Then she thought she should say something, so she murmured huskily, ‘You’re dynamite, Declan.’ But her eyes were completely serious as she added very quietly, ‘Thanks.’
He smiled faintly and cupped her cheek. ‘Don’t thank me, Arizona. You had the same effect on me.’ He paused and narrowed his eyes as he added, ‘It didn’t seem to me as if it had ever happened for you quite like that before.’
‘No,’ she said after the slightest hesitation.
‘How do you feel about it?’
‘Like…Alice? In wonderland?’ she suggested after a moment. ‘I seem to remember reacting a bit like that.’
‘You reacted wonderfully, you were exquisite. It’s just a pity I have to leave you,’ he said slowly and took her hand.
She tightened her fingers around his and said with a frown, ‘Why?’
‘I have an urgent meeting this evening—I know, it seems a strange time for business but it affects what goes into tomorrow’s paper. There’s a political crisis looming about which we have to be very careful what we say. Besides, it’s supposed to be unlucky for prospective brides and grooms to spend the night before their wedding together, or something like that.’
Arizona grimaced. ‘So they say—will we still be doing it tomorrow?’
His eyes locked with hers. ‘Oh, yes. Did you doubt it after what’s just happened?’
‘No…’
The door chimes rang.
She tensed and her eyes widened.
‘Stay there,’ he murmured. ‘I ordered some food, I’ll get it.’ He disappeared into the bathroom, came out wearing a towelling robe and walked into the lounge. A few minutes later he reappeared pushing a trolley with the most visible things on it being a silver bucket with a bottle of champagne—and a bouquet of red roses. ‘For you,’ he said and put the cellophane-wrapped flowers into her arms. ‘And for us.’ He picked up the frosted bottle.
Arizona stared at the perfect red blooms and was curiously touched. ‘I’ve started a rose garden at Scawfell, I love roses. Thank you.’ She lifted her eyes to his and they were suddenly wet.
‘Here,’ he said softly and put a glass of champagne into her hand. ‘Drink it. It will help.’
It did. So that when he removed the flowers she was able to ask him to pass her the ruby nightgown and her brush and once she’d slipped into the nightgown, she sat up and brushed her hair, rearranged the pillows behind her and smiled at him ruefully. ‘Sorry, I don’t often get emotional.’
‘If you think I mind making you a bit emotional, I don’t at all. What would you like? There are oysters or fresh prawns, there’s smoked salmon, a couple of slices of hot quiche and a salad—I didn’t think you’d feel like a huge meal so I ordered a bit of this and that,’ he said humorously.
‘I would love some smoked salmon then some quiche.’
‘Done, I’m yours to command!’ And he served her food then drew a chair up beside the bed for himself. And they ate companionably, talking desultorily and sipping champagne.
Until Arizona lay back with a sigh of contentment. ‘I feel wonderful,’ she said, a bit surprised.
‘Tell me,’ he murmured with a wicked little glint in his blue eyes.
‘Well, I feel as if I could go back to sleep, a beautiful sound sleep.’
‘Good,’ he commented. ‘Because much as I regret this, I have to leave shortly.’ And he got up, stacked the trolley, poured her the last of the champagne and started to dress.
Arizona watched him and knew that he’d organized things so she would feel this way, but a little part of her mind wondered if he knew that above all, she would still fall asleep preferring not to be on her own for the rest of the night.
Nor was it a help, as she sipped champagne, to have to watch him dressing economically and methodically, to watch him buttoning up his blue shirt and remembering how wide his shoulders were and how they’d felt beneath her hands, how she’d twined her fingers gently in the springy dark hair of his chest…
He came back to the bed with his tie in his hand. ‘About tomorrow—would you trust me to take care of it all?’
‘What do you mean?’ she said after a moment.
‘Well, I’d rather you didn’t leave the hotel, or indeed the suite, until I send a car for you.’
Her eyes widened.
‘Onty—’ he paused ‘—because if anyone gets wind of this they’re liable to hound you to death.’
‘The media, do you mean?’
‘Uh-huh. So, say I send a car at ten-thirty?’
‘And all I’ll have to do is bring myself? And my new clothes?’
‘Yes.’
‘I…’ She hesitated, dazed. ‘I suppose so.’
‘You could relax,’ he suggested with a suddenly crooked little grin.
‘Do I look as if I need to?’
‘You look—’ his gaze travelled down the beautiful nightgown and back again to faint blue shadows beneath her eyes ‘—utterly lovely.’
She closed her eyes suddenly and said, ‘Don’t go.’ Then her lashes swept up and there was a faintly horrified expression in her eyes. ‘I mean…’
‘Arizona, I have to,’ he said evenly. ‘I’m sorry. But nothing will tear me away tomorrow, after noon.’
She blinked, then smiled. ‘Okay. Sorry. I’m fine really. And I won’t so much as venture outside the door.’
‘Good girl.’ He stood up and dropped a light kiss on her hair. ‘I’m also only a phone call away, you know. Why don’t you ring Rosemary, incidentally?’
‘I’d already rung Rosemary twice before you came,’ she said wryly. ‘They’re all fine. But—’ She stopped and frowned.
‘Glory be!’ He tied his tie and slipped his jacket on and she saw him do a check of his pockets and all of a sudden he was Declan Holmes again, media magnate, not the man who had lain beside her with his strong, beautifully proportioned body naked and who had made stunning love to her.
And to distract herself, she said, ‘So! Until noon tomorrow.’
‘Until noon, Arizona.’ And their gazes locked and it was as if by some mysterious force, she was in his arms again, helpless with pleasure… And after what seemed like an age, he turned away and walked out.
She woke the next morning with the children on her mind, but each time she reached for the phone something held her back. She was still undecided and worried about them by nine o’clock when her doorbell chimed. It was a bellboy with a suitcase and a note for her.
She took them, somewhat dazed, and opened the note first. It was from Declan and it said simply, ‘The rest of my night was as lonely as hell. Don’t wear the dress until you get to the house, you’ll be able to change there. P.S. I chose it myself.’
She turned to the suitcase and opened it with unsteady hands. There was a dress box inside, and from the tissue paper within she drew a dream of a dress. It was in a pearl-coloured delicate crepe with a three-tiered slim skirt, a sleeveless round-necked bodice and a short jacket embroidered with tiny seed pearls to form little flowers. Just the elegance and grace of the outfit as well as the beautiful workmanship caused her lips to curve into a smile, and she held the dress to her cheek for a moment. Then she noticed two smaller parcels in the case, which turned out to be a pair of kid shoes that matched the dress and the much smaller one, another velvet box from which she drew, with a gasp, a river of flawless pearls with a ruby clasp.
The house turned out to be a two-storied mansion on Point Piper above the harbour with a fabulous view. A housekeeper met her as the car drew up and showed her to a bedroom that was obviously the master bedroom with French doors that opened on to a veranda, and another note from Declan to the effect that the ceremony would be in the garden and he would meet her there at noon. In the meantime, she was to do as she liked and ask for whatever she wanted.
Arizona asked the housekeeper for some tea, which came in a silver pot with some macaroons, and sat down as the door closed behind the polite housekeeper with a sigh and a feeling, de
finitely this time, of Alice in Wonderland.
And to distract herself, she looked around then got up to inspect the lovely bedroom. It had a velvety, close-pile pewter blue carpet, a king-size bed covered with a quilted ivory silk spread with a trim that matched the pillowcases in shadowy hyacinth pinks and greys. The windows were dressed similarly, ivory silk curtains with hyacinth and grey pelmets and tie backs. There was a breakfast table and two chairs set at one window and two deep armchairs set in front of a fireplace. The walls were papered in a thick matt slate blue with an ivory trim, and there were crystal and silver ornaments on the mantelpiece and occasional tables dotted about. There was also a full-size dressing room leading off the bedroom and into an ensuite bathroom, a symphony of blue and silver. She lingered in the dressing room, touching one of Declan’s suits almost as if she could imbibe some of his spirit to give her courage. Then she looked at her watch and realized she only had three-quarters of an hour before she became Mrs. Declan Holmes. And was touched by a moment of panic, unreality and the feeling that she shouldn’t be doing this without having warned the children it was happening. She returned to her dress, laid out across the bed, and fingered her engagement ring, and there was a soft knock on the door, which revealed the housekeeper again but not only that, Sarah, Daisy, Rosemary and Cloris.
‘Oh!’ Arizona gazed at them for a moment, taking in the girls’ new lovely matching blue silk dresses, Cloris in matronly mauve, Rosemary in a stunning green décolleté outfit, and then they were all kissing and hugging each other, Arizona with some tears of happiness in her eyes.
‘It was Declan’s idea,’ Daisy told her, sitting on the bed while the others helped Arizona to dress. ‘He said he wanted it to be a surprise for you.’
‘We all flew up in his new helicopter!’ Sarah contributed enthusiastically. ‘Do you think the boys aren’t wrapped in it?’
‘They’re here, too?’
‘Sure are, but Declan reckons the boys stay together and out of the girls’ way on wedding days. You should see them. They’ve got new suits just like proper men!’
‘And where did all these lovely new clothes come from?’
‘That was my doing, darling,’ Rosemary said, not without a certain smug air as she urged Arizona to sit down so she could attend to her hair. ‘Got a call from Declan yesterday morning asking me if I could rustle up the goods, so I rang David Jones with all the details, and they came down on the helicopter this morning.’
‘And I brought these,’ Cloris said proudly. She opened her purse and withdrew two handkerchiefs, a beautiful old handmade-linen and crochet-trimmed one with tiny blue forget-me-nots embroidered in the corners and an obviously new one trimmed with lace. ‘You know what they say, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue? Well, this belonged to my mother and I’ll lend it to you for today, so it’s old, it’s borrowed, it’s got some blue and the other—’
‘You’re an absolute darling,’ Arizona said huskily and hugged her.
‘How was that?’
Arizona looked at the new gold wedding band on her left hand and up into Declan Holmes’s eyes and was curiously speechless. They were alone for the moment in a small latticework gazebo where they’d been married by a marriage celebrant in a simple ceremony with the children, Rosemary and Cloris as witnesses. It was a clear, sparkling day, and the waters of Sydney Harbour were like pale blue stretched silk. The gazebo was beautifully decorated with flowers and ribbons, and the white wrought-iron table they’d stood before had been clothed with an exquisite linen cloth embroidered with silver thread. The celebrant, an elegant woman in her fifties, had spoken quietly but wisely on the joys and pitfalls of married life, calling on some of her own experiences as a wife of twenty-five years and the mother of four children with touches of humour. Arizona, during the ceremony, had found herself more moved than she’d expected to be, more relaxed with the children about them obviously feeling happy, excited and important.
‘It was,’ she said, ‘fine. You’re an excellent organizer, Declan.’ She looked around and added genuinely, ‘It’s all lovely. Thank you so much for bringing them up. I was—worried about doing it behind their backs.’
‘So was I. It didn’t feel right. They don’t seem to have any problems with it, do they?’
‘No.’
‘And how does it feel to be my wife?’ he murmured with a slight smile quirking his lips.
‘I’ll have to let you know about that. It’s only been ten minutes.’
‘Do you think ten minutes is long enough for me to kiss you? Properly, that is.’
Arizona hesitated and looked towards the house through the latticework.
‘We’re alone,’ he said, following her gaze.
‘I know, but they—’
‘There’s a feast set out up there. I doubt we’ll be interrupted for a minute or two.’
‘In that case, you may,’ Arizona said.
CHAPTER SIX
THEIR wedding feast was laid out in a lovely long veranda room with huge glass windows facing the view. There was a table for eight set with silver and crystal, decorated with flowers and ribbons—and if the bride looked a little bemused it was because she had just been very comprehensively kissed. The bridegroom, however, looked completely at home, and it was a gay meal as they ate asparagus vinaigrette, roast turkey with pine nut stuffing and Cointreau icecream. And after it, he made a little speech to the effect that he was ‘borrowing’ Arizona for a short honeymoon right here in Sydney, but that they’d both be back at Scawfell in a few days, and in the meantime Rosemary and Cloris had a few surprises planned for good children.
Daisy looked vaguely mutinous for a moment, but when she discovered they were to fly back in the helicopter, she brightened immediately. It seemed she’d taken to it like a duck to water, although Sarah did say in an aside to Arizona that she’d probably be unbearable at school boasting about it. But it was a happy, contented band they waved off a little later.
Then Declan led her inside, saying wryly, ‘Alone at last—I hope you liked my choice of a dress. As soon as I saw it I could visualize you in it, looking unapproachably lovely.’
Arizona blinked then glanced at her outfit. ‘I love it, but it doesn’t seem to have made me unapproachable.’
‘Yes, it did,’ he contradicted. ‘For the first few minutes when we met in the gazebo, you were just that.’
‘Well,’ she confessed with a faint smile, ‘that’s because I really felt like Alice in Wonderland. Why—’ she hesitated ‘—did you want me to look unapproachable?’
‘A purely masculine whim. I wanted to contrast that in my mind with how you might look later. Sit down,’ he invited and poured two glasses of champagne. They were in the room overlooking the harbour, but the remains of the feast had been magically cleared. He took his glass and said gravely, ‘May I toast the bride?’
‘Thank you,’ Arizona responded. ‘May I toast—us?’ she added very quietly.
‘With great pleasure, my dear.’ They clinked their glasses together and stared into each other’s eyes. Then he dropped a light kiss on her hair. ‘Do you know, we’re absolutely alone now.’
‘Oh?’
‘Mmm—I gave the staff some time off. I thought you might prefer it that way. For a while.’
‘Thanks, I would.’
He looked into her eyes then said lightly, ‘Would you like a tour of the house?’
‘Yes, please.’
So he showed her around and told her a bit of its history. It was grander than Scawfell, filled with beautiful old furniture and paintings, and in one of the most prestigious suburbs of Sydney, the view alone guaranteeing that, but what surprised her was that he’d bought it for his mother.
‘Why?’ she asked as they got back to the veranda room.
He shrugged. ‘I thought she deserved something like this. She didn’t have long to enjoy it, unfortunately.’
‘And your father?’
‘He moved out af
ter she died. In fact he moved out of the country. He lives in London now.’
‘Does he know about us?’
Declan looked at her. ‘No.’
‘Wouldn’t he approve?’
‘I’ve no idea. Does your mother know about us, Arizona?’
‘I wrote to her this morning.’
‘Will she approve?’
‘I don’t know.’
He went to say something then seemed to change his mind. She looked at him enquiringly.
‘It just occurred to me I was in no position to lecture you on parental relationships—what would you like to do now?’ he asked, changing the subject completely.
Arizona hesitated then was unable to stop herself from yawning, but he only laughed as she grimaced. And said, ‘Why not? After a meal like that it’s entirely sensible.’
‘What about you?’
‘I’m going to join you—but only for a nap at this stage,’ he said gravely. ‘It is my wedding day, too, you know.’
‘Well, that’s what I wondered,’ she said honestly.
‘Whether I was going to leap on you straight away?’
‘Yes—no…Declan, you’re teasing me. But I didn’t think you were the napping type, nor that you would have been consumed by nerves this morning.’
‘Ah, but I was, of a kind,’ he said. ‘You could have run away.’
Arizona’s eyes widened, and he smiled slightly then said simply, ‘Come.’
She changed out of her wedding dress in the privacy of the ensuite dressing room and put on a long T-shirt, and she fell asleep in his arms and slept deeply and dreamlessly for nearly an hour. By which time long shadows were stretching across the garden and the pool. But she was alone when she woke, and after a few moments of reorientating herself, she got up and padded over to the window where she saw him, sitting beside the pool in bathers with a mobile phone on the table beside him, reading through what looked like a pile of documents. She grimaced then searched through her new clothes for the swimsuit she’d bought, plain white and one-piece, but low-cut at the top and high-cut at the legs.
Married for Real (Harlequin Presents) Page 9
