Page 30 of A Secure Marriage

CHAPTER TEN

CLEO spent the next ten days at Slade House. She had left a terse note for Jude, telling him where she was going, and had explained to a sympathetic Meg that she needed to spend time with her uncle, who was a sick man.

She could have gone to her former home, but she'd heard that a firm offer had been made for the property in Bow. Besides, Jude would have had no hesitation in dragging her back, but even he would think twice about the wisdom of dragging her from her uncle's home.

Most of her days were spent in the office in Eastcheap with Luke and others of the board, and she managed to ignore his surly attitude, taking what comfort she could from the knowledge that her plans for Slade Securities looked like working—with no help from Jude. And Grace had confided that her husband seemed much better, more relaxed, now Cleo had joined the company. And that information had to be welcome, not only because of the improvement in John Slade's health but because it meant, in some measure, that Grace was almost ready to accept her at last. Her remark must have cost her something, since it hardly flattered her beloved son!

But today she had opted to stay at Slade House, seeking John's approval for her plans for careful expansion in some areas now that her cutbacks had gone through. She couldn't trust Luke's judgement, and she was damned if she'd ask Jude for his opinion. This was something she had to steer along herself.

Gratifyingly, although she'd had no doubts herself, her uncle had approved her projections. 'I don't think you'll ever really know how pleased I am to have you pulling for the old firm,' he said, closing the last file. 'It made no sense for you to join Mescal Slade.'

Since Cleo could hardly tell her uncle that the prospect of working with his son had given her the mental shudders, she said nothing. She was steering Slade Securities on a steadier track and that was something she was proud of. And, as it was all she had, she clung on to it tightly.

There would have to be a board meeting, of course, before some of her schemes got off the ground, and Jude would naturally be invited along in his capacity of a major shareholder, and maybe he would be offered a seat on the board... She didn't know yet.

And there was another thing he would have to be consulted about... Two days ago she had learned she was pregnant. She didn't know how or when she would break the news...

'Shall we indulge in a glass of Manzanilla? 1 think we deserve a celebration!'

John Slade was on his feet and his old eyes were actually twinkling, and Cleo dragged her mind back to him.

'I'd like that.'

'And how much longer can I look forward to having you here?' he asked as he put the heavy, fluted Georgian glass in her hands.

'I'm not sure.' Cleo sipped the pale golden liquid, not knowing what to say.

She had been here ten days already and would have to move on soon. But where? Back to Jude?

She felt safe here, protected. Her uncle had made no secret of his delight when she'd arrived, making the excuse that in her early days as Luke's working partner it would be more sensible for her to base herself here, driving into town each day with Luke and, if necessary, working on with him until the small hours.

But already there was a look in Grace's eyes that hinted at an astonishment that a relatively new bride would willingly separate herself from her devoted husband for this length of time. And only this morning, coming across Luke as he'd finished his solitary breakfast, he had sneered, 'Moved in for the duration, have you? So what happened? Did Jude find out about your involvement with Fenton and throw you out? I wouldn't blame him—I wouldn't want a wife who'd learned all there was to learn from a creep like Robert Fenton.'

Yes, she'd been marking time, but soon, very soon, she would have to decide what to do, where to go. The thought of resuming her marriage, as it had been, made her go cold, but the thought of ending the marriage made her feel worse.

And yet, on the positive side, when Jude learned she was expecting his child—and a child had been his main reason for marrying at all, with the shares thrown in as a welcome bonus—then surely he would be at last willing to listen to her side of the story, if only for the sake of the child to come? And, having listened, he would have to admit he'd been wrong...

'Selfishly, I hope you'll stay another few days,' John Slade was saying. 'But I'll understand if you're impatient to get back to Jude. So why don't you ask him to join you here, just for the weekend?'

Blinking, dragged from her reverie, Cleo managed a non-committal smile.

She had come here to gain a brief respite from Jude and the problems of their marriage, so she wasn't about to ask him to join her! She needed time to think, and she couldn't think straight when he was around. But so far the thinking hadn't been done, the very idea of him had her emotions churning, too confused to be sorted out.

'I'll see if lunch is ready,' she told her uncle. The conversation was following paths she didn't want to tread. 'You just relax and finish your drink.' .

Leaning against the smooth, cool wood of the study door, she forced herself to take deep, calming breaths. Jude would have to put aside his pride and listen to what she had to say—especially after she'd told him about the baby.

It would take time for him to come to terms with the news that he was about to become a parent; she was only just beginning to come to terms with it herself. But then, perhaps, they could start again, try to rebuild the relationship his distrust had shattered.

Maybe she would phone him this evening, suggest they meet somewhere, on neutral ground to discuss their future...

Thus decided, she began to walk along the corridor towards the main hall at the front of the house; the luxurious silence was broken by the sound of her aunt's voice, pitched higher than was normal. 'Jude—what a lovely surprise!

You're just in time for lunch. We'll go and find Cleo, shall we? She'll be delighted!'

So he had come to fetch her back! There could be no other explanation for his unexpected arrival, and Cleo's insides felt like jelly and her heart was beating too fast. He had her metaphorically cornered, there was no place to hide. Rather than have them come across her skulking in the shadows, she walked rapidly forward and tried to look pleased and surprised when she turned into the wide main hall, because her aunt's eyes would be on her and that lady was no fool—she would be quick to pick up bad vibes.

'Jude! I didn't expect you—how nice!'

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