Convenient Brides

by Catherine Spencer

‘I wanted to be certain I could trust you before I told you who I was.’

  Emily’s mind raced back and forth as she came to grips with Rose’s revelation. She retraced their previous conversation and began to put the pieces together.

  ‘I thought there was something vaguely familiar about you,’ Emily finally managed. ‘You seemed to be able to see things no one else has seen.’

  ‘I only saw what you allowed me to see,’ Rose said. ‘What you should have shown Damien weeks ago.’

  ‘It’s too late,’ Emily said, her heart sinking in despair. ‘It’s far too late.’

  ‘There are things about Damien you should know,’ Rose said. ‘Damien is not Danny’s real brother. Their father, my brother Donald, had an affair. Damien was the product of that relationship, and because Cora had been unable to have a child she agreed to bring him up as her own. Not long after, she fell pregnant with Danny. I have reason to believe Danny isn’t Donald’s offspring. Cora was bitter about his earlier affair and decided on her own little pay-back.’

  ‘Oh, my God!’ Emily sagged in her chair. No wonder Damien hadn’t wanted her snooping around for information with those sorts of secrets in the family vault! Her heart squeezed tightly at the thought of his painful childhood, not all that dissimilar from her own.

  ‘Does Danny know about this?’ Emily asked.

  Rose shook her head. ‘No, he was never told the details. Damien overheard a bitter argument between his parents and came to me for advice. We’ve always been close.’

  ‘Does Damien know who his real mother is?’

  ‘He hasn’t pursued it. It would’ve drawn too much attention to the Margate name. I left the theatre in the middle of a season. I’d been feeling the tremors for months, and I didn’t consider myself so much of a brilliant actress that I could pass off as a person in full health. I didn’t want people to point and comment on how much I’d deteriorated. I couldn’t bear it.’

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ Emily said. ‘I should never have planned to write about you.’

  ‘I don’t hold it against you, dear. I deliberately set out to meet you that day, you know. I’d hoped the accent and wig would keep me undercover until I got to know you.’

  ‘You were very convincing,’ Emily confirmed. ‘But I did have this feeling I’d met you before.’

  ‘Donald, Damien’s father, and I were twins. The Margate family likeness is very strong. That’s why I wear a wig in public. I’ve not long come down from the country. Damien provided a safe rural haven for me for years, but recently I decided to move closer to medical help. I’d appreciate it if you’d keep my whereabouts a total secret.’

  ‘Of course I will.’

  ‘Tell no one you’ve met me. Not even Damien, and especially not Danny.’

  ‘Why not Damien?’ Emily asked.

  Rose thought about it for a long moment before answering.

  ‘I think he needs some more time to get to know you. The real you.’

  After leaving Rose’s, Emily caught a bus to Bondi Junction instead of going back to Damien’s house. She needed some time to think. Rose Margate had completely surprised her. It was ironic, really. The celebrated actress had given the performance of her life and she, Emily Sherwood-Margate, had fallen for it hook, line and sinker. She hadn’t even recognised the subject of the book she wanted to write because the subject of her book was still, after all these years, a phenomenal actress.

  Emily couldn’t help smiling ruefully as she stepped on the bus. The Scottish accent had fooled her. How hadn’t she seen through it? The Margate likeness was so obvious now she was aware of it. The black-button eyes, the deter-mined chin, the penetrating stare…

  Emily wanted to find something to wear for the dinner that evening, as well as squeezing in a hair appointment, and she forced herself to put her mind to the task. She didn’t want to think about Damien or his aunt. Doing so reminded her of her own part in adding to the pain of their lives. How Damien must hate her for what she’d tried to do! No wonder he’d been so determined to buy her silence.

  It was close to six p.m. when she returned to the house, where she encountered Damien in a foul mood.

  ‘Where the hell have you been?’ he roared at her as soon as she stepped through the door.

  She put her bags down and tucked an escaping strand of hair behind her ear. ‘I went shopping.’

  ‘All day?’

  Emily blinked.

  ‘I’ve been calling you since ten o’clock this morning. I thought something must have happened to you,’ he contin-ued crossly.

  ‘Well, no doubt you’re disappointed, but here I am alive and well,’ she said archly.

  ‘You should’ve called me.’

  ‘On what number?’ She glared back at him. ‘I’ve only been to your office once and I have no idea what number to call.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ He raked a hand through his hair. ‘You’re right, of course.’ He reached for the jacket of his suit, which he’d hung on the banister of the stairs. He took out a business card from his wallet and handed it to her.

  She gave it a cursory glance before slipping it into her purse.

  ‘Well, now I’ll know who to call if I need financial advice.’ She brushed past him to go upstairs. ‘Excuse me, I have to get changed.’

  ‘Emily.’

  She stalled on the first step, turning to face him.

  He looked at her, clutching her shopping bags under one slim arm, her eyes sparkling with defiance, her beautiful honey-coloured hair defying the lotions and potions of expert application to cascade at random about her shoulders.

  ‘Never mind,’ he said, turning away. ‘I’ll wait for you in the lounge.’

  Emily turned back and bolted up the stairs.

  She came back down forty minutes later dressed in a calf-length cerulean sheath with tiny shoestring straps that emphasised the slimness of her shoulders and the gentle curve of her breasts. Her hair was still mostly on top of her head, apart from a few wayward tendrils that insisted on caressing her shoulders.

  Damien’s eyes travelled over her appreciatively as she stood before him. ‘You look beautiful,’ he said.

  ‘Thank you.’

  He opened the door for her and she walked through, conscious of his eyes following her every movement.

  The journey in the car was painfully silent. Emily framed several sentences in her head but it never seemed quite the right moment to speak. He was either concentrating on traf-fic or on the issue of where to park, so in the end she remained silent.

  He finally parked between two cars, not far from the restaurant in Neutral Bay. He opened her door for her and casually took her arm as they walked along the pavement towards the restaurant.

  ‘Every three months or so the interstate partners in the firm get together and run through various practice matters. These evening functions are a way for the wives—or husbands, as the case may be—to socialise. I hope you won’t find it too boring.’

  ‘I’ll try and make the best of it,’ she said, sneaking a glance at him.

  He looked down at her and seemed about to say something when a couple stepped from a car just ahead of them. A booming voice greeted them.

  ‘Damien, my man! And this must be your charming bride.’ A huge paw grasped Emily’s hand and shook it vigorously. Another strand of her hair fell down at the impact and Damien slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her gently towards him.

  ‘Darling,’ he said, sending a shiver up her spine at his casually delivered endearment. ‘This is Hugo Brand and his wife Jeanne. This is Emily.’

  Jeanne pressed a cold fish hand into Emily’s while Hugo looked on beamingly.

  ‘Never thought you’d get around to it, Damo.’ He grinned. ‘Just wait till you get a couple of kids running around your feet. You won’t know what hit you.’

  Emily fought against the blush she could feel stealing along her cheeks but fortunately Damien was looking else-where. She looked up to follow the line of
his gaze and watched as another couple approached them. The man was tall and blond, with the sort of Scandinavian good looks that always drew female stares. The woman was attractive also. Not quite as tall as the man, and a deep brunette with the sort of figure most women had to pay for.

  ‘Damien,’ the woman said, reaching up to kiss both his cheeks. ‘You look scrumptious.’

  ‘Now, now, Linda.’ The blond man chuckled. ‘The man’s got a wife.’

  ‘Andre and Linda Janssen.’ Damien pushed Emily for-ward. ‘This is Emily, my wife.’

  Emily didn’t know how she got through it. Her hand went out and touched each of theirs briefly, and her face smiled as if she were really delighted to meet them both, but on the inside she was crumbling.

  So this was Linda Janssen, his mistress. Andre didn’t look the type to turn a blind eye, but then, Emily thought, Linda didn’t look the type to be playing up either. She gave the impression she adored her husband, holding on to his arm as they made their way to the restaurant door, smiling up at him when he joked with Damien about the day’s meetings. Emily trailed along on Damien’s arm, feeling terribly out of place. The mouse-like Jeanne followed in Hugo’s wake, looking too shy to say boo to a goose. It was going to be a long evening.

  The food was beautifully presented and arrived at exactly the right intervals along with the best of wines, both red and white, but later Emily could barely recall what she’d eaten, and she didn’t drink at all, other than to sip at a tall glass of iced water.

  At some point during the dinner Damien turned to her with the bottle of red wine in his hand. ‘Drink, darling?’ he asked.

  ‘No, thank you.’ Her eyes flashed at him. ‘Darling.’

  He reached beyond her to pass the bottle to Hugo, who took it with gusto, filling his own empty glass.

  ‘Damien tells me you’re a writer,’ Hugo said, swivelling his huge bulk towards her. ‘I’ve never met a real-life writer before.’

  ‘It’s not as glamorous as it sounds, believe me,’ she said.

  Linda leaned across Jeanne to address Emily. ‘Is it true about the book you were going to write being cancelled?’

  Several heads turned their way.

  ‘Yes.’ Emily flicked a glance in Damien’s direction before continuing. ‘I was given another offer too good to refuse. I decided to take it. The compensation so far has been adequate, although it may yet prove to be a foolish move on my part.’

  ‘Sounds intriguing.’ Linda reached for her wine. ‘Are you working on another book now?’

  ‘No, nothing at the moment,’ she said. ‘I’m considering a career change.’

  ‘Oh? What will you do?’ Linda asked.

  ‘I haven’t decided as yet. I’m still considering my options.’

  ‘That’s the trouble with women these days, Damo.’ Hugo leant across Emily, breathing wine fumes over her. ‘They’re too damned intelligent. Whatever happened to the women who wanted nothing more than a brood of kids and some housekeeping money once a week?’

  Emily let Linda and Jeanne do the protesting for her. The spirited discussion carried on without her, while her mind was engaged elsewhere.

  At last it was over. Linda and Andre were the first to make a move and Damien stood up with them, reaching for Emily’s hand.

  ‘Come on, darling,’ he said, looking down at her. ‘You look ready for bed.’

  ‘Damien!’ Linda scolded him. ‘You’re making the poor girl blush.’

  Emily bore it with good grace, although she was deter-mined to give Damien an earful once they were alone. Hugo and Jeanne followed them out of the restaurant and left them to walk to Damien’s car alone.

  Emily walked beside him, pulling her hand out of his once the others had left.

  ‘Wasn’t the food to your liking?’ Damien asked as he deactivated the central locking of his Jaguar. ‘You didn’t seem to be eating much.’

  He opened the door for her and she slipped in under his arm, avoiding his eyes.

  ‘I wasn’t particularly hungry,’ she said once he joined her in the car.

  ‘You shouldn’t let people like Hugo upset you.’ He looked across at her as he turned the engine over. ‘He’s a harmless old bear.’

  ‘I wasn’t upset by Hugo.’

  He drove towards the Harbour Bridge, his attention on the merging traffic. She waited for him to ask what had upset her but he remained silent.

  ‘Aren’t you going to ask?’ she snapped at him after some time had passed.

  He glanced at her briefly before checking the mirrors to change lanes. ‘Ask what?’

  She fumed, clenching her hands into tight fists in her lap. ‘Why I’m upset, of course!’

  ‘I would’ve thought that was more than obvious,’ he commented wryly. ‘You found spending an evening in my company utterly deplorable, didn’t you?’

  Emily ground her teeth and bit out, ‘No, actually, what I found deplorable was having to spend the evening sitting opposite your mistress.’

  ‘You still seem rather convinced of that old story. But tell me, did you happen to notice her husband sitting beside her all evening?’ he asked.

  ‘That means nothing. You were sitting beside me all evening and it didn’t stop Linda from flirting with you.’

  ‘Now you’re being ridiculous.’ His tone was impatient.

  ‘Tell me you don’t have a special relationship with her,’ she demanded. ‘Go on. Tell me.’

  ‘I’m not going to allow this conversation to continue,’ he said, taking the Double Bay exit. ‘You’re not being rational and I’m getting angry.’

  ‘Oh, good!’ she taunted. ‘The aloof Damien Margate is about to explode with uncontrollable emotion. What fun this will be.’

  ‘Careful, Emily,’ he warned. ‘You might not like the consequences.’

  He pulled into the driveway and she got out as soon as he stopped the car. He called her, but she continued to make her way to the house regardless. It was only when she reached the front door that she realised she didn’t have her key.

  He came up behind her and unlocked the door over her shoulder, propelling her through with his other hand. He turned her to face him, the front door closing heavily under the thrust of his hand.

  ‘I don’t want to hear you speak of Linda Janssen in such a way again. Is that clear?’

  Emily lifted her chin a fraction, her blue eyes refusing to be intimidated by his. ‘Why?’ she challenged him. ‘Does it make you feel guilty?’

  He reined in his temper with an effort. ‘I won’t tell you again.’

  ‘What are you going to do Damien—darling?’ she goaded him recklessly. ‘Take me to court?’

  ‘No,’ he said, reaching for her before she could step away. ‘I’m going to take you to bed.’

  Chapter Eleven

  SHE should have fought him. She should have resisted his mouth and hands. But she didn’t. As soon as his lips ground against hers in a bruising kiss she was instantly caught up in a maelstrom of passion that had only one sure end. She returned his kiss with a blistering heat of her own, her tongue tangling with his, her legs threatening to give way beneath her as he crushed her to him.

  One of the pictures hanging behind her wobbled precar-iously as their surging bodies collided with it in their haste. Damien steadied it with one hand while the other pushed aside one of Emily’s shoestring straps to gain access to her breast. She gasped as his hand shaped her, his thumb grazing a path over her engorged nipple as his mouth returned to hers.

  She was sure he was going to take her then and there on the stairs. She was mentally preparing herself for it when he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his bedroom, tipping her on to his bed and coming down on top of her, his mouth still hard upon hers.

  Emily tore at his shirt with greedy fingers. His belt buckle was digging into her stomach so she removed it from his waist, flinging it to one side of the bed. Her fingers sought the zip of his trousers without shame, releasing it with a gasp of
anticipation as his erection brushed against her hand. She held him, shaping him with exploring fingers, her heart leaping in her chest at the dark light of desire burning in his gaze as he looked down at her.

  ‘There’s a condom in the bedside table drawer,’ he said huskily. ‘You can put it on for me.’

  She fumbled in the drawer and unpeeled the wrapper. She took her time, enjoying the power she had over him as he groaned at her feather-light touch, until he could stand it no more and pushed her back down on the mattress, pinning her with his strong thighs.

  ‘Tell me you want me,’ he demanded, nudging her intimately with his body.

  ‘I want you.’ She stared with unashamed longing at him.

  He pushed her dress upwards, his gaze raking her boldly from the flat plane of her stomach to the tiny triangular lace that barely covered her. He hooked a finger under the lace and pulled it away, uncovering her femininity, his eyes feasting on her perfect form.

  She held her breath as his mouth started at her belly button, trailing downwards until she could feel his warm breath on her intimately.

  ‘Oh, God,’ she gasped as his tongue separated her, toying with her until she was writhing with a pleasure so intense it was almost like pain. She let out a cry, a soft whimpering cry that rose and rose until she had to bite down on her bottom lip to stop herself from screaming out loud.

  He slid back over her and entered her deeply, his own groan of need also sounding loud in the silence of the night. ‘You feel so damn good,’ he said against her mouth. ‘So unbelievably good.’

  Emily could feel her pleasure building all over again with each deep surge of his body inside hers, bringing her to-wards new heights of feeling. Her body was soaring, all her tense muscles turning into molten liquid by the touch of his hands.

  He timed it perfectly. Just as she was being swept away by another tide of earth-shattering sensuality his own release sounded in her ear: a deep guttural groan that sent shivers trickling through her, increasing her own pleasure with its heavy pulse.

  He rolled away and, breathing heavily, lay with one arm flung across his eyes. Emily wriggled out of the remains of her dress and, picking up the nearest bathrobe, disappeared into the en suite bathroom.