The Burlington Manor Affair

“Don’t be. I don’t know what I was thinking, marrying a vicar.”

Carmen couldn’t restrain her reaction; she burst out laughing. “Amanda Mason, a vicar’s wife?”

Amanda grinned. “I told you it wasn’t worth discussing.”

“Oh, no, I’m sure it is. We’ll have to get together so you can fill me in on all the sordid details.” Carmen was tickled at the thought.

“Yes, we ought to get together.” Again Amanda’s gaze sidled over toward Rex. “Life suddenly looks a whole lot more interesting now that you guys are back in town.”

When Carmen followed her gaze, Rex looked over and waved at them both.

“Never was there such a fine man in Beldover parish,” Amanda said, apparently to herself.

“Was it the Beldover vicar you got hitched with?” Carmen asked, hoping to blot out the memories that were evoked by the silent communication across the reception room. She figured it couldn’t be the local vicar because he was in his late sixties.

“Good Lord, no. He was the new vicar in Leemington last year. Everyone was talking about him so I had to go check him out.”

“Sounds as if you checked him out pretty thoroughly.”

Amanda’s attention was elsewhere, but it was mainly on Rex. “I couldn’t resist. Biggest mistake of my life. Never mind, the divorce has come through now so I can do as I please again and I don’t have to worry about shocking the Women’s Institute or the upstanding members of the parish.”

Carmen looked again at Rex. Biggest mistake of my life? She knew that feeling. How had she managed to fall into this situation when she knew what he was like? There were several women buzzing around him now, plus Amanda was waiting to pounce.

Carmen didn’t torture herself by watching when Amanda gravitated in his direction, joining the scrum of women around him. She wandered away, took some time out before she mingled again. It was just like it always was, believing he was flirting with her, except now he’d taken things to a whole new level. Even though she’d vowed not to get emotionally involved, it was fast becoming apparent that she was, and that even a few weekends together was a big mistake, for her.

Within the hour, Amanda was back at Carmen’s side. She was loaded, and she had that look about her—a look that Carmen remembered well. She was on a mission, and usually there was a man at the end of it.

“Tell me,” Amanda asked, “is this a permanent arrangement, you two sharing this place?”

Carmen wondered if Rex had informed everybody of their personal business, or whether Amanda had wheedled it out of him. She did have a knack with men. “We haven’t finalized anything as yet. At the moment this is just a temporary arrangement.”

“It must be so difficult for you, you poor love.” Amanda peered into Carmen’s eyes when she said that.

“Difficult? Oh, well, yes, deciding the future of the house is a big thing. For everyone involved. Even the staff are in limbo until we come to an agreement.”

Amanda smirked. “No, no. I meant it must be difficult having to be around Rex Carruthers, especially after he rejected you so horribly.”

Carmen froze. Every atom of her body warned her not to respond, not to let Amanda rile and provoke her. Don’t let her get to you. She repeated the instruction several times over, but it wasn’t working.

“Don’t be silly,” she managed to say.

Amanda had known about Carmen’s crush on Rex, but that had been overruled now. Far from rejected this time—in fact, quite the contrary. It was a defensive reaction, but it was the truth. She wasn’t going to broadcast that to Amanda, though. No matter how much her pride wanted to blurt it out, she didn’t want her personal business spread all over Oxfordshire.

Amanda waited for more.

“We’re adults, we’re old friends, and we have to sort out an inheritance issue.” She shrugged and took a sip of wine.

Amanda snorted. “You can’t fool me that easily, Carmen Shelby. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together can see that you’ve still got the hots for him. It was written all over you the moment you walked in the door.”

Amanda had been observing? Carmen felt trapped. “That’s not the case.”

She knew she could handle it and keep her facade, but the conversation was rubbing at old and familiar hurts. Most of all she wanted to react badly, tell Amanda exactly what they’d been doing and that there had been no rejection involved. Luckily it was in her nature to be outwardly guarded and cautious.

“Rex is a free spirit, even you know that.” Carmen couldn’t resist the little barb, although it was likely too subtle for Amanda given her current state of inebriation. “He’s not the sort of man to get tangled up with for long.”

The comment was a lament, too. I should have known better. This sort of thing was inevitable when she let her emotions become involved with a man like Rex Carruthers.

Amanda knocked back the remaining wine in her glass and deposited the empty on a tray as one of the catering staff went past. “Oh, I would happily get tangled up with him again. He was bloody good in the sack.” She smiled smugly. “Of course, you wouldn’t know that. Poor little Carmen, left on the shelf.”