She gave him a startled look. ‘It’s late, and you said you didn’t want to be tired for tomorrow.’
He shrugged, pouring a whisky for himself and a Martini for her. ‘Come and talk to me.’ He held out the glass to her.
‘But—you—you said—in the car you said you didn’t want to talk.’
Leon grimaced. ‘In the car I didn’t. What I want to talk about can’t be discussed in a car.’
‘Well…’
‘Come on, Helen,’ he encouraged. ‘It’s important to me.’
She moved hesitantly to sit in one of the chairs, taking the drink he offered her and holding on to the glass as if it were a lifeline. ‘What do you have to say?’ She couldn’t look at him. ‘Last night—’
He sat opposite her, the ankle of one leg resting on the knee of the other. ‘Last night you were telling me things I didn’t want to hear.’
Her eyes widened. ‘I was?’
‘Mm.’ He took a huge swallow of the whisky and lit up a cheroot. ‘And so I went out and got drunk—again.’
‘I heard you come back.’
‘Mm,’ he sighed. ‘Since meeting you I’ve taken to smoking and drinking too much.’
‘I know,’ Helen acknowledged guiltily.
‘So what do you intend doing about it?’
‘There’s nothing I can do. I’ve tried, I’ve really tried, but I can’t—’
‘I didn’t mean that,’ he cut in harshly.
Helen gave him a puzzled frown. ‘What else is there?’
‘The ultimate commitment.’
‘Wh-what’s that?’
‘Marriage.’
‘Marriage?’ She swallowed hard. ‘But you don’t—’
‘Will you stop telling me what I do and don’t want!’ Leon stood up angrily. ‘What makes you so sure I don’t want to marry you?’
‘Well—because you don’t! It’s ridiculous—’
‘I don’t find anything ridiculous about it!’ he snapped grimly. ‘I don’t find anything ridiculous about knowing that as soon as I leave here tomorrow you’re going to leave too, for good.’
Helen looked at him with wide surprised eyes. ‘You know about that?’
‘Yes, I know. You haven’t been holding back tears all evening for nothing.’
‘You haven’t been very nice to me tonight, that’s the reason I—’
‘No, Helen,’ Leon cut in firmly, ‘that isn’t the reason. But you aren’t leaving me tomorrow or any other time.’
‘I—I’m not?’
‘No,’ he shook his head. ‘You’re going to marry me in the morning and come to the States with me—as my wife.’