Tom and the Dazzling Fiona Ch. 04

"How could you consort with that harlot? She's nothing better than a prostitute."

Tom was still struggling to get some inkling as to why she had sought him out. Maybe it was just vent her malice?

"It's bad enough that my fool of a husband runs after those young sluts, but I thought you might have known better."

The fact that Fiona was considerably older than Dimitri's usual targets appeared to have escaped her attention but as Fiona was Tom's guest it made Eleni's spiteful comments deplorable. And would she ever get to the point or had she just come here to spew out vengeful invective? But then her face began to crumble.

"My husband spent his seed in those whores and after our daughter was born he never came to my bed anymore, he said I disgusted him."

Tom now felt obliged to say something before she demeaned herself any further.

"Please stop. You will only regret all this by the morning."

But she continued as if she hadn't heard his well intentioned plea.

"We could have had a son, my astrologer forecast it."

She was now openly crying but in complete silence. The tears were soon smearing the carefully applied makeup but in complete disregard she moved over to sit on the edge of Tom's recliner then clutched convulsively at his hand.

"You must marry my Christine."

He was too shocked to speak, but at least he now knew the point of this visit.

"Think of all the advantages. It will keep the family money together and in time your son would take over the dynasty."

He realised rapidly that he had no idea how to extricate himself from this predicament particularly as Eleni's feelings for him seemed to have undergone a complete about turn and he could hardly just tell her to leave.

But the decision was thankfully removed when they both heard Fiona's voice coming from nearby, coupled with the noise of someone blundering about in the dark.

"I thought we were going down to swim, are you ready?" Came from out of the darkness.

Eleni hissed malevolently then jerked up from her seated position and slipped noiselessly away. She was gone well before Fiona eventually appeared in the circle of light when Tom was immediately aware of wide inquiring eyes.

"How clever of you to recognize that I needed rescuing," he said, and began to fill her in on Eleni's visit.

"No need," Fiona interrupted, "I heard it all."

"You did?" Then he remembered something that Eleni had said. "So Dimitri tried it on with you?"

"On the day after they arrived but as you know I'm pretty good at deflecting that sort of attention. But you must have realised that as god's anointed member of this family," she was laughing now having already learnt everything from the maid who had proved to be a fount of information, "that you can't do anything, and I mean anything, without it being known everywhere within minutes."

She paused struck by another thought before continuing.

"Her dislike of me is not surprising. She must have found out from her own spies that Dimitri had tried it on. But did you really have no idea that she was planning to marry you off to Christine?"

"No never, no idea at all," he said as he remembered the naked ambition plain on Eleni's face.

"But one thing is for sure," Fiona continued thoughtfully, "she is poison and I can understand your father's advice."

Tom laughed although a shudder went down his spine.

"And how was I on my back?"

Fiona's query as they went down to the pool was pure mock innocence.

...

"It's okay for you to sow your wild oats with all those scheming women who hang after you but Miss Fiona Napier is another thing entirely."

Margaret was laying the law down to Tom whilst outlining her case as if in a court room and ticking off the points on her fingers. Nicholas was sitting nearby and appearing to be giving the pair only half his attention.

"If you are serious about the girl then you need to think it through carefully. Any wife you choose needs to have more than just good looks."

Margaret was now warming to the subject.

"She will need to cope when you are away for weeks on end, because we know that will happen more and more as Nicholas hands over the reins to you."

Another finger was then extended to join the first.

"Then she will need to cope with the people we meet socially, I don't mean intellectually because, god knows, some of them are virtually brain dead but at least she will need to have the courage to give as good as she gets. We all know there are some mean minded bitchy women out there who would delight in taking any wife of yours down a peg or two."

A third finger then appeared.

"And she will need to take my place as hostess at the dinner parties you will throw."

Margaret dropped her hand seemingly having finished but then something else occurred to her fertile brain.

"But at least Fiona is a beauty so you wont be tempted to stray even though some of those women you meet practically lie down with their legs wide open."

Nicholas smiled at this coarseness issuing from his wife's normally so proper mouth then stirred himself to contribute a thought of his own.

"Has it occurred to you my dear that Fiona is the first young woman that Tom has ever invited to meet us as a family?"

"That fact had not escaped me, in fact it makes my point."

But they turned as one when Tom proceeded to shock them both and brought the discussion to a swift close.

"Well you can both stop this pointless debate about my future wife because Fiona won't play ball."

"What do you mean?"

Nicholas and his wife spoke as if one.

"She has declined my proposal of marriage for the second time."

"Bloody hell," Margaret was heard to mutter causing her husband to smile wryly before making his final comment.

"Good for her."

THE END Ch. 04