‘Pity,’ Jude murmured after a brief glance at May’s stubbornly set expression.
It would have been interesting watching the interplay between these two such different women—he might even have learnt some of the reason for the antipathy between them, on May’s part, at least. April, he realised, was more unsettled than angry.
‘I’ll leave you two to your dinner, then,’ April dismissed lightly, seeming to take some effort to gather her usual equilibrium, her smile bright and meaningless, certainly not accompanied by the usual warmth of her eyes.
Jude eyed May mockingly. ‘I’m not sure May has remembered that she invited me, either!’ he drawled derisively, the fact that she was obviously dressed for working on the farm not looking too promising.
No doubt after their fraught conversation at lunchtime May had decided that he wouldn’t be coming for dinner this evening after all; it afforded him a certain amount of satisfaction to know that he had disconcerted her by arriving, after all. But not too much—he still had no idea what the tension was between May and April.
‘I remembered the invitation,’ May assured him dryly. ‘The chicken casserole has been in the oven for several hours.’
It might have been, but Jude still doubted that May had ever thought he would be joining her this evening to eat it!
‘Enough for three?’ he prompted pointedly.
May’s expression darkened. ‘I—’
‘I’m sorry, but I already have a dinner engagement for this evening,’ April cut in smoothly. ‘In fact—’ she glanced at her gold wrist-watch ‘—I had better be going, or I shall be late.’ She turned to May. ‘I hope I shall see you again before I leave,’ she said huskily.
‘How long are you staying in the area?’ May looked at her coldly.
April shrugged narrow shoulders. ‘I’m not sure yet…’
May nodded abruptly. ‘Well, in case I don’t see you again, have a safe journey home.’
In other words, Jude easily interpreted, however long you happen to be staying in the area, don’t come back here to see me!
This really was a very strange situation, an even stranger conversation—one that Jude, for one, found completely puzzling.
‘Thank you,’ April accepted heavily, her smile even more strained as she turned to Jude. ‘I’ll probably see you later.’
He nodded abruptly. ‘You can count on it.’
She gave a rueful smile. ‘I thought I might! I-it really was lovely to meet you, May,’ she added huskily.
A sentiment that May, Jude noted frowningly, had no intention of echoing. In fact, she looked so cold and unapproachable she might have been carved from ice.
What was this?
What possible reason could May have for feeling so antagonistic towards April? An antagonism, he now realised, despite April’s apparent calm at lunchtime, that her presence here this evening meant she was equally aware of.
As he watched April walk over to her car, her face deathly pale as she drove out of the farmyard, Jude vowed that he would get an answer to those questions, either from May or April, he didn’t really care which.
CHAPTER SIX
MAY eyed Jude surreptitiously as the red car turned out of the farmyard, taking April Robine with it, knowing that Jude must be completely confused at finding the actress here when he arrived after the way the meeting had gone between the two women at lunchtime, that he must be completely puzzled about the whole situation.
Well, she for one had no intention of enlightening him. And, after her brief conversation with April Robine as Jude had arrived, she knew that the other woman wasn’t about to do so, either.
April Robine…
Strange that was the only way that May could think of the other woman, but also knowing the reason for that was probably that she refused to recognise her as the mother who had deserted her when she was only a child of five.
What sort of woman did that? Walked out, not only on her husband, but on her three young daughters, aged only five, four, and three? Not one that May wanted to know, or be associated with, that was for sure!
She drew in a harsh breath, her gaze deliberately noncommittal as she looked at Jude. ‘If you would like to go into the kitchen and get warm, I’ll join you in a few minutes,’ she dismissed, knowing a few minutes wouldn’t be near long enough to her to compose herself after speaking to April Robine, but at the same time recognising that was all the time she had.
‘I’m not cold,’ Jude dismissed evenly, despite the icy wind whistling through the farmyard. ‘In fact, I think the air in the kitchen might be even more chilly than it is out here!’ he added pointedly.