His Independent Bride: Wife Against Her Will / The Wedlocked Wife / Bertoluzzi's Heiress Bride

‘Not Joel,’ Darcy returned frostily. ‘I don’t think he does ethereal.’ She turned to the bemused assistant. ‘Have you anything that looks like a dam project in Sierra Leone?’

‘We’ll take it,’ Lois put in hastily as the assistant’s jaw dropped. Eyes glinting, she did a last twirl in the slim-fitting hyacinth-blue sheath she’d picked. ‘And I’ll have this.’

Over lunch, she fixed Darcy with a militant stare. ‘So, when are you going to introduce your future husband to your friends, lady?’

Darcy bit her lip. ‘I hadn’t really thought about it.’

‘Then start now,’ Lois advised cordially. ‘Mick was asking questions the other night, and I had no answers.’ She paused. ‘Have you met Joel’s best man yet? Do you even know who he’s going to be?’

Darcy probed her Caesar salad with a fork as if the contents fascinated her. ‘Well—no,’ she admitted.

Her friend sighed. ‘Honey, if you want everyone to know there’s something phoney about this wedding, then you’re going exactly the right way about it.’

‘Well, what do you suggest?’ Darcy asked defensively. ‘That we all meet up for a cosy dinner some night?’

‘I feel it might help,’ Lois said drily. ‘Cut out all those awkward introductions at the altar rail.’

Darcy winced. ‘Actually, you could be right,’ she said reluctantly. ‘I’ll mention it to Joel. I think he’ll be at the house tonight.’

‘You only think?’ Lois shook her head wearily. ‘Darcy—that says it all.’

Darcy ate her meal quietly that evening, lending only half an ear to the business talk being briskly conducted between Joel and her father.

When dinner was over, and coffee had been taken in the drawing room, Gavin made his usual discreet withdrawal, leaving the engaged couple alone.

By this time, Darcy knew the drill. A few awkward and generally silent moments would elapse, then Joel would look at his watch, thank her for an enjoyable evening, and go.

But this time, as he got to his feet, she rose too.

‘Can you spare me a few moments, please?’ Her voice seemed strained, husky. ‘I think we should talk.’

‘That sounds ominous,’ he commented lightly. ‘Are you planning to tell me you’ve changed your mind?’

‘No.’ She looked down at the carpet. ‘I’m still prepared to go through with it, if you are.’

‘Oh, I’m all for it, naturally.’ His mouth twisted. ‘So how long do I allow for this unexpected encounter?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Do I let my driver wait? Or tell him to come back in the morning, perhaps?’

Her startled eyes met his. ‘Don’t be so absurd,’ she said hoarsely.

He shrugged. ‘You’ve never wanted to be alone with me before. And I can still dream.’ He re-seated himself in the corner of the sofa, stretching long legs in front of him, undoing a couple of buttons on his waistcoat as he studied her dispassionately. ‘So, what have you got to say to me?’

She’d rehearsed all afternoon, but, somehow, it didn’t make centre stage any easier. And his own attitude didn’t help, she thought resentfully.

She took an armchair, adjacent but at a safe distance, perching on the edge of it. ‘There are a number of practical details we need to discuss.’

‘Such as?’

‘Well, the invitations have come from the printers, but I don’t know yet what names you want on the guest list.’ She paused. ‘Your parents, for instance. You’ve never mentioned them.’

‘You’ve never asked.’ His mouth twisted. ‘But you need not trouble yourself. They’ve both been dead for several years.’

‘Oh,’ Darcy said, after a pause. ‘Well—I’m sorry.’

‘Why?’ he asked. ‘After all, you never knew them. However, it’s a kind thought. Perhaps I should treasure it for its rarity.’

He smiled at her lightly. ‘And my aunt and uncle won’t be attending either. Since Uncle Peter retired they’ve been going on adventure holidays, and this time it’s a tour of the Australian outback. And I hardly think we want to invite Emma and Harry,’ he added cynically. ‘As for the other guests—I’ll get my secretary to send you a memo. Anything else?’

She hesitated. ‘Well, I’ve asked my closest friend, Lois, to be my attendant, and her husband, Mick, one of the ushers. I—I don’t know who your best man is going to be, but I thought maybe we should all—meet.’ She paused, then added, ‘At some point.’

His brows lifted. ‘You thought?’ he queried sardonically.

‘No,’ she said stonily. ‘Not precisely. As a matter of fact, it was Lois’s idea. She and her husband are beginning to find it strange that they’ve never even been introduced to you.’ She swallowed. ‘And your best man might feel the same. About me.’

Joel tapped a thoughtful forefinger against his teeth. ‘Then, why not?’ he said slowly. ‘One of my old school mates, Greg Latimer, is acting for me. He’s married to a girl called Maisie. I’ll see how their diary stands, and come up with a few dates. Maybe you’ll do the same with your friends.’

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘OK. Fine. I don’t think there’s anything else. Not at this juncture anyway.’

He looked at her with faint mockery. ‘You realise you may be letting yourself in for a tricky night?’

‘A meal in a restaurant is pretty harmless.’

‘But we’ll be on show, sweetheart,’ he said softly. ‘Lovers supposedly in love, confronted by two other couples who’ve been there, and done that already. Who can remember the exhilaration of that headlong dash to the altar. The joy of being able to say “ my husband” and “my wife”.’

There was an odd note in his voice that made her heart lurch in sudden confusion. Something which scared her.

‘Goodness,’ she said in a voice that was sharper than she intended. ‘Such unwonted eloquence.’

He sighed. ‘Darcy, this will be our first public appearance together as a couple, and the way things are they’re going to see straight through us. That is not what I want. And certainly not what we agreed,’ he added with a touch of grimness that wasn’t lost on her.

She bit her lip. ‘As they’re all such old friends, why don’t we simply come clean and tell them the truth about the marriage?’ She thought guiltily, As I’ve already done with Lois…

‘And why not take out full-page ads in all the tabloids too?’ he asked coldly. He shook his head. ‘No, darling, we play this according to our unwritten rules. In private, I forgo the delight of sleeping in your bed, and in public, you behave as if we were passionately in love.

‘And that doesn’t involve sitting several feet away from me, looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights,’ he added drily.

There was an odd tingling silence. Darcy felt a shiver run from the nape of her neck to the base of her spine as his gaze met hers. Held it.

Oh, God, she thought. It was happening at last. The moment of truth had arrived, and she wasn’t sure how to deal with it. With him…

Joel patted the sofa beside him. ‘Come here.’ The invitation was spoken softly, but it brooked no refusal.

Slowly, mutinously, Darcy obeyed, occupying a space as far from him as the width of the sofa allowed.

‘No,’ he said. ‘Closer than that, my sweet.’ His smile seemed to graze her skin. ‘Within kissing distance, please.’