âIâll never get married!â
âYou say that now,â Rafe replied, âbut when you meet someoneâ¦â
Tess glared at him. âMarriage is all about providing a loving, secure environment for children. Thatâs why a man gets married.â
âThatâs why women get married,â he corrected. âTheyâre the practical ones. A man gets married for other reasons. Most men are thinking about love when they get married, Tess.â
âYouâre talking about sex!â
âTOMORROWâ¦? So soonâ¦?â
Tess Trelawny closed her eyes tight in denial and willed herself to wake up from this nightmare. Minorâno, major flaw in this plan: she already was awake, awake and shaking as if she had a fever. Along with the deluge of adrenalin, blind, gut-twisting panic raced through her body. The leaden hand she lifted to her throbbing head was trembling and icily cold.
Chloe chose not to respond to the pulsating note of entreaty in her auntâs voice. She often ignored things which made her feel uncomfortable; besides, there was no reason for her to feel guilty. If Tess got awkward, Ian would back her up. Tess would listen to him; everyone did. He was the smartest person sheâd ever metâ¦and he was hersâ¦A dreamily content smile curved her collagen-enhanced, red-painted lipsâ¦
âIan is just dying to meet dear little Benjy.â Her lips tightened in exasperation as the pedicurist began to paint her toenails. âHold on a sec, Aunty Tessâ¦â
The prefix invariably made Tess feel as if a generation separated her from her elder sisterâs only child, not a mere seven years. Now was no exception.
âThis stupid girl is using the wrong colour.â
Tess could hear the muffled sounds over the phone as Chloe paused long enough to sharply inform the unfortunate young woman attending her that she had no intention of being seen with a shade that was so sadly dated.
âI was wondering,â Chloe continued once sheâd satisfied herself the right shade was being applied to her toes. âHas he got more hair these days?â
The question bewildered Tess. âWhy do you ask?â
âWell, you keep saying itâs going to grow!â Chloe responded in an ill-used tone that implied Tess had been heartlessly leading her on. âI mean, those little wispy bits are not very attractive, are they?â she elaborated sulkily. âAnd they look gingery.â Her worried tone implied there were few things in life worse than a red-headed child.
Tess closed her eyes and took a deep breathâ¦sometimes she felt the unworthy desire to shake her beautiful niece until her white even teeth rattled.
âYes, Chloe,â she replied woodenly. âBen does have some hair now, and youâll be pleased to hear itâs a gorgeous strawberry blonde.â
âYou mean sandyâ¦?â
âNo, I mean strawberry blonde.â
âThatâs excellent,â came the relieved reply. âAnd, Aunty Tess, for Godâs sake dress him in something half decent. How about that nice little outfit I sent from Milanâ¦?â
Chloeâs fleeting visits had always been infrequent, but during the last few months her acting career had taken off with several small but well received film roles, and the visits had become almost non-existent.
Tess was guiltily aware that she should have remonstrated with the younger girl, but the truth was life was easier without the stress and disruption of Chloeâs visits. The problem was her niece resented not being the centre of attention and she didnât like to share that attention with anyoneânot even a baby.
âHe grew out of it.â
âOh, pityâ¦at least make sure heâs not covered in jam or anything!â Chloe found it hard to accept that spotless, freshly scrubbed and sweet smelling wasnât the normal state of babies. âI want him to make a good impression on Ian.â
If she were here right now, so help me, Iâd strangle her! Tessâs voice shook with suppressed outrage as she responded. âThis isnât an audition, Chloe.â
âNo, this is the start of the rest of my life!â came back the dramatic, throbbing response. To Tessâs uncharitable ears it sounded as though she were practising a line from her latest part. Abruptly Chloeâs tone changed. âMust dash, Aunty Tessâ¦Iâve got a yoga class in half an hour, and I really canât miss it. You should try it yourselfâIâve really attained an inner harmony you wouldnât believe. See you soon!â The phone line went dead.