
A Suspicious Proposal
Author
Helen Brooks
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18.5K
Chapters
10
CHAPTER ONE
OH, SHE felt dodgy, she really did. Why, oh, why had she had that crab and prawn cocktail at the hotel last night, when sheâd known at the first mouthful it didnât taste quite right? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
âAnd do you, Christine Harper, take Enoch Charles BrownâŠ?â
Enoch? For a moment, Essieâs thoughts lifted from the state of her stomach and swirling head and focused on the couple standing at the altar in front of her. Fancy old Charlie having Enoch for his first name! Heâd kept that quiet all through veterinary collegeâbut then she couldnât really blame him. Had Chris known Charlie wasnât really Charlie but an Enoch in disguise?
It was just at that moment that Christine turned her head in its swathe of chiffon edged with sequins and gazed up adoringly into Charlieâs handsome face, and Essie reflected wryly that it wouldnât have made any difference if Chris had known or not. Her friend was head over heels in love with her dashing veterinary surgeon and had been from the very second their eyes had met on the first morning of college. And now here they all were, a few short years later, in Christineâs quaint little parish church in Stafford.
As the vicarâs voice droned on, Essieâs eyes wandered from the back of the frothy lace figure in front of her to her own pale lemon satin-bedecked shape. She wished this was over. The pills Christineâs mother had insisted she take that morningââThe chief bridesmaid canât go hopping off to the loo halfway through the service, now then, Essie. Take these and youâll get through without any problemsââhad seemed to stop the more unpleasant manifestations of the touch of food poisoning she was experiencing, but the fact that she had been up all night and hadnât dared to eat a thing that morning was making her feel very peculiar.
She wished she could slip these precariously high-heeled shoes off. They were pinching like mad. Essie surreptitiously tried to ease her aching toes but nearly overbalanced in the process, only the quick steadying hand of Janiceâ Christineâs cousinâat the side of her preventing her from catapulting into the pair in front.
It was as Essie was giving a weak smile of thanks to the grinning Janice that she noticed him. He was staring, openly, from his vantage point in the pew adjoining the aisle, and he was a big manâbut purely in the muscular sense; she doubted if there was an ounce of spare flesh anywhere on the lean, finely honed male frame. His hair was jet-black, almost a blue-black, and his skin was very tanned, emphasising the ice-blue of the narrowed eyes still more.
And it was the eyes that caused Essieâs face to straighten with an abruptness born of shock. They were disapproving. No, more than that, she corrected herself silently; they were positively scathing.
She tore her mesmerised gaze away, jerking her head to the front again as she forced herself to take a long deep breath and count to ten, but she couldnât do anything about the tell-tale colour flooding her skin.
How dared he look at her like that? she asked herself furiously, her cheeks burning. The cold eyes had been withering, his mouth quite literally curling at the edges with a scorn that was searing. And she had never seen him before in her life. She knew she hadnât. Him, she would have remembered!
Her agitation wasnât helping either her stomach or her fuzzy head and Essie tried desperately to concentrate on nothing but the scene being enacted in front of her; then, as the minister indicated for the bride and groom and their respective parentsâalong with the best manâto follow him out into the little vestry at the rear of the church, she was able to move forward and sink down onto the front pew and ease her shaking legs, blessing the fact that the tiny room had been considered too small to take the bridesmaids.
Who was he? Under cover of a very plump lady singing a solo spirited rendition of âLove Found a Wayâ at a volume that made the eyeballs rattle, Essie whispered the thought to Janice. âDonât look now, Jan, but thereâs a man in the second pew from the front, aâŠtall man. Do you know who he is?â
âYou mean Xavier Grey.â Janice didnât even have to think about it and there was definite relish in her voice when she said, âHeâs gorgeous, isnât he? Not exactly handsome in the traditional senseâbut heâs got something that makes the toes curl, all right.â
âGorgeousâ was not the adjective Essie would have chosen and her tone reflected this when she said, âYou know him, then?â
âI know of him.â There was a definite note of wistful longing in Janiceâs voice. âApparently heâs Charlieâsâor should I say Enochâsââ Janice dug Essie in the ribs with a wicked chuckle ââsecond cousin twice removed or some such thing. Aunt Juneââ Christineâs mother ââsaid there was some sort of family quarrel years ago, from what she can make out, and the feudâs continued right up until this wedding brought some sort of reconciliation.â
âOh, right.â Essie nodded her blonde head and then bent a little closer as the warbling refrains of âLove lifted me from depths of woe to endless dayâ drowned Janiceâs next words.
âWhat?â she whispered enquiringly.
âI said, I notice heâs got seated right at the front with the immediate family,â Janice whispered back meaningfully. And then, at Essieâs puzzled frown she added cryptically, âHeâs stinking rich.â
âStinkingâŠ?â
âWell, itâs obvious, isnât it?â Janice murmured softly. âCharlieâs parents want to get in with him, now everyoneâs chummy again; a millionaire in the family isnât to be sneezed at.â
âIs he? A millionaire, I mean?â
âToo true.â Janice sighed longingly, her rosy-cheeked plain face mournful. âItâs not fair, is it, that some lucky woman will get all thatâwealth, a life of ease and comfort, and Xavier Grey to wake up to in the morning.â
âHe might be a real pig when you get to know him,â Essie said flatly.
âWith all that heâs got going for him, Iâd excuse him anything.â Janice grinned back, just as the last note of music died away. The rest of the congregation took a deep reviving breath and savoured the blissful silence for a moment, before shuffling to their feet as the bridal pair emerged from the back of the church, their faces beaming.
The next hour consisted of endless photographs under the voluptuous blossom of the cherry trees surrounding the square of village green and, although Essie felt a little better in the fresh May air, it was still an effort for her to smile brightly and act normally when her stomach kept growling like a bear with a sore head. But the light spring breeze and soft golden sunshine had cleared her muzzy head by the time the bridesmaids were all back in the second wedding car, being transported to the wedding reception some five miles away.
There were more photographs in the elegant foyer of the luxurious hotel where the wedding lunch was being heldâthe foyer had its own miniature waterfall, which the photographers enthused overâbut then they were all seated on the top table and Essie could kick off her shoes and relax back in her seat.
But only for a second. Then her eyes met the piercingly silver-blue gaze she had been avoiding for the last hour and a half, and she realised in that instant that she had been aware of Xavier Grey every moment of the time that had elapsed since that first shock of eye-contact in the church. Heâd been watching her, and the quality of his scrutiny hadnât changedâit was still derisive.
She stared back over the tables into the hard, aggressively masculine face, her deep violet-blue eyes betraying none of the apprehension and unease which was causing her heart to pound like a drum.
What was the matter with him? she asked herself as a waiter moved between them, breaking the eye-contact and allowing her to sink back again, her cheeks flushed and hot. He was acting as though he knew her, as though she had done something awful. Had he mistaken her for someone else? Was that it? It was certainly the only explanation that made any sense.
The meal, in spite of the lavish surroundings, was mediocre, but Essie managed a few mouthfuls of each courseâenough not to bring any attention to herself, anyway. She was seated next to the best man, Charlieâs brother, who was married with a very pregnant wife he blatantly adored, and for most of the lunch he regaled her with the intricacies of antenatal classes and the baby books he had read, but in such a purposely amusing way that the two of them were convulsed with laughter every few minutes. And she made absolutely sure she didnât glance Xavier Greyâs way again. But he was watching her. She just knew it.
The speeches over, the wedding cake cut and the drinks flowing freely was the signal for the radiant bride and groom to take the floor for the first dance, and Essie found herself misty-eyed at the look on Christineâs face as she gazed up at her new husband.
She was glad it had worked out for Christine, she thought warmly; she really was. Charlie had had something of a roving eye at veterinary college, and there had been times when Essie had been fearful he was playing fast and loose. But here he was, the devoted bridegroom, and Christine had fulfilled her dearest wish and was now Mrs Brown. A classic happy ending, and you didnât get too many of those these days. She pushed the somewhat cynical thought aside abruptly, cross that she had let it surface on Christineâs wedding day, and took a long swallow from her glass of tonic water.
âIâd go careful with that, if I were you.â
The deep, husky and very sexy Canadian drawl brought Essieâs head swinging round and then she froze, the smile dying from her face and her thought processes freezing.
Close up, Xavier Grey was even bigger than she had thoughtâsix foot two or three easilyâbut it was the overall hardness of him that had caused her brain to stop. The rugged toughness of the uncompromisingly cold face, the lean, powerful body, the big-muscled shoulders all spoke of a male strength and power that was formidable. He looked hard-bitten and shrewd and unsentimental, and he scared her to death.
âCareful withâŠ?â
Her echo of his words was spoken unconsciously; all lucid thought was taken up with the frightening giant in front of her. But then, as he nodded again towards the glass in her hand and said, his voice cool and compelling, âShouldnât you try and remain compos mentis in case Christine needs you?â she understood what he was insinuating. âChampagne is supposed to be sipped, not consumed in great gulps,â he continued conversationally.
Champagne? Heâd assumed her sensible tonic water was champagne? Essie thought bewilderedly, closely followed with, How dared he anyway? And what was it to do with him if she drank bottles of champagne?
âLook, Iâm sorry butââ
âI understand the hen party was a riotââ the hateful, easy drawl was patronising ââbut dancing on the table and being carried home from the pub is one thing, the wedding day is another. You were clearly toting the mother and father of a hangover in church; donât you think you owe it to Christine to conduct yourself properly today?â
She stared at him, too flabbergasted to speak. It had been Janice who had overimbibed at the hen party the night before and had been carried home; but, as Janice herself had said cheerfully that morning, when they were climbing into their bridesmaidâs dresses, she had a cast-iron stomach and never woke with a hangover. âOf course, the parties at college are a good training ground,â the other girl had admitted brightly, âand my evening job at the Sportsmanâs Arms helps, too. Still, Iâll have to start watching it, I suppose. I did make something of a spectacle of myself last night, didnât I?â
Essie had grinned at the frankly unabashed face in front of her and made some soothing commentâshe couldnât remember what, now. Janice was twenty years old, big, heavy, and not even her mother could have called her pretty, but there was a charm about the utterly unpretentious girl that was very endearing. And she had been comical the night beforeâhilarious, in fact. But suddenly it all didnât seem so amusing.
Xavier Grey was smiling at her now, and his tone was definitely condescending when he added, âI understand youâre doing Theatre Studies at college, Janice? Youâre hoping to go on the stage?â His ice-blue eyes lingered on her mass of silky golden curls that would never be restrained, the huge violet-blue eyes with their thick, thick lashes and the perfect creamy skin.
Essie opened her mouth to tell him of his mistake a second before full realisation hit, turning her eyes dark purple. Xavier had clearly been informed of the antics of the night before by one of his relatives, and when he had seen herself and Janice he had automatically labelled her the giddy college student with the part-time job as a barmaid. And why? Essie stared at the strong-featured, vigorous face in front of her. Because she was the typical male perception of a blonde bimbo, that was why!
All her life she had been dogged by this particular mentality from a certain section of the opposite sex, and it gratedâit grated unbearably, and never as much as now. There were some men who even seemed to take it as some sort of personal insult when they found out she was a darn sight more intelligent than them; that she had a brain and knew how to use it. She had got three straight As in her A Levels, and at veterinary college she had more than held her own with her male colleagues, in spite of weighing just nine stone and being five foot seven.
âGo on the stage?â She turned in her seat, the pale lemon satin of her dress and the fresh daisies threaded in the gold of her hair adding to the impression of a young girl barely out of her teens. That was another thing that always proved awkward, especially when she had been doing her veterinary training. It hadnât been so bad at the surgery, with the domestic animals, but when she had gone out to the farms to deal with a poorly heifer or another of the large animals some of the farmers had been totally dumbstruck.
âOr are your sights set even higher? Maybe Hollywood?â
Oh, yes, he definitely had her labelled as the hopeful little blonde starlet, Essie told herself savagely: all hair and breasts and cotton wool where her brain should have been. Heâd be saying next he knew a Hollywood producer or something, and maybe sheâd like to come out to the back seat of his car to discuss it. But no, not the back seat, she silently corrected herself in the next momentânothing so tacky for Xavier Grey. It would be a full dinner and hotel room for this man.
He needed taking down a peg or two. The thought had been there from the first moment she had seen him but now crystallised into firm conviction. And, if he did but know it, he had given her the perfect opportunity to do just that, because, along with the unmistakable condescension, there was something else staring out of the dark male face and she had seen it in too many other men to doubt it. He fancied her. Physically, he fancied her very much, although it was clear he thought her mind was way, way below his notice.
âHollywood?â Essie put a coo into her voice that was so hammed up that, for a moment, she thought she had overdone it. But he swallowed it, hook, line and sinker. âLittle old me?â She pouted slightly, allowing her full rosebud mouth to send out an invitation as old as time. âYouâre teasing me.â
âNot at all,â he responded gallantly. âYou can do anything you want in life if youâre determined enough.â
Oh, she was determined, all rightâdetermined to teach Xavier Grey a lesson he would never forget!
âYou really think so?â She let the full sweep of her thick dark lashes cover her eyes for a moment before raising them again to look straight into his face.
âOf course. Look at Christine and Essie,â Xavier said quietly, sliding into the seat Charlieâs brother had recently vacated when he had gone to sit with his wife and her parents, once the dancing had started. âThey would have been very much the exception to the rule, even as short a time as a couple of decades ago, but more and more women are becoming veterinary surgeons now. Of course, others are more suited to lessâŠphysically demanding careers,â he added softly, his eyes moving over her delicate loveliness again.
âYou think Essie looks the part, is that it?â Essie asked with determined innocence, opening her eyes very wide. âShe is quite strong.â
âIâm sure she is.â Xavier glanced across to where Janice was dancing an energetic foxtrot with one of the guests, her thick-set, strapping frame straining the pale lemon satin to excess. âAnd perfectly suited for her chosen profession, as you are for yours.â
Oh, you utter, absolute male chauvinist pig, you. Essie had to look down quickly before he saw the blaze of anger in her eyes.
âWould you care to dance?â
He had clearly taken her action as a form of coquetryâshe could read it in the slightly amused, resigned note hidden in the deep voiceâand now she raised her eyes again, pushing back the soft curls that had fallen about her face as she said brightly, âThat would be lovely, thank you.â
âThe pleasure will be all mine.â
The flirting was obvious but circumspect, Essie thought cynically, rising gracefully to her feet after slipping her shoes on. She had to admit that, for all his rugged hardness, he was a smooth devil when he wanted to be.
She was aware of more than one frankly envious pair of female eyes following her as she made her way to the dance floor with Xavierâs hand in the small of her back, and wondered what all those women would think if they knew what she was about. But they didnât: and, more importantly, neither did Xavier Grey. Of course, it would only take one person to call her by name for her little ruse to be brought out into the open, but hopefully she could continue it for a little longer. It was going to be so sweet to see the look on his arrogant male face when he realised heâd been taken for a ride.
And few of the guests knew her. She hugged the thought to her as she turned and allowed him to take her into his arms. When she had met Christine at university, the two of them had become immediate best friends, their delight when they were both accepted for the same veterinary college exuberant. But she had only visited Christineâs family once or twice in the intervening years, due to the fact that sheâunlike Christineâdid not have well-to-do parents supporting her. She had needed to work every minute she could at weekends and in the holidays to pay the innumerable expenses involved in the training for the career she loved so passionately. So it might be a while yet before her deception was discovered by the big hard man holding her close.
Too close. She looked up past the massive width of his shoulders and the silver-blue eyes were waiting for her, their expression unfathomable.
Essie smiled, but coolly this time, easing herself from the large, lean frame as she said, âIâm sorry, I donât think you told me your name?â
There was a momentary flicker of surprise in the narrowed gazeâwhich Essie counted as a small triumph; he had clearly assumed everyone knew who the great Xavier Grey was, she thought nastilyâbefore he said, âIâm sorry. How remiss of me. I think I must have assumed your aunt and uncle would have told you the names of the new contingent added to Enochâs family.â His tone was wry. âMy name is Xavier Grey and I am totally at your disposal.â
Far more than he thought, right at this moment. Essie smiled sweetly.
âHello, Xavier Grey,â she said with honeyed charm.
âHello, Janice.â He was out to seduce, all right. The deep voice was seriously sensual, and Essie could have giggled if it werenât for the sudden alarms that had gone off all over her body. He was too good at this, that was the trouble, she told herself quickly, and in this particular instance that suggested a great deal of experience. The warm, smoky tone of his voice, the mellowing of that harsh, rugged face and the deliciously tempting smell of his aftershave all spoke of a dedicated wolf in sheepâs clothing. Well, perhaps not his aftershave, she admitted to herself in the next instant; that was probably just part of the man himself. But the rest⊠It was a definite practised, tried and tested come-on and no doubt had rendered Xavier dividends in the past. But not today, and not with her.
She nestled back against him, trying to ignore how perfectly her head fitted under his chin and how it felt to be in the arms of a virile, powerful man like him, telling herself she owed it to all the other women in the world to teach him that all cats werenât grey in the dark. But the touch of sanctimonious self-righteousness was swiftly dispelled by her innate honesty. She was doing this for herself, no one else and he deserved it; he really did.
âHow old are you, Janice?â
There was a note to his voice now she couldnât quite place and it made her tilt her face to his again. âYou mean the family grapevine hasnât dotted the iâs and crossed the tâs?â she asked lightly. âI would have thought youâd have been given the low-down, on both sides, to the last tiny detail.â
His eyes crinkled and her stomach flipped, and this time it was nothing to do with the crab and prawn cocktail. âFamily gossip is the worst thing,â he agreed softly.
âIsnât it just?â She dimpled up at him, batting her eyelashes in true Hollywood style. âBut thorough.â
âYouâre twenty years old, unattached, and determined to branch out into the precarious world of entertainmentâtheir opinion, not mine,â he added hastily.
âThatâs what they told you about little old Janice Beaver?â Essie asked teasingly.
âUh-huh.â
âThen I guess I canât argue with it.â
He nodded slowly. âHow old do you think I am?â he asked after a long moment.
Oh, help. Essie kept her face fixed in its come-hither mode as her mind sought a throwaway line to finish what had become a minefield and came up empty. âI donât know; thirty, thirty-one maybe?â she suggested with a winsome smile. He looked to be in his late thirties, maybe early forties, but that wouldnât win her any prizes in this sweepstake.
âYouâre being kind.â He grinned down at her and again her body responded with frightening immediacy to the lethal male charm that was becoming stronger every second she was with him. âIâm thirty-three,â he said softly, âbut I know I look a good few years older.â
She couldnât think of a thing to say, so she batted her eyelashes again for good measure and shrugged offhandedly. âIâm not into this age thing.â She wrinkled her small nose at him provocatively. âToy-boys, toy-girls, sugar-daddies and all thatâso what? Itâs just society putting labels on people when allâs said and done, donât you think?â And then, as the somewhat sombre waltz changed to a pop number and disco lights began to flash, she added, âPrepare your ears for blasting. Christine gave in to the first three dances being formal but the rest of the music is her and Charlieâs choice and theyâre into soul and rock and roll.â
âGreat. Time for a drink, I think.â As the hard male body straightened away from her, she was shocked at the sudden sense of loss she felt, but then he was guiding her towards the bar and, to her horror, she saw Charlieâs brother and his wife and in-laws in a little group directly in front of them. It was too soon to blow her cover!
âIâll wait here.â She ducked into a small alcove, but not before he had followed her eyes.
âRight.â The warmth had gone from his voice and now his eyes were blue ice. âWent a bit too far, did you?â
âI beg your pardon?â She stared at him, utterly at a loss.
âWith Edward.â He indicated Charlieâs brother with a wave of his hand. âI noticed you two were getting on rather well during the meal. Wife objected, did she?â
âWhat?â She didnât believe this man; she really didnât. First he had her typecast as a fluffy little coquette without a brain in her head and now she was a would-be husband-stealer, too! The man was obsessed. She knew sheâd gone scarletâtemper always affected her that wayâbut just as she opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she thought of him a portly matronâa vision in bright pink and mauveâdescended on them. Her red-painted mouth was already gushing how absolutely wonderful it was to see him, sheâd heard so much about him, and hadnât it been a positively divine service?
Xavier was polite, just about, but his voice was cool with a satirical bite and the woman didnât linger. Nevertheless, it gave Essie a few precious moments to gather her wits and take control of her tongue. Heâd pay for that last remark. Not yet, noâsheâd take this as far as it could goâbut it would make the moment he found out heâd been made a prize fool of all the more precious. What gave him the right to set himself up as judge and jury on other people, anyway? she thought tightly as she watched him make his way to the bar after he had asked her what she would like to drink. She had thought of asking for a double brandy or something similarâto fit the imageâbut, just in case he took her at her word, she hadnât dared. Her delicate stomach couldnât cope with anything stronger than tonic water.
By the time he returned, Essie was fully into the part she was playing again. As they sat down at a vacant table, she set to with gusto, regaling him with a few of the anecdotes Janice had told them last night about her life at collegeâand out of itâespecially the more outrageous bits. Janice had had no compunction in revealing she was no vestal virgin, and now, as Essie related the other girlâs stories, she had the added advantage of authenticity.
And yet she wasnât getting quite the reaction she had expected, she admitted to herself after some time had passed. He ought to be congratulating himself that he was on to a good thing, but if he was he was hiding it well, she thought caustically. The air of disapproval was stronger now, if anything.
âYouâll burn yourself out if youâre not careful.â His voice was abrupt after she had giggled her way through Janiceâs antics at the college Christmas party, which were definitely X-rated.
Funnily enough, it was exactly what she herself had said to Janice the night before, and now she gave the answer Janice had given her in the same flippant tone the other girl had used. âLifeâs for living and I want to get the most I can out of mine.â
âI think youâve made that very clear,â he said grimly.
âAnd you?â She leant forward now, just close enough so her perfumeâa wildly expensive one that Christine and Charlie had given her and Janice to thank them for being bridesmaidsâtickled his senses and the soft silk of her hair brushed his face for a moment. âWhat about you?â she asked softly. âDonât you believe in having a good time?â
âOh, yes, Janice. I believe in having a good time,â he said with a sudden silky dangerousness that caused the alarm bells to start ringing.
She was out of her league here. A tiny voice in Essieâs head shouted the warning. She had been playing with fire, and, if she wasnât very careful, she might well get burnt. A little shiver of something hotâfear, excitement, desire? She wasnât sureâflickered down her spine, igniting something deep in the core of her.
âThere you are, then,â she said huskily, and the throatiness wasnât at all feigned. Janice had been right when sheâd said Xavier Grey had something, and that something was lethal. Call it sheer old-fashioned sex appeal or animal magnetism or whateverâhe had it all right. And he knew how to use it when he wanted to, Essie thought weakly. One minute the cool, aloof ice-man, the next a seductive, fascinating charmer with more pulling power than a hundred icons of the silver screen.
âLook, Iâm going to have to circulate for a while.â She stood up abruptly and she wouldnât admit to herself it was due to panic. âWeâve been talking for nearly an hour and asââ she nearly said âchief bridesmaidâ and checked herself just in time, in case heâd been told that job was Essieâs ââa bridesmaid there are certain duties expected of me.â
âOf course.â He had risen to his feet with her and now he nodded, his manner easy. âJust one thingâŠâ
âYes?â He had paused and now Essie looked up at him enquiringly. âWhat is it?â
âCome back to me.â His voice was deep and low and the heat inside her burnt stronger. Which was ridiculous, just plain ridiculous, she told herself feverishly, hearing her voice make some light reply even as her mind worked quite separately. He was an experienced man of the world, a powerful, rich bachelor who was used to women lining up for him, and an encounter like this would mean nothing to him.
And what was this encounter, anyway? she asked herself with a touch of hidden hysteria as she walked across the room to where Janice was sittingâwith characteristic abandonmentâwith her shoes off and her feet resting on another chair. It was a fabrication, an illusion.
âI see youâve made a conquest.â Janiceâs voice was utterly without malice as she glanced up at the slim, beautiful girl in front of her. âHe hasnât taken his eyes off you all day.â
âNo.â Essie looked down at the other girl and came to an instant decision, plumping down beside her and leaning forward conspiratorially. âActually, Jan, it isnât as straightforward as it looks.â
âWhat isnât?â
âMe and Xavier Grey. He thinks Iâm you,â Essie said quietly.
âWhat?â Janice jerked her feet to the floor. âHow on earth did he come to think that?â she asked in bewilderment. âAnd why havenât you told him who you really are?â
âWell, it was like thisâŠâ As Essie began to explain, Janiceâs eyes began to twinkle, and by the time she had finished, the other girl was giggling unrestrainedly.
âServes him right.â She glanced across the room and then back to Essie. âAnd itâs pretty insulting to me, too, if you think about it. I might not be Godâs gift to the male sex, but I can still get the odd fellaâs juices going, I can tell you.â
âI donât doubt it for a minute.â Essie grinned back, and then, as their gazes met and held, both girls collapsed into helpless laughter.
âSo when are you going to tell him?â Janice asked, once they had composed themselves.
âI donât know.â Essie shrugged her slim shoulders. âWhen Iâm tumbled, I suppose; someone is bound to drop me in it eventually.â
âTalking of tumblingâŠâ Janiceâs face was suddenly serious as she looked into the deep violet-blue eyes in front of her. âHeâs got a bit of a reputation, Essie, so watch yourself. Heâs the original cool love-âem-and-leave-âem type; never gets involved and plays strictly by his own rules. According to Aunt June, he has women throwing themselves at him all the time; but as soon as it looks like getting serious itâs curtains. Heâs not a man to mess with.â
âI donât intend to mess with him, Jan, not in that sense, anyway,â Essie said firmly. âHeâs arrogant and rude and overbearingââ
âAnd gorgeous.â Janiceâs voice was full of laughter now. âYou have to admit that, Essie, even if you donât like him. Heâs totally drop-dead gorgeous. That mixture of cool control and ruthlessness is dynamite and, when added to his looks and the fact that heâs absolutely loadedâŠwhat an aphrodisiac!â
âJan, youâre awful.â Essie pushed at the other girlâs arm but she couldnât help laughing. Janice was one on her own, a real original, and she was warm and funny and kind. In the short time she had known her, Essie had found she liked Christineâs cousin very much. And Janice was quite rightâit was every bit as insulting for Xavier to label Janice as it was for him to label her, Essie thought militantly. Janice might not look like Marilyn Monroe but that didnât mean she couldnât make it in the theatre, or that she didnât have plenty to offer a man.
The two girls did a duty tour of some of the guests before making their way to Christine and Charlieâs side as the time approached for the bridal couple to get changed. The reception was due to finish at seven oâclock and Christine and Charlie were catching a train to London, where they were staying overnight before flying to Greece for two weeks.
Christine had brought her suitcase to the hotel and now, as Essie and Janice helped the other girl change in the little room the hotel had provided, there were plenty of giggles and fun. And then Christine was ready, looking lovely in a pale blue stretch-silk dress with a white cotton jacket, and the next few minutes were full of goodbyes and confetti and tears from both the mothers as the newly-weds departed in their taxi.
And all the time, through every moment that had elapsed since she had left Xavierâs side, Essie was conscious of a tall, dark figure dominating her thoughts and keeping the host of butterflies in her stomach dancing madly.
Perhaps he knew by now? As the taxi disappeared out of the hotel car park with a cheerful honking of its horn, Essie turned to survey the crowd standing on the steps, and immediately she caught Xavierâs eye. He was at least a couple of inches taller than the other men present but it was more the quality of aloofness that seemed to permeate his air space that acted as a magnet. And she saw straight away, from the warm smile and lazily hooded eyes, that as yet he was oblivious to the trick she had played on him.
And Janice was right, he was gorgeous, she admitted faintly. The dark grey suit that screamed a designer label, the jade-green shirt and silk tie were all of the very best, but it was himâXavier Greyâthat was breathtaking.
She shouldnât have started this. The thought was there and it was disturbing, but in the next moment he had made his way to her side, looking down at her with silver-blue eyes that caught the last of the dying sunlight.
âYou performed your duties admirably.â His smile included Janice, who was standing at her side, and now his gaze swept over the pair of them as he said courteously, âPerhaps you would allow me to buy you both dinner, if youâre not otherwise engaged?â
She must tell him. This had gone far enough and it was time to come clean. But before she could open her mouth Janice said brightly, âOh, Iâm sorry, Mr Grey, but Iâm already booked. Iâm sure Janice would love to have dinner with you, though.â
âWould you? Love to have dinner with me, that is?â he asked her softly as Janice disappeared with a cheerful goodbye into the crowd moving back into the hotel.
âIâŠI donât knowââ
âYouâd be taking pity on a lonely stranger if you did,â he drawled persuasively. âIâm booked into a hotelâmy own choice, as Iâm sure you know. I canât stand these family get-togethers,â he added, somewhat caustically, âand Iâm flying to Germany to oversee a business deal first thing in the morning. I wasnât looking forward to eating alone.â
She doubted that. He was the type of man who would relish being aloneâhadnât his own comment confirmed that very thing? And on their tour of the guests earlier Janice had whispered in her ear that Aunt June had told her Charlieâs relations had been falling over themselves to persuade him to stay with one of them but he had declined all invitations, graciously but very firmly.
âAnd I think we might even allow you a couple of glasses of wine,â he continued quietly, blithely unaware of her sudden sharp look at his face, âif your stomachâs recovered?â
âIt wasnât a hangover, actually.â Her voice was tight but she couldnât help itâenough was enough. âI had a touch of food poisoning from a suspect seafood cocktail last night.â He would allow her a couple of glasses of wine! What did he think she was? A little puppy being allowed treats?
âReally?â It was lazy and relaxed and told her he didnât believe a word of it, and it made her mad. Even more mad than she had felt earlier.
âYes, really,â she said bitingly, and this time he noticed the tone.
âDonât be prickly, Janice. Iâm only thinking of you,â he said softly, âand thereâs nothing worse than a woman who doesnât know when sheâd had enough. Itâs mostâŠunattractive.â
Sheâd had enough, all rightâmore than enoughâand the façade was back on with a vengeance! He wanted a cute little girlie to keep him company tonight, did he? Well, he was going to get just a little more than he had bargained for.
She took a long deep breath, a really long deep breath, and prayed for the strength to control her anger and not blow it. âIâd love to have dinner with you, Xavier,â she said carefully.
âGood.â His voice was slightly amused; he clearly thought she was still a little huffy. âIâll pick you up from your home, shall I? Whatâs the address?â
âOh, no, donât do that.â What did she say now? What excuse could she give? Her mind had gone blank. Essie thought frantically, and then said quickly, âIâve got to see a couple of college friends about a project weâre involved in, first. Iâll get a taxi to your hotel after Iâm throughâsay, about eight-thirty? Is that okay?â
âSure.â His eyes had narrowed slightly but the tone was still relaxed. âIâm staying at the Blue Baron. Do you know it?â
Did she know it? She was staying there herself! Essie smiled and prayed some more, this time for the ability to hide her agitation from those razor-sharp eyes that had homed in on her with unnerving perception.
âYes, I know it.â She heard her voice speak calmly and coolly and was amazed at how normal it sounded. Perhaps she had gone in for the wrong career, after all; she was better at this acting than she would ever have thought possible! âTill eight-thirty, then.â
âEight-thirty.â And then he bent his head towards her, his gaze mesmerising as it held hers. Although she knew he was going to kiss her and that she really should pull back, she didnât.
His lips were warm and firm as they brushed hers in the lightest of caresses, and he turned away immediately, but not before she had felt a hundred tiny electric shocks tingle in every nerve in her body. They were still tingling, warm and fluid, as she watched him make his goodbyes to the two respective pairs of parents, before striding down into the car park and over to a dark blue Mercedes.
He didnât look at her again as he drove out of the hotel grounds but she knew he was aware of herâas vitally aware of her as she was of him. And again she told herself this was crazy, dangerous, that she was way, way out of her league and that her little joke, her small effort at revenge, had escalated into something more disturbing.
Janice joined her as the Mercedes disappeared, tucking her arm through Essieâs as she said, âYouâre seeing him tonight?â in a tone that said she knew the answer before Essie spoke.
Essie nodded slowly.
âThen take it from me, girl, tell him in the first few seconds what youâve done, turn it into a joke against yourself somehow, and youâll have him eating out of your hand. Heâs crazy about you; he fancies you like mad.â
âHe fancies Janice Beaver, actually,â Essie said, with a weak smile.
âA rose by any other nameâŠâ Janice grinned at her before she said again, urgently this time, âTell him, Essie, right off. That way you can start again, and who knows what might come of it?â
âI donât want anything to come of it.â
âNo?â Janiceâs tone was sceptical.
âNo. I mean it.â Essie turned to look Janice full in the face now, and something in her eyes made Janiceâs gaze narrow. âThe last thing I want to do is to get involved in a relationship, Janice. There was someone at university⊠Well, I got my fingers badly burned, thatâs all, and I prefer the odd light date with no strings attached now. My career is my life and I intend to keep it that way.â
âYou sound a perfect match for Xavier, if you ask me.â Janice looked into the ethereally beautiful face that was quite strikingly lovely for a few moments before she murmured, âYes, the perfect match.â




