be the last chance we get for a while,’ Zac returned.
Esther’s face lit up. ‘I thought we’d have a barbecue this afternoon. Jimmy’s cleaning up the grid and laying the charcoal now. Our odd-job man,’ she added for Jessica’s benefit. ‘He can turn his hand to anything. Don’t know how we’d manage without him!’
‘We’d find somebody else,’ said her husband complacently. ‘Lunch in half an hour, you two, so don’t go getting involved in anything up there.’
Jessica gave a weak smile. The way she felt at the moment, it was most unlikely.
The room they were to share was spacious, with a four-poster bed that would normally have delighted her. Her wedding dress was hung on the wardrobe front in mute reminder.
‘You could at least have given him a piece of your mind for putting you through what he did!’ she said with force. ‘There’s no wonder he thinks he’s a law unto himself when you all kowtow to him the way you do!’
Zac shrugged. ‘What point would there be? The deed’s done. As we agreed last night, things could be a whole lot worse.’
As if to prove it, he drew her to him and kissed her, rousing her the way he always did.
‘You heard what your grandfather said,’ she murmured unsteadily against his lips. ‘Lunch in half an hour. Twenty minutes now, in fact.’
‘Time enough for some,’ came the reply, ‘but I was never into quickies.’ He put her from him again, his smile cursory. ‘It will save. Just unpack what you’ll need for tonight. We’ll be leaving right after breakfast.’
Jessica did so, wishing they could be on their way right now. The more she saw of Henry Prescott, the harder it was going to be to stop herself from telling him just what she thought of his underhand tactics. It was high time somebody did!
She went through the day with tongue held firmly in check—as much for Esther’s sake as Zac’s. Her marriage had taken place in an era when the man was still regarded as totalitarian head of the house. She’d probably never gone against him, and would no doubt find it upsetting if some other woman did.
The barbecue was some relief. Jessica and Zac shared the cooking, helped along by glasses of wine, while the older couple reclined on loungers on the wide patio.
Sheltered from the wind, it was wonderfully warm, the views superb. If things had been different, Jessica could have enjoyed spending further weekends down here. As it was, if they did come again it would be purely for show.
They left after lunch on the Sunday. Relieved though she was to be free of the constant temptation to tell Henry Prescott what she thought of his tactics, Jessica viewed their return to the mews cottage without enthusiasm. Zac would be going in to the office tomorrow, leaving her to do…what? She could get rid of Barbara and tackle the housework herself, but that was hardly going to tax her resources. She wasn’t cut out to be a stay-at-home wife.
‘I’m going to start looking for a job,’ she stated after several miles had gone by. ‘I’d go crazy cooped up in the house all day!’
‘It’s hardly a prison,’ Zac returned drily. ‘You’ve the whole city on the doorstep! An open cheque-book too, if that’s what’s bothering you.’
‘I don’t want your money!’ Her tone was abrupt. ‘I’d rather earn my own.’
‘You know Grandfather’s views on working wives,’ he said after a moment.
Jessica gave him a stinging sideways glance. ‘I realise you’d do just about anything to stay in his good books, but there’s a limit to how far I’m prepared to go. If you’re worried about his reaction, he doesn’t have to know.’
‘You mean lie about it.’
‘Only by omission.’
‘That’s splitting hairs.’
‘It’s maintaining the illusion,’ she retaliated. ‘The one you created to keep him sweet.’
A muscle jerked suddenly along the firm jawline. ‘I didn’t notice you putting up all that much resistance to the idea.’
She kept a cool tone with difficulty. ‘I don’t suppose I’m the first to allow principle to be overcome by lust. You’re a hard man to resist, Zac.’
‘Sure.’ His mouth had twisted. ‘Lucky we still have that much to keep us going. Assuming you weren’t putting on an act last night, that is?’
Jessica rode the hurt. ‘You know I wasn’t.’
‘I don’t know anything,’ he said. ‘Women have a distinct advantage when it comes to sex. They don’t have to prove arousal physically.’
‘Why on earth would I bother pretending to enjoy it if I didn’t?’ she demanded. ‘Like you said, it’s the one thing we have. As long as it lasts, at any rate.’
Zac kept his gaze on the road ahead, his expression impassive. ‘You see an end in sight?’
Swallowing on the lump in her throat, Jessica gave a brief shrug. ‘Not yet, but you know what they say about the first flush.’
‘Then we’d better make the most of it,’ he said.
There was no further mention of the job business, but Jessica had no intention of giving up on it. Obviously, Zac wasn’t going to find her anything, so she would fend for herself.
Chapter Seven
IT DIDN’T prove easy. Well thought of though she’d been in her previous job, her qualifications and experience fell somewhat short of requirements in London it seemed. After being accustomed to working for one man, the thought of general clerking held little appeal. The alternative was to find something completely different.
A part-time position advertised at a Kensington food store was too good an opportunity to miss. Working ten till four, five days a week, there was no need for Zac to know anything about it.
Jessica started on checkout, finding the work repetitive but not unendurable, the other staff friendly. The salary was no big deal, but it at least gave her some sense of independence.
Zac accepted her excuse that she’d been out shopping without question when he mentioned trying to get in touch a couple of times. He didn’t say why he’d wanted to speak to her, and Jessica hesitated to ask. Relations between them were strained enough as it was. Largely due to her, she had to admit. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t come to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t be here at all in normal circumstances.
She did her best to appear properly grateful when he presented her with a mobile for use in emergencies, making a mental note to get rid of the one she’d had for years and rarely bothered with. It would have to be switched off when she was at work, of course, so she could only hope he wouldn’t have cause to try contacting her during those hours.
The only place the barriers dropped completely was in bed. When Zac made love to her, nothing else existed. His unflagging desire was the one thing that kept her going.
