Vivien had been busy. Sarah swallowed hard on her distaste at that fact. ‘I didn’t think you intended to—’
Alex swung back so fast, she was still speaking. ‘Intended to what?’
‘Introduce me to anybody,’ she muttered tightly. ‘And quite frankly I don’t think it’s a good idea. Much better just to go on as we are and people would soon get the message that I’m a bit like Mr Rochester’s crazy wife in the attic, never seen, never mentioned—’
‘Mr Rochester’s what?’ Alex demanded blankly.
‘Jane Eyre...maybe you haven’t read it.’
‘I did not put you in the attic,’ Alex breathed with sudden renewed ferocity.
‘No, but let’s not pretend that I’m the sort of wife you precisely want to show off.’ Sarah thrust her chin high to prove that she was unhurt by that reality.
‘I am not ashamed of you.’ Dull coins of colour lay over his cheekbones.
A lump lodged in her tight throat. Damn Vivien, she thought painfully. ‘Look, why can’t we be honest about this? I know that you are cringing at the thought of having to march me out for public display, Alex—’
‘Rubbish!’ He dealt her a smouldering look of anger. ‘That is complete and utter—!’ He spat out an expletive and Sarah stiffened, offended by his language. He drove a not quite steady hand through his black hair and then threw up both hands in a gesture of raw frustration. ‘I’m sorry,’ he finally vented. ‘But I have not given you cause to accuse me of that.’
Sarah released a jerky laugh. ‘We got married at the most unearthly hour of the day in the darkest, most unfashionable corner of London you could find. You walked through the airport three paces in front of me—’
‘Two weeks ago, I was still very angry. I wanted to be sure you would not enjoy our wedding-day.’
‘I didn’t.’ Sarah studied her tightly linked hands, sensing that she was at some kind of crossroads with Alex and not knowing how honest to be. ‘Look...I know the right knives and forks to use because I used to be a silver waitress in a hotel. I also used to scrub floors. In fact every job I’ve ever had was in some menial capacity. I’m really quite happy to stay in the attic, metaphorically speaking, as long as I have Nicky. I don’t want you gritting your teeth and trying not to wince every time I embarrass you...I would really hate that.’
‘You don’t embarrass me,’ Alex framed very quietly. ‘A woman as beautiful as you could never embarrass me.’
Sarah released a groan. ‘Alex, ditch the soft soap,’ she urged. ‘You and I both know that we come from different worlds and that if it weren’t for that baby upstairs we’d never have met—’
‘But we did meet and we did marry,’ Alex cut in with ruthless bite.
Sarah wrinkled her small nose. ‘You can have a divorce any time you want on any terms—’
‘And you’d bloody well like that, wouldn’t you?’ Alex ripped back at her with sudden raw hostility, smouldering anger igniting the atmosphere again.
Her head was starting to thump again and, dear lord, but she was tired. Flopping down, she turned over, drained of arguments. Talking to Alex wasn’t like talking to other people. It was like a mental assault course, spiced by ever bigger and more daunting obstacles and his incomprehensible bursts of temper.
‘A separation?’ she tried weakly. ‘I could live somewhere clos
e and you could see as much of Nicky as you liked—?’
‘No.’ It was thunderous, final, full of suppressed outrage that she could dare to suggest such a solution.
‘I don’t see why not,’ she admitted out loud. ‘We might as well be separated anyway, living in this great house.’
‘I intend to rectify that situation.’ Glittering golden eyes pounced on her, lingered, threatened in a blaze of stormy appraisal. ‘Perhaps when you have a child of your own you’ll feel a little less flighty.’
‘A child of my own?’ All of a sudden, Sarah felt considerably less sleepy, studying him with wide, disbelieving eyes.
‘Why not?’ Alex challenged with dark, lethal cool but a distinct aura of threat about his aggressive stance.
‘I can think of a hundred reasons why not!’ Sarah told him.
‘I can’t think of one. You’re so obsessed with Nicky, it’s unhealthy.’
‘Unhealthy?’
‘For you, the world outside that nursery does not exist,’ Alex drawled harshly.