The Deserving Mistress

‘I’m glad of that,’ May said with satisfaction, but nevertheless the barb—if indeed that was what it had been meant as—hit home; this woman believed her to be like the man she hadn’t been able to stay married to, to the point that she had left her children in order to escape him.

But her father had been a good man, an honest man. Not always able to show his affection, perhaps, but none of his daughters had ever doubted his love for them. As May had never doubted that he had continued to love the wife who had left him until the day he’d died…

‘Believe it or not, so am I,’ April choked emotionally. ‘Are January and March like him, too? Do they—?’

‘I absolutely refuse to discuss them with you,’ May cut in coldly, hands clenched angrily in her lap. ‘You—’

‘Well, hello, ladies,’ interrupted a silkily familiar voice. ‘Having another one of your cosy little chats?’ Jude prompted lightly as he came to stand beside the table they sat at.

Cosy hardly described the chat between the two women, May fumed angrily, wondering how much of their conversation Jude had overheard before interrupting them, turning to glare up at him suspiciously, only to have that angry gaze met with by one of bland indifference. Whatever Jude might or might not have overheard he wasn’t about to give any of that away from his expression.

But April, May was at least relieved to see, had had the foresight to push the cheque she had just given her away in her own handbag. Away from curious eyes…

‘I telephoned the farm earlier, but neither January nor March had any idea where you were,’ Jude informed May as he sat down at the table with them without being invited.

May stared at him impotently, once again having that feeling that this whole situation was rolling away from her…

Jude continued to look at May for several seconds, but could gauge very little from her expression. She was getting as good at this as he was himself.

It had been quite a surprise to see May chatting away with April when he’d stepped out of the lift a few minutes ago, the two of them looking intensely serious about something. He had considered—briefly—not interrupting them, but on second thoughts had decided the opportunity of talking to the two of them together was too good to miss.

‘Why were you trying to find me?’ May spoke sharply, her voice husky, as if she were finding it difficult to talk at all.

Jude relaxed back in his chair, his expression deliberately inscrutable. ‘I wasn’t. I actually telephoned to talk to Max, but March seemed to assume it was you I wanted to talk to, and before I could correct her on the matter she had explained that neither she nor your sister had any idea where you were.’

May’s mouth firmed at this disclosure. ‘I can see I will have to ask my sisters to be a little more—circumspect, in what they tell complete strangers about my movements!’

In spite of himself, Jude felt some of his inscrutability slip at her deliberately insulting tone, knowing it was what she wanted but unable to stop the tightening of his mouth and the narrowing of his eyes. She really was—

‘Max?’ April repeated lightly, drawing his attention to her and away from May. ‘Is Max here, too?’ She smiled delightedly.

‘He is.’ Jude nodded ruefully. ‘And he’s now engaged to marry one of May’s sisters,’ he explained dryly, no longer looking at May but nevertheless aware—if puzzled—by the way she had stiffened as April’s comment revealed that she obviously knew Max, too.

‘How lovely,’ April said with genuine delight, her eyes glowing deeply green. ‘March or January?’ she prompted interestedly.

‘January, as it happens,’ May was the one to answer curtly. ‘Although I can’t see what difference it makes to you which one it is,’ she added disgruntledly.

April looked flustered. ‘Well…no. But—’ she gave an impatient shake of her head before turning to smile at Jude ‘—I’m so pleased for Max,’ she told him huskily.

So was Jude, well aware of the reason for Max’s previous determination never to fall in love, pleased that someone as beautiful and charming as January Calendar had managed to overcome Max’s barriers.

But it was May’s reaction to April’s acquaintance with Max that intrigued him…

Jude nodded. ‘We’ll have to arrange for us all to have dinner together one—’

‘No!’ May gasped protestingly, although she seemed to regret the protest as soon as she had made it, a shutter coming down over her eyes even as her face paled.

Jude gave her a quizzical glance. ‘I didn’t mean this evening,’ he drawled mockingly, having no intention of anyone intruding on his evening with May. As seemed to have happened every other time he had tried to spend time alone with her.

‘I didn’t think you did,’ May snapped dismissively, obviously not in the least concerned with that. ‘But I’m sure Miss Robine is far too busy for socialising on that scale,’ she added with what looked like a pointed glare in April’s direction.

April returned that glare, neither woman seeming aware of Jude’s presence as the silent war of wills continued for several long seconds.

Giving Jude time to study them unobserved. They were both such lovely women, inside as well as out, that it was totally unbelievable to him that the two of them didn’t even like each other. Well…no, that wasn’t strictly accurate; April seemed to like May well enough, it was May who was so antagonistic.

What could she possibly have against someone as charmingly gracious as April—?

Jude froze in his seat, his gaze suddenly fixed as he looked at the two women, the expressions of determination on their faces absolutely identical. In fact, apart from the twenty or so years’ difference in their ages, the two faces bore a striking resemblance to each other…