Passionate Choice

Chapter 7.7

   "I'm glad you're not going to do anything hasty, Selena. Do you forgive me for getting you involved? If I'd known what Heather had in mind, I would never have asked you to come and assist me." Ben continued.

   And if Ben hadn't asked me to come over .org him. I wouldn't have met Keith again and be sitting here feeling terribly guilty for having cheated Ben this afternoon, Selena thought.

   "I forgive you," she said slowly, looking down at the ring on her finger again, turning it round and round. She would never part with it, she thought. Even though Keith had been in a bitter humour when he had slipped it on her finger, she would keep it all her life. In remembrance of him and the love she had always felt for him. Oh, if only Keith loved her as she loved him, she would tell Ben now that she didn't want to marry him. Perhaps she would tell him now. She studied him from under her lashes. Why had she agreed to marry him? Why? Because in England at the university, working with him all the time, she had come to believe that she was fond of him. But it was not only that. She had seen an advantage to herself in marriage to him. As his wife, she could make a name for herself as an archeologist. Fame had been the spur, she thought wryly, that had prodded her into agreeing to marry him.

   But why had he proposed to her? What had she to offer him? Very little. Only her intelligence, her ability in recognizing and dating artefacts, her skill at diving taught her by Keith. What else did she have? No fortune, certainly. A well-shaped body, a fairly attractive face. She shuddered suddenly at the thought of being made love to by Ben. And glanced at him again. Was that why he had asked her? Somehow, she didn't think so.

   "Walker has no right to give you that bracelet and ring," Ben spoke suddenly, startling her, and she sat up straight dropping her hands on her lap. "It is part of the treasure and should be declared. Give them to me."

   "No." She leaned back as far as she could in her chair away from him as if she suspected he might reach out, seize the jewellery and drag it off her.

   "Why not?" he demanded. There was a vicious curl to his thin-lipped mouth now and his eyes flared at her.

   "Because I want to keep them," she retorted, glaring back at him.

   "Because he gave them to you, I suppose," he said with a sneer. "Because he was once your lover."

   "Yes, because he was once my lover," she repeated, facing him with dignity, glad it was out now, in the open.

   "I don't understand. I don't understand how you could... could do what you did, live with him in his yacht, sail about with him, be his... his..." He paused, swallowed then forced the word out, "hue mistress. It... it just doesn't fit in with my conception of you. I fell as if I've been really deceived by you in more ways than one."

   "Then you won't want to marry me," she looked at him steadily. "Now you've found out that I'm not the sort of woman you thought I was."

   "Selena, if only I could believe that you don't... I mean, that you and Walker haven't—" he began in a stumbling way, his face contorted by the discomfort he was feeling in having to be frank with her.

   "If only you could be certain I'm not in love with him any more.  Isn't that what you're trying to say?"

   "I suppose I am. You went off with him yesterday afternoon..."

   "Only at Heather's contrivance," she put in quickly.

   "And then today you've been alone with him for several hours during which time he gave you those," he gestured towards the bracelet and ring.

   "And so you can't help being suspicious," she accused him. "Well, that's enough for me. I don't want to marry a man who is going to be suspicious of me all the time. I think we'd better retract from that promise we made to each other before we left England, Ben. Perhaps we were too hasty in making a commitment. Perhaps some tune apart from each other would be good for us. After all we have been working closely together for the last three years..."

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