“What you’re actually talking about, Jed, is blackmail—

“Of the emotional kind, if nothing else,” she added decisively as he would have interrupted. “Isn’t it?” she prompted as his mouth thinned angrily.

His jaw tightened, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I’m talking about an exchange of—”

“Blackmail, Jed,” Georgie insisted softly.

His eyes flashed silvery-gray. “All right, then—blackmail,” he accepted tautly. “What’s your answer going to be?”

Legally wed,

But he’s never said…

“I love you.”

They’re

The series where marriages are made in haste…and love comes later….

Look out for the next book in the WEDLOCKED! miniseries on sale in December

The Christmas Baby’s Gift

by Kate Walker

Harlequin Presents #2365

Bride by Blackmail
Carole Mortimer

MILLS & BOON

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June,

a very good friend as well as mother-in-law.

We all miss you.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER ONE

‘YOU didn’t mention that your parents had other guests staying this weekend,’ Georgie remarked interestedly as they drove down the driveway. She could see that not only had Sukie, Andrew’s older sister—by the presence of her sporty little red car—decided to pay one of her rare visits, but that there was also another car parked on the driveway next to Gerald Lawson’s serviceable Range Rover. A gunmetal-grey Jaguar sports car. Very nice!

Although it was only big enough for two people, Georgie decided, which perhaps meant there wouldn’t be too many other guests this weekend. Georgie had only recently become acquainted with her future in-laws—Andrew’s parents and only sister—and they were quite enough to cope with for the moment: Sir Gerald and Lady Annabelle Lawson—Sir Gerald had been knighted two years ago, on his active retirement, at fifty, from politics—and Suzanna Lawson, Sukie to family and friends alike, a model.

‘I wasn’t aware of it myself,’ Andrew answered apologetically in reply to her query. ‘Could just be a—a friend of Sukie’s, I suppose,’ he added disparagingly. There was no love lost between brother and sister. Sukie’s career as a model didn’t sit too well with Andrew’s more serious role as a successful lawyer. Sukie’s bohemian friends didn’t go down too well with him, either!

But, after the battles that had gone on in her own family over the years, Georgie considered the Lawsons quite normal by comparison!

‘A successful one, by the look of the car,’ Andrew continued with appreciation as he parked his black BMW next to the Jaguar. ‘That will make a nice change,’ he added dryly.

Georgie chuckled as she got out of the car, the gravel crunching beneath her shoes—flattish brown court, to complement the brown knee-length dress she was wearing because their time of arrival coincided with dinner.

Tall and slender, Georgie wore her red hair in a short boyishly gamine style, with wispy tendrils on her forehead and at her temples softening the severity of the style. She had clear green eyes slanted beneath auburn brows, and her nose was small and snub, with a dusting of the freckles that often accompanied such fair colouring. A peach lip-gloss softened the fullness of her mouth, and her pointed chin hinted at the determined nature beneath her smile. Stubborn contrariness, her grandfather had once called it…

Her smile faded slightly to be replaced by a perplexed frown, some of the warmth disappearing from the summer evening because of the unwelcome intrusion of thoughts about her grandfather. Though otherwise hers was a contented life.

How could she not feel contented? She had Andrew, dear, sweet, kind, predictable Andrew. Her first children’s book was in print and doing very nicely, thank you. Her apartment was decorated and furnished to her own taste. In fact, almost everything in her life was perfectly sunny at the moment.

Which was usually the time, Georgie knew from experience, when someone decided it was time to send in a rain cloud!

‘Okay, darling?’ Andrew had collected their weekend bags from the boot of the car and was waiting at the bottom of the stone steps that led up to the huge front door for Georgie to join him.

‘Perfect,’ Georgie instantly assured him, very firmly shaking off the momentary cloud that thoughts of her grandfather had evoked. She smiled warmly at Andrew before tucking her hand into the crook of his arm.

At twenty-seven—four years older than Georgie— Andrew was six feet tall, with blond hair that occasionally fell endearingly over his brow and eyes of warm blue in a youthfully pleasant face. A couple of games of badminton a week at the gym that he frequented after work was over for the day maintained his fitness. He owed his successful career as a junior partner in a London law firm completely to the fact that he was good at his job, and not to the fact that he was Sir Gerald Lawson’s son.

Andrew was everything that Georgie wanted in her future husband: pleasant-mannered, considerate, caring, and most of all even-tempered. Completely unlike—

Stop!

Unwelcome thoughts of her grandfather had been quite enough for one evening, without thinking about him too! ‘Your parents and Miss Sukie are in the drawing room, Mr Andrew,’ the butler answered in reply to Andrew’s query, at the same time relieving Andrew of their luggage.

‘The drawing room, no less. Not the family sitting room,’ Andrew murmured ruefully as he and Georgie walked arm in arm through the wide hallway towards the formal drawing room. ‘Definitely not one of Sukie’s less-than-respectable friends, then,’ he teased.

‘Andrew!’ Lady Annabelle greeted him warmly as they entered the room, standing up to rush over and hug her son. She was tiny and blonde, and still very beautiful despite being in her early fifties. Her plain black dress was a perfect foil for her delicate build and fair colouring.

Sir Gerald Lawson had risen at their entrance too, moving forward to kiss Georgie lightly on the cheek before shaking his son warmly by the hand.

An older version of Andrew, Georgie had found Gerald easy to get on with from the first. Annabelle, she was a little less sure of, she acknowledged, even as she stepped forward to accept the other woman’s cool kiss on her cheek.

Although Annabelle was outwardly friendly, Georgie nevertheless sensed there was a certain reserve in her manner towards her. But, to be fair, Andrew was her only son, as well as the ‘baby’ of the family, and Annabelle obviously wanted the best for him. It was up to Georgie to convince the other woman that was what she was!

‘Isn’t it a beautiful evening?’ Gerald enthused as he poured them both a pre-dinner glass of sherry. ‘Almost warm enough to eat outside.’

‘Don’t be provincial, Gerald,’ Annabelle rebuked gently. ‘Besides, we have guests for dinner,’ she reminded him archly.

Speaking of whom…?

What had become patently obvious to Georgie in the last few minutes was that the older Lawsons were alone in the drawing room. Which begged the question—where were Sukie and the mystery guests?

Andrew gave Georgie a conspiratorial wink before turning back to his mother. ‘I noticed Sukie’s car outside; where’s she hiding herself?’

‘Taking my name in vain again, little brother?’ the recognisable voice of his sister queried as she came through from the conservatory that sided this sunlit room.

A younger version of her mother to look at, but with her father’s height, Sukie was another member of the family that Georgie wasn’t too sure of yet. Only a year older than Andrew, Sukie had a brittle hardness that was reflected in her cool blue eyes. The short blue dress she was wearing this evening showed off the slenderness of her figure and a long expanse of slender bare legs.

‘I had no idea you were interested in flowers, Sukie,’ Andrew taunted his older sister as she strolled into the room to kiss him on the cheek.

‘Only the type delivered by the florist, darling,’ Sukie answered him with cool dismissal. ‘I was actually just showing our guest around.’

Guest, not guests. Which probably meant she was the other guest, Georgie realised ruefully. Oh, well, only time could change Annabelle’s opinion of her. She—

Georgie gasped as the guest stepped into the room behind Sukie, the smile becoming fixed on her lips, her expression like a mask as she simply froze. Even her breathing seemed to stop momentarily as she simply stared at the man. This wasn’t a rain cloud—it was a hurricane!

Named Jed Lord!

Cool, fathomless grey eyes looked across the room at her as he registered her shocked recognition. A shock that wasn’t reflected in his own demeanour. Which could only mean that he had already known the two of them were to meet this evening…

Aged in his mid-thirties, he was well over six feet tall. The tailoring of his well-cut suit did nothing to hide the powerful physique beneath. He had hair as dark as night, though it was the sheer power in the hardness of his face that dominated: his grey eyes scrutinised the scene from beneath jutting black brows, and above a straight, uncompromising nose; his sculptured lips, although curved into a humourless smile at the moment, hinted at the hardness that was such an integral part of his character, and his jaw was square and determined.

Georgie, who had thought—hoped!—she’d never see him again, was completely thrown by the unexpectedness of this meeting. A fact of which Jed, so supremely self-confident as he strolled further into the room, was obviously well aware.

Damn him!

What was he doing here? Was he Annabelle and Gerald’s guest, or had he, as Andrew and she had thought earlier when they’d arrived, come here with Sukie? The latter, Georgie noticed, was certainly looking at him like a cat about to lap up the cream!

But hadn’t women always looked at Jed in that way? Hadn’t she once? Once, perhaps, but certainly not now!

‘Jed, do let me introduce you to the rest of the family.’ Gerald encouraged the other man to join them, drawing him into the circle. ‘Jed Lord: my son, Andrew, and his fiancée, Georgina Jones. Although we all call her Georgie,’ Gerald added warmly.

‘Andrew.’ Jed moved forward to shake the younger man’s hand.

Georgie found she was holding her breath as he slowly turned towards her, having no idea what was going to happen in the next few minutes. Would Jed acknowledge that the two of them already knew each other? Or would he greet her as if she were a complete stranger to him?

Although hadn’t she always been so, even when they should have been at their closest…?

Either way, Jed’s being here, in the home of Andrew’s parents, was completely disastrous to her peace of mind!

‘Georgina,’ Jed greeted her throatily as he stepped close to her.

She stared down at the hand he held out to her, a long tapered hand with a masculine beauty that totally belied its strength. How could she possibly shake it when she didn’t even want to touch him? It was—

‘Or may I call you Georgie…?’ he prompted huskily, that grey gaze intent on the paleness of her face as she still made no effort to take the hand he held out to her.

Almost like a peace offering. Except there could never be any sort of peace between Jed and herself!

‘Of course,’ Georgie accepted vaguely, forcing herself to brush her fingers lightly against his, a shiver running icily down her spine even as she snatched her hand away before his fingers could curl around hers. Just that brief touch had been enough to tell her that she still couldn’t bear to be anywhere near this man!

‘Dinner is served, Sir Gerald,’ the butler announced politely.

‘Thank you, Bancroft,’ his employer rejoined cheerfully. ‘Shall we go through to the dining room?’ he suggested lightly.

Dinner. There was no way that Georgie could eat. No way she could possibly sit down at the same dinner table as Jed Lord!

Except… What choice did she have? Like her, Jed had given no indication that the two of them already knew each other. She knew her own reasons for not doing so, but she had no idea what Jed’s were for the lack of disclosure on his part. But one thing she did know about Jed, though—they would be his own reasons, and no one else’s. Because Jed never did anything that wasn’t to his own liking.

‘May I?’ Gerald held out his arm to escort her in to dinner.

Well, at least she wasn’t expected to go through to dinner as Jed’s partner; that would have been more than she could stand. In fact, she wasn’t sure how she was still standing at all after the shock she had received!

‘Thank you.’ She took Gerald’s arm, noting that Sukie had laid a firm claim on Jed, her long red-painted nails on his hand as she moved in close to him, while Andrew was left to escort his mother.

But Georgie was completely aware of Jed walking behind her as they went through to the dining room, could feel the heat of his gaze on her back. That enigmatic grey gaze that could freeze with coldness or burn with desire…!

But more often freeze with coldness, she reminded herself hollowly.

She had been so looking forward to this weekend in the Hampshire countryside with Andrew; the Lawson family home edged the New Forest. But with Jed here it had turned into a nightmare from which she couldn’t seem to wake!

To make matters worse, Jed sat opposite her at the oval dining table. Although it would have been even more unbearable if he had sat next to her. The simple truth was he shouldn’t be there at all!

She looked at him from beneath lowered auburn lashes as their first course was served to them. He looked much the same as when she had last seen him a year ago, although there were perhaps more lines beside his eyes and mouth, and a faint dusting of grey amongst the black hair at his temples. Although that, she acknowledged disgustedly, only made him look more devilishly attractive!

‘Is the smoked salmon not to your liking, Georgie?’ Jed remarked mildly. ‘You aren’t eating,’ he pointed out as she gave him a startled look.

She could feel the colour warm her cheeks at having attention drawn to her in this way. Deliberately so, she was sure. One look at the mocking amusement in Jed’s eyes was enough to tell her he was enjoying himself. At her expense.

What else? Jed had been laughing at her most of her life, it seemed to her. But it was time it stopped!

She gave him a brightly false smile. ‘You know, Mr Lord, I love smoked salmon.’ She picked up her knife and fork and began to eat.

‘Please, do call me Jed,’ he invited dryly, grey gaze assessing.

‘Such an unusual name,’ Annabelle remarked lightly.

‘Isn’t it?’ Georgie agreed, turning back to Jed, the light of challenge in her own gaze now. ‘Surely it must be the diminutive of something else…?’ She looked at Jed expectantly.

His gaze hardened and his mouth twisted into a grimace. ‘Jeremiah,’ he supplied tersely.

‘Goodness me!’ Georgie laughed softly, easily holding his warning grey stare with her own clear green eyes. ‘No wonder you prefer Jed.’

‘That’s a little unkind to our guest, Georgie.’ Annabelle Lawson shot her a reproving glance.

‘As it happens, Annabelle,’ Jed turned to his hostess, smiling wryly, ‘I wholeheartedly agree with Georgie!’

That must be a first, Georgie acknowledged ruefully. Still, at least she had proved—to herself, if no one else!—that this evening didn’t have to go all Jed’s way!

‘I wasn’t meaning to be rude, Mr Lord,’ she assured him, although she was sure Jed, at least, didn’t miss the edge of derision in her tone. ‘It was just a comment on the names some parents expect their children to live with!’

‘Your own, for example,’ Jed came back softly.

‘Touché.’ She gave an acknowledging inclination of her head; she should have known she wouldn’t have the last word! She never had where Jed was concerned. ‘I was named for my grandfather,’ she said determinedly.

Jed raised dark brows. ‘You have a grandfather called Georgina?’

‘I—’ Georgie broke off her sharp response as Sukie, seated beside Jed, gave a shout of laughter.

Really—Jed’s joke hadn’t been that funny, Georgie decided irritably as Sukie continued to chuckle.

‘I think you rather asked for that one, darling.’ Andrew, seated on Georgie’s left, lightly covered Georgie’s hand with his own as he smiled at her indulgently.

Possibly, she inwardly conceded. But it really hadn’t been that funny. She could—

Jed was looking at Andrew’s hand, which still rested on Georgie’s, his forehead furrowed over hard eyes.

What on earth—?

‘The emerald of your engagement ring is the same colour as your eyes,’ Jed bit out unexpectedly.

That was exactly what Andrew had said to her the day they had visited a jewellers to choose it!

But she didn’t for a moment think that Jed meant it in the romantic way that Andrew had that day. She could clearly hear the accusation in Jed’s tone, even if no one else could.

‘When is the wedding?’ Jed’s icy gaze moved from the ring to Georgie’s face, although his closed expression gave away none of his thoughts.

Had it ever? Georgie acknowledged disgustedly before answering him tersely, ‘Next Easter.’

His mouth quirked wryly. ‘Such a long time away…’ he remarked enigmatically.

Georgie gave him a sharp glance. Exactly what did he mean by that? Impossible to tell; his expression exactly matched his tone of voice. But he had meant something. She had known Jed long enough to know he was a man of few words, and the ones he did choose to say always had meaning.

‘We have our hearts set on an Easter wedding.’ Andrew was the one to answer Jed, squeezing Georgie’s hand reassuringly as he did so. ‘Are you a married man yourself, Jed?’ he asked interestedly.

Georgie suddenly found she was holding her breath as she waited for Jed’s reply.

His mouth tightened. ‘Not any more,’ he finally answered slowly. ‘I recently entered the statistics of divorced men,’ he added with humour.

‘How sad,’ Annabelle put in sympathetically.

Jed turned to smile at the older woman. ‘Thank you, Annabelle, but I doubt my ex-wife thinks so! She was the one to divorce me,’ he enlarged bitterly.

‘What a very silly woman,’ Sukie put in throatily, her blue eyes full of invitation as she looked flirtatiously at Jed from beneath lowered lashes.

‘Not at all,’ Jed dismissed, picking up his glass to sip the white wine that had been poured to accompany their salmon. ‘The grounds for divorce were typical—my wife understood me!’ he drawled sardonically.

‘Shouldn’t that be, ‘My wife didn’t understand me’?’ prompted a perplexed Annabelle, obviously not at all happy with the slant the conversation had suddenly taken at her dinner table.

Which wasn’t surprising, Georgie acknowledged impatiently. Jed Lord’s divorce—for whatever reason!—was hardly appropriate dinner conversation anywhere!

‘No, Annabelle, I do believe I had it right the first time,’ Jed replied meaningfully.

‘How absolutely priceless!’ Sukie was the one to answer now as she chuckled throatily. ‘Were you a very naughty boy, Jed?’ she prompted with amusement.

He shrugged broad shoulders. ‘My wife obviously thought so, otherwise she wouldn’t have divorced me.’

‘Do eat some more of your salmon, Jed,’ Annabelle encouraged nervously. ‘I believe you’ve recently spent some time in America, do tell us about it?’

Which was Annabelle’s way of firmly saying that was the end of that particular subject.

Which was probably as well, Georgie thought as she determinedly focused her attention again on her plate of smoked salmon. The murmur of voices around the table were now passing her by completely. If Jed had said one more word about the wife who had divorced him because she understood him, she might not have been able to stop herself from standing up and hitting him!

Because, until six months ago, she had been his wife!

CHAPTER TWO

‘YOU were very quiet during dinner, darling; are you feeling all right?’ Andrew asked concernedly once the party had moved back into the drawing room after their meal, to enjoy coffee and liqueurs.

Georgie moved closer to him as he sat down beside her on the sofa, studiously avoiding looking across the room to where Jed and Sukie stood talking together softly. ‘I’m feeling fine,’ she assured Andrew. ‘A slight headache, that’s all. I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.’

Although she wasn’t sure, with Jed in the same house, that she would be able to get the latter at all! But just to be away from his oppressive company would be something!

‘What do you think of Jed Lord?’ Andrew prompted, seeming to pick up on at least the subject of her thoughts, and glancing consideringly across the room at the other man.

If she were to tell Andrew, here and now, exactly what she thought of Jed Lord then he would probably be extremely shocked. But she accepted that after tonight she would have to talk to Andrew about Jed at some time in the near future.

So far in their five-month relationship she had put off telling Andrew that, at only twenty-three, she had already been married and divorced. At first it hadn’t seemed the sort of thing you just confided to a relative stranger, and then as they’d got to know each other, to love each other, it still hadn’t been something she felt she could just baldly state as a fact.

But with Jed’s appearance in the Lawson home she realised she wouldn’t be able to put it off for much longer. In fact, she was surprised that the troublemaking Jed Lord she had known of old hadn’t already just blurted out that she was the ex-wife about whom he had been talking over dinner. If only to watch her squirm!

But he hadn’t. Which meant he must have his own reasons for not doing so…

No wonder she had a headache!

‘Think of him?’ she answered Andrew brightly. ‘In what way?’

‘In any way,’ Andrew replied. ‘Sukie certainly seems to find him fascinating—and my big sister isn’t easily impressed!’

No, she wasn’t. But then Sukie didn’t know Jed in the way that Georgie knew him, and obviously found his dark, brooding good-looks and arrogant self-assurance extremely attractive. So had Georgie once…

‘I doubt she would have brought him here with her if she wasn’t.’ Georgie evaded answering Andrew’s question directly.

‘Oh, Jed Lord didn’t come down with Sukie. My father told me over dinner that he’s a business acquaintance of his,’ Andrew confided.

Georgie looked frowningly at Jed. Gerald Lawson, since his retirement from politics, had returned to his earlier business interests. But as far as she was aware they didn’t include hotels, which she knew was where Jed’s family business concerns lay.

‘Really?’ she murmured contemplatively. ‘In that case, Sukie is certainly a fast worker,’ she added dryly as Andrew’s sister all but draped herself across Jed as they talked.

Andrew gave a disgusted snort. ‘She’s wasting her time with a man like Jed Lord.’

Georgie gave him a quizzical frown. ‘What do you mean…?’

‘From what’s been said, the man has only just escaped from one disastrous relationship—I seriously doubt he intends embarking on another. And he’s experienced enough to realise my big sister is trouble with a capital T!’ Andrew dismissed scornfully.

Georgie gave a wry shake of her head. ‘He doesn’t give the impression that he’s a man who runs away from trouble.’ In fact, she knew he wasn’t! ‘Besides, Andrew—’ she turned to him teasingly, deciding they had talked about Jed Lord quite enough for one evening ‘—when did you become so knowledgeable about experienced men?’ She gave him a mischievous smile.

Andrew smiled. ‘I’m twenty-seven, Georgie, not seven!’ he returned.

This was what she liked about being with Andrew: the complete freedom to do and say whatever she liked without fear of offending or angering him. Andrew was so easy-going she was totally relaxed in his company.

Something she had never been in Jed’s!

She frowned as she remembered her response earlier to the brief brush of Jed’s hand against hers when they were introduced. She had thought she was completely over him, that the finality of their divorce six months previously had severed all emotional ties to him. But, to her chagrin, she had felt more than just loathing earlier at his touch…

‘Hey, I was only joking, Georgie,’ Andrew chided softly, misunderstanding the reason for her frown. ‘I’ve never pretended to be an innocent, but neither am I a man of experience myself.’ He gave a rueful shake of his head. ‘I’ve been too busy making a successful career for myself to have too much time for that sort of thing.’

‘You don’t mind that the wedding isn’t until next Easter?’ she said concernedly, knowing that it had been her decision that they wait; she hadn’t told Andrew so, but she wanted time to make sure she didn’t make yet another mistake in her life. Although she was already pretty sure that Andrew would never let her down. Unlike— ‘I just thought an Easter wedding would be nice,’ she added warmly. Especially as her wedding to Jed had taken place at Christmas!

She still cringed at how young and naıve she had been then. How trusting. How utterly, utterly stupid!

‘And it will be.’ Andrew hugged her reassuringly. ‘We—’

‘I hope you don’t mind if we interrupt you two love-birds?’ interrupted a sarcastic, familiar voice.

Georgie stiffened at the sound of Jed’s voice, glancing up reluctantly to see that he and Sukie were beside the sofa. Sukie looked no more pleased than Georgie. Obviously it had been Jed’s decision to come over…

Georgie looked up at him challengingly, his sarcasm not lost on her even if it was on Andrew and Sukie. Hard grey eyes returned her interest, that sculptured face set into uncompromising lines. It wasn’t hard to guess, after his reference to ‘love-birds’, just why he was looking so grim.

But it was no longer any of Jed’s business who she showed her affection to. If it ever had been! Besides, Andrew was her fiancé, the man she was going to marry.

‘Please do,’ she answered smoothly, at the same time deciding to stand up; she did not intend giving Jed any sort of advantage over her!

Petty, perhaps, but that was the level to which their relationship had deteriorated before that final big blowup.

Andrew stood at her side, his arm moving lightly about the slenderness of her waist. ‘My father tells me that your family are in hotels, Jed,’ he prompted with polite interest.

‘Yes,’ Jed answered the other man abruptly while his eyes continued to rest on Georgie.

Georgie, who was becoming more and more uncomfortable by the second, was aware that Jed, a man who had never particularly cared for the social niceties before, was now behaving very rudely by continuing to stare at her. In the same way that their brief conversation at dinner hadn’t been socially polite either. If he didn’t start behaving in a more circumspect way someone in the Lawson family—probably the more astute Sukie—was going to guess that they weren’t complete strangers after all.

‘That must be very interesting,’ she put in lightly, her expression warning as Jed looked at her.

‘It can be.’ His answer was maddeningly unforthcoming.

Like getting blood out of a stone!

Like trying to find a heart somewhere in that stone…

‘You’re an author, I believe, Georgie.’ He spoke mildly.

‘Yes,’ she confirmed warily.

‘Will I have seen one of your books in the shops?’ He continued his line of questioning.

Her mouth tightened. ‘Not unless your taste runs to children’s books, no,’ she bit out tautly, wondering exactly where this conversation was going. Or if, indeed, it was going anywhere!

One thing she did know just from looking at Jed’s face: he had already known what her answer was going to be—if not quite prepared for the way in which she gave it!

So he already knew that she had written and had published a book for children…

How had he known that? There had been no personal contact of any kind between the two of them for over a year now, all correspondence concerning their divorce having passed between their two lawyers. And Georgie had deliberately avoided seeing anyone who might have contact with Jed.

But, nevertheless, she had no doubt that Jed already knew everything there was to know about the book she had written…

Jed’s mouth quirked. ‘I’m afraid not. Still, it’s an—unusual career,’ he added softly.

‘What’s unusual about it?’ Georgie prompted sharply, on the defensive as she glared at him.

He shrugged broad shoulders. ‘Perhaps it’s only that I’ve never met an author before.’

That wasn’t what he’d meant at all—and they both knew it. Even if no one else in the room did…

‘Yes, I’m very proud of Georgie.’ Andrew spoke warmly, giving her waist a reassuring squeeze as he smiled down at her.

‘And what about you, Georgie?’ Jed spoke hardly. ‘Are you proud of your achievement?’

‘Of course,’ she answered him stiffly.

He gave an acknowledging inclination of his head. ‘Is it something you’ve always wanted to do? Or—?’

‘Would you care for another brandy, Jed?’ Sukie cut in firmly, obviously intending to change the subject, not at all happy that the conversation was focused on Georgie.

Which was perfectly okay with Georgie—she wasn’t happy about it either!

‘No, thanks.’ Jed answered Sukie dismissively, not even glancing her way as he did so. ‘Have you always known you wanted to be an author, Georgie?’

Her eyes narrowed on him warningly. He knew damn well she hadn’t always wanted to be an author, that until two years ago her only ambition had been to be his wife, to spend the rest of her life with him.

Which, in retrospect, was no ambition at all!

‘I’ve always known I wanted to be something,’ she replied with firm dismissal. ‘It seems I’ve been lucky enough to find a career that I not only like but which one publisher at least thinks I’m good at.’ That knowledge still gave her an inner warm glow.

‘How do you feel about having a working wife, Andrew?’ Jed looked at the younger man mockingly.

‘I feel absolutely fine about it,’ Andrew came back, sounding perplexed. ‘Most women want a career of their own nowadays—to be more than just some man’s wife.’

‘Do they?’ Jed murmured softly.

‘Of course we do.’ Sukie was the one to answer lightly, linking her arm with Jed’s. ‘Maybe that’s where you went wrong, Jed,’ she added teasingly.

Jed continued to look at Georgie for several long minutes, before he straightened and turned to Sukie, his smile wry. ‘Maybe it was,’ he murmured in agreement. ‘Although, listening to my wife, I would be hard pushed to find anything I did right!’

‘Ex-wife,’ Georgie heard herself correct, heated colour entering her cheeks when she realised—as Sukie and Andrew had no idea of her past relationship with Jed! To them she probably sounded as if she was being rude again.

‘I stand corrected.’ Jed gave an acknowledging nod of his head, lips curved into a humourless smile as he dared her to add to that admission.

It was a challenge she had no intention of taking him up on—they had talked about Jed Lord and his defunct marriage far too much already this evening as far as she was concerned!

‘Are you staying the whole weekend, Mr—Jed?’ She corrected herself before he could do it for her. ‘It’s a beautiful area. I’m sure Sukie would love to show you some of the surrounding countryside.’ She received a grateful smile from her future sister-in-law at this suggestion.

‘You’re right; it is a beautiful area,’ Jed drawled dryly. ‘Unfortunately, I’m leaving in the morning.’

Unfortunate for whom? Georgie’s raised eyebrows conveyed her amusement. Certainly not for her; she couldn’t wait to see the back of him!

Also, she couldn’t believe he was enjoying this encounter any more than she was; the two of them had made their opinions of each other more than plain the last time they had spoken at length together.

‘What a pity,’ she answered, completely disingenuous.

‘Isn’t it?’ he came back, with the same insincerity, laughter crinkling the lines around his eyes as he met her gaze.

Georgie drew in a sharp breath, knowing that the two of them weren’t behaving very well. They really were going to arouse suspicion if they didn’t stop this verbal fencing—right now!

She turned to Andrew, her hand resting lightly on his arm. ‘Shall we go and make our excuses to your parents now, darling?’ she suggested. ‘We’ve both had a busy week, and I’m sure you must be tired after driving down here.’

Andrew brightened at her obvious concern, making Georgie feel doubly guilty. Firstly, because she knew her desire to escape to the privacy of her bedroom had nothing to do with concern for Andrew, and secondly, because she knew how upset and confused Andrew would feel if he knew it had everything to do with getting away from Jed Lord!

‘I hope you’ll excuse us, Jed?’ Andrew said politely. ‘It’s been a great pleasure meeting you,’ he added warmly, shaking the other man’s hand before putting his arm firmly about Georgie’s waist to steer her across the room to where his parents sat, softly conversing together.

“‘A great pleasure” meeting him?’ she muttered to Andrew sceptically.

He gave her waist a light squeeze. ‘I’ll explain later,’ he promised.

Having made her excuses to Andrew’s parents, Georgie could once again feel Jed’s piercing grey gaze burning into her back as she walked to the door, knowing her movements lacked their normal graceful fluidity, but unable to do anything about it. She wouldn’t be able to relax again completely until she was safely away from Jed. Make that until Jed was far, far away from the Lawson home!

Although she did breathe a little easier once she and Andrew were outside in the hallway.

She was grateful for the fact that Jed hadn’t given away their previous connection, but at the same time she questioned why he hadn’t. It certainly couldn’t have been to save any embarrassment on her part; Jed just didn’t work that way.

‘You didn’t enjoy this evening, did you?’ Andrew enquired ruefully, his head tilted as he looked down at her questioningly.

Georgie looked up at him quizzically. ‘Whatever makes you think that?’ she delayed.

Had she and Jed given themselves away after all? It wouldn’t be so surprising if they had; they certainly hadn’t spoken to each other like people who had just been introduced…

Andrew laughed softly. ‘I know, from personal experience, that my family is enough to cope with without someone like Jed Lord thrown in for good measure!’

She frowned. ‘I had the impression a few minutes ago that you actually liked the man.’

Andrew grinned. ‘That was the impression I intended giving.’

Georgie still frowned, not altogether sure she was happy with this explanation. She hadn’t believed Andrew capable of subterfuge, but his explanation now gave a different impression completely…

‘But why?’ Her expression showed complete confusion.

Andrew elaborated as they continued to make their way up the stairs. ‘My father owns some land that the L & J Group is interested in purchasing for yet another of their luxury hotels. You’ve heard of the L & J Group, haven’t you?’

Heard of them—she had once been part of them!

‘Hasn’t everyone?’ she dismissed dryly.

‘Hmm,’ Andrew sighed. ‘Anyway, Dad’s playing hard-to-get with this piece of land,’ he explained.

‘Good for him!’ Georgie came back vehemently. A little too vehemently, she realised, as Andrew looked at her in surprise. ‘Sorry.’ She grimaced. ‘But even on such short acquaintance I got the impression that Mr Jeremiah Lord is a little too fond of having his own way.’

Andrew nodded slowly. ‘He does give that impression, doesn’t he? Makes you almost feel sorry for his ex-wife, doesn’t it?’

Once again Georgie gave him a frowning look. ‘Only almost…?’

‘Well—he isn’t my type, you understand,’ Andrew replied, ‘but I got the distinct impression from Sukie’s behaviour towards him that Jed Lord is rather attractive to women.’

It would have been impossible to miss Sukie’s interest in Jed! ‘I didn’t find him in the least attractive!’ Georgie exclaimed forcefully.

‘I know,’ Andrew agreed. ‘Actually, darling, it might have been a little more politically correct—for the sake of father’s business deal, you understand?—if you hadn’t shown your dislike of the man quite so openly.’

Her eyes widened at the unexpected rebuke. ‘I can’t be less than I am, Andrew,’ she responded. ‘And being pleasant to a man I dislike is not—’

‘Don’t take it all so seriously, Georgie!’ Andrew cut in teasingly, obviously realising he had gone too far. ‘I love you just the way you are.’

Georgie looked up at him uncertainly in the dimmed lighting of the hallway. ‘I love you too, Andrew,’ she told him uncertainly.

‘That’s all that matters, then, isn’t it?’ he murmured, before kissing her.

For a brief moment Georgie froze, still thrown by Andrew’s sycophantic attitude towards Jed a few minutes ago. Not only that, Andrew had actually criticised her for her behaviour towards the man!

But as Andrew continued to kiss her the anger she felt towards him began to evaporate, and she kissed him back with a fierceness that bordered on desperation, knowing that the last thing she needed at this moment was to feel less than sure of the feelings she and Andrew had for each other.

‘Wow!’ he murmured a few minutes later as they broke their embrace, his forehead resting lightly on hers as he looked at her. ‘Perhaps we shouldn’t wait until next Easter to get married, after all?’ he urged huskily.

No! Yes! Georgie was no longer sure about anything at this moment… Part of her wanted to marry Andrew tomorrow. But another part of her knew that, no matter how she might try to shut it out, Andrew’s attitude towards Jed, even if it was purely a business manouevre, still bothered her. For a start, it didn’t seem characteristic of the Andrew she’d thought she knew…

She was also aware that it was seeing Jed Lord again that was making her have doubts about waiting until Easter to marry Andrew…

‘If it takes you this long to think about it…’

Georgie’s frown deepened. Andrew sounded almost sulky…

‘I was only joking, Georgie,’ Andrew assured her as he saw the consternation on her face. ‘An Easter wedding is fine with me. Which reminds me. We really should start doing something towards making plans in that direction. My mother tells me that it takes months to arrange a wedding.’

Maybe it did, to arrange a church wedding, with hundreds of guests invited and a huge reception afterwards at a fashionable venue. But, as a divorced woman, Georgie knew that wasn’t the sort of wedding she and Andrew were likely to have. Something else she really needed to discuss with him…

But not now. She needed to get this weekend over with first, then she and Andrew could sit down and talk about their future together. Including what sort of wedding they were going to have and who the wedding guests were likely to be. The fact that she didn’t want to invite one single member of her family was definitely going to be cause for discussion!

Oh, Andrew knew that both her parents were dead, and that she had been brought up by her grandfather. But he wasn’t a subject she had discussed in any great detail either. Andrew had seemed to accept her reticence, but Georgie wasn’t as sure Annabelle Lawson was going to be so agreeable about it. Especially when the other woman learned exactly who Georgie’s grandfather was!

‘If you’re really sure about waiting, we still have plenty of time for all that,’ she soothed.

Andrew looked at her searchingly. ‘All this discussion about divorce hasn’t put you off, has it?’ he asked.

In all honesty, it wasn’t talk of divorce that had suddenly made her feel less than certain about her wedding to Andrew; it was this other side of her fiancé that she had never seen before.

Nevertheless, her mouth firmed as she recalled exactly whose divorce had been discussed this evening. ‘Not in the least,’ she answered. ‘You are absolutely nothing like Jed Lord,’ she added with certainty. That was one thing she was sure of; she wouldn’t be attracted to Andrew if he were anything like Jed Lord! ‘I can all too easily imagine why his wife wanted to get away from him!’

Andrew looked concerned. ‘You really didn’t like him, did you?’

‘No,’ she confirmed with an inward shudder. Jed wasn’t a man who was easy to like; you either loved him or hated him. And Georgie knew which emotion she felt towards him!

‘Oh, well, with any luck you may not have to meet him again,’ Andrew said. ‘I don’t think my father will keep him waiting too much longer for an answer on that land.’

Georgie looked at him searchingly. ‘Is everything all right? With your father, I mean?’ If it wasn’t, maybe that would explain the difference she had sensed in Andrew’s manner earlier?

Of course,’ Andrew dismissed. ‘Now, it’s time we both went to bed, young lady; I for one am absolutely bushed.’ His words were followed by an involuntary yawn. ‘See.’

Georgie shook off her earlier mood of uncertainty as she smiled at him; it was probably seeing Jed again that had given her these misgivings! ‘I’ll see you in the morning, then.’

Andrew nodded. ‘But let’s not make it too early, hmm?’ he ventured, sounding tired.

‘As late as you like,’ Georgie assured him.

With any luck Jed would already have left the next morning by the time she put in an appearance.

She could always hope!

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