The Deserving Mistress. Carole Mortimer

offered her. But, for reasons she had no intention of telling him—or, indeed, anyone else—the whole thing was simply impossible.

      But she had kept her promise to telephone David at his sister’s earlier today, had repeated what she had told him in London a couple of weeks ago, and again yesterday evening, only to have him ask her to come out to dinner with him this evening. No pressure, he had assured her as she’d hesitated, just a friendly dinner together, when he wouldn’t even mention the film role if she would rather he didn’t.

      It had been too tempting an offer for her to refuse, David extremely handsome as well as being a charmingly interesting man. And with the added incentive not to mention the film role…

      And now she had been the one to introduce the subject…!

      Primarily because she felt so guilty about the time David had taken to give her the screen test a couple of weeks ago—only to have her turn down his offer after that test had proved successful.

      To be offered a film role, on the basis of one performance in a local pantomime, was the stuff that actresses’ dreams were made of, and May knew that David must wonder at her sanity for having turned down such an offer.

      ‘Does your reluctance concerning playing the role of Stella have anything to do with the man I met last night?’ David prompted lightly, looking at her over the top of his glass as he took a sip of the white wine he had ordered for them both as a pre-dinner drink.

      ‘The man you— Oh.’ May grimaced as she realised exactly whom he was talking about. ‘No,’ she assured him with a firm shake of her head. ‘Jude is a total irrelevance to this situation— What’s so funny?’ she prompted with a puzzled frown as he gave a husky chuckle.

      He gave a rueful shake of his head. ‘I doubt that particular man has ever considered himself an irrelevance in any situation!’ he explained dryly.

      May smiled at what she was sure was an accurate observation where Jude Marshall was concerned. ‘No, I’m sure that he hasn’t,’ she agreed. ‘But in this case, he is,’ she insisted firmly.

      David gave her a puzzled glance. ‘Who is he, exactly?’

      She knew what he was—exactly! Jude Marshall was a sneaky opportunist, a man who had taken advantage of her extreme tiredness the evening before; more importantly—he was trying to buy their farm out from under them.

      ‘No one of any importance,’ she dismissed hardly, remembering all too clearly that Jude had kissed her yesterday evening. Worse—she remembered that she had kissed him back.

      She had been too surprised initially to do anything but stand in shocked immobility in Jude’s arms, but, once the shock had worn off, instead of pushing him away, as she should have done, she had responded. That was something she wasn’t about to forgive him for in a hurry!

      ‘I’m glad to hear it.’ But David still didn’t look totally convinced by her dismissal of Jude.

      Time to change the subject, May decided—in fact, it was past time! ‘Are you staying in the area long?’

      David shrugged. ‘Another couple of days or so, I think. May—’ he sat forward, his gaze suddenly intense ‘—there’s someone I would like you to meet while I’m here.’

      Her eyes widened. ‘There is?’ As far as she was aware, the only people that David knew in the area were her and his sister’s family, and surely he didn’t want to introduce her to them?

      She found him good company, had enjoyed the time they’d spent together when she’d gone to London for her screen test a couple of weeks ago, but this was the first time the two of them had gone out on anything resembling a social basis…

      ‘Yes.’ He was still watching her intently. ‘You see—’

      ‘Well, well, well, so you don’t spend all your time milking cows and feeding hens, after all,’ an all-too-familiar voice drawled mockingly.

      May closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath before answering; Jude Marshall was positively the last person she had wanted to meet this evening. Well…maybe not the last person, she conceded frowningly, but he came pretty close.

      ‘Mr Marshall,’ she greeted wearily, deliberately keeping her expression noncommittal as she looked up at him.

      Which wasn’t easy when he looked so devastatingly attractive!

      She had thought David handsome in his dark suit and blue shirt when they’d met in the foyer of the hotel earlier, but Jude Marshall in a dinner suit was something else; his shoulders were wide, his waist tapered, his legs long and lean, the snowy white of his shirt emphasising the golden tan of his face and hands, those grey eyes appearing almost silver against that tanned skin.

      May straightened determinedly. She was not going to sit here like some gauche schoolgirl overwhelmed by a handsome, sophisticated man. Even if that was how she felt…

      ‘Or wearing wellington boots and woollen hats,’ she returned dismissively, knowing that she at least looked presentable this evening.

      Jude’s gaze swept assessingly over her appearance, grey eyes narrowed as he took in her newly washed hair as it swayed silkily over her shoulders, her dark green dress shimmering against her slender curves to reveal the silky length of her legs.

      His gaze returned deliberately to her face. ‘Obviously not,’ he drawled before turning slowly to look at the man who sat with her. ‘I don’t believe we’ve been introduced…?’ He raised dark brows pointedly.

      Other than behaving as rudely to Jude as he had to him the previous evening, May knew that David had no choice but to stand up and introduce himself.

      ‘David Melton.’ He held out his hand politely.

      ‘Jude Marshall,’ Jude returned as economically, an edge of mockery to his voice as he looked at the other man assessingly. ‘Melton…?’ he repeated slowly. ‘Now where have I—?’

      ‘I believe our table is ready, David,’ May cut in forcefully even as she rose gracefully to her feet, having noticed the waiter hovering around in the background trying to attract their attention. ‘If you’ll excuse us, Jude…’ she added decisively, green gaze challenging on his.

      He returned that gaze steadily for several long seconds, and then his gaze slowly dropped down the slender length of her body. By the time his gaze returned to her face, May could feel the heated wings of colour in her cheeks.

      As well as a slight trembling of her limbs, and a shortness of breath, as if she had been running…

      ‘You’re dining at the hotel?’ he prompted sharply.

      May suffered a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. It had never occurred to her, when David had asked her to join him here for dinner, that, being the best hotel in the area, this was probably the hotel Jude Marshall was staying at. But it occurred to her now.

      It also occurred to her, from the way he was dressed, that Jude Marshall was dining here, too. And not alone, if the formality of the dinner suit was anything to go by.

      ‘Obviously.’ She eyed him challengingly. ‘And you?’

      ‘Obviously,’ he returned dryly. ‘I’m just waiting for my dining companion,’ he confirmed lazily. ‘Perhaps the four of us could get together for a drink after we’ve eaten?’ Dark brows rose challengingly over those mocking grey eyes.

      And perhaps they couldn’t! She was here with David, and it was pretty obvious that Jude’s dining companion was going to be a beautiful woman; the last thing she wanted was to sit and have a drink with the pair of them at the end of the evening. It would probably choke her.

      ‘I don’t think so—thank you,’ she added belatedly. ‘Some of us have to get up early in the morning,’ she added pointedly.

      ‘Thanks for the offer, anyway,’ David cut in cheerfully before the other man could come back