Stronger than Yearning

‘Femininity?’ Jenna supplied icily. ‘I’m sorry if my appearance doesn’t match your high standards.’ Her eyes flashed dark storm warnings.

To her surprise James laughed. ‘No, you’re not,’ he contradicted her calmly. ‘If ever a woman was given to making and then reinforcing the statement that she doesn’t give a damn what any member of the male sex thinks about her, then that woman is you. What I want to know is why?’

His perception made Jenna feel uncomfortable. She felt as though somehow she had been trapped. As though he was deliberately leading their conversation in the direction he wanted it to go, and she had unwittingly allowed him to do so.

‘Does there have to be a reason?’ She took refuge in the brittle deflective reply, shrugging her shoulders, relieved that the arrival of their first course prevented James from continuing to press her.

However, he was more determined than she had thought. Immediately the waiter left he said, ‘Yes, I think there does. Something connected with Lucy’s father perhaps?’

Jenna dropped her fork, shock a painful spiking pain twisting inside her. What could James possibly know about Lucy’s father? The thought that he might know anything made her feel so ill that she couldn’t touch her food, and she pushed away the plate. Her throat felt extremely dry and she drank quickly from her glass. The wine was light and delicate, cleanly cold against her tongue and rather pleasant. As it slid down her throat it cooled and calmed her strained nerves, settling her stomach.

James continued to eat quite calmly, as though unaware of her perturbation, but once their plates had been removed and their main course put in front of them, he said smoothly, ‘I’m right, aren’t I, Jenna? Is it because he left you alone and carrying his child?’

She was so relieved she started to tremble as the tension flooded out of her. Of course James had no idea who Lucy’s real father was. She was being a fool to fear even for a minute that he might. Male-like her lack of interest in his sex had piqued his curiosity and he was applying what, to his masculine-tuned mind, was the most logical explanation for her attitude.

‘Think what you like,’ she told him coolly, applying herself to her sole, her appetite almost miraculously restored. The relief of knowing that he wasn’t some all-powerful being, capable of probing her deepest secrets was a heady release. She drank more wine, enjoying its subtle flavour, allowing their waiter to refill her glass.

A little to her surprise James did not press the issue, turning instead to ask her how long she expected it to be before she would be ready to move into the Hall.

‘It all depends.’ Her response was guarded. ‘If it is sound structurally, as I believe it will be, I had intended to move in almost immediately so that I can supervise the work as it takes place.’ She frowned, a thought suddenly striking her. ‘How will you be able to conduct your business affairs away from London?’

‘In exactly the same way as I do when I’m in the Caribbean or the States,’ he told her drily. ‘In these days of advanced electronics and computers, distance is no bar.’

‘But you won’t want to work among all the chaos of alterations and refurbishment surely?’ Jenna suggested. Unadmitted as yet—but there in her mind all the same—had been the conviction that once they were married she would be able to escape from James on the very valid excuse of being needed on site to check that all was progressing as it should be.

‘On the contrary,’ came his laconic drawl, ‘I’m quite looking forward to it—it should prove extremely interesting.’

‘But what about Sarah? Surely it would be unwise to move her at the moment? There’s her visit to hospital and——’

‘York has an excellent hospital equally well-equipped to deal with her condition,’ James told her coolly. ‘I’ve already checked.’ His eyes held hers as he said softly, ‘Stop wriggling, Jenna. You’ve laid down your conditions for this marriage; now it’s my turn to lay down mine. Providing there are no structural problems with the old Hall, we shall be married at the end of the month—I’m already due to fly out to the Caribbean that week, and undue comment expressed by the Press about the suddenness of our marriage can be logically explained away by the fact that I want to combine an existing business trip with a honeymoon—extremely unromantic but less likely to give rise to speculation than a rushed ceremony and then an abrupt departure for Yorkshire, don’t you think?’

Jenna was forced to agree, fighting down an increasing sense of panic and unreality as James continued. ‘Once we return from the Caribbean I’m hoping that we’ll be able to move North almost straight away. From what you’ve told me and I’ve seen myself, the renovation of the old Hall isn’t going to be accomplished overnight, so my suggestion is that we move into the older part for the present, while they’re working on the Georgian wing, and then transfer over to that once it’s been finished to allow them to work on the rest of the house. Some of the rooms are reasonably habitable, and if you think you’re going to have any problems organising a suite to accommodate ourselves plus Sarah and Lucy, then let me know and I’ll see what I can do.’

His arrogant assumption that he could achieve more than she could infuriated Jenna. Her chin lifted and tilted firmly. She looked him in the eye and said coolly, ‘That won’t be necessary. I can manage.’

Just too late she saw the triumphant gleam shimmer in his eyes, and realised that he had challenged her deliberately, baiting the trap so cleverly that she had fallen into it without even being aware that it was there—not just fallen, but rushed headlong to meet it, Jenna admitted ruefully, willing herself not to give vent to the anger she could feel building up inside her.

‘Once we’re settled, I think it would be a good idea to find a local school for Lucy,’ James continued, apparently oblivious to her rising fury. ‘She isn’t happy at her present school, and since one of the reasons we’re getting married is for her sake, it seems only reasonable that she should be there to benefit from our relationship.’

Jenna waited until he had finished, and then, drawing a calming breath, enquired sweetly, ‘Anything else?’

To her surprise James laughed. ‘A

h…so that red hair is indicative of a temper after all! I was beginning to wonder.’ He saw her confusion and said softly, ‘Has no one ever teased you before, Jenna?’

Teased her? She stared at him in bewilderment. Yes…once long ago, Rachel…Tears blurred her vision, a terrible aching pain flooding over her as the memory of the agony of the loss of her sister swept over her. For a moment James was forgotten and she was back in the past, sharing jokes with her sister, sharing the warmth of their close relationship.

‘Jenna…’

His voice was an alien intrusion in her private world and she wanted to shut it out, but it was too late. Blinking rapidly she banished the tears threatening to fall. She had finished her meal and she pushed back her chair slightly saying, ‘I think it’s time we left, James. With all that I’ve got to accomplish between now and the end of the month, I’m going to need an early start in the morning.’ She judged it best to ignore his last comment and her own reaction to it. He was a dangerously perceptive man, and she wished with all her heart she was not going to have to marry him, but he wouldn’t let her escape now. He wanted the Hall too much for that.

CHAPTER NINE

‘YES…structurally it’s fine…’ Jenna cradled the telephone receiver against her shoulder as she listened to the surveyor’s report on the old Hall, scribbling down notes with her free hand.

Maggie came in, grinning from ear to ear as she deposited a typed message on Jenna’s desk. Jenna frowned as her eyes flicked over it.

‘Lunch at 1 p.m. with James,’ Maggie had written.