Bride By Blackmail. Кэрол Мортимер

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СКАЧАТЬ 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 stood at her side, his arm moving lightly about the slenderness of her waist. ‘My father tells me that your family are in hotels, Jed,’ he prompted with polite interest.

      ‘Yes,’ Jed answered the other man abruptly while his eyes continued to rest on Georgie.

      Georgie, who was becoming more and more uncomfortable by the second, was aware that Jed, a man who had never particularly cared for the social niceties before, was now behaving very rudely by continuing to stare at her. In the same way that their brief conversation at dinner hadn’t been socially polite either. If he didn’t start behaving in a more circumspect way someone in the Lawson family—probably the more astute Sukie—was going to guess that they weren’t complete strangers after all.

      ‘That must be very interesting,’ she put in lightly, her expression warning as Jed looked at her.

      ‘It can be.’ His answer was maddeningly unforthcoming.

      Like getting blood out of a stone!

      Like trying to find a heart somewhere in that stone…

      ‘You’re an author, I believe, Georgie.’ He spoke mildly.

      ‘Yes,’ she confirmed warily.

      ‘Will I have seen one of your books in the shops?’ He continued his line of questioning.

      Her mouth tightened. ‘Not unless your taste runs to children’s books, no,’ she bit out tautly, wondering exactly where this conversation was going. Or if, indeed, it was going anywhere!

      One thing she did know just from looking at Jed’s face: he had already known what her answer was going to be—if not quite prepared for the way in which she gave it!

      So he already knew that she had written and had published a book for children…

      How had he known that? There had been no personal contact of any kind between the two of them for over a year now, all correspondence concerning their divorce having passed between their two lawyers. And Georgie had deliberately avoided seeing anyone who might have contact with Jed.

      But, nevertheless, she had no doubt that Jed already knew everything there was to know about the book she had written…

      Jed’s mouth quirked. ‘I’m afraid not. Still, it’s an—unusual career,’ he added softly.

      ‘What’s unusual about it?’ Georgie prompted sharply, on the defensive as she glared at him.

      He shrugged broad shoulders. ‘Perhaps it’s only that I’ve never met an author before.’

      That wasn’t what he’d meant at all—and they both knew it. Even if no one else in the room did…

      ‘Yes, I’m very proud of Georgie.’ Andrew spoke warmly, giving her waist a reassuring squeeze as he smiled down at her.

      ‘And what about you, Georgie?’ Jed spoke hardly. ‘Are you proud of your achievement?’

      ‘Of course,’ she answered him stiffly.

      He gave an acknowledging inclination of his head. ‘Is it something you’ve always wanted to do? Or—?’

      ‘Would you care for another brandy, Jed?’ Sukie cut in firmly, obviously intending to change the subject, not at all happy that the conversation was focused on Georgie.

      Which was perfectly okay with Georgie—she wasn’t happy about it either!

      ‘No, thanks.’ Jed answered Sukie dismissively, not even glancing her way as he did so. ‘Have you always known you wanted to be an author, Georgie?’

      Her eyes narrowed on him warningly. He knew damn well she hadn’t always wanted to be an author, that until two years ago her only ambition had been to be his wife, to spend the rest of her life with him.

      Which, in retrospect, was no ambition at all!

      ‘I’ve always known I wanted to be something,’ she replied with firm dismissal. ‘It seems I’ve been lucky enough to find a career that I not only like but which one publisher at least thinks I’m good at.’ That knowledge still gave her an inner warm glow.

      ‘How do you feel about having a working wife, Andrew?’ Jed looked at the younger man mockingly.

      ‘I feel absolutely fine about it,’ Andrew came back, sounding perplexed. ‘Most women want a career of their own nowadays—to be more than just some man’s wife.’

      ‘Do they?’ Jed murmured softly.

      ‘Of course we do.’ Sukie was the one to answer lightly, linking her arm with Jed’s. ‘Maybe that’s where you went wrong, Jed,’ she added teasingly.

      Jed continued to look at Georgie for several long minutes, before he straightened and turned to Sukie, his smile wry. ‘Maybe it was,’ he murmured in agreement. ‘Although, listening to my wife, I would be hard pushed to find anything I did right!’

      ‘Ex-wife,’ Georgie heard herself correct, heated colour entering her cheeks when she realised—as Sukie and Andrew had no idea of her past relationship with Jed! To them she probably sounded as if she was being rude again.

      ‘I stand corrected.’ Jed gave an acknowledging nod of his head, lips curved into a humourless smile as he dared her to add to that admission.

      It was a challenge she had no intention of taking him up on—they had talked about Jed Lord and his defunct marriage far too much already this evening as far as she was concerned!

      ‘Are you staying the whole weekend, Mr—Jed?’ She corrected herself before he could do it for her. ‘It’s a beautiful area. I’m sure Sukie would love to show you some of the surrounding countryside.’ She received a grateful smile from her future sister-in-law at this suggestion.

      ‘You’re right; it is a beautiful area,’ Jed drawled dryly. ‘Unfortunately, I’m leaving in the morning.’

      Unfortunate for whom? Georgie’s raised eyebrows conveyed her amusement. Certainly not for her; she couldn’t wait to see the back of him!

      Also, she couldn’t believe he was enjoying this encounter any more than she was; the two of them had made their opinions of each other more than plain the last time they had spoken at length together.

      ‘What a pity,’ she answered, completely disingenuous.

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