Perfect Marriage Material. PENNY JORDAN

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      Saul knew from experience that Robert’s bouts of sickness were wrenching but thankfully short-lived. However, it certainly looked as though he wasn’t going to get much more sleep tonight, which probably wasn’t a bad thing, given the nature of the extremely erotic and extraordinarily inappropriate dream Robert had woken him from.

      The subconscious was an odd thing. a very odd thing, he decided before firmly banishing the enticing, lingering image his mind had conjured up of Tullah lying voluptuously naked in his bed, still warm from their shared lovemaking.

      That he should have dreamt about her at all was bad enough, but that he had been enjoying the dream so much, had been so aroused by it. so determined to hang on to it that he had fought against waking up and responding to Robert, was even worse.

      He couldn’t remember the last time he had had a dream like that. In fact, if he was honest with himself, he couldn’t remember any time he had been so intensely and so physically aroused. Not even with—

      ‘Daddy...’

      ‘It’s OK, Robert.’

      Sternly rebuking himself for his thoughts, he turned to minister to his son.

       CHAPTER THREE

      ‘AND I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the offer you’ve made on the cottage is accepted,’Olivia promised as she gave Tullah a goodbye hug.

      As she returned it, Tullah was guiltily aware of the fact that she had not exactly been the perfect weekend guest. It went against her whole credo for living to be manipulative or underhand in any way. She couldn’t pretend to share Olivia’s rose-tinted view of her cousin Saul, but neither5 did she want to leave without at least making some attempt to explain to Olivia why she felt so antagonistic towards his type.

      ‘Livvy, about last night,’ she began a little awkwardly. ‘I realise that you probably thought I was overreacting with Saul and—’

      ‘Well, you did rather surprise me,’ Olivia admitted ruefully as she interrupted her. ‘You’re certainly the first woman I’ve ever known to react to Saul in quite that way.’ tullah opened her mouth to point out that at least one other woman must share her animosity towards him, otherwise he wouldn’t be divorced, but before she could say anything, Olivia was continuing cheerfully, ‘Mind you, it’s probably just as well. The situation’s difficult enough at the moment with Louise deep in the throes of an intense crush on him.’

      ‘Yes,’ Tullah sympathised readily. ‘I appreciate that that must be an awful situation for...for her parents. I could see how distressed Jenny looked last night when Saul asked her when Louise home.’

      All the distaste and disapproval she felt about Saul’s be-haviour in not just allowing but actively encouraging Louise’s crush on him showed in Tullah’s voice as she spoke.

      ‘It’s typical of the kind of man that the Sauls of this world are that he didn’t even think twice about how he might be offending or hurting Jon and Jenny by introducing the subject of Louise. It was obvious that they weren’t at all happy with the situation and who could blame them?

      ‘I mean, I know he’s your cousin, Livvy,’ Tullah told her fiercely, her emotions darkening her eyes as she remembered how she had felt for the older couple the previous evening. ‘But what kind of man...what kind of decent, caring, mature man who feels good about himself as a man and who feels really at ease with his masculinity, his sexuality, experiences the need to keep on massaging his ego by seducing a string of younger and younger naive girls?’

      As Tullah paused for breath, she saw that Olivia was looking rather shocked.

      ‘I’m sorry,’ she apologised contritely. ‘I know, of course, that you probably don’t share my views and that your opinion of Saul is bound to be different from mine especially in view of the...the relationship you and he—’

      ‘Tullah, Saul and I—’ Olivia began, only to break off in maternal concern as Amelia, who had been playing quite happily a few yards away in the garden, let out a frightened cry. ‘Oh no! She’s probably trying to catch another bee,’ she told Tullah. ‘Amelia darling...’

      ‘Oh dear,’ Tullah sympathised as they exchanged another brief hug and stepped back from each other, leaving Olivia free to go and rescue both the indignant bee and her small daughter whilst Tullah got into her car.

      

      ‘I think I’ve discovered why Tullah is so antagonistic towards Saul,’ Olivia commented to Caspar over dinner several hours after Tullah had left.

      ‘Mmm... You mean there is a reason and it isn’t just that she’s a woman of incomparable taste and good sense who couldn’t help but prefer me?’ Caspar joked.

      ‘No, I’m afraid I cornered the market in that particular brand of good taste and sense.’ Olivia informed him gravely, trying not to giggle.

      ‘Oh well, go on, then. What deeply traumatic reason lies behind her aversion?’

      ‘It isn’t funny, Caspar,’ Olivia warned him. ‘At least it isn’t when you know about Tullah’s background. Her parents divorced when she was in her teens, and very shortly after that an older man...a family friend, in fact, on whom she’d got a massive crush, instead of realising that what she was really looking for was a father substitute, someone to treat her gently and give her the nonsexual love her father had deprived her of, decided instead to use Tullah’s innocence and naivety to boost his own flagging ego.

      ‘She was only sixteen at the time and she believed he loved her. He told her that his marriage was over, the usual kind of thing, and of course, she fell for it and she now seems to have jumped to the totally wrong conclusion that Saul is doing exactly the same thing to Louise as this man did to her.’

      ‘Ahh...I’m beginning to see daylight. You put her right, of course,’ Caspar commented as he helped himself to a second helping of pudding.

      ‘No...Amelia tried her latest bee-catching trick before I could and then by the time I’d rescued the bee and calmed Amelia down, it was too late. Tullah had left. Do you really think you should eat that?’ she asked her husband conversationally. ‘All that cream will be loaded with cholesterol, and you—’

      ‘I need the energy,’ Caspar told her. ‘Or have you changed your mind about enlivening our incipient bee-keeper’s life with a little bit of sibling rivalry?’

      ‘Not at all,’ Olivia responded, adding provocatively, ‘but if we’re going to do that, I can think of far better uses to put that cream to....’

      ‘Such as?’ Caspar invited.

      

      ‘I thought you weren’t going to make it,’ Olivia commented warmly to Saul as he and the children joined them in the departures lounge.

      The whole family had gathered to wave Ruth and Grant off for their regular biannual visit to the States.

      After fifty years apart with each believing the other bad betrayed their love, they were now happily reunited, and in keeping with the spirit of the mock prenuptial agreement both of them constantly teased the other СКАЧАТЬ