Carole Mortimer Romance Collection

‘Difficult?’ she echoed the girl’s description now, Rebecca having once again been defending the fact that she would rather Wolf knew nothing of this conversation.

A flush darkened Rebecca’s cheeks, almost the same vivid red as her shoulder-length hair. ‘He wouldn’t understand my need for—well, less haste,’ she explained awkwardly. ‘He might think it was a reluctance to marry him at all that’s prompted these—feelings.’ She couldn’t quite seem to meet Cyn’s sympathetic gaze.

‘And might he be right?’ Cyn prompted gently.

‘Certainly not!’ Rebecca protested instantly—too instantly? ‘I’ve told you my reasons for not wanting to be rushed.’ She was becoming agitated now, absently crumbling the bread roll that had accompanied her soup, seeming unaware of the fact that she was totally demolishing it. ‘Wolf is a wonderful man. Wonderful,’ she repeated shakily. ‘And he cares for me very much.’

‘And you?’ Cyn watched the younger girl with narrowed eyes; there was something very wrong here, no matter what Rebecca might try to claim to the contrary. ‘Do you care for him very much in return?’

‘Of course,’ Rebecca told her defensively, her eyes deeply blue. ‘Why else would I be marrying him?’ she asked lightly.

Why else, indeed? Cyn’s feelings of unease about the whole situation had increased as she talked to Rebecca, and she had not been reassured. She didn’t doubt for a moment that Rebecca truly cared about Wolf, the affection was there in her voice when she talked of him, but did she care for him the way a bride should care about the man she was going to marry in four months’ time? That was the question. And it was one Cyn wasn’t really in a position to ask without totally offending someone who should, after all, have been just another client to her. The fact that Rebecca wasn’t, and, in the circumstances, never could be, was something the girl was totally unaware of. And would remain unaware of!

She gave Rebecca a warm smile, trying her best to relax her as their soup bowls were removed and their main course was brought over to them; although if Rebecca ate as much of that as she had the soup and roll they might as well remove the plate now! Which posed another question; was Rebecca’s appetite always this tiny, or was it the strain she was obviously under that was causing it?

‘Maybe you should try talking to your fiancé about this,’ Cyn broached again cautiously. ‘He’s sure to understand if you explain— No?’ she frowned as Rebecca shook her head at the suggestion before she had even finished.

‘It isn’t only Wolf,’ Rebecca sighed. ‘Daddy would be so disappointed if—’ She chewed on her bottom lip, looking very unhappy. ‘He and Wolf are great friends.’

That was exactly what Gerald had claimed about Rebecca and Wolf! But no matter what Gerald might think to the contrary, people who were friends, just friends, shouldn’t really be contemplating marrying each other. Not when the girl involved obviously had more than a passing interest in her father’s gardener... And the more Cyn talked to Rebecca the more convinced she became that this was the main reason for the other girl’s reluctance to start her wedding arrangements. The mere idea of it seemed to make it too real to her...!

‘Your father isn’t the one marrying Wolf,’ she pointed out drily.

Rebecca gave a wan smile in answer to Cyn’s attempt at humour. ‘No,’ she acknowledged slowly. ‘I had the distinct impression that my father’s interest lay somewhere else entirely.’ She gave Cyn a speculative glance.

Rebecca’s own emotions might be in turmoil, but obviously that hadn’t prevented her being well aware of what was going on in her father’s life too! And how neatly she had turned the tables on Cyn. Maybe this girl was a fitting wife for Wolf, after all; she certainly knew how to stand up for herself when the situation presented itself.

Cyn’s cheeks were the ones to feel hot now. ‘Your father and I had dinner together last night, yes, but—’

‘You didn’t tell him we were meeting today, did you?’ Rebecca put in quickly, instantly looking worried.

‘No,’ Cyn reassured her. ‘Although I think perhaps you should,’ she added softly.

‘Why?’ The other girl eyed her warily.

Cyn looked at her with gentle rebuke. ‘I think you know why, Rebecca— You don’t mind if I call you Rebecca, do you?’ she prompted lightly.

‘Well, as you’re dating my father it would be a little—’

‘I’m not dating your father, Rebecca,’ Cyn told her firmly, determined not to be put on the defensive, which she was sure Rebecca was trying to do in an effort to divert the attention away from the real issue, an issue they had been skirting around all during lunch—and that was that Rebecca, for all she obviously liked and respected Wolf, certainly didn’t want to marry him! ‘I’ve been out with him once, because I half promised that I would, but I’m not expecting to repeat it.’

Rebecca’s eyes widened at her certainty, a rueful smile suddenly lighting her lovely features. ‘That must have been a surprise for Daddy,’ she chuckled softly.

Cyn returned the smile. ‘I believe it was!’

‘Poor Daddy!’ Rebecca shook her head.

‘Look, Rebecca,’ Cyn sobered, leaning across the table to lightly touch the other girl’s hand, ‘I have no objection whatsoever in holding off on your wedding arrangements,’ she told her seriously. ‘Just give me a call when, or if, you decide you do want me to proceed with them. OK?’

Rebecca’s cheeks were flushed. ‘What do you mean, “if”?’

‘I liked your father’s house, Rebecca,’ Cyn told her lightly, picking up her fork to eat the salad she had ordered as her main course. She could see from Rebecca’s expression that she was slightly unsure of this sudden change of subject. But if she would just hear Cyn out, she would see it wasn’t a change of subject at all. ‘The sitting-room we were in yesterday was very elegant, very restful too—with that magnificent view of the garden.’ She forked some of the salad into her mouth, eating it with obvious enjoyment, deliberately not meeting Rebecca’s gaze as the truth slowly dawned on the other girl.

‘Yes,’ Rebecca agreed dazedly, ‘it’s lovely. I—Oh, God!’ she suddenly choked, bending her head so that no one else in the restaurant should see her tears. ‘You saw!’ she groaned raggedly.

‘I saw the young mistress of the house talking to the gardener, that’s all,’ Cyn assured her gently. ‘I just want you to realise that I’m in no hurry to begin making your wedding arrangements for you, but that I’ll be happy to help when you do feel more comfortable with them. And the identity of the bridegroom,’ she added softly. ‘After all, this isn’t just about a wedding, is it? There’s the rest of your life afterwards to consider.’

Rebecca drew in a shaky breath, her tears firmly under control again now, her shoulders taut as she straightened, picking up her own fork ready to eat. ‘Thank you,’ she accepted with quiet dignity.

Cyn couldn’t help but admire the girl. She liked her! She had never believed she would say that about any woman Wolf had decided to marry, but there was something so vulnerable about Rebecca; she made Cyn feel slightly maternal, she realised disgustedly.

‘Let’s eat, shall we?’ she said more sharply than she had meant to. But how could she possibly feel maternal about Wolf’s bride? It was totally ridiculous!

* * *

‘How did your dinner with Gerald go yesterday?’

Cyn eyed Wolf incredulously, as she sat across the width of his desk from him.

There had been a lot of work for her to catch up on when she returned from her lunch with Rebecca, and she had been totally caught up in the menu for a dinner party she was catering for next week, when the telephone call came through from Wolf’s office, and his secretary informed her that Wolf would like to see her, if it wasn’t too much trouble.

If it wasn’t too much trouble! Wolf and Rebecca both seemed to think she had nothing more to do with her time than run around after the pair of them; they must think she had no other clients other than them! And then she had remembered that Wolf had seen her appointment book yesterday when he wandered about her office, that he must have seen then that she wasn’t exactly inundated with appointments for the next few weeks; there was usually a short lull in weddings directly after Easter, picking up again in June. That was still no reason for him to assume she could just drop everything and drive into London to see him!

But his secretary, polite as ever, had firmly told her that no, Mr Thornton wasn’t able to drive out to see her, that he was in a meeting at the moment, and didn’t expect to be out of it until shortly after five o’clock. Which meant Cyn couldn’t even talk to him personally to find out what all this was about! She had tersely informed the woman at the other end of the telephone that she would be in to see Wolf at five-thirty, before ringing off abruptly.

She had then spent the rest of the afternoon totally unable to concentrate on what she was doing, so she might just as well have driven up to see Wolf immediately after the call came in. Except that he was in a meeting and couldn’t even see her until after five!

She wished she had never met Gerald Harcourt at that Easter wedding, never heard of his daughter Rebecca, certainly that she had never met Wolf again!

Especially now that it seemed the only reason Wolf had wanted to see her at all was to ask her how her date with Gerald had gone the evening before. It was none of his business, dammit!

She stood up restlessly, the slight heel on her shoes immediately sinking into the deep pile of the cool blue carpet. It seemed that no expense had been spared on the Thornton Industries’ head offices, everywhere she had seen being decorated and furnished in the height of luxury.

Cyn hadn’t been here in the past, the office not being one of the places Wolf had been interested in going to then, although she had to admit that this harsher, more arrogant Wolf was much more suited to the world of business than to being artistically creative. Although she still couldn’t help but feel sad for the loss of that other, more relaxed and teasing Wolf...

This would never do; she brought her wandering thoughts back in check. This Wolf was harsh, arrogant, was coldly forceful, and she would do well to remember that!

‘What did you want to see me about, Wolf?’ she asked briskly, totally ignoring his probing question, her humour not improved after driving into London for the second time today.

He leant back in his leather chair, his eyes narrowed, his three-piece suit a dark navy today, with a stark white shirt and pale blue tie, the dark blond hair brushed severely back from his face, making him look every inch his thirty-five years. Also every inch the successful businessman he obviously now was.

His mouth twisted harshly. ‘Not going to answer my question about your date with Gerald?’ He gave an acknowledging inclination of his head. ‘He’s been unusually quiet about it too,’ he drawled drily. ‘Which can only mean one of two things—’

‘You asked Gerald about our date?’ Cyn at last managed to gasp, too incredulous at first to be able to say anything.

‘—either the two of you being together was a dismal failure never to be repeated,’ Wolf continued as if she hadn’t just interrupted, ‘or the two of you became lovers.’ His voice had hardened now, his eyes narrowed. ‘In which case Gerald, being the gentleman that he is where the ladies in his life are concerned, wouldn’t discuss you with me or anyone else.’

‘It’s a pity the same can’t be said for you!’ Cyn snapped heatedly, eyes flashing deeply violet.