damien seemed to listen to and take notice of. In fact on a couple of occasions Kate had witnessed him getting a sharp reprimand from this fiery lady, reprimands he seemed to take notice of too.
‘She is,’ Kate confirmed without hesitation.
‘How does she feel about the marriage?’
‘She approves. Wholeheartedly.’
Sheri moved forward to hug her. ‘I really hope you’ll be happy, Kate. And I know James hopes the same. Forgive him for being slightly reserved, he’s just frightened for your happiness.’
Kate turned to close her suitcase, not wanting Sheri to see her own doubts concerning that. ‘Damien will be getting impatient.’
‘Mm, and you don’t want to upset him before your marriage even gets off the ground.’
‘That’s right,’ laughed Kate, fearing that it was already doomed to failure.
Damien was nowhere to be seen when she finally reappeared and this gave her time to say goodbye to her brother privately.
‘Don’t ever be scared to tell me if you need me,’ he told her warmly.
‘I won’t.’ She hugged him tightly to her. Marriage was such a giant step for anyone to take, but for her it could prove the disaster of her lifetime.
This was all she had time to say to James before Damien suddenly appeared at her side, his light grip on her arm telling her of his presence. ‘No need to go back in there,’ he nodded towards the reception room. ‘Mother will say our goodbyes.’
She couldn’t look at him, suddenly feeling extraordinarily shy. ‘Should I say goodbye to your mother?’
‘I already said it for you. Besides, you’ll be seeing her again in a few days’ time.’ He turned to look coolly at James. ‘I can see you’ve already said goodbye to everyone that you find important.’
‘Yes,’ she said dully.
Surprisingly Damien put out his hand for James to shake. ‘Thanks for your moral support during the ceremony.’
‘It was a pleasure,’ James replied gruffly.
‘Right,’ Damien said brusquely. ‘We’ll be off, then.’
The drive to the apartment only took ten minutes and yet it seemed much longer, neither of them saying a word throughout the journey. Kate was silent because each passing second her tense nervousness increased, and Damien just seemed to be preoccupied—something else that made her uneasy.
What was he thinking about behind that composed cynical face of his? Why didn’t he speak to her, smile even—anything to show he still wanted her. But there was nothing, just a cold politeness that could have been applied to anyone. But she was his wife now, not just anyone, and he had no right to treat her so casually.
Her resentment towards him grew with each passing second, and she had almost reached boiling point by the time they entered his apartment—no, it was their apartment now, the home they were to share until they went to America at the end of making this film. If they were still together then!
Damien went straight to the tray of drinks and helped himself to a tumblerful of whisky. ‘God,’ he sighed, ‘I needed that. I never realised before that weddings could be so nerve-racking!’
Kate stood just inside the room, unwilling to go any further. She felt as if she were married to a stranger, as if she had never known Damien at all. ‘Especially when the person you’ve just married spends most of the day ignoring you,’ she said resentfully.
He gave her a hard look, wordlessly pouring out another glass of whisky before coming over to her. He held the glass out towards her. ‘Drink this,’ he ordered. ‘You’ll feel better for it.’
She ignored the proffered glass. ‘I feel fine now, thank you.’
‘Like hell you do. Drink it!’
‘No, thank you,’ she said obstinately, and walked casually into the room, looking about her with interest. It was exactly as she remembered it, he had made no concessions to having a bride in his apartment. Not even a vase of flowers to brighten the place up.
Shrugging, Damien put the glass down and walked over to her side. He looked down at her. ‘Would you like dinner now or would you like to lie down for a while? I’m sure today has been even more tiring for you than it has for me.’
Especially as she had lain awake into the
