Kitabı oku: «From Mistresses To Wives?: Mistress to a Bachelor / His Mistress by Marriage / Accidental Mistress»

Will she become more than just a lover?

From Mistresses to Wives?

Three steamy and passionate romances from

three beloved Mills & Boon authors!

From Mistresses to Wives?
Kay Thorpe
Lee Wilkinson
Susan Napier

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Mistress To A Bachelor

By

Kay Thorpe

KAY THORPE was born in Sheffield in 1935. She tried out a variety of jobs after leaving school. Writing began as a hobby, becoming a way of life only after she had her first completed novel accepted for publication in 1968. Since then she’s written over fifty and now lives with her husband, son, German shepherd dog and lucky black cat on the outskirts of Chesterfield in Derbyshire. Her interests include reading, hiking and travel.

Chapter One

LIGHT as the brush of a butterfly’s wings against the sensitive skin at her nape, the kiss brought a dreamy smile to Jessica’s lips. She moved instinctively closer to the hard male body at her back, murmuring deep in her throat as a hand slid around her to explore her slender length with a touch like fire, traversing every curve, seeking every intimate crevice, rousing her to an overwhelming need for more.

Paul gave a soft laugh and drew her onto her back to find her lips in a kiss like nothing she had experienced before. Sliding her arms about the broad shoulders, Jessica gave herself up to the embrace, thrilling to the ripple of muscle beneath her fingers.

Since when had Paul had muscles like these? came the sudden thought, snapping her out of the dream and into devastating reality.

Sheer panic propelled her from the bed. ‘Who the hell are you?’ she demanded.

‘I might ask you the same question,’ came the answer in tones more intrigued than concerned. ‘What happened to Leonie?’

Jessica drew a steadying breath. A stranger to her, but obviously not to Leonie. ‘She isn’t here.’

Propped on an elbow, the man in the bed reached out a hand to switch on a bedside lamp, playing another, quite different tune on her stomach muscles as she viewed the firm-jawed, assertively masculine features beneath the thick sweep of dark hair.

‘I’d rather gathered that,’ he said drily. ‘It doesn’t explain what you’re doing in her apartment.’

‘I could say the same about—’ Jessica caught herself up as he lifted an ironic eyebrow. His reason for being here had to be obvious to all but the densest of mortals.

The gleam of lamplight on his naked shoulders reminded her that the rest of him was naked too. Her breath shortened again at the memory of how it had felt to be held close to that well-honed body—the sensations created by his exploring hands. She should have known the difference the moment he touched her. Paul had never aroused her as fast. Paul had never aroused her to anything like that degree, in fact.

It took the downward drift of steel-grey eyes to bring her to a sudden awareness of the lack of concealment afforded by her semi-sheer nightdress. The cotton wrap she used about the apartment was draped over the end of the bed. She reached for it, steeling herself to ignore the tilt of his lips as she pulled it on.

‘Leonie offered me use of the apartment for a break,’ she said tautly. ‘As you obviously have a key to the place, I’d have thought you’d know her movements.’

The shrug was easy. ‘We don’t have any hard and fast arrangement. I was driving by and saw the hire car in her parking slot. She doesn’t normally let other people use the place.’

‘She has this time.’ Jessica saw no reason to go into further detail. ‘I’d be grateful if you left,’ she added with what dignity she could muster. ‘You can leave your key on the way out. Leonie can let you have it back when she’s next here.’

‘Sure.’ He came upright, lips quirking once more at the expression on her face as he made to throw back the covers. ‘My things are over there on the chair.’

‘I’ll wait through in the sitting room,’ she said hastily.

She made for the door, closing it between the two of them in some temporary relief. Just a few minutes ago she had been on the verge of offering herself with abandonment to a man she didn’t know from Adam! Considering her response to him, and his own very obvious arousal, he’d shown considerable strength of mind in managing to treat the situation with any degree of humour at all, she supposed.

The beautifully furnished and decorated room was softly lit by a couple of lamps. He must have switched them on in his progression across to the bedroom. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror on the wall opposite, Jessica pulled a wry face. With her mop of naturally curly chestnut hair doing its own thing as usual, and her face shining like a beacon from the coating of moisturiser she had given it on retiring, there was little wonder that his passion had died such a swift death.

What she found difficult to understand was Leonie’s failure to even mention the fact that someone else had a key to the place. Unless she’d genuinely forgotten about it.

Visualising the man through there in the bedroom, Jessica found that difficult to believe.

It wasn’t yet one, she saw from the wall clock. She’d only been asleep an hour or so. Whose bed, she wondered, would Paul be occupying tonight? It was unlikely to be his own.

She thrust the thought from mind as the door behind her opened again, and moved sharply away to turn and confront the man framed in the doorway. He was dressed now in a lightweight pale grey suit and black shirt, the latter open at the neck to reveal a firm tanned throat. Early thirties, she judged, clamping down on the sensations running riot inside her again at the mental image of the body beneath the casual clothing.

‘Seems I owe you an apology,’ he said with no sign of discomfiture. ‘I suppose I should have known.’

‘But one woman feels much like another in the dark,’ Jessica suggested cynically.

‘Only when the body shape’s very much the same,’ came the smooth response. ‘You and Leonie could almost be twins!’

He was laughing at her inwardly if not showing it, Jessica suspected. Eyes like chips of green ice, she said, ‘Your key, please!’

‘Of course.’ He took a key ring from a pocket, and removed one, placing it on the nearest available surface. ‘Having got that out of the way, how about a drink before I take to the road again?’ he tagged on with what she considered quite astonishing cheek in the circumstances.

‘I realise you’ll probably be accustomed to having women go to any lengths to keep you around,’ she clipped, ‘but I want you out! You know where the door is.’

‘The name’s Zac Prescott,’ he said, making no move to comply. ‘And you are?’

‘My name is immaterial. And I don’t give a damn who you are! Are you going to leave—or do I have to call the police?’

The firm mouth curved slowly, sensually, sending another warm trickle down her spine. ‘To charge me with what? There was no real harm done.’

There might have been, came the unbidden thought, if she hadn’t come fully awake in time. The emotion that briefly swept through her was too horrifyingly close to regret for comfort.

‘If I hadn’t realised you weren’t who I thought you were, I’m sure you’d have come to your own conclusion before very long,’ she retorted.

‘Maybe,’ he agreed. ‘Not to say I’d have had the willpower to stop myself from carrying on regardless though. Whoever you took me for is a lucky man. You’re a very responsive lady.’

Jessica felt her colour come up. ‘Nothing new for you, I’m sure!’

‘Depends on the kind of response we’re talking about. You…’ He broke off with a smile as she made a vehement gesture in the direction of the door. ‘I guess you’re right. I wouldn’t want to outstay my welcome.’

Jessica moved aside to allow him free passage across to the door. She was taken totally by surprise when he pulled her to him to press another pulse-racing kiss to her lips.

‘A mouth impossible to resist,’ he declared, releasing her again. ‘Sweet dreams, green eyes!’

He was gone before she could come up with any kind of reply. As the door closed in his wake, her hand crept up involuntarily to touch her lips where the tingle still lingered. She could still smell the faint, emotive scent of his aftershave, still feel the pressure of his body. His departure had left an aching space inside her.

Lust, nothing more, she told herself in self-disgust. His physical attraction was undeniable. She supposed she should be grateful he hadn’t seen fit to take further advantage of the weakness he must have sensed in her. The experience might have been earth-shaking, but the shame would have haunted her for ever more.

With a return to sleep unlikely until her jangling nerves settled a little, she made herself a cup of coffee and took it out onto the balcony. The sea sparkled silver in the moonlight, the only sign of life a cluster of lights on the horizon. A cruise ship on its way to Palma harbour perhaps.

In a month or so the temperatures would be soaring, but right now the night air felt balmy on her skin. She was to stay as long as she wanted, Leonie had said when offering her use of the apartment. She wouldn’t be getting the chance herself this month.

Jessica had seized the opportunity gratefully. A little time on her own was just what she needed in order to get herself back into gear. Looking back, she wondered how she could ever have believed Paul capable of commitment. Men didn’t change their inborn habits.

Past and done with, she told herself firmly, stifling any pangs. When she left here she would be starting afresh. She had enough put by to see her through until she found a job and somewhere of her own to live. With only her personal possessions to bother about, a bedsit would do for a start. What she wouldn’t be doing was taking any more advantage of Leonie’s generosity than she absolutely had to.

Back in bed, she still found sleep hard to come by. The masculine scent lingering on the sheets evoked memories she would prefer to forget. There was very little of her that those long supple fingers hadn’t explored in those searing moments before realisation had come crashing in.

Zac Prescott. Leonie had certainly never mentioned him. She wondered how long the affair had been going on. It seemed such a casual arrangement. Not that Leonie had ever been what might be called conventional in her way of looking at life. Men, she had often said, were there to be enjoyed for what they were, not castigated for what they were incapable of being.

An attitude, Jessica thought wryly, she might do best to formulate for herself.

Thankfully, she was unlikely to be seeing this particular man again. The very thought of facing those taunting grey eyes was enough to make her squirm.

She slept eventually, waking at seven to the sunlight she was beginning to take for granted. Breakfast out on the balcony was a treat she couldn’t have enough of. In daylight the views up and down the rugged western coastline were spectacular, the detail so clear and sharp at this hour, the air itself like fine wine.

Apart from a couple of trips into Palma, she had taken little advantage of the hire car these past few days. With her return flight booked for the day after tomorrow, it was time she stopped mooning around the apartment and saw something of the rest of the island while she still had the chance. It would be some time before she was able to take another holiday for certain.

She left the small, exclusive apartment block at nine to head up the coast. From her study of the map she had found in the writing desk drawer, she planned on driving as far as Valldemosa, then taking the marked scenic route inland and cutting back across country to hit the main highway again. The heat was rising already, making her glad she had hired one of the canvas-covered jeeps instead of a sedate little saloon.

This early in the season there were relatively few tourists on the road. Jessica took her time, stopping at every viewpoint to photograph the stunning coastal and mountain scenery. It was coming up to twelve thirty by the time she reached Valldemosa. A good place to have lunch, she decided, her appetite sharpened by the fresh air.

The guidebook she had brought with her gave the Mirador hotel top billing in every sphere. Expensive, of course, but what the hell, Jessica thought recklessly. She was due a little luxury.

Set high up above the lovely mountain village amidst a grove of orange and lemon trees, its white walls clothed in climbing roses and bougainvillaea, the hotel looked to be everything the book said. The jeep safely parked in a corner of the sloping car park, she made her way via a marble-floored, plant-strewn reception area out to a dining terrace overlooking the magnificent panorama.

Even this early in the season, only three of the dozen or so tables were unoccupied. Jessica chose one close by the low parapet wall in order to have an unrestricted view of the scenery, donning her sunglasses against the midday glare. This, she thought luxuriantly, sipping iced orange juice while she perused the extensive menu, was the life! One she could live quite happily given half a chance.

Without lifting her eyes from the menu, she was aware of being studied by the man who was about to take a seat at a nearby table. His scrutiny made her feel uncomfortable. She looked up with what she hoped was a suitably chilling expression when he came over, feeling the bottom drop right out of her stomach as she registered the face she had thought never to see again.

Zac Prescott returned her stunned gaze with an equanimity she only wished she could emulate. ‘You turn up in the most unexpected places,’ he said.

‘I didn’t know you were staying here!’ Jessica denied, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut as humour sprang in the grey eyes.

‘I daresay you’d have steered well clear if you had. But as you are here—’ he indicated one of the spare chairs ‘—perhaps I might join you?’

Jessica vacillated for a lengthy moment, torn between the dictates of common courtesy and the urge to tell him to get lost. Courtesy won by a short head, and only then because of Leonie. ‘All right,’ she agreed with reluctance.

He pulled out the chair and sat down. His appraisal was too intrusive for comfort. ‘You have me at a disadvantage. You know my name but I still have to learn yours.’

‘Jessica Saunders,’ she acknowledged, unable to come up with any good reason for keeping it a secret.

‘Jess for short?’

‘Not if you value your health!’

Zac laughed. ‘I’ll make a note of it.’ He studied her again, taking in every detail of her face with its wide-spaced green eyes, small straight nose and soft full mouth. ‘I’d say you’re a good three or four years younger than Leonie. That would make you around…twenty-five?’

‘Almost.’ She lifted an eyebrow in faithful imitation of his own interrogative style. ‘And you are?’

He laughed again. ‘Thirty-three. What’s the relationship?’ he added. ‘You and Leonie, I mean.’

‘Why?’ she asked.

‘Call it plain curiosity. Obviously you don’t have to answer.’

What reason was there to keep that a secret either? Jessica asked herself. ‘We’re cousins,’ she said.

‘You’re in the same line of business?’

It was Jessica’s turn to laugh. ‘Hardly. I’m just a humble secretary.’

‘Secretary maybe, humble I’d doubt,’ he returned drily.

He glanced at his watch as a waiter materialised at his elbow, then down at the menu he’d yet to open. ‘You go first,’ he invited.

‘The seafood platter, please,’ she said. ‘And a Perrier.’

Zac took his time perusing the menu. Crisply styled, the thick dark hair had a healthy shine in the sunlight. From the depth of his tan it seemed evident that he spent a good deal of his time in sunny climates.

Wearing light cotton jeans and a white T-shirt today, he had no less of an impact on her senses; the short sleeves emphasised the muscular structure of his upper arms in a way that made her quiver deep down inside. Last night those arms had enclosed her, those long-fingered hands caressed her. She quivered again at the memory.

She was glad of the dark glasses covering her eyes when he looked her way again as the waiter departed with their orders. Feeling the way he made her feel was one thing, revealing it quite another.

‘Do you spend much time here?’ she asked.

‘On and off,’ he acknowledged. ‘Your first visit, is it?’

Jessica nodded. ‘It’s very different from what I expected.’

‘You thought it would be wall-to-wall tourists?’

‘More or less.’

‘You’d find plenty down around Magaluf, and up the east coast, but this side is too rugged for majority tastes.’

Jessica cast a glance out over the spreading scene. ‘It’s beautiful! I can understand now why Leonie chose to buy a place here. Not that she gets to use it as often as she’d like these days.’

‘The price of success,’ Zac observed. ‘How long are you here for?’

‘A week,’ she said. ‘With two days to go.’

‘You think it’s going to be long enough to sort yourself out?’

She looked at him sharply, meeting eyes too perceptive by half. ‘Sort myself out from what?’

‘Whatever it is you’re running away from. Could it be the man you mistook me for last night?’

Jessica made every effort to stay cool and collected, if only on the surface. ‘Would it really be any of your business?’

‘No,’ he returned imperturbably, ‘but I seem to have struck a chord. Turn out to be a bad lot, did he?’

‘Is there any other kind?’

Broad shoulders lifted. ‘Don’t judge the whole barrel by one rotten apple. Try another.’

‘Anyone in mind?’ she asked sweetly, and saw his mouth slowly widen.

‘I wouldn’t say no.’

The sudden flaring temptation was undeniable. Jessica took a forcible hold on herself. Even if the man wasn’t her cousin’s lover, indulging a purely sexual need was certainly no way to go.

‘How long have you known Leonie?’ she asked with deliberation.

The question in no way threw him. ‘It’s a couple of years since we first met, though we only see one another on rare occasions, and never by arrangement. I took the long way up from Palma last night on the off-chance. I planned on surprising her.’

Jessica kept her tone level. ‘Sorry to disappoint you.’

‘Not so much a disappointment as a deprivation,’ he said. ‘You were so—’

‘I don’t want to know!’ she cut in hurriedly. ‘Just forget about it!’

Zac gave a mock sigh. ‘Difficult, but I’ll do my best.’

The arrival of the food curtailed conversation for a few minutes. Jessica found the seafood selection delicious—but then for the prices she had seen displayed on the menu, it darn well should be! she reflected. A definite one-off treat.

‘So what do you do for a living?’ she asked lightly.

‘I’m with the company contemplating adding this place to their Balearic brochure,’ he said.

‘The decision dependent on your appraisal?’

‘It’s certainly a factor.’

Jessica glanced around the wide, tree-shaded terrace. ‘It’s a lovely place in a wonderful location, though I’d have thought it a bit up-market for the general package deal.’

‘It is.’ Zac regarded her with new interest. ‘Have you worked in the business?’

‘Not in the same sense. My parents used to run a hotel in the Cotswolds.’

‘Used to?’

‘They divorced three years ago.’

‘And you joined cousin Leonie in the big city?’

‘Not then. I only moved there after…’ She caught herself up, aware of having said a great deal more than she had intended. ‘Are you considering a recommendation?’

‘Maybe.’ There was a pause, a change of tone. ‘At the risk of being told to mind my own business again, do you still have a job at present?’

Jessica eyed him curiously. ‘Why would you want to know?’

‘I might be able to put you in the way of something.’

‘Are you in the habit of offering jobs to people you only just met?’ she asked after a moment.

‘No,’ he acknowledged.

‘Then why me?’

‘You’re Leonie’s cousin, which vouches for your background, and I’m in urgent need of someone available at short notice.’ He glanced at his watch again, and pulled a face. ‘I’m afraid I have to go. We’ll discuss the detail over dinner tonight.’

Pushing back his chair, he stood up, six feet of virile manhood calculated to stir any woman’s blood. ‘I’ll pick you up at eight.’

He strode away before Jessica could draw breath to respond. Not that she was at all sure what she would have said. The offer had come right out of the blue.

An intriguing one, she had to admit. What would prompt a man of his kind to offer any kind of job to someone on the strength of what appeared to be a fairly casual relationship at best?

Listening to what he had to say over dinner in no way committed her, she reasoned. At the very least, she would be spared another long evening on her own. She turned a deaf ear to the voice cautioning against any further as sociation at all with a man who not only sent her pulse rate into overdrive, but made it quite obvious that he found her something of a draw too.

The waiter shook his head when she asked for the bill. Señor Prescott, he said, had already attended to the matter. Jessica wondered if the man knew why Zac was here.

She spent the rest of the afternoon following the lesser frequented route back to her starting point, gaining a glimpse of the real Majorca, almost totally untouched by the tourist trade.

Back at the apartment by five, she made herself coffee, and spent the next hour or so vacillating over whether to ring Leonie or not. The latter was still at the office when she finally made the call.

‘You only just caught me,’ declared her cousin. ‘Another five minutes and I’d have been on my way out for the evening. So, how’s it going?’

‘Fine,’ Jessica assured her. ‘I really like the island. What I’ve seen of it so far, at any rate. I’ve met a friend of yours,’ she went on. ‘Name of Zac Prescott?’

There was a pause before Leonie responded. ‘Met where exactly?’

Not for anything, Jessica had already decided, was she going to let on about last night, although she doubted if Leonie would find it anything but amusing. ‘Valldemosa. The Mirador Hotel. Apparently he works for the company proposing to use the place.’

‘Works for?’ Leonie gave a laugh. ‘Sweetie, he is the company. Leastways, a major shareholder. You’ve heard of Orbis?’

‘Vaguely.’ Jessica was nonplussed. ‘I’d have thought he’d be way above sussing out new prospects?’

‘Zac’s what you’d call a hands-on man. He hates sitting around in offices. Orbis is one of Prescott Incorporated’s subsidiary interests. Caters for the upper end of the travel market. Even more successfully since Zac took it on board.’

Jessica hesitated. ‘He’s offered me a job.’

‘He has?’ Leonie sounded taken aback. ‘Doing what exactly?’

‘I’m not sure yet. I’m having dinner with him tonight to discuss it.’

The response was a moment or two coming. ‘I hate to prick any bubbles, but it all sounds a bit pie in the sky.’

‘I know.’ Jessica kept her tone light. ‘No reason why I shouldn’t take advantage of an evening out though, is there?’

‘Don’t go losing your head, that’s all. Zac’s seduction technique is second to none.’

‘I’ve no intention of losing my head,’ Jessica assured her. ‘Especially,’ she added with purpose, ‘over a man you’ve been having an affair with yourself for two years.’

‘No woman lays a claim on Zac Prescott,’ came the dry reply. ‘He’s a totally free spirit. Just take care. You’ve been through enough over Paul.’

Jessica replaced the receiver, allowing herself no backsliding in her determination to oust Paul from both heart and mind. Zac’s offer of a job might be spurious, but then again it might not. There was only one way she was going to find out.

He arrived at eight on the dot. Wearing off-white trousers and dark tan shirt, he set her pulses hammering the moment he walked through the door. She had a sudden premonition that she was getting into something she would come to regret.

They drove down into Palma for drinks at one of the seafront bars near the cathedral, moving on afterwards to a restaurant overlooking a tree-shaded plaza.

The clientele were clearly of the monied variety, with a fair scattering of English among them judging from snatches of conversation drifting Jessica’s way. Good quality though the natural linen suit she was wearing might be, in her estimation it stood out like a sore thumb among the designer outfits sported by others in the place.

If Zac held the same view, he certainly didn’t show it. He’d made no secret of his attraction earlier in the day, and was making no attempt to do so now. As the evening progressed, with no mention of the job he was supposed to be assessing her for, she began to share Leonie’s opinion that it might simply have been a means to an end.

There was a part of her, Jessica had to admit, that yearned to just go with the flow and enjoy what her every sense told her would be an experience to remember. Most people her age regarded sexual freedom as a way of life. Why fight the trend?

Because she wasn’t most people, came the answer. If Zac really did have designs in that direction, he was going to be very disappointed.

Even more so if she played him along a little, she thought vengefully. He deserved a kick in the teeth.

‘I rang Leonie this afternoon,’ she said over dessert. ‘She tells me you’re a company VIP.’

Zac gave her a quizzical look. ‘Does it make a difference?’

Her smile was slow. ‘Who was it called power an aphrodisiac?’

‘Kissinger, I believe.’ The grey eyes had acquired a definite glint. ‘You reckon he was right?’

‘It depends, I suppose, on the way it’s handled,’ she said. ‘Some men are born to it.’

‘While others have it thrust upon them. Or is that greatness?’ The glint had crystallised into amusement. ‘Are you aiming to seduce me?’

‘Am I hell!’ she exclaimed, abandoning the act. ‘You got me here under false pretences!’

Amusement gave way to some other, less discernible expression. ‘If you mean the job, you’re partially right,’ he admitted. ‘What I want from you is—’

‘Whatever it is, I’ve no interest,’ Jessica cut in. ‘Leonie’s welcome to you!’

‘Leonie isn’t here,’ he returned. ‘Neither would she be right for the part if she were.’

Jessica’s brows drew together. ‘The part?’

‘That’s right.’ The pause was brief, the grey eyes steady. ‘I need a fiancée.’

Chapter Two

JESSICA gave a derisive laugh. ‘If that’s meant to be a joke of some kind, it’s a pretty poor effort!’

‘I’m not joking.’ Zac spoke quite calmly. ‘I’ll pay you a thousand to pretend to be my fiancée.’

He really was serious, she realised, studying him. Her first inclination was to tell him where he could go with his preposterous proposal, but curiosity held a stronger hand.

‘Just what kind of game are you playing?’ she demanded.

‘No game,’ he assured her. ‘I let my grandfather believe I’d found the girl of my dreams at last. Now he wants to meet her.’

‘Why?’ she asked in some confusion. ‘I mean, why tell him something that obviously isn’t true?’

‘Because it stopped him pressuring me to get married and start a family for a while.’

‘A state you’d naturally abhor.’ Jessica made no attempt to eradicate the sarcasm from her voice. ‘Hardly likely to be a very long-lasting deception, was it?’

Broad shoulders lifted. ‘So I didn’t think too far ahead at the time.’

‘Then why not just tell him the truth and have done with it?’

‘Because he only has a short time to live.’ Zac’s tone was flat. ‘And before you ask, I only found out this morning. I can’t spring it on him now. Hence the desperate straits.’

‘I doubt if you’d find any shortage of takers if you rang around.’

‘Not in the time. You’re my only hope.’

Jessica regarded him in silence for several seconds, grappling with the implications. To do what he was asking her to do would be shameful, but if the alternative meant robbing a dying man of his dearest wish…

‘It’s emotional blackmail!’ she accused.

‘I’m aware of it.’ He studied her set features. ‘If a thousand isn’t enough…’

Green eyes flared. ‘If I do it at all, it certainly won’t be for money!’ She looked at him with distaste. ‘I hope you’re proud of yourself!’

‘Not over this,’ he admitted. ‘I just wanted breathing space. Time to find a woman I could contemplate living with full time.’

‘The main problem might be finding one who could contemplate living with you full time!’ Jessica retorted, bringing a tilt to his lips.

‘Quite possibly.’

But unlikely, she was bound to admit. No man with Zac Prescott’s assets would have difficulty finding a wife.’

‘I’d have thought Leonie might fulfil your every requirement in that direction,’ she said.

‘Leonie?’ He laughed, shaking his head. ‘She’d no more want to marry me than I would her. We’re too much alike.’

‘Opposites attract, similarities endure,’ she murmured.

‘Sometimes, not always.’

‘So what would you consider ideal wife material? Someone who’d hang on your every word and worship the ground you walked on?’

The scorn made little impression. ‘Sounds pretty close.’

‘You’re about fifty years too late then.’

‘So it seems.’ Zac shook his head again, this time in mock despair. ‘I might have to settle for less than the best in the end.’

‘Whoever you did marry would have my heartfelt sympathy!’ It was weak, but the best she could come up with.

‘I’ll pass the message on, if and when,’ he said. ‘To get back to the lesser proposal, if you won’t take money, how about that job? Obviously it wouldn’t be with Prescotts, but I have plenty of contacts.’

Jessica curled a lip. ‘Don’t bother. I’ll be doing it for one reason and one reason only, and that’s to save your grandfather from knowing what a liar you are!’

‘Thanks.’ Zac neither sounded nor looked in any way discomposed by the censure. ‘So we’d better get down to discussing detail. I’ve worked out a potted history for you. All you have to do is memorise it.’

‘Taking it for granted I was going to say yes?’

The grey eyes remained steady. ‘You can learn a lot about someone in a very short time in bed.’

Jessica felt the contraction deep in the pit of her stomach, the sudden wave of heat through her body. ‘You know nothing about me!’ she exclaimed furiously, colouring afresh at the memory of those exploring hands. ‘Nothing intrinsic, at any rate. I can still back out. What would you do then?’

‘I’d be sunk,’ he admitted. ‘But you won’t back out.’

He was right, she conceded with reluctance. However much she might deplore the situation, she’d committed herself.

‘It will be easier if I use my own background,’ she said, with no intention of relinquishing at least that much control.

‘No reason why not,’ he agreed after a moment’s consideration. ‘Probably easier for me too, in fact. I’ll need a few more details though.’

‘I think you’d better fill me in on a few details first. Where exactly is your grandfather, to start with?’

‘Dorset. Near Lyme Regis. They moved down there when he retired.’

Jessica looked at him sharply. ‘They?’

‘He and my grandmother.’ Zac raised a querying eyebrow. ‘Does it make a difference?’

‘It means deceiving two people instead of one—unless you plan on telling your grandmother the truth.’

‘I think she might have enough on her plate for the time being, don’t you?’

Jessica had to agree with that too. The arrival of a waiter to exchange the unfinished desserts for coffee gave her a much needed break. She took hers strong and black in an attempt to clear her mind.

‘You said you only heard the news this morning?’ she queried when they were alone again.

Zac nodded. ‘Grandmother told me when I rang to say I wouldn’t be able to make it this weekend.’

‘The news must have been a real shock.’

A shadow passed over the incisive features. ‘Very much so. I knew he was on medication for angina, and, at eighty, I suppose it was on the cards that he might not have all that long, but I just didn’t expect it this soon.’

He briskened his tone, emotions under firm control again. ‘I haven’t given them a name as yet, so your own will do.’

Jessica held back the acrid comment. ‘How long are we supposed to have known one another?’

‘A couple of weeks or so.’

‘Obviously love at first sight!’

The satire lit a spark in his eyes. ‘It happens to others, why not to me?’

‘You’re hardly the type.’

‘I’m no out-and-out romantic, I agree, but I’m not quite as case-hardened as you seem to think.’

‘I’ll take your word for it. I already told you as much of my background as you really need to know about for now,’ Jessica went on purposefully, caught up, despite her disquietude, in the concoction. ‘Where did we meet?’

Zac gave a brief shrug. ‘At a party?’

‘You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?’ she gibed.

‘Not to any great extent,’ he admitted. He studied her for a moment, expression undecipherable. ‘You’re being very…cooperative.’

‘For your grandfather’s sake, not yours. One thing we should have clear,’ she added, arming herself against any intruding images, ‘there’ll be no physical contact between us.’

The spark was lit once more. ‘It’s hardly going to be convincing if I’m banned from even putting an arm around you.’

‘No more than strictly necessary then.’

‘Who is it you mistrust the most?’ he asked softly. ‘Me—or yourself?’

Both equally, if she were honest, Jessica could have told him. However she might feel about his behaviour in this particular matter, there was no getting away from her physical responses.

She met his gaze with what she hoped was a suitably scathing expression. ‘Modesty not exactly your strong point, is it?’

‘Attack the best means of defence?’ he countered. ‘Why do some women find it necessary to deny their natural leanings? It isn’t essential to be in love to get pleasure from love-making. I’d have thought last night would have proved that to you.’

‘We were hardly together long enough to prove anything,’ Jessica retorted, knowing even as she said it that she was fighting a losing battle. ‘When exactly do you plan on seeing your grandfather?’ she asked, thrusting the thought aside.

‘As soon as possible. If we can’t get a scheduled flight tomorrow, I’ll book a charter. We’ll be going straight down to the house, which means an overnight stay. Separate rooms, so you’ll be safe enough. Grandmother would have it no other way.’

Neither, it was on the tip of Jessica’s tongue to retort, would she. She refrained because it was more dignified to ignore the comment. ‘What about the rest of your family? Will they be there too?’

‘What’s left of it. My father and his brother were killed together in a car crash seven years ago.’ The statement was matter-of-fact.

‘I’m sorry,’ Jessica proffered. ‘It must have been hard.’

‘It was.’ Zac glanced at the thin gold watch encircling one lean wrist, face revealing little. ‘More coffee, or shall we make tracks?’

It was coming up to midnight, Jessica saw from her own watch. Looking back over the evening, she could still hardly believe what she’d agreed to do. Leonie would consider her a total idiot for getting involved in such a scheme. She wouldn’t be far wrong either.

‘I’m ready to go,’ she said. ‘I hadn’t realised it was so late.’

His smile had a sardonic edge. ‘Time flies when you’re having fun.’

It was a short walk to where they’d left the car. Although nowhere near as busy as it would be in months to come, the town was humming with activity, the night only just getting into its stride.

Aware through every nerve and sinew of the man at her side, Jessica took care to keep space between them. Had she been with Paul right now, came the thought, he would have wanted to visit at least one nightclub before retiring. She was surprised by the lack of any real pain in the memory. Perhaps her feelings for him hadn’t gone quite as deep as she’d imagined after all.

The drive back was accomplished in near silence. Jessica was thankful not to be the one tackling the steep climbs and hairpin bends in the dark. Zac insisted on seeing her as far as the main door of the apartments, though he made no attempt to solicit an invitation.

‘I’ll be here at nine,’ he said. ‘You can leave your car. I’ll arrange to have it picked up. Hopefully, we’ll be in England by mid-afternoon.’ Catching the expression that flitted across her face, he added hardily, ‘You’re not going to let me down.’

It was more of a statement than a question, but this was no time, Jessica acknowledged, to be nitpicking over inflections.

‘I’ll be ready,’ she said. ‘Although I can’t pretend to be happy about what we’re doing. I hope you can live with yourself afterwards.’

‘I’ll do my best.’ He paused. ‘Are you planning on telling Leonie about it?’

‘I’d as soon no one else knew about it!’

‘Supposing she tries to get in touch with you?’

‘I’ll ring her first thing in the morning and tell her I’m going to spend a few days on the other side of the island,’ she said. ‘What’s one more lie?’

Zac’s face remained impassive. ‘See you at nine, then.’

Jessica closed the door, watching through the glass as he strode back to the car, tall, lean and totally devastating. She had given her word. No going back. Whatever the outcome, she would deal with it.

Morning found her with certain misgivings still, but no lessening of resolve. A dying man’s peace of mind took precedence over conscience.

Allowing for the time difference, she waited until eight to put through the call to Leonie, only to have the other call her first.

‘So how did it go last night?’ asked her cousin without preamble. ‘Did you get the job?’

Jessica put everything she had into keeping her voice from revealing her inner turbulence. ‘There was no job. You were right about him. He had a hidden agenda.’

The pause was loaded. ‘Did you…?’

‘Succumb?’ Jessica forced a short laugh. ‘Give me credit for a little sense!’

‘Sense doesn’t play all that large a part in some situations,’ came the dry reply. ‘Don’t try telling me he leaves you totally cold.’

Denials would be a waste of breath, Jessica knew. She opted for cynicism instead. ‘I admit he’s got something, but hell will freeze over before I let my hormones rule me again. Anyway, I’d hardly want to trample on your preserves.’

‘I already told you, Zac’s a free spirit.’ Leonie sounded cynical herself. ‘The only reason I warned you against him was because I didn’t want you falling for him on the rebound. I take it you’ll not be seeing him again?’

Jessica steeled herself against the urge to confess all, knowing all too well what her cousin would say. ‘No. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of changing my flight and spending a few days over the other side of the island.’

‘Good idea,’ Leonie agreed. ‘Make the most of it while you can. See you when you get back.’

She didn’t wait for any response, which was fortunate as Jessica would have been hard put to it to hit the right note. Deceiving her cousin was not something she liked doing, but there was no way she could bring herself to tell her the truth.

Her bag packed, she was ready and waiting in a dark cream trouser suit when Zac arrived promptly on the hour. He gave her a deliberated scrutiny, meeting her eyes with a smile on his lips.

‘You look perfect. Grandmother will love the curls. I find them pretty appealing myself, if it comes to that.’

Jessica gave him a less than appreciative look, disregarding the impact he made in the same pale grey suit he had worn the other night, this time with a dull gold shirt. ‘You don’t need to start playing the part yet.’

‘Just getting the feel of it,’ he responded. ‘I’d doubt if Grandfather’s mind is any less astute than it ever was.’

‘There’ll come a time when you have to come clean,’ she pointed out. ‘To your grandmother, at least.’

‘I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.’ Zac made an abrupt movement. ‘Let’s go.’

He carried her bag down to the car and stowed it in the boot alongside his own, then saw her into the passenger seat. Jessica stopped herself from moving away when he slid in behind the wheel, but only just. Relatively spacious though the car interior was, he was still too close for comfort. The clean fresh tang of his aftershave tantalised her nostrils.

The car had air-conditioning, but Jessica had no quarrel with Zac’s preference for open windows. She took off her jacket and tossed it to join his on the back seat, enjoying the cool rush of air on her bare arms. Cut to follow the shape of her body without undue clinging, the sleeveless, emerald green top drew a frankly appraising glance, making her wish she’d kept the jacket on. The last thing she’d want was for him to think she was flaunting herself.

‘You said your grandfather was eighty,’ she remarked, looking for something—anything—to talk about. ‘Is your grandmother younger?’

‘The same, within a couple of months. They grew up next door to one another.’ Zac gave a dry smile. ‘I’d say their fates were sealed from an early age.’

‘Do they know we’re coming?’

‘I rang last night to say we’d be there for dinner.’

Jessica gave him a surprised glance. ‘But it must have been going up the hill for two by the time you got to the hotel.’

‘I meant earlier.’ There was no element of apology in his tone. ‘A calculated gamble.’

‘Do you take chances in business affairs too?’ she queried after a moment.

‘On occasion. Playing it safe all the time makes for a very dull life. I haven’t fallen on my face yet.’

‘There’s always a first time,’ Jessica retorted. ‘Your grandfather still has to be convinced.’

‘He will be.’

She looked out of the side window, hoping he was right. To be caught out in a lie of this magnitude at such a time was beyond contemplation.

They were at the airport by ten fifteen. Zac, it turned out, had already phoned through before leaving the hotel, and managed to book two seats on a scheduled flight leaving at midday. Jessica took the time to cancel her reservation on the following day’s flight, accepting the lack of refund due to short notice as a matter of course. Right now it was a minor consideration.

Flying first class was an event in itself. Cocooned in soft leather comfort, a glass of champagne at her elbow, Jessica was forced to concede the advantages. If the engagement was for real, this was the kind of lifestyle she would be living from now on. Few people could honestly claim to find nothing appealing in that notion.

Only it wasn’t for real. Once the weekend was over, she and Zac would go their separate ways—with any subsequent fallout from the deception his problem. The fact that she was going to find him difficult, if not downright impossible, to forget was her problem. How did one go about forgetting a man who set every nerve ending on fire?

She stole a glance at him, relaxed in his seat, head back against the rest, eyes closed. The firm lines of his mouth aroused an aching desire to know its touch again; she felt her nipples spring to life at the very thought. A weakness she’d better get a hold on if she was to emerge from this encounter with some shred of self-respect left, she told herself hardily.

Zac had a car at Heathrow. By two o’clock English time, they were on the road.

After a week of warm sun, the pouring rain was hardly scheduled to lift any spirits. Jessica found hers sinking ever deeper as the miles went by. However good the intention, she was entering into a conspiracy to deceive a dying man. If Zac himself felt no shame, she certainly did.

‘I’m not sure I can go through with this,’ she said.

Zac gave her a swift glance, his jaw firming. ‘You can’t back out now!’

‘You can’t make me carry on with it!’ she responded.

‘Not physically, perhaps. But ethically you’re…’

‘You’re a fine one to talk about ethics!’ Jessica shot back. ‘If you hadn’t lied in the first place, none of this would be necessary!’

‘I’m aware of it. As time travel isn’t yet possible, unfortunately, we’re all of us stuck with the mistakes we make. You agreed to do this for my grandfather’s sake, not mine. He’s the one you’d be letting down.’

Jessica bit her lip. ‘All right. I’ll do my best.’

‘Thanks.’ His tone had softened. ‘You’re one in a million, Jess!’

For once she allowed the shortening of her name to pass. There were far more important things to think about.

It was coming up to six o’clock when they finally reached their destination. Lying a couple of miles from the coast, Whitegates turned out to be a converted nineteenth-century farmhouse set within several acres of land. Getting from the car on the wide fronting driveway, Jessica stood for a moment to view the place, loving its timelessness, its air of tranquillity.

‘Not what you were expecting?’ asked Zac, moving back to open the boot.

‘I hadn’t actually thought about it,’ she admitted. ‘I suppose if I had, I might have imagined something built to order.’

‘More suited to a retired elderly couple?’

‘Well…yes. This is wonderful, but it must be a lot of work.’

‘A fair amount,’ he agreed. ‘But help isn’t too much of a problem. They have a daily maid-cum-cook, plus a whole army of cleaners, gardeners, whatever, to call on.’

Silly of her to think otherwise considering the family background, Jessica reflected. Finances would hardly be strained.

The woman who appeared at the top of the steps leading up to a side door fitted no conventional grandmother image for certain. Tall and slim in a pair of tailored blue trousers and matching shirt, her silvered hair superbly cut to frame her face, she looked nowhere near her age.

‘I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to get here,’ she said. The smile she gave Jessica was strained. ‘It’s so nice to meet you at last.’

‘I’m only sorry it had to be under these circumstances,’ Jessica rejoined, hating herself for her part in this travesty—hating Zac even more at the moment for involving her in the first place.

‘Where is Grandfather?’ asked Zac.

‘In the sitting room waiting for you.’ The faded blue eyes appraised the bags he was carrying, lingering on Jessica’s so much larger suitcase. ‘How long are you planning on staying?’

‘No set plan.’ Zac ignored Jessica’s swift glance. He pressed a kiss to his grandmother’s cheek. ‘How’s he taking it?’

To Jessica, the expression that flickered across the older woman’s face was more reminiscent of discomfiture than distress. Her tone when she answered was oddly evasive.

‘As he takes everything. He’s very much looking forward to seeing you both.’ The pause was brief. ‘He’d prefer you didn’t mention his condition. Just treat him as normal.’

The side door led directly into a big stone-floored kitchen. Apart from the dark green Aga range fitted into a wide recess that had probably once been the fireplace, the room was unmodernised, with solid old cupboards and dressers, its rough plastered walls painted a deep warm terracotta. Exposed beams ran across the ceiling.

The woman preparing vegetables at one of the two Belfast sinks looked round with a smile at their entry.

‘Nice to see you again, Mr Zac.’ The glance she cast Jessica’s way was frankly curious. ‘Congratulations to you both!’

Zac returned the smile. ‘Thanks. Jessica, meet Dulcie.’

Jessica made a suitable acknowledgement of both introduction and wishes, gearing herself for what was still to come. She felt terrible again already, and this was only the beginning. The thought of facing a dying man with the same lies on her lips made her want to throw up.

They left the bags where Zac had dropped them, and followed his grandmother across a wide hall to a beamed sitting room beautifully furnished and decorated in period. The figure stretched out on a sofa beneath one of the mullioned windows appeared to be sleeping. Lean in build, with a full head of white hair above a thin but by no means emaciated face, he looked far from the frail old man Jessica had been anticipating.

‘Don’t waken him,’ she said impulsively as Mrs Prescott reached to touch his shoulder. ‘He must need all the sleep he can get.’

She was too late. He was already opening his eyes. Grey eyes, like his grandson’s, though lacking the steely clarity. She found a smile as they locked onto her face.

‘Hello, Mr Prescott. I’m Jessica.’

‘Welcome to the family, Jessica,’ he said, with none of the confusion that might be expected of someone just woken from sleep. ‘I’ve waited a long time for this.’

‘Let Zac help…’ she began as he made to lever himself upright, breaking off as she recalled his wife’s injunction.

‘I don’t need cosseting,’ he rejoined without particular inflection.

His wife looked as if she was about to make some comment, spreading her hands in a dismissive gesture as he gave her a frowning glance. ‘Pull up a chair for the girl, Zac,’ he commanded.

Zac did so, face revealing little of what was going on inside his head. Jessica could only hope his guilt was eating him up to the same degree.

‘So tell me about yourself,’ the old man invited. ‘You’ve certainly got the looks I’d have expected, but there has to be more to you than that to throw a noose round this grandson of mine.’

Jessica shook herself inwardly. Dying he might be, easy to fool he most certainly wasn’t. She was going to need all her wits about her to make this convincing.

‘I’ve no hidden depths,’ she disclaimed. ‘What you see is what you get.’

The chuckle was unexpected. ‘I’ll form my own judgement. So, how did the two of you meet?’

Forward planning certainly paid off, came the fleeting thought. ‘At a party,’ she said.

‘You were drawn to one another across a crowded room, eh?’

She gave a laugh, drawing on her imagination. ‘Actually, we ran into one another—literally—dancing. I put a heel in Zac’s instep, so it was hardly what you’d call an auspicious beginning.’

‘It obviously made an impression on him.’

‘Like being poleaxed!’ Zac’s tone was light. ‘I’ve been out of circulation ever since.’

‘One good woman is worth a thousand of the other kind,’ his grandfather rejoined. ‘You’ve sown enough wild oats.’

‘A man must do what a man must do,’ Jessica observed blandly, opting for a bold approach. ‘I daresay you did some sowing of your own before you met your wife.’

‘I was married at twenty,’ he said.

She bit her lip. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘No need.’ He was obviously enjoying her discomfiture. ‘How about you? Ever been in love before?’

Jessica met the shrewd gaze head on. ‘I might have thought I was.’

‘But you know the difference now?’

In for a penny, in for a pound! she thought, unable to prevaricate her way around a straight question. She softened both voice and expression. ‘Oh, yes!’

Henry Prescott had subsided back into the cushions, though not, it was apparent, with the intention of drifting off to sleep again.

‘What about family?’ he asked.

‘My parents are divorced,’ she said, reconciling herself to the inevitable. ‘Both of them remarried.’

‘I see.’ He sounded disapproving. ‘Brothers and sisters?’

‘No, I was an only child. Fate,’ she added, sensing the question before it was asked, ‘not choice. They’d have liked a son.’ Preferred would have been a better word, though she doubted if even that would have saved a marriage destined from almost the start not to run its full course. ‘I live in London now.’

Would be doing, at any rate, once this was over, she thought.

‘And what do you do for a living?’

Her hesitation was brief. ‘Secretarial.’

‘You’ll be giving it up, of course, once you and Zac are married.’

It was a statement not a question. Easy to see where his grandson got it from, thought Jessica drily. ‘I hadn’t got round to thinking about it yet,’ she said.

The old eyes bored into her. ‘But you do want children?’

‘Well…yes.’ Don’t just stand there! she thought fumingly when there was no word from Zac. ‘Four at least,’ she tagged on, throwing caution to the winds. ‘Two boys, two girls, if we can manage it.’

There was a certain satisfaction in the look Henry Prescott turned his grandson’s way. ‘It took you long enough, but it seems you might have made it good in the end.’

‘Didn’t I just,’ Zac agreed.

Jessica concentrated on her glass, conscience overtaking her once more. She was never going to forgive herself for this! They’d been here less than half an hour. The thought of keeping the act going until at least lunchtime tomorrow was daunting.

Chapter Three

ZAC stayed for a few private words with his grandfather while his grandmother showed Jessica to the room she would be occupying. Furnished to suit the ambience of the place, it boasted a small but beautifully appointed en suite.

‘You have a lovely home, Mrs Prescott,’ Jessica exclaimed impulsively. ‘So unspoiled!’

‘It would have been a crime to make changes other than what was strictly necessary,’ the older woman agreed. ‘I see you’re not wearing a ring yet,’ she added disconcertingly.

‘We didn’t get round to choosing one yet,’ Jessica improvised. ‘It’s all happened so quickly. I’m still having difficulty taking it in!’

‘It came as a surprise to Henry and me too. We were beginning to believe Zac would never settle down. Henry regards marriage as the mainstay in a man’s life. To the right woman, of course. As you might have gathered, he doesn’t approve of working wives. Not outside the home, at any rate. He wouldn’t have been at all happy if you’d turned out to be career-minded.’

Jessica bit back the instinctive rejoinder. ‘You never had any ambition in that direction yourself?’ she asked instead.

‘I never had the opportunity to develop that kind of ambition. Not that I believe I missed out in any way.’

The rider had been added a little too quickly for complete conviction, Jessica thought. Here was a woman who had known at least some degree of frustration with her lot over the years.

‘I’m not sure I could settle for domesticity wholesale,’ she said lightly. ‘I doubt if Zac would expect it of me anyway.’

‘He’ll need to give the impression he not only expects it but insists on it if he wants to stay in his grandfather’s good books,’ came the candid reply. ‘Henry is capable of settling the majority of his company shares on our other grandson if Zac proves himself less than the man he hopes he is. Not something I personally…’

Esther Prescott broke off, shaking her head as if in the realisation of already having said a great deal more than she had intended. ‘Do make yourself at home,’ she substituted. ‘We live a very informal life here.’

Alone in the room, Jessica tried to bring her thoughts into some kind of order. If Zac knew his grandfather’s views, and he must surely do, he’d taken a grave risk in coming up with this pseudo fiancée to start with. Playing for time, he’d said last night, but time had run out on him faster than he’d anticipated.

With so much to possibly lose, there was small wonder for the desperation stakes, she reflected cynically. She could have gone along with the ‘pacifying a dying man’ theme—she had gone along with it—but this was something else again. Zac deserved to be exposed for what he was!

But was she prepared to do it? she asked herself. Could she bring herself to tell a dying man that his grandson had lied to him simply to stay in favour?

The answer had to be no. Which left her with little recourse but to carry on with the deception for the time being, like it or not.

Zac gave her a questioning look when he brought in her suitcase a few minutes later, obviously picking up on the vibes.

‘Something wrong?’

‘I let myself be talked into this to spare your grandfather the distress of knowing you’d lied to him,’ she jerked out. ‘But that wasn’t all you were worried about, was it? You were afraid of him changing his will if he found you out!’

The hard-boned face showed little expression. ‘It was a consideration, yes. He can be quite ruthless.’

‘Something you should maybe have thought about before putting on the act in the first place!’

‘True,’ he agreed with maddening calm. ‘Call it a momentary aberration.’

‘You really don’t give a damn about anything or anyone but yourself, do you?’ she accused. ‘In fact, the sooner your grandfather dies, the better for you!’

It didn’t need the sudden flare in the grey eyes to tell her she had gone too far. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said thickly. ‘That was a lousy thing to say!’

‘If it’s what you think, why bottle it up?’ he rejoined.

‘It isn’t.’ Jessica paused in some confusion. ‘At least, not quite to that extent.’

‘It just came out under pressure?’ Zac suggested on an ironical note. ‘Rather different circumstances, maybe, but I know the feeling.’ He studied her, expression unreadable again. ‘So, what’s the decision? Are you going to insist I tell him the truth?’

‘How can I?’ she said. ‘There’s no knowing what it might do to him. We’ll just have to carry it through. Just don’t try taking advantage, that’s all.’

‘I’ll do my best to keep my distance.’

Jessica shot a glance at him, infuriated once more to see the faint smile hovering about his lips.

‘I see nothing even remotely funny about this!’ she snapped.

‘Me neither,’ he agreed. ‘But better a smile than a frown. However much I might regret it, what’s done is done. Wallowing in guilt isn’t going to help.’

Reluctant though she was to acknowledge it, he was right, she supposed. If there was to be no confession, they were left with no choice other than to continue the sham. With conviction too if his grandfather wasn’t to begin suspecting something.

‘You’ve told him we’re only here until tomorrow?’

‘Not in so many words.’

Jessica hardened both heart and voice. ‘Have you given any thought at all to what you’ll do if he asks to see the pair of us again?’

‘Another bridge to cross if and when necessary.’ His gaze roved her face, his lips twisting. ‘A pity it has to end like this.’

‘It never started,’ she retorted, steeling herself against the response he could still draw from her. ‘I’ll be ecstatically happy never to see you again!’

Humour sprang briefly in the grey eyes. ‘A little overstated for total conviction, but I get the message.’

Jessica turned away, unable to sustain the degree of anger that had kept her going these last minutes. An anger which, she had to admit, had been directed as much at herself for her inability to repress the emotions he aroused in her still. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough!

Henry Prescott ate sparingly at dinner, though he enjoyed a glass of wine. Watching him surreptitiously, listening to him talk, Jessica found it difficult to believe he was even as old as he was, much less on the verge of dying.

‘We’re usually in bed by ten o’clock,’ said Esther over coffee, ‘but you mustn’t feel you have to retire then yourselves.’

‘Just try not to waken us when you do come up,’ said her husband. ‘At our age, we need our beauty sleep.’

‘You neither of you look your age,’ Jessica commented, and drew an appreciative smile.

‘I’d like to say I don’t feel it either, but it wouldn’t be entirely true. You must make sure you have your children while you’re still young and fit. This modern idea of waiting until middle age is abominable! I had my two sons by the time I was twenty-three.’

His two sons, Jessica noted. She stole a glance at his wife, expecting to see some sign, however faint, of resentment, but her face was devoid of expression.

‘We’re a bit late getting away from the starting post,’ said Zac easily, ‘but we’ll do our best.’

‘Good.’ His grandfather looked from one to the other. ‘So, when’s the wedding to be?’

Jessica drew in a long slow breath. It should have been a foregone conclusion that the question would be asked at some point, but it hadn’t even crossed her mind until this moment.

‘Soon,’ Zac answered.

‘How soon?’ Henry insisted. ‘I’d like to be around for it.’

Esther made a sound as if about to say something, shaking her head as he gave her a sharp glance. It was left to Zac to fill the silence.

‘Weddings take time to arrange. We didn’t even set a date yet.’

‘Then it’s high time you did.’ The older eyes were unyielding. ‘What reason is there to wait if you know your minds?’

Jessica sent Zac an urgent signal via a foot under the table. There was no way they were going to get out of this other than admitting to the whole fabrication, so best to just get on with it and face the consequences.

Zac gave no sign of even feeling the kick. ‘No reason at all,’ he said. ‘We’ll set things in motion.’

‘Good,’ his grandfather said again. His gaze shifted to Jessica. ‘You’ve no objection, I take it?’

She had every objection, but no nerve to voice them. Calling all kinds of curses down on Zac’s head, she managed a creditably steady answer in the negative. This was one bridge he would definitely be crossing on his own. Once away from here, she was out of it!

There was no further talk of weddings, to her relief, but she found it far from easy to act naturally. Zac appeared completely at ease. The hallmark of a born con man, she thought wrathfully.

She refrained from immediate comment when the Prescotts departed, seeking just the right words. Zac forestalled her.

‘Get it off your chest,’ he advised drily. ‘Then we can decide where we go from here.’

‘There’s no going anywhere from here!’ she snapped back, losing track of the flak she’d been about to turn out. ‘You have to tell them the truth!’

‘You think that wise?’ he asked after a moment.

‘I think it quite likely you could lose your precious shares, but I doubt if it will kill him outright.’

‘There’s no certainty of it though. He has little enough time left as it is. Would you want to be responsible for adding to the stress?’

Jessica was silent for a lengthy moment. When she spoke again her voice sounded strained. ‘So, what’s your proposal?’

‘Just let it ride for now.’

‘Where will that get you if he lives longer than expected?’ she asked. ‘And don’t say you’ll cross that bridge if and when necessary, or I swear I’ll hit you!’

‘I won’t, then.’

Jessica glanced at him suspiciously, sensing a certain lack of gravity in his voice. ‘I must have been mad letting you talk me into any of this!’

‘Not mad,’ he declared. ‘Just exceptionally charitable. I can’t think of anyone else who would have agreed to do what you’re doing unconditionally.’

‘Some would have been prepared to take money for it?’

‘I reckon I might have been called on to offer a great deal more than that.’

‘A real engagement rather than a spurious one, you mean?’ Jessica gave a short laugh. ‘I’m sure you’re considered quite a catch, but a woman would have to be pretty desperate to take that kind of advantage.’

‘You might be surprised by the lengths some will go to when it comes to securing a comfortable future.’

‘You’ve been mixing with the wrong type then!’

‘There could be some truth in that. Your cousin aside,’ he added. ‘Leonie regards marriage the same way I’ve always seen it up to now, as something to be avoided at all costs.’

‘So all that talk last night about gaining breathing space to find a woman you could contemplate sharing your life with was so much hogwash!’ Jessica berated.

‘I said up to now. Given the right woman, it might be possible to make something worthwhile out of it.’ He slanted a glance. ‘Fancy giving it a try?’

‘I’d as soon jump off a cliff!’

The sigh was exaggerated. ‘You’re probably right. I’d make a lousy husband!’

The flickering glow from the log fire crackling in the wide stone hearth highlighted the firm masculine features, bringing an all too familiar tension in the region of her stomach. Two nights ago they had shared a bed. At this precise moment she could think of nothing else but the muscular feel of him. Whatever her views on his conduct, there was no denying the need he aroused in her.

He knew it too, if the expression in the grey eyes was anything to go by.

‘Electrifying, isn’t it?’ he said softly. ‘The question is, what are we going to do about it?’

Making out she didn’t know what he was talking about was pointless, Jessica acknowledged. He knew exactly what was in her mind.

‘Absolutely nothing,’ she said flatly. ‘After tomorrow you’re on your own. I don’t want to see you or hear from you again.’

His smile was slow. ‘You don’t lie very well.’

‘It’s the truth.’ She did her best to keep both voice and expression impassive. ‘As Leonie won’t be expecting me back for a day or two I’ll have to check into a hotel for a couple of nights at least. You can pay for that, but nothing more.’

‘And after?’ he prompted.

‘I’ll be staying with Leonie while I look for a job.’

‘No secretarial position alone is ever going to satisfy you,’ Zac declared. ‘You need a challenge in life.’

‘You’ve no idea what I need!’ she retorted, drawn despite herself.

‘Yes, I do.’ There was a wicked light in his eyes. ‘You’re a vibrant, passionate woman aching for the same thing I’m aching for myself right now.’

Jessica was slow to react as he reached for her. The hands curving her upper arms were firm in their grasp though in no way hard, the kiss a heart thudding, stomach curling, totally irresistible force.

Her response was instinctive, all thought temporarily suspended. His mouth was a source of endless pleasure, the silky slide of his tongue between her lips no intrusion. She tremored as the long tensile fingers lightly traced the curve of her breast.

She came to her senses with a jerk. Zac made no move to detain her as she thrust herself away from him.

‘This has to stop!’ she breathed.

‘You’re not going to try making out it’s all one-sided,’ he said softly.

Grateful for the dim light, Jessica made a supreme effort to bring her emotions under control. Her voice sounded steadier at least. ‘Obviously not, but this is as far as it goes. I’m here for the one purpose, and one purpose only! After tomorrow, that’s it!’

‘It doesn’t have to be,’ he said. ‘We could see how things go.’

‘I know exactly how things would go,’ she declared. ‘The same way I imagine all your affairs go! Thank you, ma’am, and goodbye!’

‘Succinct—’ he grinned ‘—but not true. I’ve never had any interest in one-night stands.’

‘Which category does Leonie come under?’

‘Leonie comes under her own category. She certainly has no proprietorial instincts, if that’s what’s worrying you.’

‘In two years, you must have slept together on a fair number of occasions.’

‘With long gaps in between.’

‘And you think I’d be prepared to help fill in the gaps?’

‘That isn’t what I have in mind.’ His gaze roved her face, lingering on the provocative fullness of her mouth. Voice roughened, he said, ‘I want you, Jess!’

The abbreviation of her name failed to irk her; she was too intent on trying to keep her feet on the ground. ‘Why?’ she asked huskily.

‘Why?’ His regard was quizzical. ‘Because you’ve been driving me wild since we met. Because you’re an outstandingly attractive young woman with far more than just your looks about you. Whoever Paul is, he isn’t worth putting your life on hold over. You need to move on.’

‘I already did.’

‘Not far enough. I could make you forget him.’

Her lips twitched involuntarily. ‘You’re certainly not lacking in confidence!’

‘Would you like me better if I was backward in coming forward?’

‘I’m unlikely to find out.’

‘The love of a good woman could make a new man of me,’ he said with mock gravity.

‘Leopards don’t change their spots,’ she rejoined.

‘Black ones don’t have any to start with.’ Zac was silent for a moment. When he spoke again the banter had gone from his voice. ‘Were you in love with him?’

Coming out of the blue, the question took her by surprise. She found herself answering before she thought about it. ‘I believed I was.’

‘How long were you together?’

‘Five months.’ Jessica made an abrupt movement. ‘I don’t see…’

‘Living together?’ he persisted.

‘Co-habiting it’s called these days,’ she said tautly. ‘For what business it is of yours!’

For all the notice he took she may as well not have spoken. ‘You discovered he was seeing someone on the side?’

‘How like men are men!’ she mocked. ‘Yes, he was seeing someone on the side. Only he failed to keep her on the side. I came back early from a friend’s hen night to find the two of them in bed together. A momentary aberration I suppose you’d call it.’

‘Not in those circumstances. Was it necessary to ditch your job too?’

‘I needed a clean break,’ she said flatly, abandoning the satire. ‘Leonie and I kept in touch after she moved to London. It was her suggestion that I take a holiday before starting to look for a job there myself.’

‘As she thinks you’re still on the island, we could spend a little more time here.’

Jessica shook her head vehemently. ‘You do as you like, but there’s no way I’m staying another night!’

‘How would you propose leaving?’ he asked.

‘How would you like your grandfather to know the truth?’ she countered.

‘You wouldn’t.’

He was right, of course, but she wasn’t about to back down. ‘Don’t count on it!’

‘You wouldn’t,’ he repeated on a softer note. ‘You don’t have it in you.’

Jessica jerked her head away as he ran the back of a finger down her cheek. ‘Cut it out, will you!’

‘That isn’t what you want,’ he said. ‘You might think me an out-and-out louse, but it doesn’t alter the way I make you feel. It was there the moment we came into contact the other night.’

‘Lust, nothing else!’ she derided.

‘It’s a pretty good basis.’

‘For what?’

Broad shoulders lifted. ‘Remains to be seen.’

‘You’d do better to concentrate on how you’re going to handle this supposed wedding,’ Jessica returned hardily, fighting the undoubted temptation. ‘There has to be a limit to how long you can make the “arrangements” last. Unless you’re planning on a spurious ceremony too?’

‘It crossed my mind,’ he admitted.

‘Anything to keep your cousin from gaining an advantage. I gather there might not be a lot of love lost between the two of you?’

Zac’s jaw tautened a fraction. ‘Let’s just say we hold very different viewpoints.’

‘With regard to business?’

‘With regard to most things.’

The two top logs fell in, sending a burst of flame up the chimney. Jessica stirred herself as Zac rose with the obvious intention of adding another log from the pile stacked in an alcove to one side of the fireplace.

‘Don’t bother for me. I’m ready for bed. Alone,’ she added with purpose.

‘What else?’ he returned mockingly. ‘Sleep well, green eyes!’

The way she felt right now, it was unlikely, she acknowledged, making her way from the room. He’d been right earlier: she did ache. And it wasn’t going to go away.

Yet another restless night left her feeling decidedly sluggish. A shower went some way towards reviving her, but the thought of several more hours in the Prescotts’ company was no help.

The April sun was welcome after yesterday’s rain, the view from the bedroom window over rolling Dorset countryside very different from the one she’d left in Majorca, though no less captivating. She could well understand why the Prescotts had chosen to spend their retirement in this part of the country.

It was probably doubtful though that Esther would stay on alone here after her husband had gone. The house was too big for two, much less one. Taking into account the fact that women usually lived a piece longer than men to start with, and her apparent good health at present, it was possible that she was facing a good many years without him. Not a happy prospect.

She gave Zac no opportunity to reply when Henry Prescott asked at breakfast how long they would be staying.

‘I’m afraid I couldn’t get any time off,’ she said, deploring her newfound facility for spur-of-the-moment concoction. ‘I have to be at work tomorrow. Of course, Zac doesn’t have to leave too.’

‘You could ring through and ask for another couple of days,’ Zac suggested smoothly.

‘The sooner you get back, the sooner you can start on the wedding arrangements,’ said his grandfather. The gaze he rested on Jessica’s face was deliberative. ‘Will your parents want to be involved in the arrangements?’

More lies coming up, she thought unhappily, searching her mind for some adequate response.

‘In the circumstances, I think it’s going to be simpler all round if we handle it ourselves,’ Zac put in.

‘No Register Office,’ Henry asserted. ‘Brady was married in church, the right and proper way!’

Zac’s face remained impassive. ‘I understand church weddings have to be booked months in advance.’

The expression that flickered across the older eyes gave Jessica the impression that he’d actually forgotten the shortage of time for a moment or two, though he sounded quite steady when he answered.

‘It seems the Register Office it might have to be, then.’

He left it at that, to Jessica’s relief. She couldn’t have taken very much more without blurting out the truth.

‘This is going from bad to worse!’ she berated when she managed to get Zac in his own for a few minutes. ‘Your grandfather’s no fool. If he isn’t already suspicious, he’s going to be before long!’

‘He doesn’t have long,’ Zac reminded her. ‘His heart could give out any minute.’

‘And if by chance he continues to defy the odds?’

‘Then I’ll simply have to face the music. What time were you considering leaving?’ he added with irony.

Jessica made a helpless gesture. ‘I don’t know. Two? Three?’

‘Let’s make it three. We should be in London by six-thirty—seven at the latest. Plenty of time to find you a hotel.’ He reached out unexpectedly to smooth a stray curl of chestnut hair into place, his smile mocking her involuntary reaction. ‘Then it’s goodbye.’

‘Yes.’

She could think of nothing else to say. In a few hours he would be gone from her life. She could tell herself she was glad of it, but it wouldn’t be wholly true. Faultless he wasn’t, unforgettable he might very well prove to be.

Henry was quiet over lunch, his thoughts obviously turned inward. It couldn’t be easy to come to terms with the knowledge of impending death at any age, Jessica reflected. Personally, she would prefer to be left in ignorance.

Taking her leave of him later, she could hardly bring herself to look him in the eye. When he kissed her cheek, and thanked her for taking the time and trouble to make the trip, she felt like a traitor.

‘This has been the worst experience of my life!’ she said with feeling in the car.

‘I’d have thought finding Paul in bed with another woman ran it pretty close?’ Zac returned.

The anticipated stab failed to penetrate very deeply. She hadn’t thought about Paul much at all this past couple of days. There had been far too many other things on her mind.

‘That was different,’ she declared. ‘It’s also history.’

‘No chance then, of you going back to him?’

‘None,’ she said flatly. ‘Why the interest anyway?’

Zac’s shrug was brief.

His seeming indifference stung. Yet what else might she expect from him? Jessica asked herself. Despite what he’d said last night, her role had only ever been temporary.

As predicted, they were in London by six-thirty. Zac insisted on booking a room at the Savoy for two nights. They took their leave in the foyer. Jessica forced a level tone.

‘I can’t say it’s been a pleasure, because it hasn’t.’

The expression that sprang in the grey eyes was a warning in itself, but short of creating a scene, there was no escape. It took everything she had to stay unresponsive to a kiss that stirred every vital inner part of her.

Zac said nothing when he released her at last, but simply turned on his heel and headed for the main doors. She didn’t wait to see him disappear through them.