THE RELUCTANT BRIDE (5 page)

She
cupped her glass and stared down into the golden liquid, conscious of
his sprawled length close to her. How could he be so relaxed. They
might have been discussing a machine maintenance contract.

She
stole a resentful glance at him and saw that he was smiling.
“Something amusing you,” she asked.

He
laughed. “I was just thinking. Here we are, planning to spend
the next five years together, and I know nothing of your tastes or
interests.” A gleam of mischief lit his eyes. “I don't
even know which side of the bed you prefer.”

Her
glass rocked so violently that some of the brandy spilled on to the
table. For a moment an unbidden image flashed before her eyes. Rod
and herself... Sharply she turned her head, hiding the telltale rush
of blood to her cheeks.

“
Have
I said something to upset you, Gabriella?” His voice was
gentle, enquiring.

She
fought to control the trembling that filled her body before she
turned back to him. “If I
did
agree
to marry y ou there would be no question -” Her voice was
unsteady. “No question of – of -”

“
Consummating
the marriage?”

She
risked another glance and saw that the mocking gleam had left his
eyes. Now he was cool, speculative. He set down his glass and leaned
forward in his chair.

“
Do
I take it that you're now prepared to consider the proposition?”

“
To
– consider it, yes. But that doesn't mean -”

“
What
changed your mind, Gabriella? The money? The house?”

She
opened her mouth to explain but the flicker of contempt she saw in
his eyes silenced her., How dared he despise her? He had shown quite
clearly that he would do anything to get Englands. Let him think what
he liked about her own motives. She had never sought his good opinion
and she cared nothing for it now. In a few short weeks, if the
marriage went ahead, they would both have all they wanted. What else
mattered?

A
lamp still burned in Mrs Stevens' room when Gabriella let herself
quietly into the house.

“
Still
awake?” she whispered, popping her head round the door. Her
mother, in bed, spectacles propped on her nose, was reading a romance
from the local library. After the life she'd led, how could she enjoy
romances, Gabriella wondered, not for the first time.

“
Darling,
you're so late,” said her mother but with more delight than
reproach.

“
The
Poachers Arms was crowded, so we went for a drive.”

“
Such
a nice young man. And so handsome! He is unattached, isn't he?”

“
Yes,”
said Gabriella. Apart from a few dozen besotted females, she added
silently.

“
Could
you help me lie down, dear?”

Supporting
the older woman as she inched painfully into a horizontal position,
checking that her pills and a glass of water were within reach,
noting anew the dark shadows, the lines of strain that day by day
were smudging away her mother's fine boned beauty, any doubts
Gabriella still had as to the rightness of what she planned were
suppressed.

“
We're
going to get you well again soon,” she told her fiercely.
“That's a promise.”

“
Yes,
dear. But what about this young man? Has he asked you out again? Do
you like him? Is he interested in you?”

“
Oh
Mum, so many questions! Look, I hardly -” Gabriella paused. Let
her mother believe what she clearly wanted to believe. It would
lessen the shock when Gabriella told her that her only daughter was
soon to be married.

A
whirlwind romance. Her mother was a romantic, she would accept it,
provided neither Rod nor Gabriella herself gave the game away.

In
the car after leaving the pub she had tried to make Rod see how
important it was that her mother should suspect nothing.

“
If
I agree to marry you – and it's still if – there'd be
certain conditions.”

“
I
expected there would be.” Rod's voice was dry.

“
My
mother has to believe that we're planning a – a proper
marriage.”

“
You
mean, fully legal?” he queried, deliberately obtuse.

Gabriella
felt the heat rising in her. “You know what I mean. I won't
have her upset in any way. I just want you to play the part in front
of her.”

He
laughed. “All right, Gabriella. I'll come courting you, take
you out to dinner, ogle you three times a day, pine at my desk. By
the way, would you like a white wedding? How many bridesmaids?”

“
All
right, Rod, no need to overdo it. Just as long as you convince my
mother.”

“
And
the staff at Englands. We mustn't lose our credibility there.”

“
Englands!
Is that all you can think about?”

“
Money!
Is that all
you're
interested in?” he rejoined.

They
glared at each other in the dark.

“
Look,”
said Rod at last. “Let's not waste time snarling at each other.
I know I'm not exactly your favourite person and I can't say you're
mine, but if we're to be stuck with each other for five years, we'll
have to call some sort of truce. Agreed?”

She
nodded reluctantly. “Very well.”

“
Your
mother's feelings are important to you, but the attitude of everyone
at Englands – and I mean everyone, from the production manager
down to the sweeper-up on the factory floor – is important to
me. To both of us. We have to manage that company, Gabriella, and if
we can't do it with the staff's confidence and respect we might as
well not try.”

She
had to agree.

“
So,
whatever it takes I'll do it, and so will you, even if we have to
take drama lessons to make it convincing. The hostilities are over,
Gabriella.”

“
Darling,
where are you?”

She
came back to the warm softly lit room and her mother's voice.

“
I've
been talking to you for minutes and I'm sure you haven't heard a
word! You must be in love, my dear!”

Plumping
up pillows, fussing with the duvet, Gabriella tried to avoid her
mother's bright gaze.

“
You
do like this young man, don't you, dear?” her mother persisted.

Gabriella
sighed and crossed her fingers under a fold of the duvet. “Yes,”
she said at last, reluctantly. “I suppose I do.” It was a
lie and she hated lying to her mother. Better get used to it, she
told herself. From now on she would be living a lie.

It
was with relief that at last she was able to shut herself into her
bedroom, after parrying a barrage of eager questions. There would be
more to face when she told her colleagues at Englands. How well would
she be able to act the part of a starry eyed bride to be?

And
then there was Bernard. Coward-like, she wished she could just write
him a letter, but he deserved better than that. She sighed. Poor
Bernard. However much she had tried to fool herself earlier she knew
he was bound to be upset. Naturally. Two years was a long time. Of
course, it was a long time for her too, and pausing in the act of
stripping off her jeans and sweater she wondered why the prospect of
ending the relationship didn't affect her more. Had she become so
unfeeling? But she had never felt more than affection for Bernard.
And despite what she had said to her mother, they had nothing
fundamental in common.

And
he didn't excite her. There was none of that stirring in the blood,
that sudden trembling heat that had left her breathless and ready to
abandon herself into Rod's embrace when he touched her.

Rod
excited her. For the first time she admitted to herself the strength
of his appeal. Standing motionless by her bed, a pink cotton
nightdress clutched between her hands, she saw him as vividly as if
he were there in the room. His dark eyes, blue in their depths,
narrowed with amusement. His mouth, firm but sensual. The litheness
of him, tapering from broad powerful shoulders to flat narrow hips.
The long muscular legs.

That
strange heat rose within her again and she knew that what she planned
was flagged for danger. Whatever conditions she laid down, however
impersonal she tried to make their contract, if she married Rod she
would be playing with fire. And if she got burned, she would have
nothing to blame but her own weakness./

She
looked down at the crumpled ball of pink cotton and let it drop to
the bed. Turning, she caught a glimpse of herself in the wardrobe
mirror and paused.

“
You
look sixteen,” he had said. She stared at her slim reflection
with a newly critical eye, suddenly dissatisfied with her small
breasts, her small pale mouth, her pointed chin. Childish? She lifted
her hair, twisted it into a topknot that should have looked
sophisticated but didn't.