1848453051 by Linda Kavanagh Read Free Book Online Page A

daily routine. Every workday afternoon, Alan would leave his office for a late lunch, and they’d make love in her bedroom for most of the afternoon. They simply couldn’t get enough of each other.
    But Ellie became more and more jealous of the woman who wore Alan’s wedding ring. And she became increasingly unhappy about his vague promises to leave his wife and young son when the time was right.
    ‘Look, love – my wife’s father’s money is the only reason that I still have the factory,’ Alan assured her as they lay in bed one afternoon. ‘If I divorce her now, her father will pull the plug and I’ll lose everything.’ He looked at her tenderly. ‘Then I won’t be able to pay your bills either. We just have to wait until the market’s more stable – then it won’t matter if they withdraw their capital. I’ll be able to keep the business afloat on my own by then. Just have patience, love – please.’
    Ellie sighed, laying her head on his shoulder. She didn’t have any other choice – he meant everything to her, and she’d wait as he asked. After all, she was lucky to have someone who truly loved her, even if that love couldn’t be publicly acknowledged yet.
    But Alan had a surprise for her. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he took out a little box and presented her with a thick, stylish gold band inset with a huge diamond. On the inside there was an inscription: ‘Alan and Ellie forever ‘.
    ‘Now you’re my secret wife,’ he told her, sliding off her old wedding ring and slipping on the new. ‘This ring can be an engagement and wedding ring combined. I doubt if anyone else will notice the difference – but you and I will know what it signifies.’
    Ellie gazed at the ring, her heart full of love for him. ‘Of course people will notice – this ring is gorgeous! Thank you, my love – wearing your ring will mean so much to me,’ she whispered fervently, raising her lips for his kiss. The ring made her feel a lot more confident about waiting for him now. As she gazed at her left hand, moving it about to let the large diamond catch the light, it seemed to confirm the intensity of their love. Some day soon he truly would be hers.
    She did feel guilty about Alan’s wife, and for that reason she always kept her distance when she saw her in the nearby village, wheeling her young son in his buggy. Sylvia had tried several times to engage her in casual conversation – usually about the weather – but Ellie always made an excuse to get away. It was obvious that Sylvia was just trying to be neighbourly, but Ellie didn’t want to be forced into an introduction. Nor did she want to acknowledge Alan’s child, since the boy would only remind her that another woman had been able to give him something she never could.
    Besides, she wanted to keep their own little world separate and private. She didn’t want to be part of this other life that Alan lived. In a way, she feared that acknowledging the contrasting circumstances between his other life and hers might make her bitter. Although they only lived within half a mile of each other, his wife and family lived in a world of opulence compared to hers – no doubt they had crystal chandeliers in their drawing room and two cars in the garage. They dined in expensive restaurants and attended gala dinners. Although she knew he hated every minute of these events, she longed to be the woman by his side, greeting the mayor, dressed in the latest fashions and having all the other women envy her. Nevertheless, after these events, he’d hurry back to her little house as often as he could and she’d take him in her arms and make everything right again. But then, afterwards, he’d have to head home to the woman who rightly expected him to be in her bed every night.
    Now, he kissed her forehead. ‘Some day soon, I’ll show you off to the world, dressed in the finest clothing money can buy,’ he whispered.
    It was the waiting for these glory days that was so