Page 85 of Bride Under Contract

But he wanted her signature tonight. He wanted this document signed. He wanted them to exist on paper before he went into the jungle.

And if she was pregnant he’d be taking care of that too.

As well as his grandfather’s property and land.

Jonathon would be earning his keep tonight.

They went through the financial figures, and all were as arranged before.

‘Agreed,’ Carter said.

‘Grace?’ Jonathon checked.

‘Agreed.’

‘The wedding will take place in Sabah?’

‘Agreed,’ Carter said.

‘Agreed.’ Grace nodded. ‘However...’

Carter watched as she took a breath, looked at the notes she’d written.

‘If this is to appear real, then I’d like to have a small reception. At least let my mother see me.’

‘A reception in London?’ Jonathon glanced at his main client, who nodded. ‘It might help our case with Benedict.’

‘Agreed.’

Jonathon went through everything, point by endless point. Grace would receive a quarter of a million on signing the contract, a further sum after the solemnisation of their marriage, followed by serval payments through the year.

The words blurred on the page as Grace was taken through them, her heart pummelled and torn by seeing something that should be beautiful reduced to clauses and subclauses, but she gave nothing away.

Did that make her just as calculated and hard-hearted as Carter?

She hoped so.

She actually hoped that for the next year she would be able to place her emotions in deep freeze, tell herself she was agreeing to this only for the sake of her mum.

But she could think of no other man with whom she could even contemplate doing this.

She fiddled with the ring, just a little loose on her finger, as more intimate details were relayed.

‘Agreed,’ Carter said, accepting his responsibility for contraception.

‘Agreed,’ she repeated, and it felt as if they were ticking boxes, racing to get this over and done with.

‘Jewellery and gifts...’ Jonathon intoned, instructing her to turn the page.

On and on...

There was an offer to break for afternoon tea, and Grace was about to nod when Carter cut in.

‘I’d rather push on.’

She felt rushed, and she didn’t know why. She felt as if the man who had turned her world upside down a few weeks ago had walked in this morning and upended it all over again...

And then they were done, and a new contract would be drafted.

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