He put down his coffee cup with more force than he intended.
If only it could be different.
His mouth hardened as he stared into the bright blue of her eyes.
It could never be different.
That night they lay on opposite sides of the bed, the heavy silence indicating that neither was asleep, though neither of them spoke. His sleep was fractured, his disturbing dreams forgotten on waking—leaving him with a heavy headache which he couldn’t seem to shift.
He was just sliding his cell phone into his jacket pocket when he walked into the sitting room to find Leila looking at his passport, which he’d left lying on the table.
‘That’s a very sombre photo,’ she commented.
‘You aren’t supposed to smile in passport photos.’
Leila found herself thinking that he wouldn’t have much of a problem with that. That unless the situation demanded it, his natural demeanour was unsmiling. Those chiselled cheekbones and cold eyes lent themselves perfectly to an implacable facade.
She glanced down at his birth date and her heart gave a funny little twist as she glanced back up at him. ‘Will you phone me?’
‘Of course.’ He took the passport from her and brushed his mouth over hers in a brief farewell kiss. ‘And I’ll be back on Sunday. Keep safe.’
But after he’d gone, all the energy seemed to drain from her. Leila sat down on the sofa and stared into space, her heart thumping like someone who had just run up an entire flight of stairs without stopping. The date on his passport was March fifteenth—the Ides of March. She knew that date. Of course she did. Wasn’t it etched firmly in her mind as heralding the biggest change in her life?
She shook her head, telling herself not to be so stupid. It was a coincidence. Of course it was.
Over the next few days, she was grateful to be able to lose herself in the distraction of work—glad that its busy structure gave her little time to dwell on the uncomfortable thoughts which were building like storm clouds in her mind. Alastair McDavid announced that Zeitgeist had just landed a big contract to advertise a nationwide chain of luxury hotels and spas. And since spa clientele consisted mainly of women, it was in everyone’s interest to use a female photographer.
‘And we’d like to use you, Leila,’ he told her with a smile.
Leila was determined not to let him down and the excitement of planning her first solo assignment was almost enough to quell the disquiet which was still niggling away inside her. Almost, but not quite.
Sunday arrived and Gabe texted to say that he was just about to catch his plane. She wished she was in a position to collect him from the airport, but she still hadn’t learnt to drive. She had allowed her husband and his chauffeur to ferry her everywhere. It had been all too easy to lean on Gabe—and if she wasn’t careful that could get to be a lasting habit.
Because for the first time she was beginning to acknowledge the very real fear that this marriage seemed destined to fail.
She remembered his cold rebuke about her general untidiness, yet she hadn’t even factored in what the presence of a tiny baby was going to do to Gabe Steel’s ordered existence. What if he hated having a screaming infant in his slick, urban apartment? Wouldn’t he get irritated if she went off sex, as she’d been told that new mothers sometimes did?
Her distraction grew as she showered and washed her hair, then picked out a long tunic dress in palest blue silk, which she’d brought with her from Qurhah. She didn’t question why she had chosen to wear that particular tunic on that particular day. All she knew was that it covered her body from neck to ankle and she wondered if she was seeking comfort in the familiar.
She pinned her hair into a simple up do and made tea while she tried not to feel as if she was waiting. But she was waiting. Waiting for some sort of answer to a question she wasn’t sure she wanted to ask.
What was it that they said in Qurhah? That if you disturbed a nest of vipers, then you should expect to get bitten.
She heard the click of the front door opening and the sound of Gabe closing it again. He didn’t call her name, but his footsteps echoed on the polished wooden floor as they approached, and her heart began to race as he walked into the room.
For a moment he stood very still and then he came over and kissed her, but she pulled away.
‘How’s Leila?’ he questioned, his eyes narrowing as they stared into her face.
‘I’m fine,’ she said brightly. ‘Shall I make some coffee?’
‘I had some on the plane. Any more coffee and I’ll be wired for a week.’ He glanced down at the stack of unopened mail which was waiting for him before looking up again. ‘So what’s been happening while I’ve been away?’