Watching. Jeff Edwards

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ and Jade had dined well, spent a delightful evening listening to the jazz at the Golden Stag, and finally retired to Jade’s bedroom for leisurely sex.

      Sated, the pair lay naked, wrapped in each other’s arms, enjoying the afterglow of the physical exercise. Jade’s head rested on Walter’s chest, as she leisurely ran her fingers through the hair on his chest, and circled his nipples. She enjoyed watching them react to her touch, not unlike her own.

      Slowly, Jade filled the silence between them, talking about her new job, and the things that Peter Haskins had been teaching her. She spoke of how to tell a good piece from an ordinary piece, and what to look for. ‘Would you like to know what I found in a secret compartment today?’

      Jade waited, expecting a reply. When none came, she thought Walter had fallen asleep, and raised her head from his chest. She was surprised that Walter lay there, his eyes open, his mind elsewhere.

      ‘A penny for your thoughts.’

      Walter turned his head, slowly, in Jade’s direction. ‘I was just enjoying the moment, savouring it.’

      Jade gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘Why thank you. That’s a lovely compliment. I enjoyed it too.’

      ‘No. You don’t understand. I’m savouring it because, in the future, there won’t be any more times like this for us,’ he said, as he raised himself on one elbow, and looked Jade in the eye. ‘You see, I’m getting married.’

      Jade studied Walter’s face, trying to detect some sign that he may just be playing games with her, but she could see that he was serious. Strangely, she felt the sudden loss, and was unsure of her emotions.

      All that came to her mind was to ask, who.

      ‘You know her; Millicent Lloyd-Jones.’

      Somehow, the name explained it all to Jade. ‘You don’t love her,’ she said flatly.

      ‘I think you’re the only person I’ve come close to loving.’

      ‘But you don’t love me either. You just love the idea of my money.’

      ‘True. It should be you that I’m marrying.’

      ‘That would be impossible. I like you, but, if we were to marry, you would spend the rest of your life plotting to get your hands on my money, and I’d have to spend my life keeping you away from it. We’d destroy each other.’

      Walter nodded in agreement. ‘Millicent’s parents are very happy for me to take over the family fortune, especially if Millicent and I can produce lots of healthy offspring. They’re most anxious to ensure they have someone to pass it all down to, especially as they are getting to be rather elderly.’

      ‘So you’re going to become a stud bull.’

      Walter grinned. ‘A very wealthy stud bull.’

      ‘It doesn’t trouble your conscience?’

      ‘Not in the least. They’ll have the grandchildren, and I’ll have the money. We all win.’

      ‘What about Millicent?’

      ‘I dare say she’ll do whatever her parents want her to. She such a devoted daughter. Then, when she’s done her duty by the family, she’ll be able to go off and pursue whatever interests her. In Millicent’s case, I believe that will be horse shows, and shopping.’

      ‘What does your father think about this?’

      ‘He’s pleased to think that the Lloyd-Jones’ will now be dealing with his firm. Lots of fat commissions for him. However, he’s not going to be too pleased when he finds out that I’ll be leaving the company to go out on my own. I have no intention of sharing the Lloyd-Jones wealth with anyone.’

      ‘You’ve got this worked out already.’

      ‘I certainly have. In fact, I’ve just purchased a small company that is on the brink of bankruptcy, and I’ll be using it as my trading name. You may not have heard of the Briscoe Corporation, but just you wait. I might even let you invest in some shares.’

      ‘So, my darling Walter, this is the end of us.’

      ‘I’m afraid so, as far as this goes. I’ll need all of my energy to keep Millicent pregnant for the next few years, as well as looking after her money.’

      Jade saw that Walter looked very contented. Deep down, she had expected little else from him, and knew that it was time to turn him loose. Regretfully, she rose from the bed, leaving him for the last time as a lover.

      ‘Will I be getting an invitation to the wedding?’

      ‘I don’t think that would be appropriate. Do you?’

      Jade nodded, as she wrapped a dressing gown around her naked body, and made her way to the kitchen for a cup of tea, leaving Walter to dress, and let himself out the front door ...

      

      Rani was surprised at how well Jade took Walter’s departure.

      Later that summer, photos of Walter’s wedding were featured in the society pages of the newspapers, but Jade read them all with barely a grimace.

      Rani studied the bride in her wedding gown. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d say that Walter’s Millicent is already ‘with child’.’

      Jade studied the photo over Rani’s shoulder. ‘It’s hard to tell with such a frumpy woman, but, knowing Walter, I’d say he would definitely be doing his best to keep the in-laws happy.’

      With Jade’s good looks, there was no shortage of eligible young men, willing to take Walter’s place. She accepted several invitations to dinners, and to shows, but had no desire to allow them the liberties that Walter had been afforded.

      From now on, Jade had decided, there would have to be some emotional bond between herself and the person with whom she would share her bed, and, if the bonds were strong enough, she might even consider a proposal of marriage. However, none of the men she met could supply the bond required, either on an emotional or on an intellectual level.

      Therefore, she sought relief in her work, spending long hours in the barn-like warehouse of Haskins and Green, absorbing all the knowledge that Peter Haskins could impart.

      ‘You’re getting to be almost as good as me,’ said a delighted Peter Haskins, as Jade produced an almost translucent Ming vase from among a crate of seemingly utilitarian crockery, purchased as the contents of a country kitchen. ‘I wonder how it ended up in with this lot?’

      ‘From the condition of the inside of the vase, it looks as though they actually used it as a vase. I don’t think they knew what they had here. Imagine it sitting on the kitchen window, with a bunch of posies sitting in it!’

      ‘That happens more often than you know,’ commented Peter, ‘It was probably in the family for generations, and they came to regard it as just another piece of crockery, to be used like the cups, СКАЧАТЬ