The Deserving Mistress

May’s eyes flashed deeply green. ‘The same place that January’s singing talent and March’s artistic one came from, I expect!’ she snapped, knowing that none of them had inherited those talents from their staid, unimaginative father.

‘January sings and March paints?’ April murmured incredulously.

‘Yes—but I’m sure we would all willingly give up those talents not to have you as our mother!’ May came back insultingly.

April paled even more. ‘Are you giving up your chance of stardom because I happen to be in the film, too?’ The other woman gave a pained frown.

May gave her a scathing glance. ‘Some of us do have our priorities in the proper order!’

April flinched at the deliberate taunt, her chin rising challengingly as she looked at May with narrowed eyes. ‘You—’ She broke off as both of them became aware of the sound of an approaching vehicle. ‘Are you expecting anyone?’ April prompted frowningly.

Jude!

It had to be him, a brief glance at her wrist-watch having told May that it was seven-thirty, the time Jude had said this morning that he would arrive for dinner this evening, with a bottle of white wine.

After their conversation at lunchtime she hadn’t thought for a moment that Jude would keep their dinner engagement for this evening, but the timing was too much of a coincidence for it not to be him.

Damn!

What was she going to say about April Robine being here? More to the point, what was April Robine going to s

ay about her own presence here?

Jude’s foot almost slipped off the accelerator as he drove into the farmyard to see May and April standing there obviously deep in conversation.

What on earth was April doing here? A muddy farmyard was positively the last place he would ever have expected to find the beautifully elegant actress, he acknowledged with amusement, the contrast between the two women even more extreme now that May was back in her working clothes, that woollen cap once again pulled down over her hair.

Remembering May’s deliberate rudeness to the other woman earlier today, her absolute adamance that she had nothing to say to April, he was more than a little puzzled to find the two of them here together this evening…

He parked his car beside April’s red one, getting out to slowly walk over to join them. ‘Ladies,’ he greeted lightly, giving them both a quizzical look.

‘Jude!’ April was the one to greet lightly. ‘I had no idea you were coming here this evening,’ she added teasingly.

He gave a slight inclination of his head, still completely in the dark as to exactly what was going on between these two women, and as such reluctant to commit himself either way. ‘I had no idea you were coming here, either,’ he returned noncommittally.

May gave a disgusted snort. ‘Have you ever noticed how Jude answers a question with a question?’ she derided.

April gave him a considering look, head tilted enchantingly to one side. ‘Now that you mention it—’

‘I actually answered a statement with a statement this time,’ Jude defended curtly, having the strange feeling, despite these two women’s obvious differences, that they were somehow in league at this particular moment.

‘Same difference,’ May dismissed mockingly. ‘The end result, of your giving out very little information, is still the same,’ she expanded as he raised questioning brows.

‘Perhaps,’ he allowed guardedly.

May gave April a knowing look. ‘See what I mean!’ she derided.

April smiled warmly. ‘I do.’

Jude raised dark brows. ‘Are you invited for dinner, too, April?’

‘No!’

‘I don’t—’

Both women began talking at once, May emphatically in the negative, April a little more ambiguous.

‘I don’t think I’m invited,’ April finished ruefully.