Taggarts Woman. Кэрол Мортимер

‘But neither of us has a choice!’

      She could already see how he was chafing at having to explain even the most impersonal of things to her, and wondered what it would be like once they were married.

      But he was wrong about the choice; she did have one. It was just one she knew she could never take, not when it meant hurting Daniel so much.

      ‘Daniel, I’m as upset about my father’s will as you are,’ she began.

      ‘Oh, I realise that,’ he derided. ‘I’m sure you expected to walk away with a fortune, not a husband as well! I know why Max hated me; I just wonder what you ever did to him!’

      She turned away to hide the pain in her clouded eyes. ‘He wanted a son; he got me.’ She flatly told him the half-truth, the wound of Max Danvers’ rejection, although an old one, still raw.

      ‘And he wanted money but instead he got me,’ Daniel rasped harshly. ‘And now, it seems, we have each other!’

      Even now, loving him as she did, she wished there were something she could do to release him from the tie to her that he didn’t want. But there was nothing she could do.

      She sighed. ‘I’ll try not to be intrusive on your life in any way.’

      ‘I never wanted a wife!’ he exclaimed with impatient anger.

      ‘I promise you——’

      ‘Don’t make me any promises, Heather,’ he scorned. ‘Women are notorious for breaking them!’

      She would like to think, much as it would also pain her, that he had once cared enough for a woman to have been hurt by her; at least then she could have some hope that he was capable of love! But she was sure that wasn’t how he had come to his biased conclusion concerning women, he didn’t seem to care for anyone.

      ‘Then only time will show you that I mean what I say,’ she sighed. ‘I’ll intrude on your life and time as little as possible.’

      ‘Except to look at houses, to no doubt help shop for furniture for that house, to dictate that there will be no other women in my life——’

      ‘You dictated that there shouldn’t be any other men in mine,’ she retorted fierily, her tempestuous nature not completely cowed by her efforts to reassure him. ‘I retain the right to make the same conditions over you.’

      ‘For two months,’ he reminded her grimly.

      An angry blush darkened her cheeks. ‘I’m sure it will pass quickly—for both of us.’

      ‘I hope so!’

      Heather sighed. ‘You aren’t giving this relationship a chance if you’re going to be counting the days until you can go back to your mistress——Why do you keep looking at your watch?’ she demanded impatiently as he glanced at it for the third time in the last ten minutes.

      His mouth twisted with cruel mockery. ‘We aren’t married yet!’

      ‘I only asked——’ She broke off, looking at him closely as his meaning suddenly became crystal clear. ‘Do you have—somewhere else to go tonight?’ she queried haltingly, wishing it not to be true.

      ‘Yes,’ he rasped with satisfaction.

      She swallowed hard, knowing exactly where that ‘somewhere else’ was—to his mistress, Cassandra! But as he had so viciously pointed out, they weren’t married yet, and even if they were, she doubted he would particularly care if he humiliated her; he hated her because he had been trapped into marrying her.

      ‘Do you have to go to her tonight?’ she frowned.

      He shrugged broad shoulders. ‘Why not?’

      ‘I——You could always stay here instead.’ Her eyes were wide with apprehension—and anticipation!

      ‘Thanks for the offer,’ he derided. ‘But in a month’s time I’m not going to have a choice about who I share my bed—and my body with; right now, I do!’

      Heather flinched as if he had hit her. She hadn’t made the suggestion lightly, she just hated the thought of him going to the other woman! But she could see by the satisfied gleam in Daniel’s eyes that he was enjoying hurting her, that he had far from forgiven her for her involvement in this enforced marriage. As if she would have wanted him as her husband in this way, given a choice!

      ‘In that case, I have the same choice,’ she retaliated lightly. ‘And it isn’t too late to give—a friend a call.

      Daniel’s eyes narrowed to icy grey slits. ‘Wingate?’ he scorned.

      ‘Perhaps,’ she said non-committally, standing up. ‘I really shouldn’t keep you any longer…’ she added pointedly.

      ‘My, you are in a hurry to finish what we started earlier, aren’t you?’ he taunted, following her out into the hallway.

      She stood her ground without blushing—much as her cheeks burned! ‘No more so than you appear to be,’ she mocked.

      He halted at the front door. ‘If I hadn’t told Cassandra that I would see her tonight…’ He trailed off softly.

      ‘I wouldn’t want you to disappoint her,’ Heather snapped angrily, holding the door open, all the household staff still busy in the main lounge.

      ‘No,’ he sighed, one of his hands moving to lightly caress her cheek with his thumb-pad. ‘Perhaps anticipation will be good for the soul,’ he taunted. ‘It seems that the wedding night I thought would be such an ordeal won’t be so bad after all!’

      Before Heather could come back with a suit-ably cutting retort he had walked off into the darkness, his chuckle at her speechlessness carrying to her on the night air.

      She closed the door with a slam. Damn him, he had almost made her beg for what he now admitted he had anticipated with dread! He——

      She turned sharply as the doorbell rang. If he thought he could come back and change his mind now he was sadly mistaken!

      ‘Phillip!’ she gasped, after furiously wrenching the door open. She had told Daniel she intended calling the other man, but really Phillip was the last person she had expected to see again tonight!