Welcome to Mills & Boon. Jennifer Rae

best he was going to get. And he certainly wasn’t going to wear a suit for it.

      Even if he suspected that today, his first day of marriage, would look very similar to every other day that had come before it. He had work to do, as ever. And he had to review the marriage agreement he’d had with Thea before Henry arrived.

      But first he had to make sure his parents actually left for London. At least, with them gone, he wouldn’t have to worry about Ezekiel meddling or Isabella upsetting Helena.

      Of course, with the departure of everyone else, it would just be him and Helena left together. Alone.

      And that, Flynn decided, could get very interesting indeed. At the very least, it would give him a solid chance to make things up to his new wife.

      All the more reason to make sure that Henry got there soon.

      * * *

      Helena woke the morning after her wedding, just as she’d gone to bed: alone. Why on earth did that feel like a surprise? she wondered as she lay back on the luxurious sheets and stared at the ceiling.

      Here she was, the first day of her honeymoon, and she wasn’t sure she was going to see her husband at all. Wasn’t sure that she wanted to either.

      Except their parents were leaving that morning. He’d have to be there to see them off, right?

      And if Flynn was there, did she really have to be there too?

      Helena sighed. Sadly, yes, she did. This was the first full day of the charade that was set to take over her life for the next however long—the act of being a devoted and dutiful wife. At least, with the remaining guests and family gone, the only people she’d have to keep it up for were the villa staff—until they got home to London, anyway.

      Dragging herself out of bed, she showered and dressed quickly before heading down to the entrance hall, her still damp hair curling around her shoulders.

      ‘The car for the airport is here,’ Flynn said, walking in through the front door just as she came down the stairs.

      ‘Unlike the people it’s here to transport.’ Helena looked pointedly around the empty hallway, trying to ignore the way her heart jumped, just a little, at the sight of him. Could she be more pathetic? He might have married her, but he’d made it very clear that all he wanted was the paperwork.

      They stared at each other for a long moment and Helena felt the cool stone walls pressing in as the silence between them grew. She’d never had a problem finding things to talk to Flynn—or anyone else—about before, but all of a sudden it was as if the rings they wore had sucked all the small talk out of them.

      We’re good at this, she reminded herself desperately. We’re the ones who keep the conversation going, who smooth over the awkward silences and the embarrassing comments!

      But apparently that skill only worked with people they weren’t married to. Or when one of them hadn’t turned down a wedding night in the marital bed, at least. Great.

      ‘Maybe I should go and check on them,’ Flynn said eventually, moving towards the stairs. Helena tried to dodge out of his way, but miscalculated, her foot slipping on the bottom few steps.

      She reached for the banister but Flynn was there first, grabbing her around the waist with both arms to keep her upright.

      Helena waited for her heartbeat to return to normal speed now she was safe. It didn’t.

      Looking up, she saw honest concern in Flynn’s golden caramel eyes. His very close eyes. Not far from his very close lips. So close, in fact, that she’d only have to move a centimetre or two and they’d be kissing. Like they’d done after the speeches. And that kiss had hinted at so much more...

      Until he’d turned down her advances just a few hours later. The memory of his dismissal settled over her like a cold shower.

      ‘Just look at you two lovebirds! Such a beautiful sight.’ Isabella’s voice rang out across the hallway, echoing off the stone walls as she descended the stairs. Flynn pulled away so quickly that Helena ended up grabbing the banister anyway. So much for chivalry.

      ‘Let me help you with that, Mother.’ Flynn jogged up the stairs to take his mother’s suitcase from her and carried it down. ‘Where are Dad and Thomas?’

      Isabella rolled her eyes. ‘In the study, I believe. Last-minute business meeting before our flight.’

      Helena saw the look of irritation that crossed Flynn’s face, but Isabella either missed or chose to ignore it. Feeling left out, was he? She supposed she’d better prepare herself for two weeks of him sloping off to check his email and taking business calls during lunch.

      That was if they spent any time together at all. What if he just intended to work all through the honeymoon?

      Helena shook away the thought. She had to look on the bright side or she was going to go mad. So what if her husband had better things to do on their honeymoon than spend time with her? That just gave her more opportunities to go exploring, to see more of the country, maybe go back to that pretty jewellery shop she’d found with Thea in the nearest town. She could treat herself to something pretty then have lunch in that little trattoria. Maybe flirt with a nice Italian man... The thought stopped abruptly.

      She couldn’t do that any more, could she? Not now she was married. And especially not once she signed Flynn’s blasted paperwork with its ironclad fidelity clause. Not that she had any particular plans to go out and pick up a guy or anything. It wasn’t really her style, was it? But she did like men, had several close male friends and enjoyed the warm buzz she got from flirting with them, just a little, even knowing that they would never do anything about it.

      But that was off the table now. Flynn would probably have private detectives following her around, photographing her having lunch and researching every man she ever spoke to. And if he didn’t, his father certainly would.

      Yeah, she really hadn’t thought this whole thing through.

      A door opened just down the corridor and she heard her father’s laugh as he and Ezekiel emerged from their conference, dragging their cases behind them.

      ‘All ready?’ Flynn asked the men. ‘The car for the airport is here.’

      Ezekiel nodded and one of the villa staff darted forward to take their cases out to the car. Flynn followed with Isabella’s. Helena stood awkwardly, waiting for whatever happened next. The moment they left, everything would change again and she was beginning to fear that her bright attitude wasn’t going to last a full two weeks.

      ‘Well, have a good journey home, all of you,’ she said. ‘And we’ll see you in London in a fortnight, I guess.’

      Isabella nodded and leant in to kiss the air beside Helena’s cheeks. ‘We’ll have the house all ready for you both. Then you and I can sit down and discuss your social calendar.’

      Social calendar? ‘Great.’

      Ezekiel nodded his own farewell then walked out of the front door with his wife, leaving Helena alone with Thomas.

      ‘You’ve got two weeks here, Helena,’ he said, studying her face with serious eyes. Helena’s breath caught in her throat. She and Thea had always known that their father was easy-going and affable—but only to a point. When he turned serious, they knew it really mattered. ‘Use them wisely. You’ve made your choice and you need to stick with it now. So make this work.’

      He didn’t really need to add the or else, Helena supposed. She knew well enough what happened when she disappointed her father.

      ‘And if you speak to your sister,’ he added, pausing by the door, ‘tell her we need to discuss her future. Sooner rather than later.’

      Helena nodded stiffly. She didn’t envy her sister that conversation.

      But then, Thea probably wouldn’t envy Helena two weeks in Tuscany trying to ‘make