Humanising...
The idea lingered long in Tessa’s mind. She thought over the weekend she had shared with Blaize, remembering how he had relaxed more and more with her. No pressures. No superficialities. No pretences. Just being their true selves. She wondered if it was what had influenced Blaize into asking her to marry him. Maybe his need for her wasn’t just man-and-woman attraction after all. He had spoken of need. Two people needing each other. Exclusively. If that was the case, she did have a chance of making this marriage work. Permanently.
She decided to ring up Sue and ask her advice. As far as Tessa could see Sue had a very good marriage, so her sister ought to have a few clues on how to keep a husband happy.
However, when she called Sue she found her mother had already been on the telephone to her older daughter most of the morning, regaling her with the unbelievable news. So Tessa had to give her version of the latest development in her love life before she could get to the point. Eventually the moment came.
“How do you keep a man happy, Sue?” This was most important to her.
“Simple,” Sue replied. “No difficulty there. Stay happy yourself. If you’re happy, he’ll be happy. He won’t know why he’s happy, but he will be. That’s a fact.”
It certainly seemed to fit yesterday’s experience. She remembered Blaize looked at her as though he didn’t know why he was feeling good. Nevertheless, it seemed too easy. Tessa was doubtful.
“Are you sure that works, Sue?”
“Positive.”
That was reassuring. “Then thanks for the advice, Sue,” Tessa said with sincere appreciation.
“Not advice. Never give it. Statement of fact.”
“Thanks all the same.”
“Pleasure.”
Sue had a lot going for her, Tessa thought. A lot of wisdom. It could be handy for the future. She decided to consult her older sister more frequently.
Tessa put Sue’s policy into immediate practice. That night Blaize took her to meet his parents. Tessa did not let herself become nervous and inhibited. She did not let their obvious wealth intimidate her. She was happy to be with Blaize, happy about their forthcoming marriage, happy to meet his parents—who started looking indulgently at her after a while—and happy that Blaize treated her so lovingly. She was, after all, head over heels in love with him, and she didn’t care who knew it.
It seemed to have a disastrous effect on Blaize’s control. After they made their farewells he drove around the block and made love to her in the car. As always, with Blaize, it was a very interesting and exciting experience. Then he took her to her apartment and made love to her again. Less frantically but with no diminishment of passion.
He was obviously reluctant to leave her, but he forced himself to do so with good grace, merely commenting with heavy irony that he had made a mistake about the wedding. He should have got a special licence. Which assured Tessa that he was still keen about marrying her. Keener than ever.
He took time off on Tuesday morning to take Tessa to his favorite jeweller. None of the rings they were shown satisfied his demanding taste. He commissioned one to be specially designed for Tessa’s hand. It had to be dainty, he said. In the end, he settled for a spray of diamonds in a delicate gold setting. Tessa would have been happy to have any engagement ring, but she was delighted Blaize wanted to give her something that would be uniquely hers. It made her feel she belonged to him and that she was unique to him.
“I’ll take you to my accountant now,” Blaize announced. “He’ll fix up a few things for you.”
“Like what?” Tessa asked.
Blaize looked uncomfortable. “It’s a pro tempore solution. Because I put you out of your job. You’ll need money.”
Tessa frowned at him. “I don’t want your money, Blaize. A good secretary can always get a job. If you don’t want me as your secretary—”
“Tessa...” The dark eyes pleaded for forbearance. “Apart from anything else, there is Rosemary to consider.”
“You could pass her on to Jerry Fraine.”
“That would be a demotion.”
“Promote Jerry then.”
His eyes hardened. “Are you trying to tell me how to run my business?”
She stared back stubbornly. “I want to be your secretary, Blaize.”
He sighed. “I’ll work something out. Meanwhile....”
He left her with his accountant, who took her to a bank, and very shortly Tessa was financially richer than she had ever been in her life. She had a personal account and a housekeeping account and was signed up for a stack of credit cards.
She suddenly had access to an enormous sum of money, more than Tessa had earned in all her working years. Somehow she couldn’t bring herself to argue with the accountant, which was probably why Blaize had left her with him. But she did feel uncomfortable about it. She suspected Blaize was simply determined on getting his own way again.
Her parents, his parents, her resignation from her job, the announcement in the newspaper, the ring, the money... Blaize was tying a lot of bows fast and furiously.
Tessa remembered what Jerry had told her, and how Blaize had gone ahead and taken her anyway, despite the fact she was supposed to be marrying someone else. Maybe Blaize wasn’t as honest as she thought him. Maybe he did whatever was expedient to get his own way. Maybe he was a cad. She recalled his smart answer, “Time’s on my side.”
Blaize Callagan was a complex man.
Tessa needed to get some straight answers.
Sue had invited them to dinner that night—to look Blaize Callagan over for herself—and Blaize called at Tessa’s apartment at six o’clock. He was early, but he said he had nothing else to do. He stretched out on her bed and watched her get ready. He seemed to enjoy watching her, making the odd desultory comment.
It seemed as good a time as any to do a little probing, so Tessa casually asked, “Remember the first time we made love, Blaize?”
He flashed her his dazzling smile. “Vividly.”
For a few moments, Tessa thought nothing else really mattered, as long as she had him. But then the question arose again—how long would she have him for? She wanted answers.
“At the time...” She pushed on, then hesitated, wondering how best to word the question without giving Jerry away.
“Yes?” Blaize prompted.
She projected curiosity into her voice. “Did you know I was going to be married?”
He didn’t lie. “Yes.”