BREAKING POINT

She bit her lip. She must control herself somehow.. Try to think things out. Perhaps the girl in white was just a friend. Jeremy must have had a number of girlfriends before he met her. It was unreasonable to expect him to give up all of them just because he was engaged. That was the sort of tie he hated…

A ray of hope entered Penny’s mind. She tried feverishly to enlarge upon it to convince herself that this all meant nothing. Obviously, Jeremy would not want to dine alone. It was stupid of her not to have thought of that. She knew he hated being by himself so he would never spend a solitary evening at the Savoy. And the girl? She was probably the wife or girlfriend of some friend of his… In town for the night. Maybe she had called Jeremy, and he knowing his Penny was not returning until the next day, would have welcomed the opportunity of a companion. If only she had joined them at the table instead of running away in that absurdly childish fashion, he would no doubt have introduced her to his friend and been happy for her to join them.

Two is company, three is a crowd! No, that was just one of her aunt’s Ann’s sayings. The girl was really very nice… Just a platonic friend who was fond of Jeremy… A girl who made him laugh.

Penny bent her head so that her burning forehead rested against the coldness of her palms. Her eyes were hot and swollen after so much crying. She knew that she must look ghastly but could not bring herself to go to the mirror and confirm it. Anyway it did not matter because Jeremy was staying at the club and would not be back to see her face all red and puffy like this. He would not see her until tomorrow evening when she would make herself beautiful for him again. He would never know she had come to surprise him at the Savoy. She would wait for him to tell her about it himself tonight. Of course he would. It was quite innocent. Then she would tell him about the baby.

Partially comforted, Penny dragged off her dress and sponged her face in cold water. She took a bottle of aspirin from the bathroom cupboard and swallowed the tables with a glass of water. At last, physically and mentally exhausted, she fell into bed and gave way completely to the overwhelming tide of fatigue.

———————-

Jeremy closed the door behind him and gathering Penny into his arms, he kissed her with passion. Yet Penny hated herself for the instant suspicion that his kiss lacked something. She steeled herself to return it.

“How’s my sweetie?” he asked, following her into the sitting room

Penny busied herself by pouring him a drink.

“Oh quite all right now” she said, her back towards him. “I came back last night actually” she added.

“Last night? But I thought…”

“I know. I changed my mind” she said before he could finish.

Will he tell me now? Is he going to talk about her? She wondered.

“But Penny, why didn’t you tell me?” Jeremy asked. “even when I called you back last night, you didn’t say anything”

Penny turned and handed him the whiskey. His face showed no concern… Only surprise

“Well, when I called you didn’t pick up, and when you finally called me back late at night, I was already in bed. I also called your office, there told me you were out”

“Oh yes I did go out” he said.

Now Jeremy. Tell me. Tell me. Please God make him tell me. She prayed within her.

“What time did you call the office?” Jeremy asked.

“Oh, about six” she replied.

“Who did you speak to?”

“Your assistant. She said you had just gone out”Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Oh” came his reply.

Was there relief in that word? Was he afraid she might have found out?

The ensuing silence hung between them like a thin, brittle thread. Penny realized she must be the one to break it.

“Where did you go, darling?” she asked.

“The Savoy” Jeremy replied, leaning back and lighting a cigarette.

“Was it fun? Who did you go with?” she persisted.

Oh darling. Tell me. Tell me about her.

“Quite fun” Jeremy said, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air. “I went with an old friend of my father actually”

Old. She wasn’t old. I can’t bear this. Jeremy, you must tell me.

“Anyone I know?”

“Good heavens, Penny. What an inquisitive little bitch you are” Jeremy said.

“Jeremy!”

She turned on him anger, hurt pride, withdrawal written in every line of her face.

“Oh don’t be so dammed pure” Jeremy said with an unsuccessful attempt at a laugh. “It is only a figure of speech”

“Then kindly don’t use your figures of speech on me” Penny flared. “I refuse to be called a bitch”

Jeremy knew that he had gone too far. He rose with easy grace and sauntered across the room.

He will try and kiss me. I won’t let him. I won’t let him touch me, Penny thought.

Penny moved away as he reached out his arms.

“Oh for goodness sake, Penny. What is the matter?” Jeremy asked.

Everything. Everything! But aloud she said. “I think you owe me an apology, Jeremy”

“All right darling, I’m sorry” he said, concealing the look of amusement in his eyes. “Now come and sit down beside me and tell me all about yourself. I have been worried stiff with you being ill and all by yourself down in Cornwall”

“I wasn’t by myself. I had Audrey and Joey to look after me” Penny replied

But she allowed Jeremy to lead her to the sofa and put his arm around her shoulders. She felt the warmth of it through the thickness of his clothes… The soft wool of her dress. It was so long.. So dreadfully long since she had felt those arms around her.

“Did you miss me?” Jeremy asked her

“Of course” she replied.

Jeremy looked down at her, faint humor in his eyes.

“You don’t sound as if you did. You haven’t fallen in love with that frightful sop, Joey?”

She flung away from him immediately.

“You are being rude again, Jeremy” she said, her voice cold. “Joey has been wonderfully good to me, both as a friend and a doctor and he is not a sop”