The Prospective Wife (19 page)

‘I’ve left your father!’ she wailed as tears began to ooze from beneath her delicately tinted eyelids. With a loud sob she flung herself into her son’s arms.

The action took Matt unawares. Neither of his parents had ever been demonstrative in a tactile way. His rewards had not taken the form of hugs and kisses.

The awkward way he patted his mother’s back made Kat’s tender heart squeeze in her chest. From the expression on his face, it looked as if she wasn’t the only one who was wishing she was elsewhere! There had been a tinge of desperate appeal in the look he’d sent her over his mother’s head.

She smiled encouragingly as he mouthed ‘sorry’ over Drusilla’s head. Kat was content to luxuriate in the warm promise of his smile… He’d proposed… He wanted to marry her! It seemed selfish to feel so deliriously happy while Drusilla was suffering so much, but she couldn’t help it; if she got any happier she might just explode!

When presently Drusilla lifted her head from her son’s shoulder there were mascara stains all over his blue chambray shirt.

‘Sorry,’ she sniffed, raising a delicate lacy hanky to her nose.

‘What’s he done?’ Matt’s grim expression boded ill for his absent parent.

‘He’s the most stubborn, aggravating,
unnatural
man in the world!’ came the dramatic throbbing reply.

Matt relaxed. He’d been steeling himself for something a lot juicier, a youthful mistress at the very least—although, to be fair, Connor Devlin’s numerous faults did not to his knowledge include a wandering eye. If they had, Matt would have confronted him a long time ago!

Irritation was mingled with his relief. His mother had taken thirty plus years to figure out what a bastard she was married to…couldn’t she have waited a few minutes longer to share the news with him?

Before he replied to his mother’s announcement, his restless gaze flickered towards Kathleen, who was stealthily sidling towards the door with a furtive expression on her face.

‘So what’s new? He’s been all those things for the past thirty years and that’s never bothered you before.’

‘You’ve no idea how I’ve suffered.’

Her expression grew irritated as her only son remained palpably unimpressed by her tragic tale.

‘Perhaps I should leave,’ Kat said quietly as she took up a strategic position bedside the door.

‘Stay where you are!’
Matt blasted without even turning to look at her.

His peremptory tone froze her to the spot for a few seconds. Pretty quickly the shock began to wear off and her truculent expression made it pretty clear she’d taken serious umbrage at his dictatorial command. She was just about to tell him in no uncertain terms where he could stick his orders when he entreated in a softer, harassed-sounding tone,
‘Please.’

What girl could resist an appeal like that from a big hunky man she was blindly in love with?—not Kat! In her soft and mushy condition she wouldn’t have refused him anything.

‘Kathleen, my dear, how are you?’ Kat marvelled that even in the midst of calamity Drusilla still had beautifully polished manners.

On cloud nine, embarrassed to hell—take your choice. Either way she didn’t think the distracted Drusilla would notice what she said.

Kat smiled uneasily. ‘I’ll go and organise some tea, shall I?’ Tea had a comforting sound about it. Even though Kat herself was a coffee drinker, she could sup with the best of them in times of stress. If in doubt, drink tea, make tea or talk about the weather—it was the British answer to therapy, and much cheaper.

‘How kind…’

‘Stay put!’

Drusilla threw her son an exasperated look. ‘Can’t you see the girl is embarrassed?’

‘That’s as maybe, but it’s best if she knows what sort of family she’s marrying into.’

‘I didn’t say yes,’ Kat disclaimed weakly.

‘Yet!’
Matt cut in grimly.

His arrogant certainty should have appalled her. So what did she do? Read him the riot act…condemn his rampant display of chauvinism…? No, she just stared up at him with her heart in her eyes and her bosom heaving with foolish, breathless excitement!

There was a bemused expression on Drusilla’s face as she looked from one young person to the other. Her first instinct had been to assume this was all some bizarre joke—she never had been able to understand her only child’s sense of humour. Then she saw that look in Matt’s eyes—she hadn’t known Matthew was capable of looking like that—as they rested on Kat’s flushed face. The expression in the girl’s eyes was nothing short of blind adoration!

An expression of wonder drifted across her face.

‘When I set…’ Drusilla blushed guiltily. ‘I n-never expected…’

‘You finally struck gold, Mother, as did I.’ Matt interrupted his parent’s stuttering incredulity with barely concealed impatience.

It took Kat a few seconds to decipher the back-handed compliment; when she did she began to glow with pleasure.

‘I’m still not quite clear why you’ve left my father.’

The vaguest hint of criticism in her son’s voice brought a frown to Drusilla’s smooth brow. ‘You left.’

‘I’m not married to him.’

‘Neither will I be, soon,’ she announced in faltering accents; then, a lot more stoutly, ‘I’d have thought you of all people would understand. He’s gone too far this time, throwing his orders about, expecting me to jump…’ She brooded darkly.

Kat found this description uncannily familiar; being a tactful girl, she didn’t mention the family resemblance.

‘It’s you I’m concerned about! Do you know he’s disinherited you—
you,
his only son!’ she exclaimed.

‘Has he only just got around to that? I thought he’d done it years ago,’ Matt interjected. His expression suggested mild surprise rather than horror.

‘He’s got this silly idea of leaving everything to some sort of charitable trust! The Connor Devlin Foundation,’ she sneered. ‘I think it’s his way of buying immortality. And, to make it worse, he wants me to do the same! I told him—’ She stopped abruptly and directed a startled gaze in her son’s direction. ‘You
knew?
And you don’t care? Matthew, it’s your birthright!’

Matt shrugged. ‘It’s money,’ he corrected drily. ‘Dad doesn’t owe me anything.’

From her perplexed expression it was clear Drusilla couldn’t begin to comprehend her son’s vexing attitude.

‘Well, you’re having my money, including this place, no matter what you or your father say!’ she threatened sternly. ‘It was the final straw when he had the gall to tell me I should choose between him and my own son. One ultimatum too far! Well, I did choose!’ she announced with a triumphant grin which morphed into a wobbly miserable sob.

‘Good God, mother!’ Matt exclaimed in an exasperated accent. ‘You know he doesn’t mean half the things he says when he’s in a rage. Why didn’t you just wait for him to cool down?’

Drusilla’s damp eyelids lifted. ‘Like
you
did?’

Kat watched as Matt’s lean body tensed, as his strong features grew taunt and remote.

‘That wasn’t the same thing at all,’ he replied with daunting formality.

Drusilla threw up her hands in despair.

‘It wouldn’t be, would it?’ She turned to Kat. ‘I hope you know what you’re letting yourself in for, marrying a Devlin man.’ Her angry attention switched back to her son. ‘I sometimes think you and your father enjoy your little feud!’ she accused resentfully. ‘And while you’re both busy waging war, who is it left trying to please you both?
Me!
Well, I’ve had enough!’ She collapsed gracefully into a button-backed nursing chair.

‘Now look what you’ve done!’ Kat reproached crossly, dropping on her knees beside the weeping woman.

‘Women!’ Matt snarled, crossing to the drinks cabinet. He selected a brandy and filled the bottom of a balloon.

‘I don’t like brandy,’ his mother reminded him.

‘It’s not for you,’ her unfeeling son announced, emptying the contents in one swallow.

There were the unmistakable sounds of a disturbance in the hallway. Kat could hear the deep growl of an angry male voice.

‘Oh, God!’ Drusilla moaned in a doom laden tone. ‘It’s your father!’

Under Kat’s startled gaze, she leapt up, glanced at herself critically in the mirror over the mantel and, once satisfied all was as it ought to be, arranged herself gracefully in the chair once more.

One thing was obvious—Drusilla was delighted her husband had followed her.

Even without Drusilla’s warning, Kat couldn’t have mistaken the identity of the man who strode into the room. There was no dramatic likeness, though the firm uncompromising line of his jaw and the sweep of his broad brow were identical to Matt’s. The similarities were cumulative, and had more to do with little things like the way he held his head, the familiar frown.

He was almost as tall as his son, but whereas Matt’s lean athletic frame would grow sparer with the passing years this man’s build was more thickset and bullish, but he looked comfortable carrying the extra pounds. A big man in an expensive suit who oozed authority.

His authority faltered for a split second when he saw the tall figure calmly watching him—he recovered fast.

For Matt’s sake, Kat was prepared to dislike him on sight.

‘I might have known
you’d
be behind all this,’ the older man jeered. ‘You’ve been poisoning her mind against me for years!’

Matt moved to place himself between his father and the two women, whom so far the older man had totally ignored. Connor Devlin’s stride was so close to a blatant swagger that had the situation been less tense Kat might have laughed. The testosterone levels in the room were probably illegal, she reflected ruefully, but, failing government guidelines on the subject, they were definitely uncomfortable.
Extremely
uncomfortable!

‘I’m here to talk to your mother, not you.’

Matt folded his arms across his chest; his position effectively cut Drusilla off from view. ‘Talk away.’

Connor Devlin’s ruddy colour deepened.
‘Alone!’
he bellowed.

Matt’s lips curled scornfully. ‘I get the impression that Mother doesn’t want to talk to you, alone or otherwise,’ he announced in a slow, provocative drawl.

One glance at the pained expression on Drusilla’s face told Kat that nothing could have been further from the truth. She could stand back and let this macho stand-off degenerate into a mud-slinging match or worse, or she could do something about it. Cold water might work, but as there wasn’t any to hand she’d have to think of something a bit more subtle.

She bent forward and whispered quietly in Drusilla’s ear. The older woman looked startled; after a moment, she nodded. Kat smiled and stepped forward.

‘Actually,’ she said in clear voice, ‘Drusilla would be grateful if you left the room for a moment…both of you,’ she added with more assurance than she was feeling.

The big men paused in the midst of their macho posturing to glare at her.

Kat’s eyes skimmed past the older man. Matt saw the challenge in her droll smile and the fire slowly faded from his eyes. He began to look thoughtful. What was she up to…?

‘And who might you be?’ Connor Devlin demanded.

‘Your future daughter-in-law.’ Matt’s azure eyes burnt into hers with an intimate mixture of humour and exasperated pride.

‘That remains to be seen,’ she countered silkily.

Matt grinned, but there was something satisfyingly determined about the sexy curve of his lips… Mind you, where Matt’s lips were concerned she wasn’t exactly objective.

‘Since when have you been engaged?’ Matt’s estranged father demanded indignantly. ‘You didn’t say a word, Drusilla!’ he barked.

‘I thought I wasn’t meant to mention Matthew’s name in your presence, Connor…?’

Connor Devlin cleared his throat and looked bad-tempered at the reminder. ‘It’s never stopped you before.’

‘Come on, Father,’ Matt said touching his father lightly on the shoulder.

The contact made the older man stiffen, but Kat noticed that was as far as his protest went.

‘Come and have a look at the rose garden.’

‘
My
rose garden,’ Connor added pointedly.

‘Actually, dear,’ Drusilla piped in sweetly, ‘it’s mine.’

Her husband looked ready to explode as Matt led him from the room. ‘What’s wrong with your own place?’ they heard him demand as he left the room.

‘Too many stairs.’

‘Stairs, my foot! Freeloading off me…!’

‘That man!’ his wife exclaimed, looking mortified. ‘He didn’t leave the hospital until Matt was off the critical list, you know, but he forbade me to tell him he’d been there. What can I do?’

‘Well, ignore what he says for a start,’ Kat said. She could see that the idea shocked Drusilla. ‘Think about it,’ she advised. ‘He said you had to choose between him and Matt—you did, and what did he do…? He followed you. Don’t you see, the man clearly adores you? I think it’s about time you started throwing around some ultimatums of your own.’

They caught up with the menfolk about half an hour later in the rose garden; they weren’t talking horticulture.

‘It was a criminally reckless thing to do!’

‘Going soft in your old age, Dad…?’

‘You cocky young pup!’

‘Connor, enough!’

Connor Devlin was clearly startled by his wife’s tone.

‘Don’t say another word until I’ve finished. I’ve put up with this nonsense for years. I refuse to spend another Christmas without my son—’ her affectionate glance travelled towards Kat ‘—and his wife, and before long—who knows?—my grandchildren.

‘All this,’ she continued in a disgusted tone, ‘just because he didn’t do what you wanted, Connor. The fact is you’re as proud as Punch of what he’s achieved.’ She ignored the inarticulate protest that gurgled in her husband’s throat ‘And don’t you look so smug, Matthew. You’re just as stiff-necked and inflexible as he is. Either you two shake hands and make up or I’ve done with the pair of you.’

‘And I won’t marry you if your father’s not at the wedding,’ Kat added by way of an extra inducement. She hoped nobody would notice she had her fingers firmly crossed. Flood and fire wouldn’t keep her from marrying Matt!