He's My Husband! - Lindsay Armstrong [45]
‘Gone to spend the night with Marietta.’
‘But...but...’
‘They’ll be fine. In fact, in all the turmoil, we forgot that we needed a babysitter tonight.’
Nicola blinked, and realised he must have just had a swim or a shower. His hair was wet and droplets gleamed on his shoulders. ‘A...? Oh, no! The law society ball! I did forget. But surely we won’t go.’
He propped his shoulders against the doorframe. ‘Not if we were worried about Chris, but he’s perfectly happy to spend the night with his mother.’
Nicola hesitated, then walked into the kitchen, where she dropped her bag onto the island counter beside the chrysanthemum, and poured herself a glass of water.
Brett followed her. ‘Can you think of any other reason for us not to go?’
Nicola didn’t turn immediately, because this was the same hard, cool Brett of the morning and she had no idea how to deal with him.
She drew a breath, swallowed, and swung round. ‘A couple,’ she said quietly. ‘I don’t feel like going to a ball tonight, and I don’t feel that there’s any point in us going as Mr and Mrs Harcourt because I’m quite sure I couldn’t hold up my end of this...farce. I’m equally sure you either hate me, actively dislike me or thoroughly disapprove of me—all ingredients for an unpleasant evening, don’t you agree?’
‘No, I don’t,’ he said curtly. ‘So get your glad rags out, Nicola, because we are going.’
She gasped. ‘You can’t make me, Brett. Go on your own, if you’re so set on it. Make some excuse for me—say I’m sick—or go with Tara! I’m sure she’d be delighted.’
‘Nicola.’ He closed in on her. ‘These continual and childish references to Tara don’t become you. It so happens I have to go because I’m delivering the address. It’s also too late to prevent there being an embarrassing gap at my side, and because my ex-wife happens to be in town it could cause talk and speculation. Particularly if you’ve been drifting around town on your own all day. Don’t forget,’ he said sardonically, ‘this place is not that big.’
It hit home like an arrow as she recalled the clients she’d bumped into earlier, and the two lawyers. All the same, she said tautly, with her face pale and furious, ‘Do you think I care, Brett? Actually, if you like I’ll go and babysit your children—after all, a babysitter is all I am really—why don’t you take your ex-wife!’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he said scathingly. ‘She’s the last person on earth I’d take.’
Nicola opened her mouth and closed it abruptly as a medley of confused thoughts ran through her mind—what had happened here today? Something that had prompted this? Something to do with Marietta and her boyfriend? Did Brett need to make some kind of a statement to the world tonight? But...
She looked up into his eyes, but all she could see was a kind of tough determination. Her shoulders slumped and she said tonelessly, ‘All right. What time?’
‘Seven. We’ll leave here at half past six. That—’ he glanced at his watch ‘—gives you an hour. Long enough?’
‘Yes, Brett.’ She marched away.
There were several suitable gowns hanging in her walk-in wardrobe—the law society ball was a very formal, black tie function—and her hand hovered before she drew out one. But it was still a race against time as she painted her nails, showered and dealt with her hair and make-up. And it was with a buzzing mind that she got through it all, because something told her that things had gone wrong—more wrong than they’d been before, if that was possible.
But finally she stepped out of her bedroom and found Brett on the terrace, consulting his watch. It was six-thirty on the dot.
‘Well?’ she said. ‘I’m here.’
He turned slowly and studied her critically. The pool lights were on and the barbecue pavilion was lit up. The dress was candy-floss pink and covered in sequins, which reflected the soft lighting. It clung to her figure, had a low back and was supported by two narrow straps. Her sandals were high, silver and also sequinned, and her purse was silver mesh. She wore her pearl bracelet, her hair was swept up in a pleat and she had on a pair of square pearl drop-earrings.