Second Best Wife Read online

  Second Best Wife

  By

  Rachel Lindsay

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  SECOND BEST WIFE

  Because the woman he loved refused to marry him, Adam Lester had married his secretary, Julia Gosford, who had just been jilted—and despite the cold-bloodedness of the arrangement Julia soon realised she had fallen in love with her new husband. But Adam, she saw sadly, was too busy regretting his lost love to see the love that was his for the taking…

  Books you will enjoy by RACHEL LINDSAY

  UNTOUCHED WIFE

  To save Marcos Santana from virtual ruin, Sharley had agreed to become his wife—in name only. But this also involved going to live with him for a time at his home in Portugal—and from there it was only a short step to falling in love with him. And then Sharley met Teresa, the girl Marcos should really have married…

  MAN OF ICE

  Abby's holiday in India took an unexpected turn when kindly Miss Bateman offered her a job as companion/secretary. Abby was only too happy to accept—but in so doing brought on herself the contempt and suspicion of Miss Bateman's dour nephew Giles Farrow. But why should Abby care what Giles thought of her?

  First published 1982

  This edition 1982

  © Rachel Lindsay 1982

  ISBN 0 263 73917 1

  CHAPTER ONE

  Julia Gosford slipped the cover on to her typewriter and then swivelled her chair towards the window to look twenty floors down into the street. The traffic had already built up considerably and she knew if she were to leave now she would be caught in the thick of the rush hour. She turned back to her desk with a sigh, half wishing she had taken Adam Lester's advice and gone home when she had finished his personal mail. Yet she was always reluctant to leave the office early, in case he returned with more work.

  Pushing back her chair, she stood up and stretched, stopping abruptly as the door swung open and Adam Lester came in. He was a tall, spare man with dark hair and eyes, broad of shoulder and exuding a commanding vitality that never left him no matter how tired he was. He was obviously very tired now, and he looked at Julia with such a blank expression that she knew instantly his thoughts were miles away. Well, not so many miles, she decided wryly, guessing they were with Erica Dukes, the woman who had held him enthralled for the past year.

  It was a liaison Julia deplored, not only because the woman was the third wife of Kenneth Dukes, a self-made millionaire of gutsy character and brash behaviour, but because she was a hard and determined go-getter, who seemed to display little loyalty to anything other than money. Adam Lester could not help but know it, yet it apparently served as no warning to him. But then why should it? In every relationship he had had since Julia had started working for him, he had always been the one to walk away first. Yet with Erica Dukes it might be a different story. Julia gave herself a mental shake. What her employer did in his private life was no concern of hers. She was the three wise monkeys rolled into one: seeing, hearing and speaking no evil—though perhaps for the word evil, she should substitute mischief.

  'Is anything the matter, Mr Lester?' she asked, her voice soft and melodious.

  'What?' With an effort he focussed on her. 'Yes, there is. Mrs Dukes' husband died an hour ago, of a heart attack.'

  'Oh dear.' It was a feeble response, but Julia could think of no other. 'He wasn't very young, was he?' she added after a pause. 'But I suppose it's always a shock when it happens.'

  'Yes.' He frowned. 'Erica—Mrs Dukes—is completely alone. I can't see her stepchildren being any comfort to her.'

  Julia hesitated, then curiosity overcame her discretion. 'Where did Mr Dukes die?' she asked slowly.

  'At his house in the country. I've come back for some papers and I'm driving Mrs Dukes to Maidenhead this evening.'

  'Will you be in tomorrow morning?'

  'Of course. Why not?'

  'I… er… I thought with the funeral… the arrangements…'

  'It isn't my affair,' Adam Lester said coolly. 'His children are old enough to deal with it. My only concern is with Mrs Dukes.'

  Who was definitely his affair, Julia added to herself, watching her employer stride into his office and dump a wadge of papers into his briefcase. Holding it under his arm, he came back into the outer office. He was still frowning, his brows lowered over his dark eyes, making their expression difficult to read.

  'I promised Mrs Dukes I'd tell her friends what happened. But once I start on the phone, I'll never get off. It'll save me a hell of a lot of time if you'd do it for me.'

  'Of course. Do you have a list?'

  'No. But call all the people in my private address book—except my own family, of course.'

  'I'll do it right away.'

  With a nod of thanks he walked out.

  Julia went into his office for his personal address book and then settled down to make the calls. It took more than an hour to contact everyone she thought necessary. Her employer had a large circle of friends—many of them also his business associates—and she had often wondered if he saw them socially because he liked their company, or because they were useful to his career. Yet he was now an international lawyer of world repute, and no longer required friends to bring him new clients, being kept so busy by multi-national corporations that his schedule was fully booked for the next eighteen months. But old habits tended to die hard, and Adam Lester was still inclined to socialise with the people he represented. This frequently meant late nights, entertaining or being entertained, and he would often come into the office heavy-eyed and short-tempered.

  As she replaced the receiver after her last call, Julia could not help wondering what difference Kenneth Dukes' death could make to her employer's life. Would he marry the beautiful Erica or would she go on being his mistress? Somehow Julia could not see the marriage as a lasting success, but then she was prejudiced against the ice-cool blonde who always treated her with bare civility whenever she called Adam on the telephone or came—on rare occasions—to the office. Still, the one good thing that might come out of such a marriage was a lessening of his work load. With a wife at home, he would have less incentive to take legal briefs to bed.

  With a faint smile Julia opened her desk drawer and took out her bag. She was .meeting Roy at seven-thirty and unless she hurried she would be late. The thought of Roy filled her with warmth, and she marvelled that it was only three months since they had met. In that short time he had become such a permanent part of her life it was difficult to remember what it had been like without him. Realising it was too late for her to go home and change, she hurried across the corridor to the cloakroom to tidy. Roy hated to be kept waiting; something which was guaranteed to put him in a bad mood for the rest of the evening.

  'You're much too conscientious,' he had said to her not so long ago. 'I hope Mr Lester appreciates you.'

  'I don't work hard to win appreciation,' she had replied. 'I do it because it's necessary.'

  Her calmness had quashed his irritability, but since then she had made a point of being on time when they had a date for the evening. It was strange that Roy should object to her conscientiousness when he was exactly the same. But perhaps he thought it was different for women. To him they were creatures to be cherished and cosseted, and he expected them, in turn, to treat him with equal deference. It was the only subject on which they did not see eye to eye, for Julia considered herself completely emanci
pated. Indeed, she had reached the stage where she was no longer even conscious of it, taking it for granted that women had equal status with men. But Roy did not accept this. They had had several arguments on the subject, and Julia had soon learned it was best to hold her tongue, convinced that in time Roy would become less dogmatic. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was ten minutes past seven. Hurriedly she powdered her nose, ran a comb through her thick auburn hair and headed for the elevator.

  She arrived at St James' Street with five minutes to spare, and stood, as arranged, on the north corner watching out for Roy's car. Within moments she saw it coming towards her, as pristine in appearance as its owner. Come to think of it, she had never seen Roy casually dressed or even the least bit untidy.

  The car stopped and he leaned across and opened the door.

  'You look happy,' he smiled, as she got in beside him. 'Been waiting long?' 'Only a minute.'

  'Good.' Roy turned into St James' Street and headed towards an empty parking space. 'We can eat first if we hurry—unless you'd prefer to wait until after the show?' 'I'm easy. Afterwards, perhaps?' 'Are you sure you won't be hungry?' She shook her head. 'I had some cake with my tea. I shouldn't have really. It's bad for the figure.'

  Roy looked her up and down as he locked the car. 'There's nothing wrong with your figure, Julia. If anything, it's too perfect.'

  'Too perfect?' She was puzzled, and showed it. 'It attracts men,' he said seriously, 'and I don't like it.'

  'Oh, Roy,' Julia was delighted, 'don't tell me you're jealous!'

  'You know I am.' His calm voice was unexpectedly jerky. 'If I had my way, I'd hide you beneath a black veil.'

  'You're in the wrong country,' she teased. 'Women aren't in purdah here.' 'More's the pity.'

  Roy caught her under the elbow and they began to walk. At five feet eight inches, he was only slightly taller than herself, and she never wore high heels when she went out with him. Roy liked to feel he was a big man, a conceit to which she pandered. Height apart, she found him good-looking, though in an understated way, with pale skin that flushed easily, light brown eyes and sleekly brushed hair of the same colour. At their first meeting she had assumed him to be a lawyer or an accountant, and since he was an actuary, she had not been far out.

  'I've had an excellent day,' he said, breaking into her thoughts. 'Mr Phillips was very complimentary about my report on the Calgary Oil boom.'

  'Does that mean he may offer you the job in Canada?'

  'He already has—this morning.'

  'Roy!' Julia stopped walking and looked him fully in the face. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

  'I'm doing it now.'

  'I mean right away, when you first saw me?'

  'Actually I was keeping it to tell you at dinner.'

  Julia felt her cheeks grow pink, wondering whether Roy had planned, at the same time, to ask her to marry him. The thought frightened her—surprisingly so, since she had been dreaming about it for the past month.

  'Mr Phillips wants me to leave immediately,' Roy continued.

  'What do you mean by immediately?'

  'As soon as I get clearance from Canada House. That should be some time next week.'

  'Next week? But how can you go so soon? Don't you have things to clear up here?'

  'Nothing that can't be done by the man who takes over from me.' Roy had resumed walking and Julia kept pace with him. 'Practically everything's arranged,' he added. 'I've even got one of the chaps in the office to take over the lease of my flat, and he's willing to buy all the contents too. I'll have the use of the company flat in Toronto until I decide exactly where I want to live, so there won't be any problems. It's merely a question of getting things organised.'

  'You're very good at that,' Julia said automatically, mulling his words over in her mind and trying to find some hint that he intended asking her to go with him. But if he did, surely he wouldn't expect her to leave at a week's notice? 'I'd never be able to clear things up as fast as you,' she added.

  'That's because you're a woman.' A smile softened his comment. 'They're hoarders by nature, and want to take everything with them. If you were in my shoes, it would probably take you months to get ready.'

  'Not months,' she corrected. 'But certainly several weeks. Still, the question doesn't arise, does it?' she said lightly. 'I can't see myself moving anywhere in the near future.'

  This time it was Roy who stopped, and his grip on her arm tightened. 'I have to get settled first, Julia. It will be an entirely new life for me, even though it's with the same company. But I'll be working with a new boss, a foreigner, and I have to feel my way.' 'Canadians aren't foreigners.'

  'To me they are. But once I'm settled, I shall want a home and a wife. You know what I'm trying to say, don't you?'

  'I think so. But I'd like you to actually say it.' He smiled faintly. 'I love you, Julia. I thought I'd made it pretty obvious.'

  'Not all that obvious,' she smiled back. 'What more could I have done? I've seen you three times a week for the past three months,' he said, as if quoting statistics. 'You're not the sort of girl I envisaged marrying, but…' He coloured as he saw her surprised expression. 'What I mean is that you're too beautiful. I know it's hard for you to understand this, but I dislike being made to feel jealous of you. And I am. Extremely jealous.'

  'I'm glad,' Julia said softly, and leaned towards him.

  He caught her hand and squeezed it tightly. 'As soon as I've settled in Toronto, I'll arrange for you to come out.'

  'What for?'

  'What for?' He was astonished. 'To marry me, of course.'

  'You haven't asked me yet, Roy.'

  'Oh, darling, I'm sorry.' He was contrite. 'How stupid I am! Will you please marry me?'

  'Most definitely,' Julia smiled, and ignoring a group of approaching people, moved close against him, hoping he would kiss her. But he only gave her a brief hug before pushing her away. Then thinking better of it, he put an arm around her slender waist and kissed her hard on the mouth. Julia instantly clasped his shoulders, wanting his kiss to deepen, but Roy drew back.

  'Not here, Julia. What will people think?' 'I couldn't care less,' she laughed. 'It's not every day I get a proposal of marriage. Oh, Roy, stop being so inhibited!'

  'I can't help it. That's the way I am. I'm a solemn stick, Julia, and I can't change. If you have any doubts—'

  'Don't be silly,' she interrupted. 'I know we don't agree on lots of things, but as long as we have the same basic principles, our differences won't matter.'

  'I hope not,' Roy said solemnly. 'There'll be certain adjustments you'll have to make, but if you're willing, there shouldn't be any problems.'

  Julia was curious as to what sort of adjustments he meant, but they had reached the cinema and she had no chance to ask him. Yet the question remained with her, making it difficult for her to concentrate on the film. How inconsequential fiction was compared with the reality of her own life! What would it be like to be married to Roy? She wouldn't have the adventurous life she had always hoped for; it would be a far more serious affair—possibly even mundane. Oh, heavens, she thought guiltily, why am I thinking this way? What did it matter if Roy was a little too serious and conservative? At least he would never be unfaithful to her. Once he had pledged his loyalty to a wife, he would forsake all other women.

  And that was the most important thing for her to know. Acknowledging this, Julia realised how deeply she had been affected by her parents' marriage. As a child, she had assumed them to be happy. But later she had realised that her father, who had been exceptionally handsome and charming, had been totally incapable of remaining faithful to any woman; adding this to his extravagant tastes and inaptitude for work, one had a recipe for a deeply unhappy marriage. By the time Julia was sixteen, her father had left and returned home at least half a dozen times, and with each departure and reconciliation, Julia's mother had aged more. Only in the last years of his life had Jack Gosford stopped roving, a situation brought on more by failing
health than any change of character. Even so, his death in a car accident when Julia was twenty had so shattered his wife that she had died three months later.

  Because of her father, Julia had vowed to steer clear of fickle charmers, determined that the man of her choice would be, above all, reliable. And Roy indisputably was. Stability was the one characteristic which had most attracted her to him. Of course his pomposity could be irritating at times, but this was nothing compared with fecklessness and infidelity.

  Later that evening, when he kissed her goodnight outside her flat, Roy held her with a firmness that delighted her, displaying a passion that took her by surprise.

  'You won't go out with anyone else while I'm away, will you?' he demanded. 'Promise me, Julia.'

  'Do you have to ask?' she said reproachfully. 'I wouldn't put that sort of question to you.'

  'Because you know it isn't necessary. But you're so beautiful. A man only has to look at you to want you.'

  'You talk as if I'm some kind of temptress,' she said.

  'You are, but it's something you can't help.'

  Although flattered by his comment, Julia found it disquieting. She had never given Roy cause for anxiety, and wondered if it stemmed from something deeper than jealousy. He wanted her, yet he seemed ashamed of his desire: that was why he resented her beauty.

  'It's your colouring and your figure,' he went on. 'You attract attention, Julia, even though you don't want to do it.'

  'Then don't blame me for it.'

  'I'm not. I just wish you wouldn't wear make-up, and could change your hairstyle.' 'Would you like me to wear glasses and a veil?' Realising he had said the wrong thing, Roy flushed unhappily. 'I'm sorry, dear. I'm talking like a fool.'

  'Like a man in love, rather,' Julia said quietly, regretting her sarcasm. 'Love me as I am, Roy. The me that's inside the glossy package.'