The Deserving Mistress

Did either of her sisters still remember their mother? Would they recognise the beautiful April Robine as being that woman?

None of them had ever discussed their mother as they were growing up, May because of the necessity of not distressing their father, her sisters just hadn’t mentioned her after the first few months of asking where she had gone.

In truth, May really had no idea whether either of them would make the connection between the internationally acclaimed actress, April Robine, and the woman who had been their mother.

April swallowed hard, still staring across into the lounge, her voice huskily emotional when she spoke. ‘They’re both so beautiful. You all are,’ she added shakily.

May gave a rueful smile. ‘We all look like you.’

‘They’re all as kind and charming as you, too,’ Jude cut in softly.

May turned to give him teasing smile. ‘I’m not sure you’ve always thought that in my case.’

He gave an unapologetic shrug. ‘I don’t mind admitting when I’m wrong.’

Meaning that perhaps she shouldn’t, either?

If she was wrong…

‘Ah, the champagne has arrived,’ Jude said with satisfaction as he saw the waitress crossing Reception with the laden tray, glad of something mundane to relieve the tension that was slowly building, his pride in May at that moment making him feel choked with emotion himself. ‘I’m afraid we’ll need two more glasses, and probably another bottle of champagne,’ he told the middle-aged woman smilingly.

‘Champagne?’ David Melton raised puzzled blond brows as they began to follow the waitress into the lounge.

‘We’ll explain later,’ Jude told the other man dismissively. ‘Let’s go and drink a toast to your and April’s future happiness,’ he encouraged briskly, his narrowed gaze fixed on May as she walked ahead of him beside April.

This couldn’t be easy for her, he knew, and he wished there were something he could do to help her, at the same time knowing that all he could do was to be there for her, as he had promised he would. The question of their own engagement would, no doubt, come under discussion later.

When he would do everything within his power to persuade May into making it fact…

‘Is it going to be all right, do you think?’ David prompted frowningly at his side, his worried gaze also concentrated on April and May.

All right for whom? For April and her three daughters? Jude had no idea how January and March were going to react to meeting April, or if they were going to react at all. As for May, he still wasn’t sure she didn’t have feelings for this man at his side, and if she did, then her mother’s engagement to David certainly wasn’t going to help any possible future relationship she might have with April.

‘We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?’ he returned unhelpfully, his newly found charitable feelings, because of his love for May, certainly not extending as far as the man at his side.

The four seated around the table stood up as they all entered the lounge, Jude quickly taking in their individual reactions to April’s presence. Will looked admiring, as most men did when they first met April. Max looked pleased to renew their acquaintance. January and March were a little harder to read; after an initial brief glance at each other, their equally guarded gazes turned to May.

A May who was completely flustered as she tried to make the introductions.

‘See to the champagne, hmm,’ Jude instructed David Melton abruptly before stepping smoothly forward to stand at May’s side, taking her hand into his to squeeze reassuringly. ‘April and Max already know each other,’ he lightly took over when May gave his hand a grateful squeeze back. ‘Will Davenport,’ he told April as she shook the other man’s hand. ‘My architect, on occasion, and also March’s fiancé. And these two lovely ladies are May’s sisters, March and January.’ He smiled at the two of them.

His heart ached for April as she hesitated about what to do next, whether to shake the two sisters’ hands, or just smile warmly. But as her hands were obviously shaking badly, and the smile was more than a little rocky, too, as she looked on the verge of tears, Jude had a feeling that April wasn’t going to be able to achieve either with any degree of aplomb.

‘And this is April’s fiancé, David Melton.’ May was the one to step into the breach as the film director began to hand around the full champagne glasses.

January took the glass he held out to her. ‘Aren’t you the film director who offered May a role in your film?’ She frowned at him quizzically.

‘I am,’ he confirmed with a smile.

‘April is to play the starring role in the film.’ Once again it was May who spoke. ‘David asked me to play the role of Stella, her daughter,’ she added huskily.

Complete silence met this announcement, but Jude, deliberately watching March’s and January’s reactions this time, once again saw that look pass between the two younger sisters.

What did it mean?

Because there was definitely something in that look, something he couldn’t read, but which the two sisters obviously could.

May was looking at her sisters anxiously now, obviously wondering if she had gone too far, her hand trembling slightly in his.