Elusive as the Unicorn

But even so Eve could have wept with sheer frustration when Paul decided to leave shortly before eleven o’clock; he usually didn’t leave until much later at the weekends.

‘Do you have to go?’ she sighed as she followed him out into the hallway.

‘Yes, I have to go,’ he bit out through gritted teeth, his expression relaxing slightly at her look of pained surprise at being shouted at by him in this way. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said tenderly, framing her heart-shaped face with his hands. ‘But I can say, without a single doubt, that that was the worst evening I’ve spent in my entire life,’ he added grimly.

Contrary to Paul, who still looked furiously angry, Eve was beginning to see the humour of it all now; if she didn’t laugh, she would have to cry!

Paul scowled as she began to smile. ‘I don’t see anything in the least funny about all this.’

That was because he hadn’t been sitting where she had all evening; it was the sort of evening that situation comedies were made of. But Paul’s sense of humour seemed to be sadly lacking just recently, she realised with a frown.

‘Perhaps you’re right.’ She sobered wearily. ‘I’m sorry you’ve had such an awful time.’

‘It isn’t your fault,’ he sighed. ‘I can’t imagine what Evelyn thought she was doing when she invited them all here.’

‘She and Sophy have always been the best of friends,’ Eve defended.

‘I can’t think why.’ Paul didn’t seem at all attuned to the fact that Eve was more than a little annoyed by his criticism of her grandmother.

After all, it was her grandmother’s home, and she was perfectly entitled to invite into it whoever she chose. Paul had to be made to see that, as the two of them would be moving in here with her grandmother after their wedding in September.

‘I don’t think we really need to know why,’ she rebuked gently. ‘We just have to respect the fact that my grandmother has the right to choose her own friends.’

Paul didn’t miss the underlying tension in her words this time. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he demanded indignantly.

Eve gave a weary sigh. ‘Exactly what I said, that we have to respect——’

‘I understood that part,’ he cut in raspingly. ‘I just don’t understand the reason for the criticism. You can’t actually be enjoying yourself with that ill-assorted crowd?’ he challenged scornfully.

She didn’t want to argue with him, for goodness’ sake. ‘Not particularly. But I do like Sophy and Patrick, and——’

‘And Adam Gardener?’ His eyes were narrowed. ‘Do you “like” him, too?’

She gasped at the way he made the question sound like an insult, stepping back slightly. ‘Paul!’ she cried in rebuke.

He scowled unrepentantly. ‘Well, you seem to have been spending a lot of time with him.’

‘What on earth do you mean?’ she said indignantly, paling slightly as she imagined him somehow having found out about her deception concerning the dinner party. Oh, how she wished she had never told that lie. It certainly hadn’t been worth the worry it had caused her since that night!

Paul glowered angrily. ‘Every time I turn around lately, I fall over the damned man. And always with you, it seems,’ he added, glaring at her.

Her breath left her body in a relieved sigh at his continued unawareness of her omission concerning the dinner party the other evening; she was sure he would have mentioned it by now if he had known of it. ‘When first we practise to deceive …’ But she hadn’t set out to deceive, merely avoid a confrontation—like the one they were having right now.

‘I’ve explained about the party last weekend,’ she told him agitatedly. ‘And if you hadn’t left

me alone so long while you went off talking to other people, he wouldn’t have been able to——’ She broke off abruptly, aghast at what she had just said.

Paul was obviously stunned by the outburst, too. ‘What on earth has got into you? I’ve never heard you talk like that before.’ He shook his head, frowning with dark disapproval.

Neither had she, it was completely unlike her. But long overdue, a voice of mischief said in her head. What on earth had got into her?

‘I can see that further conversation between the two of us tonight is a waste of time,’ Paul bit out coldly at her lack of response. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow, and maybe then you’ll be in a more—reasonable frame of mind.’ His tone implied that he sincerely hoped that would be the case.

‘But, Paul——’

‘Goodnight, Eve,’ he said icily, ignoring her imploringly outstretched hand, striding across the entrance hall to close the huge oak door behind him with a decisive slam.

Nothing like that had ever happened between them before; she and Paul never argued. Never. But they certainly had just now, she acknowledged dazedly.