Bride By Blackmail. Carole Mortimer

past time!’

      Georgie’s mouth tightened at the rebuke. ‘You—’

      ‘You know, Georgie, I still can’t believe you did that,’ Jed opined. ‘You decided you no longer wanted to be married to me—fine. But to include your grandfather and Grandie in your desertion—’

      ‘I didn’t desert anyone,’ she defended heatedly.

      ‘No?’ Jed raised dark brows. ‘That’s not the way I remember it.’

      She shook her head, knowing she couldn’t stand much more of this. ‘Think what you like, Jed,’ she said wearily. ‘You usually do anyway— Forget I said that!’ She winced as she instantly realised she was lapsing into childishness once again.

      ‘Thank you for letting me know about Grandie. I’ll go and see her some time tomorrow.’ When she had built up her courage for the inevitable meeting with her grandfather such a visit would incur.

      ‘Very politely put,’ Jed said. ‘Make sure that you do.’

      ‘I—’

      ‘You know, Georgie, I was wrong earlier. When I claimed that my wife divorced me because she understood me,’ he explained huskily at her puzzled expression. ‘You don’t understand me at all, do you? I don’t think you ever did,’ he added heavily. ‘For instance,’ he continued softly as Georgie would have spoken, ‘what do you think I would like to do at this precise moment?’

      ‘You should have made it something more difficult than that, Jed! Strangulation comes to mind,’ she suggested ruefully.

      He shook his head slowly. ‘What I would most like to do at this moment is lie down on that bed with you and make love to you all night. But as I know that is never going to happen…’