Sara Craven - Marriage Reclaimed - Marriage at a Distance / Marriage Under Suspicion / The Marriage Truce

She looked up at Paul Gordon. ‘No,’ she said evenly. ‘That’s the last thing I want. And I’d be glad of some coffee. I’ll fetch my car and follow you, shall I?’

‘I’ll have the coffee brewing,’ he promised, and went off jauntily.

Joanna turned, and began to walk in the opposite direction. The impulse to keep going until she fell off the edge of the world was a strong one.

She was developing a headache, if she was any judge, and all she wanted to do was drive home, take some paracetamol and fall into bed. And decent oblivion.

Spending another hour or more in Paul Gordon’s company, and drinking coffee too, would do nothing to improve her physical well-being or her temper. And it was all Gabriel’s fault, she thought, lashing herself on to the next stage of vindictiveness.

Because anger was so much easier to deal with than hurt and heartbreak. And soon those would be all that was left to her.

The Lodge was lit up like a Christmas tree when she got there. But that was better than a continuation of the wine bar’s intimate candlelit ambience, she decided sourly, parking her car.

As she reached the door it opened, and Paul was there smiling at her.

‘I’d begun to think you weren’t coming,’ he chided playfully.

Shrewd of you, Joanna thought, recalling the ten minutes she’d spent sitting in the High Street car park, fighting with herself.

She said lightly, ‘I’m a woman of my word.’ Not to mention a prize idiot and a stubborn mule, she thought as he helped her off with her coat.

The living room at the Lodge wasn’t big, but it had been nicely decorated and furnished by the Osbornes, with a sofa and an easy chair covered in dark green flowered chintz and a paler green carpet.

She glanced around her with genuine pleasure. ‘This is really cosy. So, where do you do your writing?’

‘I thought the table in the window.’ He grimaced. ‘My computer’s still packed away in boxes, I’m afraid.’

She looked at him in faint surprise, having gained the impression his novel was in full swing.

She said, ‘I understood publishers imposed all kinds of deadlines.’

‘I’m probably not important enough for that. Not yet, anyway.’

‘I’m sure it’s only a matter of time,’ she said tactfully, aware it was the response he wanted. Playing him at his own game, she realised wearily.

He disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a tray laid with pottery mugs, a cream jug and a cafetière.

Whatever reservation she might have about him, his coffee was excellent, and she complimented him sincerely, causing him to launch into a monologue about the exacting art of the choosing and blending of beans.

Were all would-be writers as self-obsessed as this? Joanne wondered with faint amusement.

She’d deliberately chosen the chair to maintain her own space, and was annoyed when he fetched a leather pouffe from a corner and established himself at her feet.

‘That’s better.’ He smiled up at her.

‘And that’s a matter of opinion,’ she returned under her breath, debating with herself how soon she could leave. She would have to finish her coffee at least, and it was too hot to gulp down.

She looked at the painting over the mantelpiece. ‘Is that one of Sylvia’s?’

‘Possibly. I’m not really into amateur daubs.’

That was the kind of thing Cynthia said, and she stiffened. ‘I don’t think either of those terms applies to Mrs Osborne’s work.’

‘I’m sorry.’ He didn’t sound repentant. ‘But I’m just more used to shows at the Hayward Gallery. That is, if you want to talk about art. Now, I’d rather talk about you.’

For a writer, his dialogue could use a little work, she thought judiciously.

‘A very boring topic.’ She kept her tone light.

‘Not from my viewpoint. I find you quite fascinating.’

‘I don’t know what can have led you to that conclusion.’ She took a gargantuan swallow of coffee.

‘Perhaps I’m just more perceptive than most of the men you’ve known. For instance, it’s obvious your marriage is going nowhere.’

‘Unlike myself,’ Joanna said thinly, and put down her mug. ‘Thanks for the coffee, Paul, but I really must be leaving. I’ll see myself out.’

She made to rise, but he stopped her, a hand on her knee.

‘Don’t be silly, sweetheart. And stop pretending. We both know why you’re here. That dog in the manger act of his didn’t fool me for a minute. He neglects you, and you don’t deserve it.’

She said icily, ‘Will you please allow me to rise?’

He laughed. ‘What a coincidence. I was just going to ask you the same thing.’ His hand pushed at her skirt, stroking the slender nylon-clad thigh.

She tried to hit him, but he captured both her fists in his other hand and held her, still laughing.

‘Playing hard to get? You don’t have to. I know the score, and I’m very discreet. Just relax and enjoy yourself.’

She said between her teeth, ‘Not with you,’ and kicked him hard. She connected with his shin and Paul gasped and swore, releasing her to clutch at his leg.

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