Page 36 of Bought For The Marriage Bed

‘From what my brother told me, it appears you do not always play by the rules. It would do you good to remind yourself of them just in case you are tempted to act outside the boundaries I have laid down.’

‘While we’re speaking of breaking the rules, I thought your kiss was a little inappropriate at the ceremony,’ she put in crisply.

His dark eyes hardened as they held hers. ‘There will be times when we will be required to keep up appearances.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘We will have functions to attend occasionally and as my wife you will be expected to act in a certain way towards me.’

‘You mean fawn over you?’ She gave him a disgusted look.

‘I would not have put it quite like that.’

‘How would you put it?’

‘All I am asking is for you to show some level of maturity when we are in the company of others. Apart from my housekeeper and of course my father, everyone else assumes this is a normal marriage.’

‘I’ll do my best but I’m not making any promises,’ she said.

‘Good. As long as we both know where we stand.’

He turned away and left the room, the door swinging shut behind him.

Nina looked down at her niece, who was staring up at her with dark eyes bright and round with interest.

‘Men,’ she said, scooping her up into her arms. ‘Who can work them out?’

Georgia gave her a wide toothless smile.

‘Maybe I should try that,’ she mused as she cuddled Georgia close. ‘It seems to work for you. You only have to look at him and he melts.’

She buried her face in the soft down of the baby’s dark hair and sighed.

Once Georgia was asleep later that evening Nina had a shower and changed into one of her comfortable tracksuits. Her damp hair was scraped back in a high ponytail, her face free of makeup and her feet bare.

She was on her way down the stairs when the door of the large lounge opened and Marc stood in its frame, his eyes taking in her casual appearance in a sweeping glance.

‘Dressing down for the evening?’ he commented wryly.

‘One gets so tired of haute couture.’ She fabricated a bored yawn, ‘Besides, lugging all that expensive material around sapped my energy.’

‘You look about fifteen years old.’

‘Would you like me to change?’ she asked, giving him a direct look.

‘No.’ He stepped aside to let her in the room. ‘You look fine. Great, in fact.’

‘Thank you,’ she said simply, clutching the small compliment to her gratefully, hoping he wouldn’t see how much he had affected her.

‘Would you like a drink?’ he asked.

‘Something soft,’ she answered.

‘No alcohol?’

‘I don’t drink.’

He gave her an assessing glance as he handed her a glass of sparkling mineral water. ‘A reformed drinker?’ he observed. ‘How very commendable of you.’

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