A Suspicious Proposal. HELEN BROOKS

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СКАЧАТЬ in a hot bath. She glanced at her watch and saw she had another forty-five minutes before zero hour. And after her bath she’d moisturise and paint and titivate herself and try to work up some sort of courage for the night ahead.

      At exactly half-past eight, when Essie walked out of the lift into the reception area of the Blue Baron, she looked every inch the elegant, sophisticated woman of the world and not at all like the young, girlish bridesmaid she had seemed earlier.

      The reasons for this were manifold—one, the delicate, up-swept hairstyle that confined her curls in an exquisite arrangement at the back of her head, allowing the long sweep of her neck its true grace. Two, her careful make-up, tasteful and refined, that enhanced the allure of her deep blue eyes and creamy clear skin. Three, the savoir-faire of her chic cocktail dress in midnight-blue silk with matching jacket—bought at a Sussex clothes shop which specialised in couturier, nearly-new clothes at a fraction of the original price. Four, her determination that she was going to match Xavier Grey every inch of the way tonight and leave, if not in a blaze of glory, then at least with her head held high.

      And there were more reasons, some of which Essie was only faintly aware of herself, that were steeling her backbone and putting iron resolve in her spirit.

      She had thought the fact that she emerged from the lift inside the hotel would preclude any further misunderstanding between them as to her identity, and that might well have been the case if Xavier hadn’t been deep in conversation with one of the hotel reception staff and missed her appearance.

      As it was, he raised his head just in time to see her almost at his side, and she caught the flash of surprise in the silver-blue eyes just before he said, ‘Janice, I’m so pleased you could come. Our table is booked for nine but perhaps you would care for a cocktail first?’

      A cocktail—the giddy empty-head was being allowed a cocktail, was she? ‘Thank you.’ She was all coolness and aplomb tonight and she knew it had thrown him. ‘That would be lovely.’

      He led her into the hotel cocktail lounge with his hand at her elbow, and she tried not to think about how delicious he had looked in that first moment she had seen him. He had dressed up, as had she, and the black dinner suit and snowy-white shirt and bow-tie had made her heart pound. It was still pounding. It didn’t seem as if it would ever stop pounding.

      ‘What would you like?’

      As she perched elegantly on one of the bar stools, she allowed a full ten seconds to pass by before she glanced his way, and then her voice was serene and self-possessed when she said, ‘Oh, a gin sling I think.’

      ‘A good choice; I’ll join you.’

      Once he had given the order to the bartender—a Tom Cruise look-alike—Xavier turned the full intensity of his ice-blue gaze on her as he said, his voice thoughtful, ‘You look different tonight, Janice. Older, more…cosmopolitan.’

      ‘Do I?’ She arched her eyebrows at him but there was going to be no batting of eyelashes tonight. Tonight she was going to be every inch the twenty-eight-year-old, career-minded, strong woman she really was! ‘Well, I’ve never thought first impressions were the best to go by, Xavier.’ She smiled coolly. ‘They can be so misleading, don’t you think?’

      ‘On occasion.’ The narrowed gaze eyed her contemplatively.

      Did he know how it made him look when he half shut his eyes like that? Essie asked herself silently. His maleness was emphasised a hundred times, bringing a rawness to his attractiveness that was a killer. But of course he knew! She answered the unspoken question in the next breath, her thoughts astringent. It was all part of the grand seduction scene. She had told herself in the first moments of meeting him that Xavier Grey wouldn’t conduct a liaison in the back seat of his car, and how right she had been. First the dinner, then the hotel room—she’d read him like an open book.

      ‘What’s the matter?’ Xavier asked with an abruptness that took Essie by surprise.

      ‘The matter?’ she prevaricated uneasily.

      ‘What made you look like that just then?’

      Oh, help; oh, help. She looked back into the strong-boned face and she saw the cleanly sculpted mouth and square jaw were set in stubborn mode. He wasn’t going to be diverted, the body language was quite clear, but suddenly everything in Essie rebelled as unwelcome memories of another strong man—who had all but broken her heart and her spirit—came rushing in.

      ‘Nothing.’ She raised her chin as she spoke and met the silver-blue gaze head-on. ‘I’m absolutely fine.’ Then, as the barman produced two frosted fluted glasses, she turned to the young man gratefully, her voice laughing as she said, ‘Wow. Now that’s what I call a cocktail.’

      ‘And it will taste as good as it looks, ma’am.’ The good-looking face smiled back at her, frankly appreciative of the beauty of the woman in front of him. He had all sorts in his bar during the average week, but this one was something special.

      ‘I’m sure it will.’ Essie dimpled at him and then sipped at the cocktail. It was strong, and delicious. ‘It’s lovely. Thank you,’ she said smilingly.

      Xavier had watched the little exchange without saying a word but now he reached for his own glass and Essie saw his face was expressionless. ‘Excellent.’ He gave his own commendation to the young man. ‘You’ve got the mix just right; there are some people who drown the sloe gin.’

      ‘Not me, sir.’ The barman grinned happily before turning away as another customer claimed his attention.

      ‘Shall we?’ Xavier indicated a quiet table for two in a corner of the room with a wave of his hand, and Essie slid off the stool reluctantly. It had seemed safer at the bar, if only because it was delaying the inevitable moment when she had to admit her deception.

      They were just about to walk across the room when a sudden squeal of delight made Xavier freeze. Essie heard him groan slightly but then, as a tall, elegant redhead and a very good-looking young man with a shock of black hair hailed them from the doorway, he raised a hand in reply. Essie recognised them from the wedding reception but she had no idea who they were—although that was soon rectified as the redhead strode determinedly across to them, dragging her partner with her.

      ‘Xavier, how lovely! Have you eaten yet?’ she asked brightly. ‘They’ve just fitted us in for nine.’

      ‘I thought you and Harper were going out with some of the English relatives?’ Xavier answered the woman with a question and he didn’t bother to hide his irritation.

      ‘We were.’ The redhead smiled at Essie as she spoke, her blue eyes frankly curious. ‘But Harper didn’t feel too well earlier so we decided to give it a miss. He’s feeling heaps better now, though, aren’t you, darling?’

      She smiled up into Harper’s face before she continued, ‘Aren’t you going to introduce us, Xavier?’ as she held out her hand to Essie.

      ‘Janice, this is Candy and Harper. Harper and Candy—Janice.’ Xavier’s tone was very dry as he added, ‘Candy is my niece and Harper is her fiancé.’

      ‘Your niece?’ Essie tried not to sound surprised but she didn’t manage it very well, as Candy’s next words indicated.

      ‘I know what you’re thinking but my mother, Xavier’s sister, had me when she was very young,’ Candy said quickly.

      Essie СКАЧАТЬ