In Separate Bedrooms (15 page)

Mattie trembled with that same desire, knowing that she wanted Jack. Desperately. Completely.

‘Are you cold?’ Jack asked as he misunderstood the reason for her trembling. ‘Here.’ He stepped back to slip off his dinner jacket and drape it about her shoulders. ‘Let’s go back to the hotel, hmm?’ he offered gruffly.

‘Yes,’ Mattie agreed unhesitantly, the heat of desire coursing through her body making her feel that she
would never be cold again, although the feel and smell of Jack’s jacket about her shoulders was wonderful.

Their hands linked, their gazes locked, she was barely aware of the walk back to the hotel, certainly had no idea what had happened to the rest of the family; she just wanted to be alone with Jack, to fulfil the promise of the kiss they had just shared.

‘Miss Crawford? Miss Crawford, there is a telephone message for you!’ a pretty young girl at Reception called out to her as she and Jack walked past the desk.

Mattie blinked, the girl’s words taking several seconds to penetrate the fog in her brain that had developed as she thought only of Jack and the time when they could be alone together.

‘For me?’ she finally repeated, looking up at Jack in bewilderment. ‘But no one knows that I’m—my mother!’ she suddenly realized with panic, that fog instantly clearing as her mind began to race with possible reasons why her mother should have telephoned her here.

‘Calm down, Mattie,’ Jack soothed, walking over to the desk with her. ‘Diana probably just wants to know if you’re having a good time. Thank you.’ He smiled at the receptionist as he took the white envelope she held out to them. ‘Let’s take this up to our room and read it, hmm?’ he encouraged as Mattie hurriedly took the envelope from him.

There was no way that Mattie could wait until then to open the envelope and read her message, ripping it open there and then, her eyes widening, her face paling, as she saw the message.

‘What is it?’ Jack demanded. ‘Mattie, is it your mother—?’

‘It’s Harry,’ she burst out emotionally, tears in her eyes as she looked up at Jack. ‘My mother says that she had to call the vet in to him this morning, that he—that he’s very ill. Oh, Jack!’ she cried tearfully as she saw his face pale to a sickly grey colour.

‘H
ARRY
’
S
going to be fine, Jack,’ Mattie assured him late the following afternoon as the two of them drove away from Heathrow Airport. ‘When I spoke to my mother again this morning she said Harry was slightly better,’ she reminded him as he still looked grim.

They had put through a call to her mother the evening before as soon as they’d reached the hotel suite. Diana had waited up in expectation of their call, had explained calmly and clearly that Harry had developed a chest infection, but had been treated by a vet, and was even now asleep in his basket in their kitchen.

This had done little to reassure Jack as he’d paced the floor of their hotel suite all night. Mattie had ordered pot after pot of coffee from Room Service as she’d sat up with him, both of them impatient for the morning so that they could get booked onto a flight back to London.

Another telephone call to her mother before they’d left the hotel this morning had assured them that Harry was no worse, that in fact his condition seemed to be improving.

But Jack, Mattie knew, was still intensely worried, barely speaking on the flight back to England, his expression grim.

Mattie reached out and lightly touched his arm. ‘You couldn’t have known, Jack,’ she consoled him gently, knowing that part of his problem was that he felt guilty about leaving Harry in the first place. ‘None of us could,’
she added; it would be just too awful if Jack blamed her mother for Harry becoming ill.

A conspiracy, Jack had called it the previous evening. And, after this last disaster, Mattie had to say that she agreed with him. Every time she and Jack seemed to become in the least close, something happened to part them again.

Because they
were
apart, Jack completely remote and uncommunicative, nothing Mattie said or did seeming to penetrate the wall he had built around himself since the previous evening and they’d learnt how sick Harry was.

Did Jack hold her mother responsible? If he did, then he wasn’t saying so. But that didn’t mean he didn’t feel it. One thing she had learnt about Jack this weekend was that, despite his outward charm and friendliness, his deeper emotions were something he kept completely to himself.

Please let Harry be all right, she silently pleaded. Because if he wasn’t, Mattie had a feeling Jack would never forgive either her or her mother!

‘Mich—the vet is in the kitchen with Harry now,’ her mother told Jack as she came out of the house to meet them, obviously having been looking out of the window waiting for them to arrive.

Jack nodded tersely. ‘I’ll go and speak to him.’ He strode away without so much as a second glance in Mattie’s direction.

He was deeply worried about Harry, Mattie knew that, but nevertheless she felt slightly bereft at his departure. She hadn’t realized, until that moment, after spending the last two days in Jack’s company, just how difficult it was going to be for her when he went out of her life.

‘I’m really sorry about this, Mattie.’ Her mother
squeezed her arm in apology. ‘But I’m sure you appreciate that I had to let Jack know.’

‘Of course you did,’ Mattie roused herself enough to reassure her mother. ‘Jack would never have forgiven either of us if— How is Harry really?’ She frowned her concern.

‘Well, he is slightly better this morning,’ her mother said cautiously. ‘And I’m sure that seeing Jack will cheer him up!’

It would certainly cheer Mattie up if Jack were to visit when she was feeling ill! Not that she ever was ill, she realized disconsolately; she seemed to have one of those healthy constitutions that meant she rarely even got a cold, let alone any other ailments.

‘How did your weekend go?’ her mother asked curiously, linking her arm companionably with Mattie’s. ‘Have you had a good time?’

‘Very good.’ Mattie sighed wistfully. ‘Jack’s family is—well, they’re all really nice.’

Her mother smiled. ‘What did you expect? Jack’s a nice man.’

Yes, he was. Very nice. Very kind, very charming, very handsome. And Mattie loved him so much she ached with it. But none of that changed the fact that he was soon going to walk out of her life and not look back …

‘Where are the dogs?’ It didn’t seem quite right without the four dogs jumping up and down excitedly.

‘I’ve moved them all into the large back pen while Harry is in the house. I wasn’t sure at first whether Harry was contagious, although the vet has assured me he isn’t. I’ve left them there now so that they aren’t too boisterous around Harry.’

‘I’ll pop round and say hello to them all later,’ Mattie confirmed. ‘I think we had better go inside now and see what the vet has to say,’ she said. ‘Although I’m pretty sure Jack will want to take Harry home with him.’

She was right. Jack and the vet—a tall, dark-haired man of about fifty—were discussing exactly that as Mattie and her mother joined them.

Mattie left the two men to their conversation, going down on her knees beside the dog basket where Harry lay looking very sorry for himself.

He looked up at her with pale blue eyes. Reproachful eyes, for having taken his master away from him? Or was it just her imagination?

Whatever, it had the desired effect, Mattie instantly feeling as guilty as she was sure Jack must. Maybe if they hadn’t left Harry here and gone off to Paris together—

‘—pretty sure Harry had the infection for several days before you brought him here,’ the vet was explaining softly to Jack. ‘And Mrs Crawford acted very quickly and called me in immediately she became aware that Harry was far from well.’

Well at least that let her mother off the hook, Mattie realized with relief. Although it didn’t alter the fact that Harry obviously wasn’t very well; he certainly wasn’t the bouncy excitable dog they had left here two days ago.

‘I really would prefer it if you didn’t move Harry until tomorrow at the earliest,’ the vet continued evenly. ‘I would like to call round again first thing in the morning just to make sure he’s continuing to improve. If he is, I see no further problem to your taking Harry home.’

‘You’re quite welcome to stay here tonight, Jack,’ Mattie’s mother put in practically.

Mattie stared at her. Jack stay here tonight? But—

‘I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you any more than I already have, Diana.’ Jack shook his head.

‘You won’t be,’ Diana assured him briskly. ‘You can sleep in Mattie’s bedroom.’

Mattie’s eyes widened. Surely her mother wasn’t suggesting—

‘I have a double bed, Mattie can quite easily come in with me,’ her mother added with a reproachful look in Mattie’s direction that clearly said, I accept that you’ve been to Paris with Jack for the weekend, but this is our home, remember?

Ah.

Mattie became very interested in talking softly to Harry, her hair falling forward to hide the brightness of her cheeks, desperately hoping that neither of the two men had noticed that look that had passed between her mother and herself. But for a moment she really had thought—

‘Is that going to be okay with you, Mattie?’ Jack prompted gruffly.

She looked up abruptly. ‘Of course,’ she confirmed sharply.

‘In that case, Diana, I accept your offer. And thank you.’ Jack smiled grimly.

‘I’ll walk you to your car,’ Diana told the vet as he closed up his bag ready for departure.

Leaving Mattie and Jack alone in the kitchen …

Jack came down on his haunches next to Harry’s basket, reaching out to gently stroke him. ‘I hope you
weren’t just being polite about having to give up your bedroom for me tonight …?’

Mattie glanced at him, wondering if he could have seen that startled look she’d given her mother earlier at her suggestion, after all. But his attention was on Harry, his expression unreadable.

‘Not at all,’ she dismissed as she straightened up. ‘It’s the least we can do.’ It also meant that she could be with Jack for a little longer.

Jack nodded, also standing up. ‘I’ll go and get our things from the car. Thanks for being so—understanding, last night and today, Mattie. I appreciate it.’ He touched her arm in gentle thanks on his way outside.

Mattie was glad of these few moments of solitude to try to get her chaotic thoughts under control. Whatever had happened between herself and Jack in Paris—and she still had no idea what that was!—it was over. They were back in the real world now, and her real world didn’t include Jack. And the sooner she accepted that, the better!

Although that wasn’t too easy to do with Jack actually staying in her home overnight!

The three of them sat down together for their evening meal, her mother suggesting they play cards once everything had been cleared away. It was her mother’s way of keeping Jack occupied, Mattie knew, but it also meant she was constantly in his company too. Which, in the circumstances, her heightened senses aware of every move Jack made, wasn’t easy.

‘We’re very competitive in my family,’ Jack said apologetically as he once again beat the two women at whist.

Jack’s family … Mattie had come to like all of his
immediate relatives during this weekend, the heaviness settling on her chest as she realized she wouldn’t be seeing any of them again, either.

‘I always wanted a large family,’ her mother said wistfully. ‘But it wasn’t to be.’

‘It isn’t too late for that, surely?’ Jack teased as he shuffled the cards.

‘Oh, I think at forty-three I’m a little old to even think of having any more children,’ Mattie’s mother protested, her cheeks a delicate shade of pink.

‘Not at all,’ Jack dismissed. ‘What do you think, Mattie?’

She blinked at the suddenness of what seemed to be a teasing conversation being switched to her. What did she think of her mother having more children? In all honesty, it wasn’t something she had ever given any thought to. For the obvious reason her mother had never even dated during the last twenty years.

‘She’s speechless at the mere suggestion of it.’ Her mother laughed, her cheeks still a blushing pink. ‘And rightly so.’

‘No, I—I’m not speechless,’ Mattie said slowly. Her mother was still a young woman, and lots of women her mother’s age were having children nowadays. ‘It might be rather fun, at that,’ she opined.

‘You see, Diana.’ Jack grinned. ‘Mattie wouldn’t mind at all.’

Mattie frowned as she looked at the two of them, her mother looking slightly shy now.

Diana gave a firm shake of her head. ‘I’m far too old to even think about night feeds and nappies all over again!’

‘I didn’t get that impression earlier—’

‘Are you this much of a tease with your family, Jack?’ her mother cut in, standing up as she did so.

‘Worse,’ he confirmed with another grin.

Diana shook her head. ‘Then I’m surprised you lived past puberty! Anyway, it’s time the old folk went for their beauty sleep,’ she added self-derisively. ‘I’ll see you in the morning, Jack. Mattie, I’ll leave it to you to show Jack where he’s to sleep.’ She smiled before leaving to go to her bedroom.

Mattie stood up too, the mention of where Jack was to sleep once again throwing her into confusion. ‘I hope you won’t be too cramped in my bedroom,’ she said awkwardly, remembering the luxury of the suite the two of them had just shared in Paris. A luxury Jack was obviously accustomed to …

In contrast, her bedroom was still pretty much as it had been when she was a teenager: pink and white in décor, the books on the shelves definitely juvenile. But at least the posters of pop groups that had once adorned the walls had been taken down a couple of years ago!

‘I’m sure I’ll be fine,’ Jack responded, looking up at her quizzically. ‘Though this isn’t quite the way I had envisaged us spending this evening!’

Mattie shrugged. ‘It doesn’t matter. Can I get you a coffee or anything before you go to bed?’ She frowned. ‘We probably have some whisky somewhere left over from Christmas if you would prefer—’

‘No, I’m fine, thanks, Mattie,’ he refused, getting up to stretch tiredly. ‘At least Harry looks a little happier than when we arrived this afternoon,’ he observed. The dog had sat at his feet most of the evening, but rose now to wag his tail at mention of his name.