Absence tears you apart and leaves you to bleed, she thought. Absence makes you cry into your pillow at night and stumble round like a zombie during the day. Absence destroys.
‘I get the impression that, left to you, the red carpet would have remained unrolled,’ the softly taunting voice went on.
She hunched a shoulder. ‘What do you expect?’
‘Very little.’ He paused. ‘This reconciliation was not actually my idea.’
That jolted her, and she let it show, her eyes lifting to his in sudden startled query.
‘No? Then how did Austin manage to find you?’
‘I haven’t asked him,’ Marius drawled. ‘I imagine he’s been keeping tabs on me all along, though I doubt whether he’d admit it.’
‘And you wouldn’t have returned otherwise?’
‘I’d been ordered never to darken his door again. It was up to him to make the first move. I wasn’t going to beg.’
No, she thought. That had the authentic Benedict ring about it. And he’d come back for Austin, not for her. The thought stirred in her mind, causing a stab of pain, and was instantly stifled.
‘I’m surprised you agreed at all.’
‘On balance I had too much to lose.’ He added almost casually, ‘And some scores to settle.’
Lydie missed a step. ‘I—see.’
‘Not yet, perhaps,’ Marius said easily, steadying her. ‘But it’s early days.’
Her heart lurched in fright. That, again, was almost a threat, she thought, swallowing. But why? She’d done nothing—except fall in love—with the wrong man—at the wrong time. He was the one who’d broken the rules—and her heart ...
She was too close to him suddenly, his arm like a band of steel around her, the heat of his hard body warming the chill of her flesh, as if the layers of clothes between them had ceased to exist.
She said unevenly, ‘People are changing partners now. You should dance with Mrs Mottram, our MP’s wife. She’s over there in the red dress.’
‘How singularly inappropriate.’ He made no attempt to release her. ‘Let Jon do the honours—if he can tear himself away from the whisky for long enough.’
Damn him for noticing, she thought raggedly. And damn my idiot of a brother for providing him with an easy target.
She tried for nonchalance. ‘He’s had a trying day.’
‘The first of many, I suspect,’ he came back with equal smoothness.
Lydie bit her lip. ‘Leave Jon alone,’ she said. ‘He’s not up to your weight.’
‘How charmingly protective,’ Marius said softly. ‘But that’s what divides the human family from the animal kingdom. In the wild the weakest member of the pack is left for the predators.’
‘With you, no doubt, as king of the jungle.’
The grey eyes glittered down at her. ‘I’ll settle for nothing less—Madonna Lily.’
All the breath seemed to catch in her throat. ‘I told you—don’t call me that.’
‘No?’ His voice was like silk. ‘But it brings back so many delightful memories.’
‘Not,’ she said stonily, ‘to me.’
‘Then I’ll have to jog your memory.’
For a searing second Lydie was pinned against him, her breasts crushed against the firm wall of his chest, his leg thrusting between hers in blatant eroticism as the last chords of the waltz died away. His breath fanned her cheek. His mouth grazed her ear. The unforgotten scent of his skin seemed to fill her senses.
Blood rushed into her face. ‘Let go of me.’ Her voice shook. ‘How dare you ... ?’
He let her pull away, but retained hold of her hand as he escorted her from the floor, pausing to lift it to his lips in a mocking parody of a graceful courtesy, turning her fingers in his at the last moment so that his mouth stung her soft palm instead, swiftly and sensuously. Lethally.
He said quite gently, ‘So you do remember after all.’ And walked away.
She’d expected to find herself the embarrassed cynosure of dozens of pairs of avid eyes, but the only person who seemed to have registered what was going on was her mother.
Debra was staring at her, her brows drawn together, her teeth gnawing at her bottom lip. Then the music started again and she moved off with Hugh, laughing, chatting with apparent animation, hostess mask back in place.
Jon appeared at Lydie’s side. ‘What an enjoyable evening.’ His speech was slightly slurred. ‘All quiet on the united front.’
‘Oh, shut up.’ Lydie smiled through gritted teeth.
‘Come and dance with me while you can still stand.’
‘Is this permitted in the Th-Thornshaugh book of etiquette?’ he asked plaintively. ‘Brother and sister cavorting?’
‘You’d better start reading survival manuals instead,’ Lydie muttered. ‘We all had.’
‘Depends how badly you want to survive.’ Jon peered round the marquee. ‘I saw yet another old friend earlier putting on a brave face. Remember Nadine Winton?’
‘Vividly,’ Lydie said with a snap. ‘I thought she was married and living in Surrey now.’
‘Divorced, apparently, and back with the spoils of war, if the emeralds she’s wearing are anything to go by.’ He paused. ‘Wasn’t she walking out with Marius once upon a time?’
‘Very much so,’ Lydie agreed levelly.
‘Maybe he can be persuaded to have another crack at her. Take his mind off his work. Give me time to sort out a few things.’
‘Oh, God.’ Lydie’s heart sank. ‘What sort of things?’
Jon shrugged. ‘A few minor cock-ups. Nothing serious.’
‘I hope not.’ She touched the tip of her tongue to her lips. ‘Jon, he’s gunning for you already—’
‘May I cut in?’ enquired the jovial voice of the rural dean, and Lydie forced a smiling acquiescence.
And after that the party developed into a medley of faces and a blur of voices and laughter to which she made herself respond.
At one point, through the throng, she saw Marius dancing with the former Nadine Winton, a lusciously curved brunette.
Dear God, she thought, I used to be so jealous of her.
She watched Nadine smile up at him, sliding her hands up to his shoulders, the matching bracelets on her tanned wrists winking green fire, and realised, as pain stabbed through her, that nothing had changed. That seeing Marius with another woman still had the power to rip her apart.
Oh, dear God, no, it can’t be true, she thought desperately. Then, more forcefully, I won’t allow it to be true.
Hugh found her during the supper interval. ‘I haven’t been able to get near you all night,’ he grumbled good-naturedly.
‘Proves it’s a good party.’ She slid her arm through his, drawing it against her breast. My lifeline, she thought, her emotions churning. My saviour.
‘Can I have your attention, everyone?’ Debra was up on the bandstand, projecting charm. They say all good things come in threes. So far tonight we’ve had my husband’s birthday—and Marius’s homecoming. Now I understand there’s going to be an announcement