Daphne Clair - Grounds For Marriage

Tully shifted on the sofa, planting his feet more firmly apart on the carpet. ‘You want another family,’ he asked, ‘at your age?’

Julian looked nettled, then amused. ‘I’m not in my dotage.’

‘Of course not,’ Tully said after a telling moment. ‘Prime of life, I’m sure.’ His eyes were unfocused, but they sharpened as he turned to look at Lacey. ‘Has your biological clock started ticking more loudly already?’ he asked her. ‘Do you want more kids?’

Swallowing anger, she said, ‘That’s something for Julian and me to discuss. I don’t think it has anything to do with you.’

‘If you’re planning to produce a pack of half brothers and sisters for Emma, I think it does have something to do with me,’ he said. ‘It’ll directly affect her. Isn’t that the whole idea of this cosy after-dinner chat? If you want me to endorse this marriage of yours, I want to know just what sort of family life you’re going to give my daughter.’

‘We don’t need your endorsement!’ Lacey said. ‘I just hoped it would make things easier all round.’

Julian cut in smoothly. ‘There are still things that Lacey and I need to talk through. We’re not in any great hurry.’

“You’re not?’ Tully looked at him with polite surprise. Then, his eyes narrowing, he turned his gaze to Lacey. ‘I guess you have plenty of time.’

Julian cleared his throat. ‘Tully,’ he said, leaning forward to face the other man, ‘I would like you to know that I admire and respect your willingness to take responsibility for... er... your youthful mistake. There aren’t many men of your age who would have done what you have. Of course, by law you’re obliged to financially support the child, but plenty of young fellows manage to wriggle out of that, and you’ve certainly gone much further than the letter of the law. All credit to you.’

Tully looked back at him woodenly. ‘I appreciate the testimonial,’ he said. ‘Just where do you think all this flattery is going to get you?’

‘Tully!’ Lacey protested, but Julian held up a staying hand to her, giving a little laugh. ‘It’s all right, Lacey. Tully and I understand each other.’

Tully’s dark brows lifted.

“The thing is,’ Julian went on, ‘the fact that Lacey chose to involve you at all in this is a matter of courtesy only. She actually isn’t obliged to consult your wishes.’ As Tully sat rigid and silent, he added, ‘I’m sure you appreciate that.’

Lacey held her breath. Don’t challenge Tully head-on, she wanted to warn Julian. He’ll take on anybody and anything...and win.

For perhaps two seconds there was no movement, no sound in the room. Then Tully stood up, quite slowly, and rocked on his heels, both hands on his belt. ‘Thanks for the free legal opinion,’ he said, his voice quite pleasant. ‘It’s good to have the position clarified.’

Julian sat back, looking up at him rather cautiously. ‘It’s best we all know where we stand, don’t you think?’

‘Oh, undoubtedly.’ Tully’s reply was too quick, and far too cordial. Lacey saw the deep glint in his eyes and stiffened in her chair, but all he said was, ‘I think I can do with another whisky, if you don’t mind, Lacey. No, don’t get up, I’ll fetch it.’ He turned to Julian. ‘Care to join me? Or can I get you some more white wine?’

After the briefest hesitation Julian said, ‘Thanks, I’ll join you with a whisky.’

‘Lacey?’

Lacey shook her head. ‘Not for me.’ This evening was definitely not going according to plan—the underlying friction was almost palpable. She could have done with a stiff drink, but a long time ago she’d had the value of a clear head in risky circumstances firmly implanted in her mind.

When Tully returned it was as though he’d decided to be as pleasant as possible for the remainder of the evening. He brought the whisky bottle with him, but after one glass Julian declined any more. ‘I have to drive home and pick up Desma on the way,’ he reminded them. ‘I can’t risk being over the limit.’

Tully poured himself another and nursed it while he questioned Julian about property values and the market forces, asked his opinion on a bill currently being debated in parliament designed to help lower-income home owners pay their mortgages, and listened with apparent attention to Julian’s exposition of the relative merits of fixed rate and variable loans.

He seemed content to let Julian take over the conversation, merely injecting an occasional remark or query—some of them, Lacey felt, oddly naive. By the time Julian moved on to explaining the impact of inflation on the building business, Lacey had to clench her jaws to hide an urge to yawn. She glanced at the electric clock on the wall, and saw Julian look at his watch.

With an exclamation of surprise, he stood up. ‘I have to go, I’m afraid. Can’t leave a teenager hanging about waiting at this hour. It’s been nice meeting you, Tully.’ He held out his hand and after a moment Tully rose and took it in his. ‘I hope you feel confident now that Emma will be in good hands. And I’m sure Lacey’s told you I have no objection at all to your continuing to see her as often as you like.’

Lacey waited for Tully to say he was leaving, too. When he didn’t she saw Julian to the door, and exchanged a hurried, unsatisfactory kiss with him before he drove off. Tully, she saw, had parked his Peugeot on the road.

When she returned to the living room Tully was sitting hunched forward with his head bent, his forearms resting on his knees. The glass in his hand was still half full of whisky.

She paused in the doorway, and without turning round he said, ‘Don’t just stand there. Come and sit down.’

She walked past the sofa, but as she made for one of the chairs again he reached out and fastened a hand on her wrist. ‘Not there.’ He pulled her down beside him. ‘I can’t talk to you when you’re halfway across the room.’

‘It’s only a few feet.’ She tugged her hand from his grasp, but stayed on the sofa.

Tully gave her a crooked little smile. ‘Don’t argue, woman. It’s friendlier this way.’ He leaned back into the corner of the sofa, his eyelids drooping as he regarded her. Now that he had her where he wanted her, he didn’t seem in a hurry to initiate conversation, so she decided to get in first.

‘Why did you send Emma into the kitchen, earlier?’ she asked him.

‘To help you.’

‘Not to get her away from Julian?’ she challenged him.

His eyelids flickered. ‘How did you guess?’

‘You admit it?’ She was dismayed to have her suspicion so readily confirmed. If he was going to be deliberately unhelpful...

‘She was showing signs of terminal boredom. I didn’t think you’d want her yawning in his face.’

“They were talking about horses! Which, thanks to you, she’s crazy about at the moment.’

‘Julian was talking, blinding the poor kid with science. She was way out of her depth.’ He made a small grimace and shrugged. ‘I guess he’s not used to dealing with a ten-year-old any more.’

Lacey supposed that was so. He had certainly had difficulty hitting the right note with Emma over the dinner table. ‘They need to get to know each other properly,’ she said hopefully. ‘Maybe Julian was trying a bit too hard tonight. He’s very anxious for her to like him.’

Tully shifted his shoulders against the sofa back and stretched out his legs, contemplating the toes of his shoes for a second or two before shooting a hard, dark glance her way. ‘Are you really in love with that guy?’

The faintly disbelieving note of near-contempt in his voice made her defensive. ‘Of course I love Julian. He’s a very nice person.’ She moved uneasily, trying to relax. Somehow it wasn’t his niceness that had shown up tonight. And in an obscure way she knew Tully was entirely responsible for that. ‘I don’t know what you were trying to do, but it won’t work, Tully.’