Lady Surrender

‘Mm,’ Charly nodded, turning curiously to Aaron Grantley as he stood across the room still staring at her. ‘Darling, why don’t you sit down,’ her voice lowered throatily. ‘I’m sure Molly doesn’t have to rush off.’

‘I—I think I’ll have a drink first,’ he spoke decisively. ‘Ladies?’ he added abruptly, as if he had just remembered his manners.

They both declined, and Charly turned to Molly as she guessed the other woman was still waiting for an answer to her question. ‘I detest smoking at the best of times,’ she confided, having to choke back a laugh as she saw the gold cigarette case Aaron Grantley had been reaching for drop back unopened into the breast-pocket of the pale green shirt. ‘But now I refuse to have it anywhere near me,’ she added firmly, all humour gone. ‘A guest at my apartment the other evening forgot about a cigarette she had been smoking and it fell beneath the coffee-table. It smouldered there until I’d gone to bed and then the carpet caught fire.’

‘Oh how awful,’ Molly was genuinely disturbed. ‘Were you hurt?’

‘I inhaled a lot of smoke before a neighbour broke down the door,’ she revealed abruptly, very aware of how intently Aaron Grantley was listening now. ‘They kept me in hospital for observation but I was fine.’

Molly looked accusingly at Aaron Grantley. ‘You didn’t tell me any of this.’

‘Actually, I didn’t tell him,’ Charly explained truthfully. ‘I knew he wouldn’t have liked my having the dinner party while he wasn’t here; he can be so jealous,’ she confided indulgently, studiously avoiding his furious gaze.

‘Aaron can?’ Molly looked stunned.

‘Oh yes,’ Charly nodded. ‘Besides, there was nothing he could do in America.’

‘Then Matt should have told me about it,’ Molly muttered uncomfortably.

‘It only happened at the weekend,’ Charly excused. ‘And now that Aaron is here I can forget all about it,’ she added mockingly, looking up at him challengingly.

Molly shook her head. ‘The two of you seem so close, and yet Aaron hasn’t breathed a word about you to us.’

‘Aaron’s not used to our relationship himself yet,’ she confided. ‘I’m afraid he’s still a little wary of the speed with which we fell in love.’

Molly’s eyes widened at this information. ‘Are the two of you engaged?’ she gasped.

‘I—–’

‘Aaron is a little too old for an engagement,’ Charly dismissed lightly, meeting his furious gaze innocently. ‘So we’ve just decided to get married.’ She kept her face straight as Aaron almost choked on his whisky, his face going red with anger.

‘When?’ Molly squeaked.

‘Well we haven’t actually decided on a date yet, but—–’

‘But you can be sure you and Matt will be the first to know when we do decide on one,’ Aaron put in forcefully. ‘I thought that was going to remain our secret for a while?’ he added gratingly to Charly.

She raised innocent brows. ‘Surely not from such good friends as Molly and Matt?’

‘From anybody.’ He sounded as if he were spitting nails!

‘Well, you didn’t tell me that, darling,’ she drawled, relaxing back in her chair, her grey eyes meeting his calmly. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve ruined your surprise.’

He looked as if that ‘surprise’ might have pushed him to breaking point, although somehow he maintained his control. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ he dismissed abruptly.

‘I’m so glad you told me.’ Molly smiled, all doubts obviously laid to rest with this announcement. ‘Matt is going to be pleased too.’ She turned to Charly. ‘I invited Aaron down to dinner tomorrow evening before I realised how seriously involved the two of you are; please come too, Charly.’

‘Fine,’ Aaron Grantley accepted abruptly. ‘We’ll look forward to it, won’t we, honey?’

He was getting his revenge now! ‘Yes,’ she agreed curtly. ‘We will.’

‘Good.’ Molly seemed relieved that the meeting had turned out so differently from what she had been expecting.

‘Would you like some coffee before you leave?’ Charly offered warmly, liking the other woman and her courage to want to fight for her husband if she had to.

‘That would be nice, thank you,’ Molly nodded acceptance.

‘I’ll help you, Charly,’ Aaron Grantley put in hardly, following her from the room, swinging her round to face him once they reached the privacy of the kitchen. ‘What game do you think you’re playing?’ he demanded furiously.

She glared up at him, shaking off his hand on her arm. ‘I’m not playing at all, Mr Grantley,’ she snapped. ‘Your manners since you arrived here this evening have been highly insulting, to say the least. You prejudged Matt and I—–’

‘Molly may have fallen for that fire and smoke inhalation story, Miss Allenby,’ he ground out, ‘but don’t expect me to be as gullible!’

‘What would it take to convince you?’ she demanded angrily. ‘Third degree burns?’

His mouth twisted. ‘I already know there aren’t any; I’ve seen sixty per cent of you, remember?’

‘You’re right, Mr Grantley,’ she told him flatly. ‘There are no burns.’ She couldn’t tell this man of the way she woke in the night, her body bathed in perspiration as she imagined that choking smoke filled her bedroom once more and she couldn’t get out.

It had only been the quick action of her neighbour that had saved her from death. She had taken a sleeping tablet as usual before she went to bed that night, hadn’t been aware of any danger until Jeff Pearce dragged her through the smoke-filled apartment to safety.

‘I know that,’ Aaron Grantley scorned. ‘But it was a good story. Molly certainly believed it. It’s this idea of marriage between us that you’ve given Molly that I don’t like,’ he scowled, the green eyes dark.

Charily looked up at him unblinkingly. ‘I thought it was a nice touch,’ she drawled.

‘You realise you’ve put us both in an awkward position?’ he rasped.

‘Us?’ she raised her brows, shaking her head. ‘I’ve put you in an awkward position; I have no intention of going to Matt’s for dinner tomorrow. You’ll have to make my excuses to them.’

He gave her a contemptuous look. ‘You’re right; I doubt Matt has the nerve to carry out an evening with his wife and his mistress.’

Charly gave him a pitying look. ‘I’m sure you would have more bravado,’ she scorned. ‘Now shouldn’t you go and keep your guest company; the coffee is almost ready.’

He nodded impatiently. ‘But no more wisecracks about us getting married,’ he warned.

‘Or?’ she drawled.

‘Wait and see.’ He gave a humourless smile, challenge in the narrowed green eyes. ‘You look like a woman who would like surprises,’ he taunted before rejoining Molly in the lounge.

There hadn’t been many surprises in her life, even fewer of them pleasant ones, while the shocks she had received in recent years had been even less pleasant. It seemed, from Aaron Grantley’s viewpoint at least, that the outer shell had faired far better than the inner Charly; he certainly didn’t believe there had been a fire in her apartment. He would be even more sceptical about the rest of her life!

Molly was very relaxed as she drank her coffee, her mind obviously at rest now about her husband’s involvement with Charly. For all that she disliked Aaron Grantley Charly was glad they had managed to do that; it had been the only reason she had agreed to go along with Aaron Grantley’s plan. No woman should have to go through the torture of believing her husband had another woman when it wasn’t true; it was hard enough to bear when it was true!

‘You will let us know when you decide about the wedding, won’t you?’ Molly prompted eagerly. ‘I know Matt wouldn’t want to miss the great event; for years he’s been saying he doubted Aaron would ever marry,’ the other woman teasingly explained to Charly. ‘I’m sure he has no idea how serious your relationship is.’

‘It came as a surprise to us all,’ Aaron Grantley drawled derisively.

‘Oh yes.’ Charly put her hand in the crook of his arm, leaning into him as they sat on the sofa together. ‘But now that I’ve managed to get a commitment from him I’m going to hang on to him.’ She looked at him challengingly as she felt him stiffen.