Gilly wasn’t aware they had one but didn’t comment.
‘I want to marry you, Gilly. I think we could make each other very happy.’ His statement sounded very rehearsed and strangely lacking in passion.
‘Really?’ said Gilly. She could imagine Helena’s reaction to this suggestion. She wasn’t sure Martin and Cressida would be all that delighted either.
‘I know! And for someone who’s always been a bit of a commitment-phobe, that’s quite a thing!’ He smiled as if he’d given Gilly a huge compliment. ‘But I realise that while it’s what I want, the prospect may be a bit daunting for you.’ He smiled again, fond and patronising.
‘Well …’
‘The thing is, I know that women of your age aren’t awfully keen on the physical side of marriage.’
This was news to Gilly who had very recent experience of the exact opposite. ‘Oh.’
‘They like affection and intimacy but not actual – you know …’
‘Do you mean sex, Leo?’
He seemed a bit embarrassed by her bluntness. ‘I didn’t want to be quite so obvious, but yes.’
‘Oh.’ Her gaze flicked towards the dining room, willing her guests to want more toast, more tea or more anything. They did not respond.
‘We could live here together, a happy, respectable couple, and keep each other company, do things – travel. I could take you to Vienna—’
‘Haven’t you cancelled that yet, Leo? I really think you should.’
He ignored this wifely suggestion. ‘I can take you to Venice! The world is your oyster.’
‘I’m not sure I like oysters, Leo.’
‘It’s a figure of speech, Gilly!’
He sounded quite snappy, thought Gilly, and they weren’t even married yet. ‘I’m incredibly flattered, Leo,’ she said, ‘but I don’t think we want the same things out of life. So, no thank you, I don’t want to marry you.’
He seemed stunned. ‘Gilly! I haven’t asked a woman to marry me since my first wife! I don’t think you’ve had time to think this through.’ He got up. ‘I’m not going to take no for an answer. I’m going to let you think about it.’
‘Really, I won’t change my mind—’
‘Just think about it! Think about what you’re turning down!’
Then he got up, pushed his chair back so it made an unpleasant grating sound on the floor and marched out to the front door, nearly tripping over Ulysses as he went. When the door had shut behind him – nearly but not quite a slam – Gilly heard something from the dining room. She went in.
Her bed and breakfast guests were looking at her. ‘If I’m not mistaken,’ said the woman, ‘he’s the man who tried to swindle us out of quite a lot of money with some “sure-fire” scheme or other.’
‘The man’s a shower,’ said her husband. ‘An absolute shower. You did absolutely the right thing getting shot of him.’
‘Well now,’ said the woman, much more gently. ‘We’ve had a really lovely stay but we must get on. We have an appointment in town shortly.’
Gilly was confused. She was convinced by now that Leo was on some sort of commission – that if he persuaded her to sell Fairacres, Martin and Cressida would reward him. But now he appeared to want to live in the house?
It was possible he’d realised she wasn’t selling and so felt marrying her, living in her nice house, would give him some status he felt he lacked. She chided herself for being so wet that she hadn’t made it absolutely clear how she felt about it all earlier. But her ex-husband had made her fearful of confrontation. Thank goodness she’d done it now.
After the couple left, Gilly suddenly felt tired and was clearing up at half her usual pace when William called.
‘How are you, darling?’ he said when she answered the phone.
She laughed and discovered she was smiling. ‘I’m well. How are you?’
‘Missing you.’
