After the Loving by Carole Mortimer

Author:Carole Mortimer [Mortimer, Carole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781474029650
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 1987-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

BRYNA was glad when the holiday period was over and she could get back to work, away from the oppression of living with Raff.

As promised, he had let her move back into her own bedroom, but he had arrogantly offered no explanation to anyone who might be curious about this abrupt estrangement between husband and wife.

Her parents had gone back to Scotland, Paul had returned to his flat, and she had helped Kate move in with Brenda, still having misgivings about the advisability of the latter. But Raff made it obvious he didn’t wish to discuss his daughter, or anything else, with her.

They were living like complete strangers only ten days after their wedding, not bothering to make polite conversation even over dinner now. In fact, the strain at the dinner table had been so intense that the last two evenings Bryna had asked for a tray in her bedroom. As far as she was aware Raff hadn’t even noticed her absence!

‘Get me Mr Stevens on the telephone, Gilly,’ she requested as soon as she walked into her office on her first day back at work.

She leafed listlessly through the mail Gilly had left on the desk for her attention as she waited for the call to come through. She had been longing to speak to Court, to see what he made of Raff’s ridiculous accusations, ever since Raff had hurled them at her, but she knew that if she had called him from the house and Raff found out about it—! Well, there was enough friction between them already.

She snatched up the receiver as soon as the telephone rang. ‘Court?’ she said breathlessly.

‘Bryna?’ He sounded surprised to hear from her.

Which wasn’t surprising if Raff had launched the same accusations at him that he had at her! ‘Court, we have to talk,’ she told him without prevarication.

‘My God, he didn’t upset you with his fantasies in your condition, did he?’ he returned disgustedly.

‘I can’t seem to convince him they are fantasies,’ she confirmed shakily, feeling like crying after the last days of tension.

‘Bryna, he—he hasn’t hurt you, has he?’ Court demanded concernedly.

‘No, of course not,’ she protested the suggestion. Raff was a very physical man, who could display displeasure as easily as he could give pleasure, but she was sure he would never use violence on a woman. ‘I just need to talk to someone who understands how I feel.’

‘Thank God for that,’ said Court with obvious relief. ‘Okay, Bryna, how about lunch?’

They made the arrangement to meet at the restaurant before Bryna rang off to get caught up in the rush of the day; she had plenty to do after the long Christmas and New Year break. She was glad of the hectic pace of the morning, she had felt as if her life had plummeted completely out of control since the night Raff had accused her of having an affair with Court. With any luck she could continue to work until the day the baby was born!

Court gave her a searching look when she joined him at their table.

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