Fear Of Love

‘Dominic,’ she held his arm. ‘Please tell me.’ Her look was pleading.

He looked down pointedly at her hand on his tanned forearm and she snatched it away hurriedly. ‘There’s nothing to tell. Let’s go,’ he pulled her out of the house. ‘We can talk some other time.’

She wrenched out of his grasp. ‘We’ll talk now! I—–’

Charles, the butler, appeared in the open doorway. ‘Telephone for you, sir. It’s Mr Trevor,’ he added.

‘Tell him I’m on my way, Charles,’ Dominic answered him.

‘I did that, sir. But he says he has to speak to you urgently.’

‘Very well, Charles. Tell him I’ll be right there.’

‘Yes, sir.’ The butler disappeared back into the house.

Dominic gave Alexandra an impatient look. ‘Wait here and we can drive back together.’

‘Forget it.’ She ran down the remaining steps to the driveway. ‘I’ve seen you quite enough for one day.’

‘Alexandra, you’ll wait—–’

‘Goodbye, Dominic.’ She walked hurriedly away as he turned angrily to go and answer the telephone.

There were still quite a lot of questions she would like answers to, but she was just too angry to talk to him any more. She would go straight over and see Roger, he always put her in a better mood.

As she accelerated the Mini past the house Dominic rushed out of the doorway, waving frantically for her to stop. She gave him an impudent grin and cheekily waved back. She smiled as she looked in the driving mirror as she saw him standing in the driveway angrily watching her leave.

Just thwarting him in this way put her in a better humour and by the time she reached Roger’s parents’ house she was feeling much happier. They should have finished lunch, it was after two o’clock, so she felt no hesitation about knocking on the door.

She was shown into the lounge where the Young family were just having their coffee. Her eyes went instantly to Roger, her heart pounding loudly just at the sight of him. He looked pleased to see her too and they smiled dreamily at each other.

‘Hello, my dear,’ Mrs Young greeted politely. ‘Would you like to join us in some coffee?’

The rumblings of her stomach told her that she should really have gone home and had her lunch before coming here, but as she hadn’t the coffee would have to sustain her until her evening meal. ‘Yes, please, Mrs Young.’

Roger made room for her on the sofa beside him, his arm about her shoulders pulling her close against his side. ‘You’re over early today,’ he murmured softly.

She snuggled against him. ‘Does that mean you aren’t pleased to see me?’

His hold tightened. ‘Don’t say that! I just wasn’t expecting you yet.’

Alexandra sat up as his mother handed her the cup of steaming coffee. ‘Thank you,’ she smiled.

Roger was frowning. ‘I don’t see how you can possibly have eaten lunch and got over here since we parted at the pool this morning.’

She squeezed his hand reassuringly. ‘I’ll explain later.’

‘Yes, but—–’

‘How is your sister keeping?’ Mrs Young asked her. ‘I should think she’s getting quite impatient now.’

‘A little,’ Alexandra agreed. ‘Only another four weeks to go.’

‘I suppose that brother-in-law of yours is kept busy at the hospital,’ put in Mr Young. ‘Although it must be quite convenient having a doctor in the house.’

‘Yes,’ she smiled. She liked Roger’s parents immensely, although they tended to be a little possessive about their only child. Both in their mid-fifties, they had had Roger after ten years of marriage, and he was destined to be the only child they would have. After his initial training he was expected to join his father’s law firm.

The Youngs were the nearest thing the village had to the local people of the manor, the large house they owned set in vast woodlands. With Mrs Young’s twin-sets and tweed skirts and Mr Young riding to hounds and arranging shooting parties, they were everything that could be expected of real gentry.

‘Would you like a game of tennis?’ Roger asked her softly, the gleam in his deep brown eyes showing that he had more than tennis in mind.

‘Let the girl finish her coffee,’ his father said sternly.

‘But I have.’ Alexandra put her empty cup down in the tray.

‘You can’t go running about a tennis court now, Roger,’ his mother reprimanded. ‘You’ve only just eaten.’

‘We’ll be fine,’ he pulled Alexandra to her feet. ‘See you later.’

Alexandra giggled once they were outside. ‘Don’t you ever listen to your parents?’

He grinned. ‘Not usually. They tend to fuss too much.’

‘They love you, that’s why.’

He took her hand in his own, leading her round to the garden at the back of the house, the green lawns stretching down to the tennis courts just out of sight of the house. ‘They still fuss too much.’ He pulled her close against him, his lips lingering on hers. ‘I’ve missed you,’ he said throatily.

She blushed. ‘We only parted two hours ago.’

‘Much too long.’ He kissed her again. ‘Now tell me why you haven’t eaten lunch?’

She stood back. ‘How did you know that?’

‘You haven’t had time. Did something happen?’

‘Let’s go down to the tennis court, we can talk better there.’

‘Something did happen,’ he said.

She laughed. ‘Come on, it’s nothing we can’t sort out.’

They walked down to the comparative privacy of the tennis courts, sitting down on the seats provided, tennis the last thing on their minds at the moment. Their kiss lasted for a long time, and both of them were breathless at the end of it.

‘Mm,’ Roger’s face was buried in her throat. ‘I wish we were married.’

It reminded her too much of her scene with Dominic Tempest earlier and she moved out of Roger’s arms, an angry glitter to her big blue eyes. ‘It’s funny you should mention that. I found out the reason for Gail and Trevor’s refusal today. Trevor’s bossy brother put his spoke in.’

Roger frowned. ‘Dominic Tempest did?’