Read Online Betrayal by Margaret Bingley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Margaret Bingley
Ads: Link
wasn't going to see how terrified she was, but he'd soon know that she was angry.
He was unusually quiet when he got home. Touching her bruised cheekbone lightly with one hand, he frowned but apart from that gave no indication that he remembered the night's violence. It was only when they were half way through the main course in the restaurant that he plucked up the courage to speak.
'What happened?' he asked quietly. 'What did I do?' 'You got drunk.'
'I'm sorry, I should have warned you that I used to have a drink problem, but I thought it was cured. I went to one of those clinics and dried out. Since then I've been O.K.'
'Well, you weren't last night,' she said stonily. 'My head told me that! What happened?' 'Happened?'
'Yeah. Don't go all mysterious on me, Lisa. I know that when I drink I get violent, and despite your careful efforts with the foundation I can see that your face is bruised. Tell me exactly what I did.'
She told him everything, very quietly but in graphic detail, sparing him nothing. Only when she had finished did she look across the table at him, and was astounded to see that he was crying. 'I can't believe it,' he murmured. ‘I mean, to you of all people. The first woman I've… '
'Loved?'
'Yes!'
'Well you know what I think about that word.'
'But I do, Lisa, even if it's not what you want to hear.'
'You've got a funny way of showing it. Just coffee, please,' she added to a hovering waiter.
'What can I say?'
'Not a lot. I got the feeling you really hated me.'
'That's stupid! Sometimes I resent you. You're so much sharper than I am. You've always got a clever answer, you know about books and serious theatre, things I'm not even interested in, and sometimes that makes me feel a bit inadequate - but I don't hate you! As for the baby, well… '
'You don't have to worry about the baby. I'll move out as soon as I can find somewhere else to live. I promise I won't turn up on your doorstep with a little bundle wrapped in a snow-white shawl; neither will I sell my story to a newspaper, however desperate I may be for money!'
'I don't want you to go. I want you to stay. In fact, I want us to get married.’
'No way, Toby. I don't trust you any more.'
'It won't happen again, you've got my word on that. I won't drink at all, not even a glass of wine. How's that? It's what I should have done before but I thought . . . well, it's what all alcoholics think, isn't it?'
'How would I know? There aren't any in my family.'
He reached across the table and took hold of her hand. 'You've got every right to be annoyed with me, and frightened too I should think, but at least let me have another chance. We'll continue living together until the baby's born, and then if you feel that I'm O.K. perhaps we could marry later on. Surely I've got the right to one more try. It is my baby too.'
Lisa shook her head. 'Let's go back. I'm tired and I need to sleep.' 'Of course.'
Back at the maisonette, he tucked her carefully in bed and then lay by her side, watching her sleep. He didn't want to lose her, although he wasn't as pleased about the baby as he'd made out, but he was willing to put up with that as long as he kept Lisa.
In the middle of the night she had a nightmare, hitting out blindly at him when he tried to comfort her. He knew why, and hated himself for what he'd done. Never again, he vowed. He'd never strike her again.
Next morning Lisa sat down and considered her options. There weren't many. She could try and find herself a small flat using the money from her possessions to pay the rent, but that money wouldn't last very long and with the baby becoming more and more obvious the kindergarten were unlikely to keep her on.
She could also ask Stephanie about her trust fund. It seemed amazing that Simon had found the time to cancel out the fund between her leaving home and his death, yet according to the solicitor there was no mention of it.
She could also stay where she was. Toby had talked to her for over an
He was unusually quiet when he got home. Touching her bruised cheekbone lightly with one hand, he frowned but apart from that gave no indication that he remembered the night's violence. It was only when they were half way through the main course in the restaurant that he plucked up the courage to speak.
'What happened?' he asked quietly. 'What did I do?' 'You got drunk.'
'I'm sorry, I should have warned you that I used to have a drink problem, but I thought it was cured. I went to one of those clinics and dried out. Since then I've been O.K.'
'Well, you weren't last night,' she said stonily. 'My head told me that! What happened?' 'Happened?'
'Yeah. Don't go all mysterious on me, Lisa. I know that when I drink I get violent, and despite your careful efforts with the foundation I can see that your face is bruised. Tell me exactly what I did.'
She told him everything, very quietly but in graphic detail, sparing him nothing. Only when she had finished did she look across the table at him, and was astounded to see that he was crying. 'I can't believe it,' he murmured. ‘I mean, to you of all people. The first woman I've… '
'Loved?'
'Yes!'
'Well you know what I think about that word.'
'But I do, Lisa, even if it's not what you want to hear.'
'You've got a funny way of showing it. Just coffee, please,' she added to a hovering waiter.
'What can I say?'
'Not a lot. I got the feeling you really hated me.'
'That's stupid! Sometimes I resent you. You're so much sharper than I am. You've always got a clever answer, you know about books and serious theatre, things I'm not even interested in, and sometimes that makes me feel a bit inadequate - but I don't hate you! As for the baby, well… '
'You don't have to worry about the baby. I'll move out as soon as I can find somewhere else to live. I promise I won't turn up on your doorstep with a little bundle wrapped in a snow-white shawl; neither will I sell my story to a newspaper, however desperate I may be for money!'
'I don't want you to go. I want you to stay. In fact, I want us to get married.’
'No way, Toby. I don't trust you any more.'
'It won't happen again, you've got my word on that. I won't drink at all, not even a glass of wine. How's that? It's what I should have done before but I thought . . . well, it's what all alcoholics think, isn't it?'
'How would I know? There aren't any in my family.'
He reached across the table and took hold of her hand. 'You've got every right to be annoyed with me, and frightened too I should think, but at least let me have another chance. We'll continue living together until the baby's born, and then if you feel that I'm O.K. perhaps we could marry later on. Surely I've got the right to one more try. It is my baby too.'
Lisa shook her head. 'Let's go back. I'm tired and I need to sleep.' 'Of course.'
Back at the maisonette, he tucked her carefully in bed and then lay by her side, watching her sleep. He didn't want to lose her, although he wasn't as pleased about the baby as he'd made out, but he was willing to put up with that as long as he kept Lisa.
In the middle of the night she had a nightmare, hitting out blindly at him when he tried to comfort her. He knew why, and hated himself for what he'd done. Never again, he vowed. He'd never strike her again.
Next morning Lisa sat down and considered her options. There weren't many. She could try and find herself a small flat using the money from her possessions to pay the rent, but that money wouldn't last very long and with the baby becoming more and more obvious the kindergarten were unlikely to keep her on.
She could also ask Stephanie about her trust fund. It seemed amazing that Simon had found the time to cancel out the fund between her leaving home and his death, yet according to the solicitor there was no mention of it.
She could also stay where she was. Toby had talked to her for over an
Similar Books
