Brides of War (12 page)

There was almost a savagery about their lovemaking at first, but then they took their time, pleasuring one another, leading each other to a height of ecstasy until eventually they lay in each other’s arms, replete … and in love.

Valerie stroked Max’s cheek. ‘I have been a complete fool not to realise what you mean to me,’ she told him.

‘I fell in love with you the day we met at the coffee shop, remember?’

‘Yes, I do. I was studying a map of the city and you offered to show me round. Oh dear Max, what do we do now?’

‘What do you want to do?’

‘I want to paint and be with you,’ she replied without hesitation. ‘When we are together, I’m happy, I feel alive – but I’m married to Ross.’

‘Then you have to make a decision. Do you want to stay married to him?’

She put her hand over her eyes and rubbed them. ‘No, I don’t love him any more. He’s not the man I thought I knew and, after meeting his family, I can see why. His father lives for his business and Gloria is a ruthless manipulator. He takes after them both. It’s not how I want to live.’

‘If you leave him, there may be a scandal now you’re getting well known. It could harm your career.’

She started to laugh. ‘I don’t care about my career! I just want to paint, that’s all.’

‘On the other hand,’ he said chuckling, ‘you know what they say, any publicity is good publicity and to be honest darling, your talent will carry you through. If not, I’ll have to keep you!’

‘Oh, a kept woman, how decadent! I kind of like that, it sounds exciting.’

He drew her nearer and with a sigh said, ‘I guess we should get dressed and find a cab to take you home.’

‘I don’t want to go home, Max, I want to stay the night with you,’ she whispered.

‘If you do, there will be trouble, you know that?’

‘Do you want me to go?’

He pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and kissed her. ‘Are you crazy?’

‘I think I must be, but I love it. Max darling – put the light out!’

The following morning, Valerie, woke and went to stretch, but Max had wrapped his arms about her as they slept, he stirred as she moved.

He rubbed his eyes sleepily. ‘Good morning,’ he said quietly and gave her a leisurely kiss. ‘Sleep well?’

Now she was able to stretch. ‘Mm, like a baby.’

‘Would you like some coffee?’

‘Not yet,’ she murmured and wound her arms around his neck, snuggling closer, feeling his bare flesh against hers.

They made love slowly, enjoying every move, every touch, lost to their need for one another, luxuriating in their newfound intimacy – loath to spoil the moment – until they both were satisfied.

Max kissed her forehead. ‘Now I think we could both do with a cup of coffee.’ He climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of trousers, at the same time tossing her his dressing gown.

‘I’ll take a quick shower whilst you’re doing that,’ she said and made her way to the bathroom. As she stood beneath the warm flow of water, she remembered vividly
how his hands had covered her body, how he had made her feel, how he’d brought her to a climax, how she’d felt loved and cosseted for the first time in months. She also knew that staying the night with Max would change everything. Her marriage was over and Ross would be ruthless when he discovered her infidelity. But she didn’t care. She was in love with Max Brennen and wanted to share the rest of her life with him, she would just have to face the consequences. She stepped out of the shower, dried herself, put on the dressing gown and went into the kitchen.

Max had been busy. He’d cooked eggs and bacon, poured glasses of orange juice and made toast. When Valerie looked surprised at the spread, he laughed.

‘Sex always makes me hungry,’ he explained. ‘Come on tuck in.’

As they ate he said, ‘I’ll come back to your apartment with you.’

‘Whatever for?’

‘I don’t want you to face Ross without me. I need to be there.’

‘Ross will have gone to the office by now and although I appreciate your offer Max, I need to handle this alone.’

He looked concerned. ‘I want you to move in here. You can’t stay with Ross when he knows you spent the night with me. That’s even if he agrees to let you do so.’

‘I’ll pack my things today, but I’ll have to wait until he comes home to talk to him. I can’t just walk out.’

‘Of course you can’t. Are you sure you don’t want me with you to give you support? I’ll do so willingly.’

She looked lovingly at him. ‘Thank you darling but seeing you would be like a red rag to a bull as far as Ross is
concerned. It’s best I do this on my own. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll be back later tonight.’

After eating, Valerie donned her evening dress and borrowing a raincoat from Max, put it on. It made it a little less obvious that she was inappropriately dressed for the hour of the day. Later, when she stepped into the cab Max had called, the driver took one look at her and smiled to himself, but didn’t pass any remark, for which she was grateful.

Valerie walked into her apartment and gazed around. When she’d first arrived here, she’d been full of hope for her future with the man she’d married but now, just months later, she was about to leave it all behind. She lit a cigarette and walked outside onto the balcony and looked out over the city. She was leaving her husband but she was so very pleased she wasn’t leaving New York. This city soothed her soul, made her feel she’d come home. She’d never felt this about any other country she’d visited through her father’s work, but here was where she belonged. The ring of the telephone interrupted her thoughts and she walked into the room and picked up the receiver.

‘Hello, this is Valerie Johnson,’ she said.

‘Valerie, it’s Gracie Rider, I don’t know if you remember me, but we met at Tidworth Camp, then came over together on the
SS Argentina.’

‘Gracie! Of course I remember you, how are you?’

‘Fine, I saw your picture in
Vogue
and thought I’d give you a call. Obviously everything is fine with you. Congratulations!’

Valerie didn’t contradict her. The two of them chatted for a long time, neither confessing their true situation. They
exchanged addresses and promised to talk again soon.

Hearing another English voice had cheered Valerie and she was pleased that all seemed well with her friend and thought how great it would be if they could meet up in the future. But her frame of mind was spoilt when the telephone rang once more.

‘Hello, Valerie Johnson.’

‘Oh Valerie!’ her mother-in-law’s imperious voice echoed in her ear.

‘Gloria! This is a surprise, what can I do for you?’ She frowned wondering the reason behind the call.

‘I saw your picture in
Vogue,
’ she began … Valerie smiled to herself … ‘I’m going shopping and wondered if we could meet for lunch?’

‘Sorry, Gloria, but I’m tied up all day.’

‘What about tomorrow? I have a meeting in the morning, we could meet after that.’

‘I am sorry, Gloria, but I’m not at all sure of my movements over the next while so I’m not able to say when I’ll be free.’

‘Oh I see! Very well.’ She replaced the receiver without saying goodbye.

‘Rude woman!’ Valerie slammed the receiver back in its cradle and went into the bedroom to change and pack. She then prepared a chicken salad and put it in the fridge, grabbed her sketchbook and left the apartment. She needed to keep calm waiting for Ross to return and the only way she could do so was to work. She walked until she found a restaurant with outside tables, ordered a coffee and started to sketch.

She drew the shops with their colourful blinds, the goods
on display outside. The different people from different cultures. The street musician. The small child, dancing to his music. She loved every minute of it, breathing in the life that was being lived around her.

Later she moved on, went into a drugstore, sat in the snack bar and ate a sandwich, sketching the people sitting at other tables until she was tired – then she walked home.

As the time for Ross’s arrival drew nearer, her whole body tensed, knowing that their meeting was not going to be enjoyable. Three suitcases were already downstairs behind the reception desk for her to take when she left. She made herself another cup of coffee and waited to hear Ross’s key in the door. And eventually, the moment arrived. She sat in a chair and waited.

Ross entered the apartment, threw his keys onto the table in the hall and walked into the living room. When he saw Valerie, he stopped.

‘So you decided to come home at last!’ The anger in his tone was not wasted on her. ‘Perhaps you’d like to tell me where you spent last night?’

Taking a deep breath she replied, ‘I stayed with Max Brennen.’

He gave her a look of disdain. ‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’ He crossed to a small table and poured himself a drink from the selection of bottles of liquor.

‘I couldn’t stay a moment longer after I saw you touting for business at
my
exhibition. How could you
do
such a thing?’

‘Well darling, I’m sorry if that upset your sensibilities, but you still haven’t grasped the American way of life. We business men never let an opportunity pass by, that’s why we are successful.’

‘It’s not the way I want to live!’ she exclaimed, horrified at his arrogance.

He laughed loudly. ‘Really? I didn’t notice you being uncomfortable as your paintings were being sold at exorbitant prices!’

‘That was different,’ she protested. ‘People bought those because they liked them; no one was coerced into doing so. There was no hard sell. No American way of life. It’s called art appreciation. All you can ever see is the dollar signs. Money seems to be your God! Don’t misunderstand me, Ross, I admire your tenacity in business and fully agreed with you starting up on your own,’ she hesitated, ‘but now I realise that money is more important to you than anything else!’

‘That’s simply not true!’

‘Yes I’m afraid it is, you just can’t see it!’ she rose to her feet. ‘Not once have you been pleased for me as your wife to have proven herself. Not once have you shown that you might be proud of me for what I’ve achieved. All you saw was an opportunity to find new clients and fill your coffers! Well, I can’t go on like this. I’m sorry Ross, but I’m leaving. I don’t have a choice, you have changed beyond belief from the man I first met and married. We want different things out of life.’

His surprise was evident. ‘Are you crazy?’

‘No! It isn’t how I saw our lives. I expected to be happy with you, building a home, a business, then a family. I really loved you, wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.’ Her voice was choked with emotion. ‘I just can’t live with your ruthless ambition.’

He was furious. ‘I suppose Max Brennen is behind all this. I was afraid he’d take over your life. But don’t be fooled for a moment, he sees you as a way to make money!’

‘Like you, you mean? You couldn’t be more wrong. That’s the difference between you two. Money isn’t his priority. He has the soul of an artist and luckily for me, he saw something in my work that interested him. Money didn’t enter his head!’

‘You slept with him didn’t you?’

‘Yes I did. We didn’t mean it to happen, but …’

He stood up and glaring at her said, ‘Then go to your bloody artist! I’ll file for divorce and name him as correspondent and take him for every cent he has!’

‘You must do what you think is right.’ She opened the door, took the elevator to the ground floor, collected her cases from reception and calling a cab, she walked out of her marriage.

Ross picked up his glass and threw it against the wall, smashing it into pieces. He then picked up an ice pick from the table and ripped the canvas of the painting by Max Brennen that he’d bought for his wife.

As Valerie’s cab drew up outside the studio, Max came running down the steps.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked, his voice full of concern.

Climbing out of the cab, she waited for the driver to remove her cases from the trunk.

‘I’m fine,’ she assured him, ‘but I could do with a stiff drink!’

Once inside the studio, they put down her cases and Max drew Valerie into his arms, holding her tightly. ‘Any regrets?’

‘No,’ she replied, ‘but it wasn’t nice as you can imagine.
Ross was furious and he had the right to be really.’

Max released her and poured them both a glass of whisky. ‘Here, drink this.’

Valerie told him what had transpired. ‘I’m worried about you, Max. Ross will try and ruin you. He said he’d take you for every cent. I didn’t mean to bring you any trouble.’

‘Darling, there’s trouble and there’s trouble. This kind I can handle as long as you’re happy.’

‘I am a bit fraught, but I
am
happy. I can’t be myself as Ross’s wife. His needs are all financial. He’d never understand my world and the two would clash and eventually destroy us anyway … as you predicted.’

They sat on the settee. ‘Why don’t we take off for a few days?’ he suggested, ‘take our paints with us. Get away from here and all that it holds. A break would do us both good and will give us time to plan a future.’

To Valerie it was a wonderful idea although it sounded like running away, yet it really appealed to her. ‘Where do you suggest?’

He thought for a moment. ‘We need a different kind of landscape, something to excite us, something new.’

‘How about Colorado?’

‘Where did that come from?’ he asked with surprise.

‘I had a call today from the girl I made friends with before coming here. We travelled together and she rang me out of the blue. She lives just outside Denver.’

‘Well that certainly is different. Colorado is arid, with cacti that stretch to the sky once you leave the city behind. It nestles in the Rockies which are beautiful in themselves.’ He paused, ‘I guess you’d like to visit with your friend too?’

‘Oh Max, that’d be wonderful. When I heard her voice
it made me a little homesick if I’m honest, not that I want to go back permanently, but it made me feel very nostalgic.’

‘Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll fly out there and hire a camper and tour. Stop where we like, when we like. What do you say?’

‘I think it’s an inspired idea.’

Whilst Max and Valerie were making their plans, Ross had gone out to dinner. He saw the chicken salad in the fridge then closed the door. He needed to get out of the apartment, away from the marital home. Away from the feminine touches that Valerie had made to the furnishings, which reminded him his wife was with another man.

He sat at a table in a corner where he ordered a drink and a meal, although he’d no appetite. He couldn’t yet believe that his marriage was over! Valerie had encouraged him to open up his own firm, had been a great support, so how come she couldn’t understand his looking for business among her wealthy clients? It was a heaven-sent opportunity. Why couldn’t she see that and help him instead of blowing her top? Well she’d made her choice.

Max Brennen of all people! What the hell did she see in the guy? OK, he could paint and he had a certain charm, but he’d never amount to anything, well not by his standards.

All these thoughts went through his mind as he drank his wine and pushed his food around his plate. But even when he paid the bill and left the restaurant, he still couldn’t understand.