Part Time Marriage (8 page)

`Not your mother, my mother. I thought while she was on that I might as well tell her I was getting married.'

`She didn't like it?' Elexa guessed-he'd intimated his parent had spoken to him severely.

`She loved it. She wants to meet you.' `Oh, no!'Elexa exclaimed instinctively. `What excuse did you make?' she asked, knowing for sure he would have got them out of it.

`I didn't,' he replied coolly. `Once my mother knew I had met your parents, I was sunk.' His mother sounded as forceful as hers. `How does dinner in Sussex next Tuesday suit you?'

It didn't. `How does a church wedding, choir, church bells and all my relations attending suit you?' she responded.

`The Register Office deal is off?"

'My mother went ballistic at that one.'

`Can she do it all in three weeks? From what I've gathered, these things are a year in the planning.'

`You don't know my mother. Er-does that mean-you're agreeable-to a church wedding?Me in the white frock?'

His reply shattered her. 'I'm sure you'll look lovely,' he said. Her mouth fell open- this, from that stern man she knew! But, once more businesslike, he was going on, 'I'd better have the name of the church and the minister.'

Elexa named the church in her homevillage, though thought if he intended to ring the vicar that night then he might have to wait to get through-her mother was probably on to the vicar right at this minute.

'I'll call for you around six on Tuesday,' her intended informed her. 'You'd better come and have a look at my place before we go-it will obviate any questioning glances if it appears you've never seen the inside of where I live.'

`Fine,' she answered, and said goodbye feeling mightily relieved that he had taken her mother's insistence on a church wedding so well.

On Saturday she and Lois went shopping for a wedding dress. Joanna and Lois were to be her attendants, and had arranged to shop for their dresses the following Saturday. Lois accepted totally without question that Elexa had met Noah after telephoning him about business, and exclaimed that it must have been love at first or second sight for both of them.

`It all happened very quickly,' Elexa said, which-leaving out the `love' bit-she supposed it had.

`I'll say it was quick,' Lois surmised lightly. `He hasn't had time yet to get you an engagement ring.'

Elexa made a mental note to buyherself a ring-her mother would want to see one the next time they met.

In the circumstances, and her own taste being more to the classic than the frothy, Elexa did not want anything too elaborate in the way of a wedding dress. So she could only suppose it must have been some of Lois's enthusiasm rubbing off that she allowed herself to be persuaded to try on a rather beautiful creation of chiffon and lace.

`You look fantastic!' Lois whispered, and was almost in tears. `You've got to have it, Elexa. You just have to.' Elexa, not having wanted to have a white wedding at all, looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror, and-strangely at that point a picture of Noah Peverelle coming into her head-answered, `I think I shall.'

Tuesday came around before she was ready for lt. She went into work an hour early so that she could leave early to get ready to go to meet Noah's parents. She owned to feeling extremely apprehensive about the meeting, and hoped with all she had that they would not ask anything of her that called for an outright lie.

Noah was on time, but she saw no sense in inviting him up only for him to have to go down again. `I'm on my way,' she said into the intercom, and her heart was feeling a touch fluttery at the prospect of seeing him againquite normal, she would have thought, given she was going to marry him yet barely knew him.

He was as good-looking as ever, she saw as she opened the door and joined him. `How have the phone calls been?' he asked pleasantly as they made their way to his car.

She knew he was meaning from her mother. `Quite good,' she answered with a smile. `I rather think my mother believes she has to do her best to keep me calm before the "big day" .' As Noah had suggested, they stopped off first at his gracious town house. `Come on in,' he invited, and showed her over the elegantly but comfortably furnished drawing- room, breakfast room, his study and a few of the other rooms before turning to escort her out to his car. They were still in the hall though when he halted her. `Just a minute,'And so, saying, he handed her a small square box. `What is it?"

'Your engagement ring-my mother wanted details,' he explained.

`So did mine,' Elexa commented. `I was going to buy one,' she said, and asked, `How much do I owe you?'

He looked slightly startled.`For what?"

'The ring,' she answered, and, looking up into his face, she saw a kind of smile pass over his features.

`Now are you a one,' he murmured, and Elexa felt all kind of funny inside. Quickly she looked down. She was holding the small box. She opened it, and the most gorgeous diamond solitaire winked up at her. `Is it real?' she gasped.

`Would I give you paste?' he replied.

She looked up at him again, aware that had he accepted payment for the ring she would have had to dig quite deeply into her financial assets. 'I'll let you have it back,' she said. `When this is all over, I'll return it to you.'

He stared at her. `You truly are something else again,' he commented, shaking his head.

`Put it on,' he suggested, `and let'sget down to Sussex.'

The engagement ring was starting to feel less strange on her engagement finger by the time they reached his parents' large old house.

Elexa, while not outwardly showing it, felt highly nervous. She also felt extremely guilty when Ruth and Brandon Peverelle warmly welcomed her and said how delighted they had been to hear Noah's news.

Over dinner Ruth Peverelle spoke of relatives and a few friends who would like to attend the wedding, and Elexa passed on her mother's request to let her have any names and addresses, so she could send them a wedding invitation.

`Your poor mother,' Ruth Peverelle sympathised. `It wasn't very kind of you, Noah, to drop the wedding on her at such short notice.'

`Neither Elexa nor I want to wait,' Noah answered his mother, and Elexa felt more guilt. Mrs Peverelle's gentle expression said only too clearly that she thought her son and his future bride were desperately in love with each other.

Elexa was grateful to Noah that he took the conversationn away from talk of the wedding and conversed with his father on matters concerning his father's seeming hobby of taking engines apart and putting them back together again.

Though she guessed that Noah must be tuned in to whatever was going on around him. Because when his mother turned to her and stumped her with the question, `I expect you'll be moving into Noah's house once you are married?' it was Noah who broke off from what he was saying to his father, to reply for her. 'Elexa has her own apartment. With me being away so much, and with Elexa's flat so convenient to her place of work, it seems best to float between our two homes. Meantime, I shall be looking for somewhere to buy in the country.'

Elexa had to admire him, she really did. If he managed his business life as efficiently, it was no wonder he was the international chairman of the Samara Group. For-apart from `floating between their two homes'-he had answered his mother's question without having to lie. Nor perhaps, on reflection, was floating, a fib. Because when the time came, he was either going to have to float over to her place, or she was going to have to float over to his. But-she didn't want to think about that.

Elexa thought Noah's parents were lovely, but nonetheless it had been a bit of an ordeal sitting there hoping against hope that she wouldn't be called upon to tell a lie. So she was quite glad when. Noah announced that they both had work to do the next day, and they said goodbye, and headed back to London.

'I'm off to the States in the morning,' Noah thought to tell her when he dropped her off at her apartment building. `I don't know much about these things but, should you have any problems, give my PA a ring. Gillian Owen will be pleased to help and will know where to contact me.' `I can't think there'll be any problem, but you never know,' Elexa answered. `Have a good trip,' she wished him. `Goodnight.'

`Goodnight,' he said quietly.

Elexa realised that there was nothing more to say. She looked up at him, his unsmiling expression illuminated in the overhead globe of the porch. Silently he stared down at her and for no reason her heart started to thunder.

She turned abruptly away and was vaguely aware of him making his way back to his car. Hurriedly she went indoors.

She climbed the stairs in something of a daze, the feel of his engagement ring on her finger proof-if proof she needed-that she had actually promised to marry Noah. But he had just gone. She had just said goodbye to him and, for all she knew, the next time she might see him would be when they stood before the minister who would make them man and wife.

She didn't know whatwas the matter with her , but suddenly she was feeling jumpy and illogical, which wasn't at all like her. For crying out loud, Noah Peverelle wanted no emotional entanglements, and neither did she-so why, suddenly, was she feeling so emotionally all over the place?

CHAPTER FOUR

ELEXA did not have to ring Gillian Owen because on Friday evening, eight days before the wedding, her mother phoned declaring her opinion that she and Elexa's father should meet Noah's parents before the big day and, Noah also rang-from New York.

Elexa, who hadn't heard a word from him since that visit to his parents ten days ago, and was certain he had no need to phone, had to ~idmit that she was pleased to hear him.Though she put that down to the fact that it saved her having to ring his PA.

`Anything happening I should know about?' he asked, his tone cool.

`Um, not much.Though since you might, or might not,' she inserted hastily, `have need to contact me, I shall be at my parents' home next Friday evening.'Her mother had insisted on that, rather than on Elexa driving herself over on Saturday morning, her wedding day.

`Anything else?' he questioned, still in that same cool tone that was starting to annoy her.

`Well, since you ask, my parents-my mother, actually-feel that they should get together with your parents before the wedding,' she answered, matching his cool tone. `I think it's a kind of courtesy thing so that your parents don't feel left out.'

`Your mother thinks of everything,' he murmured blandly. Tell me about it! `How does dinner next Thursday sound?'

Two days before their marriage? `Fine,' she answered.

`Leave it with me. I'll fix it,' he said, and rang off.

Elexa owned to feeling peeved, but toldherself it was nothing to do with him putting down his phone so abruptly. It was just that she was used to making decisions, to fixing things. Besides, she was there on the spot-he was in the States. She was over her niggle of annoyance by the time Thursday arrived. Noah hadn't telephoned again, but his PA had. `Mr Peverelle asked me to pass on details of the restaurant booking,' Gillian had begun as soon as they had made contact. She'd gone on to say that Mr Peverelle suggested, because he would be flying in that day and could be delayed, he would meet her at the restaurant. Having passed that information on, she had relaxed sufficiently to say, `His work schedule is crazy, but as usual he'll get through it.' And she added, `May I wish you all the very best for your wedding?'

Elexa had thought that was very sweet of her, thanked her, and had rung her mother to acquaint her with the details.

As arranged, her parents having no idea where the Falcon Restaurant was, they called for her on Thursday so she should show them the way. 'You'll be longing to see Noah,' her mother commented when the three of them were in Waldo Aston's car.

`Of course.'Elexa smiled, but could not in all honesty have said what she was feeling.

What she did know, however, was that her equilibrium was mightily upset when, as she and her parents stepped into the restaurantNoah and his parents having arrived at the venue before them-Noah came straight over to her and took her in his arms.

She stiffened on the instant. But before she could give him a push and demand to know what the blazes he thought he was doing, Noah, obviously feeling the way she tensed up, was grating in her ear, 'Relax! We haven't seen each other for two weeks, remember!'

Oh, that to `relax' was so easy! His arms were strong, and he was all virile male- bringing to mind what she'd been putting her best efforts into not thinking about- her part in this bargain, and how that must be begun!

Elexa was still at sixes and sevens when, with his back to the rest of the group, Noah pulled back to look into her wide eyes. 'I'm going to have to kiss you,' he said in a low tone.

She roused herself. `Don't forceyourself !' she hissed, offended that it was such an effort for him. But, because her expression was on view, she smiled. His head came down but, because of their watching relatives, it was decorously that he placed his mouth over hers. Oh, heavens! He had a most superb mouth. She'd had experiments in kissing, but never had she felt that small tingle of electricity that shot through her when she felt the touch of his mouth on hers.

Noah kept an arm about her as he turned with her and apologised for not introducing the two sets of parents straight away. But they smiled indulgently, because naturally, his fiancee would come first with him, and he performed the introductions.

The meal passed off pleasantly, his father and her father getting on famously, with the two mothers seeming to have a great deal in common, too. It appeared Kaye Aston had assumed her daughter would be moving into Noah's home once they were married, and she looked slightly askance when she was informeddifferently, and the reasons for it. But, as if determined at the outset not to be an interfering mother-in-law, she said nothing.

'Elexa always was crazy about her work,' she murmured instead, going on, `Most brides to-be have the day before their wedding off work, I'm sure, but not Elexa. Waldo and I could have taken her home with us tonight, but...'