Convenience

Part 59

When Beatrice said nothing David smiled gingerly as confidence returned. Sincere, he said, "Beatrice, sorry." David kept his smile, but it was a lower watt. Time to talk. Starting that conversation. He said gently, "Just come back to the office." It was a statement rather than a question. He spent a few moments studying Beatrice.

Her eyebrow winged its way to her hairline. Eyes blazed. Her mouth held an exasperated slant. Beatrice's cheeks were still flushed. She was furious.

He called her childish? Fuming. Childish? It took Beatrice a lot of time to bank her fury. She fumed some more. Couldn't get her feelings sorted or marshalled her thoughts. Infuriated, irritated, bothered. She eventually she said with a wobble, "Childish?"

David flinched. His earlier words just formed and escaped. He shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry. I didn't mean that." David's smile vanished. His eyes narrowed. He stated bluntly, met and held eye contact, "Look, Beatrice, can we talk about this, see if ..."

Beatrice cut across his words to demand, "Did your solicitor really have an emergency to sort out?" Her cool façade were not to last long. Now that she had a moment to think she was starting to wonder whether this planned meeting was nothing more than a ruse. Her temper had stopped her thinking, until now. She glared. She saw his frown.

David delayed the inevitable. David didn't say anything. Ok, he accepted in his mind that he had made a mistake. A huge mistake: Setting up this meeting, rescheduled the meeting, and lying about it. He kept get it wrong! Another opportunity blown.

Beatrice glowered, restated her question, "Did your solicitor really have an emergency to sort out?" She was barely holding onto her temper. Her skin was flushed with temper.

He could see she was not enjoying being kept waiting. So he went for the straight-reply. Bluntly. "Yes." David jammed his hands in his pockets. Albeit, the emergency was one he had constructed. He had just pushed her buttons, again. And landed him in even more strife.

His one word reply nearly had Beatrice snapping at him in fury. But she kept her poise. She was furious with herself and with him. "Is Mr Hartnell, my solicitor showing up at two?" She frowned at him. "Or was that a fabrication?" She inquired as she swallowed. She'd spoken briefly to her solicitor yesterday. He was going to be here today, or so Beatrice had thought. Until a few moments ago when it dawned on her that she ought to revisit all of her assumptions.

In the time that he had spend with her, since he asked for a divorce, he had gone from tactic A, blunt when he wanted that divorce; to tactic B, charm, when he wanted her to remain his wife; and now, he was on tactic C, honesty, because he wanted his relationship with his wife to be authentic. Their relationship needed to be genuine: based on honest, openness, and trust. If he wanted her to trust him, he had to start being honest. Even if it meant she would be cross with him. Of course, it leaves him vulnerable. He stifled a groan.

He knew he had to do this, and knew it would be difficult. David owned up. "A lie." He had no qualms in telling her, given the fact he was on an honesty roll! "I had my secretary phone him to cancel when you arrived, due to that emergency at work." He had no intention of letting her ignore what was going on between them.

"I see." Beatrice's voice became nothing more than a whisper. She prayed for the nerve to remain calm. She had been played. So easily, played. Misery and humiliation. She mumbled quietly to herself. "Arrogant bastard." She blew out an angry breath. There was no way she would leave herself that vulnerable with this man, ever! She took a step away. She scrambled away without even giving him another look. Quietly she glumly conceded defeat.

David heard her. But he ignored that. He looked worried. Perhaps, being so honest wasn't probably the best approach. He ran his fingers around the back of his neck. "Shall we head back..."

Beatrice tipped her head back and yelled one word. "No." Her poise vanished. She pulled herself together. Frustrated. Before she could give in to temptation to scream at him! She didn't wait for him to challenge her.

Her yelling at him, in the street, surprised David. She left him standing there to face curious stares.