In Want of a Wife? (20 page)

On impulse she reached out and placed her hand on his arm; he paused to look down at her hand and then directly at her face.

‘I’m … Please, Louis, can’t you even hear me out? I’m sorry.’

‘That it?’

‘No. I don’t like the way we left things the last time we spoke. Can we sit down, please? You’re making me nervous.’

‘I’m not sure why you think I care.’

‘No, you don’t; I know that. But
I
care.’

Louis stilled, then he gave a lazy shrug before strolling over to one of the sofas and yanking off its plastic covering. He sat down, crossed his legs and watched as she awkwardly perched alongside him.

‘There’s a wedding going on out there,’ he drawled. ‘So unless you have something new to say to me, why don’t we skip the post mortem on what happened between us?’

A flash of anger stirred in her and she subdued it because she was not going to fall into the trap of reacting to his indifference.

‘My father told me that you lent him the money. I know I gave you a long lecture about staying out of my family’s financial problems but I feel I need to thank you.’

‘I gave your father strict instructions to say nothing to you about that.’

‘I know, and—’

‘So you’ve said your piece. Thanked me for my generosity. Is that it?’

‘Not quite.’ In a split instant, Lizzy made her decision. ‘I’ve missed you, Louis. I know you’ve carried on as though nothing happened of any consequence in your life, and I know that as far as you’re concerned I was just a passing fling who
turned out to be more trouble than she was worth, but you were more for me than a passing fling.’

It took so much courage to lay her cards on the table, especially when she thought of the brunette waiting back outside in the throng of guests—but if she didn’t lay her cards on the table she had a sinking feeling that she would spend the rest of her life reshuffling the deck and filling her head with ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys.’

She could feel his attention on her now one-hundred percent, although his face remained impassive. It was making her nervous and she looked away, staring down at her fingers worrying the fine peach silk of her dress.

‘I didn’t want to let myself give you the benefit of the doubt.’ She quietly addressed her lap. ‘It felt safer to think of you as an arrogant, selfish, snobbish cardboard-cutout. It felt safer to think that what I felt for you was just lust, because lust is something that disappears quickly. I didn’t want to admit to myself that I was falling in love with you because I knew that loving you was never going to get me anywhere.

‘And don’t get me wrong—I’m not asking for any second chances, and I’m not saying that I’m going to jump into the sack with you. I’m saying that what you did for Dad was kind and generous. You might be guarded and suspicious about gold-diggers and money grabbers but you. Anyway, there you go; I’ve said what I wanted to say. I’m going to leave you now. I know you and your new girlfriend are probably going to have a good laugh about me behind my back, but I’m glad I’ve been honest with you.’ She made a move to stand up and felt the weight of his fingers on her hand.

‘What girlfriend?’

Still not daring to look at him, because she didn’t want to see the pity in his eyes, Lizzy shrugged and muttered, ‘The brunette you came here with.’

‘I don’t like it when you don’t look at me—and the brunette you’re referring to happens to be my sister.’

Lizzy looked at him then and began drowning in the depths of his fabulous eyes.

‘Why didn’t you come and tell me all of this sooner?’

‘I thought I could handle things, but the past few weeks have been hellish.’

‘I know.’

‘You
know?’

Louis’s fingers were stroking the soft underside of her wrist and Lizzy could barely stop her heart from hammering furiously in her chest, beating out a tempo of hope and wishful thinking that terrified her.

‘You turned my life on its head,’ Louis said in a rough, uneven voice. ‘I had my own blinkered vision of life, and bit by bit you broke down my prejudices until I was acting so out of character that I could hardly recognise myself.’

‘What are you saying?’ she whispered, perched on the very brink of daring to think the impossible.

‘I
wanted
to help your father, just like I
wanted
to do whatever I could for your sisters, because of you.’ He reached out and stroked the side of her face, her adorable, lovable, stubborn, wilful, absolutely irresistible face—the face that had haunted him for weeks and had interfered with every second of his waking life. ‘I think I’ve been falling in love with you from the very second you took off that motorcycle helmet and gave me a piece of your mind. Why do you think I kept coming back for more? I just couldn’t help myself. I went from the guy who had every inch of his life under control to the guy who no longer knew the meaning of the word.’

‘You
fell in love
with me?’

‘I fell in love with you, Lizzy Sharp, and I don’t think I know how to stop falling.’ He didn’t have to pull her towards him because she came of her own accord, burrowing against him just as he had remembered her burrowing against him after they had made love. He curled his long fingers into her
hair, pulling out the clips that had artfully held it up until its length spilled over his hands, just the way he liked it.

He felt her shudder against him, and when he tilted her face to his her eyes were half-closed and her mouth was ready to be kissed. And every other part of her was ready for his questing hands, turning her on through the soft fabric of the dress.

‘Will you marry me?’ he asked, breaking away to look at her flushed face. ‘And I mean instantly, as soon as possible—no tedious engagement.’

‘Instantly.’ Lizzy was so happy that she wanted to cry. ‘As soon as possible and no tedious engagement.’

‘Good. Because you make my life complete, my darling. Without you, there’s no point to anything. I fell in love with you and I’m no longer interested in having control of my life. I’m willingly handing it over to you …’

In any event, they waited until Rose and Nicholas had returned from their honeymoon before announcing their plans to family and friends. It was going to be a small affair. After the extravaganza of Rose’s wedding, Grace Sharp was more than happy to oblige, although it had to be said that she was every bit as excited about something quiet and elegant.

‘I know just the band who can play, and wouldn’t it be a good idea if Leigh and Freddy handled all the catering? What an advertisement for their business once they’re up and running!’

‘At least I won’t have to wear a peach gown when I’m far more comfortable in something small and sexy,’ Maisie announced, laughing at Rose’s disapproving face before adding slyly, ‘and the way this family is dropping like flies, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if you or Leigh end up having to squeeze into something loose and flowing to cover the bump!’

Her father was over the moon, although he did sit and have a long chat with her, because as with all his daughters he needed to make sure that it was all about love.

‘And my record is pretty good so far,’ he told her comfortably. ‘A dad couldn’t wish for more.’

It was a mere three weeks between proposal and marriage, and not a day went by that Lizzy didn’t feel adored by the one man in the world who meant everything to her. She had moved into his penthouse apartment, but they were already looking for something outside London, close enough for him to commute when he needed to, but distant enough to benefit from the country lanes and open fields she so missed.

‘But the motorbike stays in Scotland,’ he warned her, half-teasing, half-serious. ‘I would become a nervous wreck if I thought about you haring down lanes on that thing.’

Lizzy was more than happy to oblige. If she had tamed him, then he had similarly tamed her.

Their wedding was small, quiet and absolutely perfect. Leigh and Freddy catered, and lest anyone might forget their role in the proceedings they liberally handed out their business cards to all and sundry. Maisie, as promised, wore something small and tight which seemed to have the desired effect on one particular guest, a friend of Louis. Vivian and Edward actually made the long-haul trip back because, she said fondly, ‘We girls stick together.’

Three weeks after they had found the perfect new London residence for them both—not too grand, not too small—Lizzy cooked Louis a special supper, complete with candles and soft music. As always the sound of his key in the door and the sight of him walking through, tugging off his tie, made her tummy quiver. When he raised his eyebrows in a question, she laughed.

‘Before you ask, I’m not in any danger of turning into a Stepford wife.’

‘Good.’ Louis walked towards her and pulled her to him so that he could kiss her, a long, lingering kiss which, as usual, made thoughts of bed spring into his head. ‘Because …’ He
drew away and smiled down at her. ‘I’m not sure I could cope with one of those.’

It was only when they had finished eating that she looked at him and said, unable to contain her news any longer, ‘You might want to savour the time we have left together.’

‘You mean here? In this apartment? Before we move?’

Lizzy qualified, dropping the air of mystery and beaming at him, ‘Before you become a father—in, I would say, approximately seven months’ time.’

It was the icing on the cake. For Louis, he had found the perfect woman, and a swell of pride and contentment filled him as he gathered her to him and held her tightly. The perfect woman, and soon a baby to complete a picture he had never known he had envisioned—until Lizzy Sharp had come along and shown him that there were no boundaries to love and no regulating the winding course it took you on.

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

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First published in Great Britain 2011
Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

© Cathy Williams 2011

ISBN: 978-1-408-92555-3