Vacancy: Wife of Convenience. Jessica Steele

was not at all put off that Colly did not answer, but, continuing to beam at her, suggested, ‘Look, Silas might not be back for ages—why don’t I take you for a cup of tea?’

      Colly stared at him. This chinless wonder was married, yet by the look of it did not miss an opportunity to flirt. She was about to give him a cool, No, thank you, when Ellen Rothwell interceded.

      ‘Have you the figures Silas wanted?’ she enquired evenly.

      That shook him sufficiently for him to take his eyes off Colly for a moment. ‘Hell, was it today he wanted them? Strewth, I’d better be going. Don’t tell him I was here,’ he said. ‘And deny any rumour you may have heard that I was on the golf course this morning!’ With that he was gone.

      Colly sat there feeling stunned and with her insides churning. Silas’s cousin was a lightweight, and it showed. And if first impressions were anything to go by he was not fit to run any development company, much less an international one.

      Then suddenly her mouth went dry. She heard sounds coming from the next-door office. If she wasn’t very much mistaken, Silas was back.

      She was not mistaken—the intercom buzzed into life. ‘Has Kit been in?’ Silas asked.

      ‘Been and gone, I’m afraid,’ his PA answered, and quickly, before he could enquire about any figures, ‘Miss Gillingham is here to see you.’

      The announcement was met with total silence. And, quite desperately wishing that she had written, or phoned, but certainly that she had not come in person, Colly went from hot to cold and to hot again. All at once there was movement on the other side of the door, and a moment later the door was opened and Silas Livingstone, tall, commanding, and the very opposite of his cousin, stood there.

      He did not smile, or remind her that he had been going to give her a call tomorrow evening, but, ‘Hello, Colly,’ he said mildly, with his eyes fixed on hers as if he would read there what she had come in person to tell him.

      Colly stood up. The time had arrived to give him the answer that would not wait until he telephoned tomorrow. He took a step back, so she should go first into his office, and following her in closed the door behind them, giving them all the privacy they needed.

      CHAPTER THREE

      ‘WHAT have you got to tell me?’ Silas asked.

      ‘I…’ She was nervous; her voice got lost somewhere in her throat.

      She moved more into the centre of the room, but, indicating one of the easy chairs, ‘Come and sit over here,’ Silas invited calmly. If he was aware of how mixed up inside she felt, he was not showing it.

      With him towering over her, to sit across the room from him seemed a good idea. Colly went and took a seat—then found that Silas had no intention of going over to sit behind his desk when he came and took the easy chair opposite hers.

      ‘I’m sorry to have intruded on your day.’ She found her voice. ‘I know how busy you are!’

      If she had expected him to say that it did not matter she would have been in for a disappointment. For he said nothing of the sort, but, getting straight to the point, ‘You couldn’t wait until tomorrow to give me your answer?’

      ‘My answer was no,’ she replied promptly.

      ‘On Friday.’ He immediately got down to business. ‘On Friday it was no. You’ve had time to think about it fully since then.’

      She had thought of little else. ‘My answer was still no this morning,’ Colly answered. ‘Only…’

      ‘Only?’ he took up when she hesitated.

      ‘Only—well, to tell you the truth, I found myself weakening when this morning Nanette—um—mentioned—well, to be honest—This is extremely embarrassing for me!’ she broke off to exclaim.

      ‘You’re doing well,’ Silas stated calmly. ‘Carry on.’

      ‘Well, it would seem I soon won’t have anywhere to live.’

      ‘That “lady” wants you out?’

      Colly coughed slightly. ‘By the weekend,’ she agreed, not missing that he did not seem to have much time for her ‘lady’ stepmother. ‘I said this was embarrassing,’ she mumbled. ‘Anyhow, my trawl of just a few rental agencies has shown that I’m going to be hard put to it to find the rent.’

      ‘So on that basis you decided, yes, you’d change your mind and agree to marry me?’

      ‘No,’ Colly denied. ‘I’m being as honest with you as I know how,’ she added quickly. ‘My answer first thing this morning was still no,’ she went on openly, explaining, ‘When you and I are virtually strangers to each other, it goes against everything in me to allow you to, in effect, keep me while I undertake whatever training I need to make a career for myself.’

      She paused for breath and looked at him. But he said nothing, just sat quietly listening—and assessing.

      ‘Anyhow,’ she continued, ‘in the light of this morning’s happenings—my imminent homelessness and inability to afford anywhere to live—I found I was weakening in my decision to—er—not take you up on your offer.’ She took a shaky breath. ‘So I thought I shouldn’t wait until tomorrow to tell you, but tell you today. But I couldn’t get you when I phoned earlier. Then I was close by, so I thought I’d better come and tell you in person.’

      ‘Before you weakened further?’ he suggested.

      ‘Yes,’ she replied. And hesitated again. Never had she felt so totally all over the place as she did then. ‘But…’

      ‘But?’ Silas prompted when she seemed momentarily stuck to know how to go on.

      ‘But—I’ve just met your cousin.’

      Silas moved his head fractionally to one side, alert, interested. ‘And?’ he enquired.

      ‘Oh, Silas,’ she said in a rush, ‘you can’t possibly allow him to take over the company!’

      Silas looked at her levelly for ageless seconds. Then, quietly, he let fall, ‘You, Colly, have the power to stop him.’

      She stared at him, her heart thundering. She felt she was teetering on the biggest decision of her life.

      ‘Forget your pride at taking assistance from me,’ he urged after some moments, ‘and think of what you will be doing for me, and this company. I, in turn, will benefit far more than you,’ he reminded her.

      That made her feel a whole deal better. But it still did not make it right. ‘Why me?’ she asked as the question suddenly came to her. And, looking at him, seeing everything about him shrieking sex appeal, ‘You must know any number of women who would agree to this?’

      He did not deny it but gave her question a few seconds’ thought before replying. ‘You because you, like me, have a need, and we would be helping each other. And you, if I’m to be as honest as you, mainly because you don’t want to marry me and would prefer any other way if you could find one.’