To Mend A Marriage

One o’clock…?

Janey had said the baby fed approximately every four hours, and it was only three hours since Jessica’s last feed, even less than that from when she had first begun to cry.

Was Jessica sick? Did she have a temperature? What—?

‘What the hell is going on here?’

Gemini looked up with a start, staring towards the doorway, wincing as she saw her husband standing there. Just what she needed when she was so harassed, and definitely looking less than her best.

When had he arrived home? Some time ago, by the look of him; he was obviously naked beneath the black silk robe he had belted about his waist, his dark hair ruffled from sleep.

A robe was a luxury she hadn’t allowed herself when she’d hurried out of bed earlier to see to Jessica; she was wearing only pale grey silk pyjamas, and the baby had spat most of her milk down them in her distress!

So much for thinking earlier that Nick would probably never know there had ever been a baby in the house!

Gemini stood up abruptly, stilling holding the baby, whose wails seemed to have turned to hiccuping sobs now. ‘What does it look like?’ she snapped, showing her impatience with the question.

Nick blinked, green eyes narrowing in his ruggedly handsome face. ‘It looks like a baby—but I’m sure this must all be just a bad dream; we don’t have a baby!’

Considering that she and Nick had been married for more than a year now, and had occupied separate bedrooms from the beginning of their marriage, that was highly unlikely.

She and Nick had what could only be termed a business marriage, a marriage that suited both of them. At least, it had a year ago. She wasn’t so sure that was the case now. For either of them. But for different reasons…

‘That’s very astute of you, Nick,’ she drawled mockingly. ‘Although it doesn’t help in solving the problem of how to stop Jessica crying!’ she added raggedly as the baby continued to wail. ‘I wasn’t expecting you home yet,’ she added accusingly.

‘I completed my business early,’ he dismissed distractedly, striding into the kitchen with his usual ease of movement, taking the baby from her unresisting hands, frowning down into the little heart-shaped face. ‘What’s the matter, Jessica?’ he murmured soothingly to the baby. ‘We can’t help you if you—’ He stopped, frowning across at the watching Gemini. ‘Have you tried changing her nappy?’

Gemini watched in fascination as her tall, arrogant husband strolled about the kitchen carrying the slightness that was Jessica. He was one of the most handsome men Gemini had ever set eyes on, possessed of a physical magnetism that she’d been unaware of when they first married.

When had that changed?

She wasn’t really sure. She only knew that she felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction in their marriage now, a longing for something more.

‘Gemini!’ Nick prompted, impatient with receiving no response to his question of a few minutes ago.

She bristled resentfully. ‘Janey said not to change her nappy until after the feed—’

‘And I’m sure that Janey—whoever she might be!—is probably correct about the usual order of things—if it weren’t for the fact that Jessica is extremely damp!’ Nick grimaced as he pointedly peeled back the shawl the baby was wrapped in to reveal her sleepsuit was soaking wet!

Gemini felt the hot colour enter her cheeks, feeling a total sense of inadequacy where this baby was concerned. And not being in control of a situation was something she wasn’t in the least comfortable with. Especially around Nick!

She hadn’t even thought to check the baby’s nappy when she’d got Jessica up a short time ago and wrapped her in the shawl. Instead she’d been intent only on warming the bottle so that the baby would stop crying. Except that she hadn’t..! And the reason for that was now obvious.

It was even more so once Gemini had stripped off the wet clothing to find that the nappy she had had such difficulty with at the last feed had somehow moved sideways while Jessica slept. The nappy itself was almost dry, leaving Jessica’s clothes very wet. And the situation was made all the worse by the fact that all the time she was undressing the baby Nick was watching her actions with those mocking green eyes narrowed, making her feel more inadequate than ever.

She would never forgive Jemima for this!

‘Here, let me,’ Nick muttered impatiently, obviously tired of her efforts to replace the nappy and taking over the task himself, achieving an almost perfect result within seconds. Much to Gemini’s chagrin. Was there nothing that Nick wasn’t totally competent at?

‘When did you get to be such an expert on babies?’ she muttered resentfully as Nick put Jessica’s clean clothes on seemingly without effort, too. The baby was clean and dry minutes later, the crying having stopped as she began to fall back to sleep cradled in Nick’s strong, comforting arms.

‘I’m no expert, Gemini,’ Nick drawled derisively. ‘I just used a little common sense. Besides…’ He shrugged. ‘I’m ten years older than Danny; I used to enjoy helping out with him when I was a child.’

Gemini stiffened at the mention of his younger brother. By tacit agreement neither she nor Nick had talked about Danny or Jemima since the first day of their own marriage. The reason for that was simple enough; there had been nothing left to say about either of them.

And Gemini couldn’t help but be surprised at Nick mentioning Danny now…

Although it did give her the perfect opening for her next comment…! ‘Nick, Jessica is Jemima’s baby,’ she told him baldly, her gaze narrowing as she watched closely for his reaction to the announcement.

There wasn’t one. At least, not one that he allowed to be visible to Gemini. But that was typical of Nick, too. Her husband was a man who showed little emotion about anything except the mockery that seemed to be such a natural part of his nature. Although Gemini was sure that inside he had to be churning with some sort of emotion. He had to be!

Because if all their lives hadn’t been turned upside down fifteen months ago by Jemima’s selfishness, he could have been Jessica’s father…!

CHAPTER TWO

‘I SUGGEST we put the baby back to bed and you can tell me what the hell you’re talking about!’ Nick rasped now, his mouth tight.

Gemini could completely sympathise with his feelings. Fifteen months ago Nick had been her sister Jemima’s fiancе, a little fact her sister seemed to have forgotten when she’d seen someone else that she wanted! And her engagement to Nick hadn’t been the only thing Jemima had conveniently forgotten!

‘Shouldn’t I feed the baby first?’ she prompted uncertainly; after all, it was now four hours since Jessica’s last feed.

‘Hardly!’ Nick gave a pointed look at the sleeping baby.

Gemini could feel that heated colour enter her cheeks once again. Damn it, she was usually so cool and in control, especially around Nick, who was always so competent himself; it was totally unfair that she found herself in this unfamiliar role with him as a witness!

And she didn’t feel any more comfortable with the situation as the two of them placed the baby back into her carrycot and arranged the blankets over her. They looked like a pair of doting parents, for goodness’ sake—and, considering the sterile state of their marriage, that was something they would never be!

‘Time for a brandy, I think,’ Nick muttered grimly once they had settled the baby back in her cot in the spare bedroom.

‘I’ll just get my robe,’ Gemini told him lightly, ever conscious of the fact that she was only wearing the milk-stained pyjamas.

Nick gave her a mocking sideways glance. ‘I’ve seen women in less, Gemini,’ he drawled derisively.

She flicked her hair back, her chin raised haughtily. ‘Not me, you haven’t,’ she snapped.

‘True,’ he murmured mockingly. ‘But it’s a fact you are my wife…’

She knew what she was. Didn’t need any reminding. Nor did she need to be reminded of the fact that there had been other women in Nick’s life before he married her.

And since…?

She’d tried over recent months not to think too deeply about Nick’s private life. Before that it hadn’t occurred to her to think about it; it was only lately she had begun to wonder—

No! These were thoughts that took her nowhere—except to sleepless nights as she lay torturing herself with wondering whether or not Nick really was away on business, or if there could be some other reason, someone, who kept him away from home for days at a time!

It was an aspect of their marriage they hadn’t discussed when they’d decided to marry each other fourteen months ago. It hadn’t occurred to Gemini at the time to discuss it; if she’d thought about it she’d probably assumed that Nick would make his own arrangements. It was only in recent months that Gemini had found herself thinking about that side of his life too…

Because, as she knew only too well, Nick was a very attractive man, and it would be ridiculous to assume that he had remained celibate during their marriage. And it certainly hadn’t been her he was making love to…!