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Jeff glanced around the room, as though to ensure that no one could hear what he was about to say.

‘Look, the truth is – I’m not a stockbroker. I work for MI5.’

Laura’s mouth dropped open. ‘What? Are you being serious, Jeff?’

‘You probably wondered why I didn’t have any work colleagues at the wedding,’ Jeff explained. ‘Now you know. Undercover agents can’t risk having their cover blown.’ He looked at her angrily. ‘You must never tell anyone what I’ve told you.’

Laura nodded. ‘Of course not. But surely you could have told me? I’m your wife!’

‘No, I couldn’t – lives depend on the kind of work I do. I had to sign an oath never to tell anyone.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘No MI5 operative ever tells their family. I’d never have told you if you hadn’t gone digging. And now that I’ve trusted you with this confidential information, you must never discuss it with anyone, not even me.’

Laura nodded, chastened. She was shocked. Clearly his job required him to keep others in the dark about his life. She felt upset at being kept out of such an important part of his life, but she could also acknowledge that there would be good reasons for him to keep quiet. A talkative wife, or a nasty ex-wife, could compromise an agent’s position, destroying years of credibility that he’d built up. And already Jeff had trouble trusting people.

‘W – what if I need to contact you?’

‘You already have my mobile number. But only ever call me in the direst of emergencies.’

Having assured her that he was well enough to go back to work, Jeff left the apartment.

After he’d gone, Laura began mulling over all that her husband had told her. She felt a frisson of delight at the thought of Jeff doing such important work for national security. He was her very own personal James Bond! It seemed such a glamorous – and also dangerous – life, and now she was part of it. Had she been secretly vetted herself? No wonder Jeff always seemed tense and worried lately. He obviously had a lot of responsibilities that she knew nothing about. She’d be kinder, and more supportive, and eventually she’d prove to him that he could trust her.

Laura also felt a sense of relief. She
had
wondered why Jeff only had a few acquaintances at the wedding, and didn’t seem to have any close friends with whom he socialised. She hadn’t voiced these thoughts to anyone else, but she suspected that Kerry had been wondering about his lack of friends, too. Now she finally understood why.

Unable to contain her excitement, Laura was in the pub early, and had already brought their drinks to the table by the time Kerry arrived.

‘How’s Jeff?’ Kerry asked anxiously as she settled into the cosy booth. ‘Really, I’d have been just as happy if you’d cancelled, and stayed home to look after your husband.’

Laura laughed. ‘Oh, Jeff’s fine,’ she said. ‘He even went back to work this afternoon, and he’s working late this evening, too!’

Kerry looked at her friend in surprise. She could also see that Laura was giddy with excitement, and bursting to tell her something.

‘Come on, I know that look of yours!’ Kerry told her, smiling. ‘What’s happened? You’re like a hen on a hot griddle – out with it!’

Jeff had warned her not to tell anyone, but Laura knew she could trust her best friend. She looked all around her. Assured that there was no one sitting near enough to overhear, she turned to Kerry and lowered her voice. ‘You must promise me that you’ll never repeat this to anyone –’

Kerry nodded, looking intrigued.

Laura looked around again before speaking, then she beckoned Kerry to come closer. ‘Jeff’s not actually a stockbroker – he works for MI5,’ she told her. ‘That’s why he couldn’t tell me the truth – because the work he does is top secret!’

Kerry raised an eyebrow. She didn’t believe a word of it. But if Laura chose to be gullible, it wasn’t up to her to disillusion her. MI5 indeed. She wondered what exactly Jeff
was
up to. She’d been meaning to do some research on Mr Jones – now it was definitely time to do so. She was still worried that Jeff might be after Laura’s fortune.

‘Of course, I’m sworn to secrecy, so promise me you’ll never mention this to anyone!’ Laura added worriedly. ‘I’m only telling you because you’re my closest friend.’

‘My lips are sealed,’ Kerry said noncommittally.

C
HAPTER 10

E
llie was excited. Today was the day that Alan was going to end his marriage.

‘I’m going to ask Sylvia for a divorce,’ he’d told her determinedly as they’d lain together the afternoon before. ‘This morning I paid off the final instalment of the loan from Sylvia’s father, so I don’t owe Dick Morgan anything any more. I’ve approached the bank for working capital, so it should all be plain sailing from now on.’

Ellie’s heart had soared with joy.

‘I’d also prefer to split from Sylvia sooner rather than later,’ Alan added. ‘It’ll be easier for Pete to adjust while he’s still too young to understand what’s involved.’

‘But you’ll make sure to see him regularly?’ Ellie asked, more than willing to make this small concession, now that she was gaining a much bigger one.

‘Of course,’ Alan replied, flashing her a grateful smile.

As he held her close, she revelled in his nearness, his smell, his masculinity. She was so excited to think that soon he’d be hers completely!

Excited, Ellie watched from the window as Alan’s car drove in at the gate and up the driveway. As it disappeared from view, she waited anxiously while he parked it out of sight, behind the house. It was just occurring to her that, from now on, he wouldn’t need to hide his car any more. They’d be a proper couple, and they could be seen together at last. They could shop together, eat out together, go to the theatre together …

Briefly, she thought of Tony Coleman, who was still inviting her to the cinema every time she met him in the village. There had been times when she’d actually considered saying yes. The nights when Alan wasn’t around were long and lonely, and sometimes she longed for some adult company. Besides, a trip to the cinema would have served as cover for her affair if she’d been seen publicly with Tony. Now, of course, there would be no need for any cover ever again! In fact, she couldn’t wait for everyone to know that she was about to become Mrs Thornton!

She felt a brief pang of guilt for poor Sylvia, who must, by now, be reeling in shock. But Ellie couldn’t afford to feel sorry for anyone – it was her special time at last, and she couldn’t wait to tell the world that she and Alan were finally going to be together.

Anxiously, Ellie hovered at the door, wondering why Alan was taking so long to come inside. Today, of all days, she’d expected him to come bounding through the door, since he was finally coming to her as a free man. Usually there was an urgency in his stride, since both of them would be anticipating the joys of making love together.

But something was different today. As Alan stepped into the hall, his shoulders were slumped and he seemed reluctant to face her. She had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

He gave her a sad smile as they embraced. ‘Oh, my darling, darling love,’ he whispered, as he held her tight.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, almost afraid to know the answer, but needing to know it anyway.

‘It’s the factory,’ he answered, and she was relieved that it wasn’t an accident.

‘Well, if no one’s dead, it can’t be that bad,’ she said, smiling to lighten to atmosphere.

He looked grave. ‘But I’m afraid it’s bad news for us,’ he replied. ‘My negotiations with the bank have fallen through – I thought they were happy with my business plan, but they’ve refused point blank to lend me the money I need for expansion. So I’d no other option but to go to Sylvia’s father again for another large cash injection.’

She bit her lip, knowing exactly what that meant.

‘I’m sorry, love – I can’t possibly ask Sylvia for a divorce now. Not while I’m taking her father’s money.’

Ellie buried her face in his jacket so that he couldn’t see her tears. She knew how difficult things were for him, and she didn’t want to add to his burden. But her own dreams were being put on hold yet again.

‘I know this is awful for you, love, but please remember that I’m torn too,’ he whispered. ‘Although I’m not in love with Sylvia any more, I do care about her, and I respect her.’ He kissed her nose. ‘But none of us can help who we fall in love with. That first day I met you, I instantly fell head over heels for you.’ He held her away from him and gazed at her earnestly.’ Can you wait, love? It won’t be for ever, I promise. I’m expecting to sign a contract with one of the largest wholesalers in the country very soon. I’m hoping the bank will reconsider its position when it sees the substantial increase that the contract’s going to make to our turnover.’

Ellie nodded, glancing down at the gold and diamond ring that confirmed Alan’s love for her.

‘I also have to go away on business for a few days,’ he told her gently. ‘I need to meet with some of our biggest fruit and vegetable suppliers. Unless we can negotiate a better price for their produce, we could have another serious problem on our hands.’ He smiled at her sadly. ‘I know this wait is disappointing for both of us. But we still have each other, and we’ll eventually manage to be together for good.’ He kissed her tenderly. ‘You’ll be okay while I’m away?’

Ellie nodded. ‘But I’ll miss you terribly,’ she whispered.

‘Good,’ Alan whispered back. ‘I couldn’t bear it if you didn’t!’

C
HAPTER
11

‘F
or God’s sake, what happened?’

Laura looked embarrassed and defensive as she walked into Kerry’s apartment.

‘Nothing – I hit my head on one of the kitchen cupboards.’

‘No, you didn’t! Did Jeff do this to you?’

Laura glared at her. ‘No, of course not! Why would you think that?’

Kerry ushered Laura into the kitchen, urged her into a chair, and turned on the kettle to make coffee. As she took down two mugs from the rack above the stove, she surreptitiously surveyed her friend, noting the livid patch, already turning blue, and the large black circle under her left eye, which Laura was trying to hide by pulling her blonde hair across it. Kerry was well aware that no accidental bump would inflict such a huge amount of damage.

Placing a cup of coffee in front of her friend, Kerry sat down beside her. ‘Laura, you’re a strong woman – you don’t have to put up with this!’

At first, Kerry thought her friend was going to continue denying what had happened, but her kind words seemed to cut through the wall Laura had initially tried to build around herself. Suddenly, she was sobbing, and Kerry put her arms around her, saying nothing, just letting her friend cry. Gently,
she patted Laura’s back in a gesture that might be used to soothe a troubled child.

‘You know what you have to do, don’t you?’ Kerry said at last.

Laura rested her head on Kerry’s shoulder. ‘I can’t leave him! He’s been so cruelly treated by his family in the past – I’m his family now, and anyway, I love him. If I leave him, that will just prove that he can’t trust anyone!’

Kerry shook her gently. ‘But you can’t let a man hit you – once they start, it gets worse each time. And there will be another time, believe me. And another. You must get out now, love – before something really bad happens to you.’

Laura looked at her earnestly. ‘I can’t, Kerry, I just can’t. I made my vows for better or worse. Jeff’s just a bit stressed at the moment – I think he’s under a lot of pressure at work – and I want to help him through this rough patch. It will be okay, I promise. Nothing bad is going to happen. Jeff and I will get through this. All I have to do is prove to him that I love him and won’t leave him. Then things will settle down.’

Kerry grimaced. ‘People don’t hurt the ones they love. This shouldn’t be happening to you, Laura.’

Wiping away her tears, Laura looked defiant. ‘I’ve made my choice – I want to be with Jeff! He’s my husband, and I intend spending the rest of my life with him. It was nothing – just a silly argument, and now I’m sorry I said anything to you about it.’

‘What exactly happened?’

‘Oh, nothing really. I wasn’t feeling well – I’ve been feeling a bit queasy in the mornings – and I hadn’t squeezed the oranges for our early morning juice. He got annoyed with me, and one thing led to another.’

‘So he hit you.’

‘No, it wasn’t like that – I complained about being asked
to do it, and Jeff just over-reacted. He was very sorry afterwards.’

Kerry was well aware that Laura was giving her a tightly edited version of the truth, but she saw no point in pushing it. Her own imagination could fill in the gaps. But she was instantly alert to Laura’s mention of being sick in the mornings.

‘You’re not pregnant, are you?’

Laura blushed. ‘Why do you ask?’

‘You mentioned getting sick in the mornings, so I was just a bit worried –’

Laura bridled. ‘Why would you be worried?’

‘Well, it might be better if you didn’t get pregnant immediately, at least until you’ve sorted things out between you and Jeff. Because if you have a child now, you’ll be tied to him for ever.’

Laura looked annoyed. ‘But I
want
to be tied to him for ever! Jeff wants kids and so do I. He’ll settle down once we have a family.’

‘And if he doesn’t? Jeff seems to be repeating his father’s version of what family life is.’

Laura bridled again. ‘That’s not fair! Anyway, since when did
you
qualify in psychology?’

Kerry grimaced. There was only so far she could go in criticising Jeff before she would alienate Laura. Maybe she’d crossed the line already. But she was well aware that things were more likely to go downhill rather than improve. If a marriage wasn’t good at the beginning, there was little hope that it would improve later.