Marriage of Convenience

Chapter Twenty-Four

She didn't care what kind of romance it had been, and if Theo was right and the lady in question was a bitch then she wasn't about to waste her sympathy on her behalf. And she was about to say just that when he forestalled her again, levering himself away from the table, his face expressionless.

'I thought, with Leo out of your reach, we could talk things through, lay out the guidelines for our future, our marriage. Because, believe me, he won't want to continue with your relationship if he's got his hooks into another heiress one who's free to marry him.'

And with that he strode from the room, leaving her gasping. He must have decided to borrow the cottage, to fetch her away from Dexter House, when he'd learned of Leo's engagement. What he'd said hadn't been flattering, but at least he was willing to talk things through, try to make their marriage work. And he would listen to what she had to tell him, and they could begin again.

She could understand his initial revulsion when he'd walked in on what must have appeared to be a love scene between herself and Leo. But she hadn't been able to understand why he had refused to hear her defense. After all, it wasn't as if his emotions were involved...

Her hands shook a little as she washed the salad they would eat with the steak, her insides wriggling around with what she recognized as nervous excitement. If theirs had been a normal marriage she wouldn't be feeling this way. She would have been desperately hurt by his total lack of trust, her love for him terminally ill by now because the type of mistrust he harbored couldn't coexist with love.

But he had never loved her, never pretended to. The love was all on her side, and she'd known she would have to be the one to make their marriage a workable thing. And now, at last, she was going to be able to work on it again.

Reaching the steaks out of the fridge, she paused, undecided. She could still hear the regular sound of the ax and it looked as though Theo was all set to split enough wood to last through a month of chilly evenings. That being so, the meal could wait for the time it would take her to freshen herself up.

Her mind made up, she was already at the door to the stairway when Theo came in from outside, a pile of logs in his arms, and she halted, uncertain of what to do.

'Would you like me to put the steaks on now, or have I got time to change first?' she asked, her color rising as his blue eyes lazily swept her slender jeans and T-shirt. There was a hint, just a hint, of the old warmth in the look he gave her and her heart flipped over with love for him. Everything was going to be all right; she had never been more certain of anything.

'You look good to me as you are.' His gaze lingered on her rumpled hair. 'But if it makes you feel better, go ahead and change. But don't take all night about it, we've got a lot of talking to do.'

And that was vastly reassuring. He had said he'd listen to what she had to say, and at last, he was talking to her as an equal, his voice softer than she'd heard it for weeks not bitingly bitter, as it had been, coming out as if he hated her, felt her be beneath contempt. She shot him a grateful look, unable to stop herself, to disguise her love. Not that she wanted to, not now, not ever again.

After showering quickly in the tiny bathroom, she went through her Suitcase, making a mental note to unpack before going to bed. But, for now, she picked out fresh satin lace underwear and a fine wool sweater dress. Although the day had been bright and warm, the evening, as Theo had predicted, was turning chilly. The very thought of him made slow color bum over her skin as she wriggled into the soft wool dress. she twisted in front of the mirror, running the palms of her There was no sign of any swelling, but then there wouldn't be yet, and she bit softly on her full lower lip, filled with unfathomable love for the tiny life she carried, for the man who had fathered her child. Then she turned away quickly, heading out of the room, filled with an emotion so intense it

Threatened to explode inside her unless something was done about it, and quickly!

She would tell Theo about the baby over dinner if not before! She couldn't wait a moment longer to share this wonderful secret with him. Explanations about Leo Isaac could wait until later she had to tell Theo about the baby they had made because nothing could be as important as that.

Her feet were light as she ran downstairs to the kitchen, her heart even lighter, but her face fell as she realized Theo already had their meal in the final stages of preparation. She felt cheated; she had wanted to make the meal a work of love! Then, smiling at her silliness, she came into the room, sniffing at the delicious aroma of grilling steak and Theo looked up and caught her smile, returning it, but guardedly.

'You look good enough to eat,' His eyes swept appraisingly over her lovingly encased body. 'But I couldn't wait. I missed breakfast, too.'

'Can I help?' Suddenly, Freya was unaccountably shy and was almost relieved when he shook his head, a lock of dark, rumpled hair falling over one eye, giving him a dashing look that set her heart tipping wildly.

'Nope. It's all done. We'll eat in the living-room go through and pour the wine. There's no room for both of us in here but you can take the bread with you.'

If the words were clipped in a dismissive tone, she didn't mind. In his mind, nothing had changed and there was still a lot of talking to do, his so-called guidelines for their future to be mapped out. He didn't know, as she did, that there was nothing to worry about and never had been.

He had spread a red-checked cloth that matched the curtains over the table, and the glow from the crackling log fire and the single side-lamp darkened the sky outside the windows. She put the bread on the table, near the salad in its shallow glass bowl, smiling as she noticed the careful place settings, the wineglasses, the unlit candle in a porcelain holder shaped like a rose. He had gone to a lot of trouble and, still smiling softly, she lit the candle and poured the wine, taking her glass to stand near a window, looking out.

The first stars were beginning to blink in the darkening sky, and she knew that before the sun rose again she and Theo would be embarking on a marriage that would certainly have real meaning for her and, hopefully, for him, too.

'Come and get it.' His voice, behind her, startled her into turning quickly and she almost spilled her wine. In the softly diffused glow of light that illuminated the little room, his features looked more mellow, his mouth gentler. But his eyes were unreadable, deeply shadowed, and she didn't know what he was thinking.

The steaks were perfectly cooked, but Freya's appetite had deserted her and she toyed with her food as she watched him hungrily eat his. She was going to have to tell him about the baby, she could contain the secret no longer.

And his pleasure would be her pleasure. No, more than pleasure deep and ecstatic happiness.

He had talked of children before. Getting children had been the only reason he had married at all. But she had seen their children as abstract things, mere shadowy ideas. But now this was different. Theo's child was within her, real, living, already loved, and as alive to her as her flesh, her blood.

And she had to share this miracle with him. Now. 'Theo,' she blurted impulsively, nervous excitement making her voice thin, 'we're going to have a baby. I'm pregnant.'

She hadn't known quite what his reaction would be, but she hadn't expected the blank, shuttered expression that met her as he raised his eyes and looked at her levelly, full in the face, across the table. Nor did she understand the brief flash of pain she saw in his eyes before he laid aside his cutlery and remarked distantly, 'Congratulations. But excuse me if I don't share your dewy-eyed enthusiasm. How can I be sure it's mine, and not Leo's?'

And something died inside her at that moment. It was hope. All hope was dead. It had struggled against all the odds and now, with those few words, it had finally expired. There was a bitter taste in her mouth, a tight pain around her heart. This was the end.

'Go to hell,' she said flatly, an indescribable pain pulling her to pieces, and he looked at her once, before thrusting his chair back and standing up, his mouth twisted downwards before he turned away.

'I've just been there.'