Bride By Blackmail. Carole Mortimer

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СКАЧАТЬ was Annabelle’s way of firmly saying that was the end of that particular subject.

      Which was probably as well, Georgie thought as she determinedly focused her attention again on her plate of smoked salmon. The murmur of voices around the table were now passing her by completely. If Jed had said one more word about the wife who had divorced him because she understood him, she might not have been able to stop herself from standing up and hitting him!

      Because, until six months ago, she had been his wife!

      CHAPTER TWO

      ‘YOU were very quiet during dinner, darling; are you feeling all right?’ Andrew asked concernedly once the party had moved back into the drawing room after their meal, to enjoy coffee and liqueurs.

      Georgie moved closer to him as he sat down beside her on the sofa, studiously avoiding looking across the room to where Jed and Sukie stood talking together softly. ‘I’m feeling fine,’ she assured Andrew. ‘A slight headache, that’s all. I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.’

      Although she wasn’t sure, with Jed in the same house, that she would be able to get the latter at all! But just to be away from his oppressive company would be something!

      ‘What do you think of Jed Lord?’ Andrew prompted, seeming to pick up on at least the subject of her thoughts, and glancing consideringly across the room at the other man.

      If she were to tell Andrew, here and now, exactly what she thought of Jed Lord then he would probably be extremely shocked. But she accepted that after tonight she would have to talk to Andrew about Jed at some time in the near future.

      So far in their five-month relationship she had put off telling Andrew that, at only twenty-three, she had already been married and divorced. At first it hadn’t seemed the sort of thing you just confided to a relative stranger, and then as they’d got to know each other, to love each other, it still hadn’t been something she felt she could just baldly state as a fact.

      But with Jed’s appearance in the Lawson home she realised she wouldn’t be able to put it off for much longer. In fact, she was surprised that the troublemaking Jed Lord she had known of old hadn’t already just blurted out that she was the ex-wife about whom he had been talking over dinner. If only to watch her squirm!

      But he hadn’t. Which meant he must have his own reasons for not doing so…

      No wonder she had a headache!

      ‘Think of him?’ she answered Andrew brightly. ‘In what way?’

      ‘In any way,’ Andrew replied. ‘Sukie certainly seems to find him fascinating—and my big sister isn’t easily impressed!’

      No, she wasn’t. But then Sukie didn’t know Jed in the way that Georgie knew him, and obviously found his dark, brooding good-looks and arrogant self-assurance extremely attractive. So had Georgie once…

      ‘I doubt she would have brought him here with her if she wasn’t.’ Georgie evaded answering Andrew’s question directly.

      ‘Oh, Jed Lord didn’t come down with Sukie. My father told me over dinner that he’s a business acquaintance of his,’ Andrew confided.

      Georgie looked frowningly at Jed. Gerald Lawson, since his retirement from politics, had returned to his earlier business interests. But as far as she was aware they didn’t include hotels, which she knew was where Jed’s family business concerns lay.

      ‘Really?’ she murmured contemplatively. ‘In that case, Sukie is certainly a fast worker,’ she added dryly as Andrew’s sister all but draped herself across Jed as they talked.

      Andrew gave a disgusted snort. ‘She’s wasting her time with a man like Jed Lord.’

      Georgie gave him a quizzical frown. ‘What do you mean…?’

      ‘From what’s been said, the man has only just escaped from one disastrous relationship—I seriously doubt he intends embarking on another. And he’s experienced enough to realise my big sister is trouble with a capital T!’ Andrew dismissed scornfully.

      Georgie gave a wry shake of her head. ‘He doesn’t give the impression that he’s a man who runs away from trouble.’ In fact, she knew he wasn’t! ‘Besides, Andrew—’ she turned to him teasingly, deciding they had talked about Jed Lord quite enough for one evening ‘—when did you become so knowledgeable about experienced men?’ She gave him a mischievous smile.

      Andrew smiled. ‘I’m twenty-seven, Georgie, not seven!’ he returned.

      This was what she liked about being with Andrew: the complete freedom to do and say whatever she liked without fear of offending or angering him. Andrew was so easy-going she was totally relaxed in his company.

      Something she had never been in Jed’s!

      She frowned as she remembered her response earlier to the brief brush of Jed’s hand against hers when they were introduced. She had thought she was completely over him, that the finality of their divorce six months previously had severed all emotional ties to him. But, to her chagrin, she had felt more than just loathing earlier at his touch…

      ‘Hey, I was only joking, Georgie,’ Andrew chided softly, misunderstanding the reason for her frown. ‘I’ve never pretended to be an innocent, but neither am I a man of experience myself.’ He gave a rueful shake of his head. ‘I’ve been too busy making a successful career for myself to have too much time for that sort of thing.’

      ‘You don’t mind that the wedding isn’t until next Easter?’ she said concernedly, knowing that it had been her decision that they wait; she hadn’t told Andrew so, but she wanted time to make sure she didn’t make yet another mistake in her life. Although she was already pretty sure that Andrew would never let her down. Unlike— ‘I just thought an Easter wedding would be nice,’ she added warmly. Especially as her wedding to Jed had taken place at Christmas!

      She still cringed at how young and naıve she had been then. How trusting. How utterly, utterly stupid!

      ‘And it will be.’ Andrew hugged her reassuringly. ‘We—’

      ‘I hope you don’t mind if we interrupt you two love-birds?’ interrupted a sarcastic, familiar voice.

      Georgie stiffened at the sound of Jed’s voice, glancing up reluctantly to see that he and Sukie were beside the sofa. Sukie looked no more pleased than Georgie. Obviously it had been Jed’s decision to come over…

      Georgie looked up at him challengingly, his sarcasm not lost on her even if it was on Andrew and Sukie. Hard grey eyes returned her interest, that sculptured face set into uncompromising lines. It wasn’t hard to guess, after his reference to ‘love-birds’, just why he was looking so grim.

      But it was no longer any of Jed’s business who she showed her affection to. If it ever had been! Besides, Andrew was her fiancé, the man she was going to marry.

      ‘Please do,’ she answered smoothly, at the same time deciding to stand up; she did not intend giving Jed any sort of advantage over her!

      Petty, perhaps, but that was the level to which their relationship had deteriorated before that final big blowup.

      Andrew СКАЧАТЬ