seen plenty of men eyeing her up. But just because someone fancied her, didn't mean she returned the feelings; it didn't mean she was guilty of anything.
Curiosity mixed with jealousy got the better of him and he opened one of the envelopes, taking care to ease up the flap without tearing it. There were two sheets of heavy, cream paper inside and he slid them out, hesitating before unfolding them. It would be an invasion of privacy to read the contents but there was no way he could stop himself now. He smoothed out the pages and read quickly. The first thing that surprised him was the date; the second, the signature. 'What the hell...'
'Do you think they'll get back together?' Ashling asked sleepily. She was stretched out on their bed beside Tom, who was going over some papers for the next day.
'What?' he asked absently.
'Gus and Dana, do you think they'll get back together?'
'Probably.'
She propped herself up on one arm so she could look at him properly. 'Why?'
He took off his reading glasses and shrugged. 'He's obviously miserable without her.'
'But then why did he leave?'
'God knows.'
'She must have done something really bad to make him walk out like that. Either that or he's found out something about her; something she's kept secret from him.'
Tom grinned at his wife's intentness. 'If you say so, Miss Marple.'
'I'm right, you just wait and see,' she told him, wriggling down in the bed and snuggling up against him. 'Gus isn't the sort of man to leave without a reason.'
'There could be someone else,' Tom mused.
'You know there isn't,' Ashling protested. 'Gus might have been a bit of a playboy in the past, but he's never so much as looked at another woman since he met Dana.'
'And you know this how?' he teased.
She pulled a face. 'I just know.'
'Of course you do.'
'You know I'm right.'
'Yes,' he agreed. 'I would be surprised if he'd found someone else. For a start, I don't think he'd be underhand about it. But why is he being so secretive?'
Ashling shrugged. 'Chivalry? Pride? Embarrassment? Who knows?'
'Not me, that's for sure.'
'He'll tell you when he's good and ready, Tom, and I bet it will make sense to you when he does.'
'What do you mean?'
She shook her head. 'I'm not sure. I just feel there's something not quite right about Dana. Even after six years I don't really feel that I know her that well.'
'She's a private person; there's nothing wrong with that.'
'She's also a very isolated one. Do you remember their wedding? She didn't have one member of her family there.'
'Not all families are like yours,' Tom teased. He'd often joked that when he married Ashling, he'd also married her three sisters as they seemed to spend as much time in his house as he did.
'Yes, but where were her friends?'
'She had friends there,' he protested. 'What about her bridesmaid and flower girl? And then there was the guy who gave her away.'
Ashling shook her head in exasperation. 'You have a lousy memory. Her bridesmaid was that girl Judy, her old schoolfriend. The flower girl was some relation of Gus's and it was her agent who gave her away.'
'Oh, yeah.'
'It was all very weird,' Ashling murmured.
'What's even more weird, Mrs Cleary, is that we're still talking about her,' Tom said, pulling her as close as her bump would allow.
Ashling smiled as she wound her arms around his neck. 'So what are you going to do about it, Mr Cleary?'
Chapter Six
Dana sat in her office, staring out into the garden. She had drunk pot after pot of coffee, finally switching to wine at two. When Iris had insisted on making her a chicken salad, her whole body bristling with disapproval, Dana had suppressed a smile. Iris had never let a drop of alcohol pass her lips and didn't begin to understand why anyone would. She saw drink as the road to ruin, and Dana knew she was finding it hard to sit back and say nothing as the empties started to build up in the bottle bin outside the back door.
Dana was past caring. She found it hard to
Curiosity mixed with jealousy got the better of him and he opened one of the envelopes, taking care to ease up the flap without tearing it. There were two sheets of heavy, cream paper inside and he slid them out, hesitating before unfolding them. It would be an invasion of privacy to read the contents but there was no way he could stop himself now. He smoothed out the pages and read quickly. The first thing that surprised him was the date; the second, the signature. 'What the hell...'
'Do you think they'll get back together?' Ashling asked sleepily. She was stretched out on their bed beside Tom, who was going over some papers for the next day.
'What?' he asked absently.
'Gus and Dana, do you think they'll get back together?'
'Probably.'
She propped herself up on one arm so she could look at him properly. 'Why?'
He took off his reading glasses and shrugged. 'He's obviously miserable without her.'
'But then why did he leave?'
'God knows.'
'She must have done something really bad to make him walk out like that. Either that or he's found out something about her; something she's kept secret from him.'
Tom grinned at his wife's intentness. 'If you say so, Miss Marple.'
'I'm right, you just wait and see,' she told him, wriggling down in the bed and snuggling up against him. 'Gus isn't the sort of man to leave without a reason.'
'There could be someone else,' Tom mused.
'You know there isn't,' Ashling protested. 'Gus might have been a bit of a playboy in the past, but he's never so much as looked at another woman since he met Dana.'
'And you know this how?' he teased.
She pulled a face. 'I just know.'
'Of course you do.'
'You know I'm right.'
'Yes,' he agreed. 'I would be surprised if he'd found someone else. For a start, I don't think he'd be underhand about it. But why is he being so secretive?'
Ashling shrugged. 'Chivalry? Pride? Embarrassment? Who knows?'
'Not me, that's for sure.'
'He'll tell you when he's good and ready, Tom, and I bet it will make sense to you when he does.'
'What do you mean?'
She shook her head. 'I'm not sure. I just feel there's something not quite right about Dana. Even after six years I don't really feel that I know her that well.'
'She's a private person; there's nothing wrong with that.'
'She's also a very isolated one. Do you remember their wedding? She didn't have one member of her family there.'
'Not all families are like yours,' Tom teased. He'd often joked that when he married Ashling, he'd also married her three sisters as they seemed to spend as much time in his house as he did.
'Yes, but where were her friends?'
'She had friends there,' he protested. 'What about her bridesmaid and flower girl? And then there was the guy who gave her away.'
Ashling shook her head in exasperation. 'You have a lousy memory. Her bridesmaid was that girl Judy, her old schoolfriend. The flower girl was some relation of Gus's and it was her agent who gave her away.'
'Oh, yeah.'
'It was all very weird,' Ashling murmured.
'What's even more weird, Mrs Cleary, is that we're still talking about her,' Tom said, pulling her as close as her bump would allow.
Ashling smiled as she wound her arms around his neck. 'So what are you going to do about it, Mr Cleary?'
Chapter Six
Dana sat in her office, staring out into the garden. She had drunk pot after pot of coffee, finally switching to wine at two. When Iris had insisted on making her a chicken salad, her whole body bristling with disapproval, Dana had suppressed a smile. Iris had never let a drop of alcohol pass her lips and didn't begin to understand why anyone would. She saw drink as the road to ruin, and Dana knew she was finding it hard to sit back and say nothing as the empties started to build up in the bottle bin outside the back door.
Dana was past caring. She found it hard to
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