Married By Christmas

by Carole Mortimer

  Lilli’s sentiments exactly. It seemed like years, not just months, since she had been out and enjoyed herself like this. Last night certainly didn’t count!

  She was enjoying herself, couldn’t remember when she had had so much fun, dancing, chatting with friends she hadn’t seen for such a long time, once again the life and soul of the party, as she always used to be.

  ‘Well, if it isn’t Just Lilli, come out to play once again,’ drawled an all-too-familiar voice close behind her. ‘It’s our dance, I believe,’ Patrick Devlin added forcefully—and before Lilli could so much as utter a protest she found herself on the dance floor with him.

  And it wasn’t one of the fast numbers she had danced to earlier, the evening was now mellowing out into early morning, and so was the music. Lilli found herself firmly moulded against Patrick’s chest and thighs, his arms about her waist not ungentle, but unyielding nonetheless.

  And Lilli knew, because she tried to move, pulling back to look up at him with furious green eyes. ‘Let me go,’ she ordered between gritted teeth.

  God knew what Sally was going to make of this after their earlier conversation! Not that Lilli could be in the least responsible for this meeting; she hadn’t even realised he was at the club, certainly hadn’t seen him amongst the crowd of people here. But he had obviously seen her!

  For all that she was tall herself, the high heels on her shoes making her even more so, she still had to tilt her head to look up into his face. ‘I said—’

  ‘I heard you,’ he returned unconcernedly, continuing to move slowly in rhythm to the music, his warm breath stirring the loose tendrils of hair at her temples.

  She glared up at him. ‘I thought you didn’t like parties,’ she said accusingly. He had no right being here, spoiling her evening once again.

  He glanced down at her. ‘This isn’t a party,’ he dismissed easily. ‘But you’re right—I don’t particularly like noisy clubs like this one. I came here to conclude a business deal.’

  Business! She should have known he had a calculated reason for being here. ‘Like last night,’ she said waspishly.

  His mouth tightened. ‘Last night I expected a quiet dinner party with my sister, with perhaps a dozen or so other guests. Not including your father,’ he bit out tersely. ‘Or that madhouse I walked into—and as quickly walked out of again! To the kitchen, as it happens. Which was where I met you.’

  Lilli stiffened in his arms. ‘Earlier today you seemed to have the impression that I had deliberately found you,’ she reminded him.

  He shrugged unconcernedly. ‘Earlier today I was talking to the haughty Elizabeth Bennett. Tonight you’re Just Lilli again.’ He looked down at her admiringly. ‘I like your hair loose like this.’ He ran one of his hands through her long, silky black tresses. ‘And as for this dress...!’ His eyes darkened in colour as he looked down at the figure-hugging black dress.

  All Lilli could think of at that moment was that they were attracting too much attention. Obviously Patrick was well known by quite a lot of the people here, and the speculation in the room about the two of them was tangible. Especially as Sally was in the midst of one particular crowd, chatting away feverishly, Lilli sure their ‘little secret’ was no longer any such thing!

  ‘I wouldn’t worry about them if I were you,’ Patrick followed her gaze—and, it seemed, her dismayed thoughts. ‘Gossip, true or false, is what keeps most of them going. It’s probably because they lead such boring lives themselves,’ he added scornfully.

  She knew he was right; it was one of the aspects of being part of a ‘crowd’ that she hadn’t liked. But, even so, she wasn’t sure she particularly liked being the subject—along with Patrick Devlin—of that gossip, either.

  Patrick made no effort to leave the dance floor as one song ended and another began, continuing to guide her smoothly around. ‘Forget about them, Lilli,’ he suggested as she still frowned.

  She would have liked to, but unfortunately she had a feeling that by tomorrow half of London would believe she was involved in an affair with Patrick Devlin. And the other half wouldn’t give a damn whom she was involved with—because they had never heard of her or Patrick!

  ‘Lilli and Elizabeth Bennett are one and the same person.’ She coldly answered his earlier remark.

  ‘No, they aren’t. Just Lilli is warm and giving, fun to be with. Elizabeth Bennett is as cold as ice.’ He looked down at her with mocking grey eyes. ‘I’m curious; which one were you with your ex-fiancé?’

  How did he—? Not a single person she had met this evening had so much as mentioned Andy, let alone their broken engagement. Surely Patrick hadn’t done the same as her—spent part of the day finding out more about her...?

  If so, why had he?

  ‘Don’t bother to answer that, Lilli; I think I can guess.’ Patrick grinned. ‘If you had been Just Lilli with him then he would probably still be around—despite his other interests.’

  Lilli deeply resented his even talking about her broken engagement. She had been deeply distressed by her mother’s death, and then for Andy to walk out on her too...! It had seemed like a nightmare at the time.

  She had just started to feel she was coming out of it when she had been plunged into another one—with the name of Patrick Devlin!

  ‘Just Lilli is a pretty potent woman, you know.’ Patrick’s arms tightened about her as he moulded her even closer against his body, showing her all too forcibly just how ‘potent’ he found her! ‘In fact, I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind all day.’

  She swallowed hard, not immune herself to the intimacy of the situation, her nipples firm and tingling, her thighs aching warmly. ‘And Elizabeth Bennett?’ she prompted huskily.

  ‘A spoilt little rich girl who needs her bottom spanked,’ he replied unhesitatingly.

  Lilli gasped. How dared he—? Just who did he think he was, suddenly appearing in her life, and then proceeding to arrogantly—?

  ‘And if I had been her fiancé that’s exactly what I would have done,’ he continued unconcernedly.

  They were still dancing slowly to the music, the room still as noisy and crowded, and yet at the moment they could have been the only two people in the room, their gazes locked in silent battle, grey eyes calmly challenging, green eyes spitting fire.

  Finally Lilli was the one to break that deadlock as she pulled away from him, ending the dance abruptly, the two of them simply standing on the dance floor now. ‘I would never have agreed to marry you in the first place,’ she told him insultingly.

  Patrick shrugged, totally unmoved by her anger. ‘But you will, Lilli,’ he said softly. ‘I guarantee that you will.’

  ‘I—you—Never!’ She spluttered her indignation. ‘You’re mad!’ She shook her head incredulously.

  ‘But not, thank God, about you,’ he said calmly. ‘I’ve been there, and done that. And I’ve realised that loving the person you marry is a recipe for disaster. I’ve found qualities in you that are infinitely more preferable.’

  ‘Such as?’ she challenged. She still couldn’t believe they were having this conversation!

  ‘Loyalty, for one. A true sense of family.’ He shrugged. ‘And, of course, I find you very desirable.’ This last was added, it seemed, as an afterthought.

  Loyalty? A sense of family! Desire! They weren’t reasons for marrying someone—

  She was not going to marry Patrick Devlin!

  He was mad. Completely. Utterly insane!

  His mouth quirked with amusement as he saw those emotions flashing across her expressive face. ‘A month, Lilli,’ he told her softly. ‘You will be my wife within the month.’

  Lilli looked up at him frowningly; his gaze was enigmatic now. He sounded so sure of himself, so calmly certain...

  She was not going to marry him.

  She was not!

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘HE WHAT?’ her father gasped as he once again sat across the breakfast table from her.

  Lilli sighed, stil
l slightly shell-shocked about last night herself. She had walked away from Patrick, and the club, after his ridiculous claim, still had trouble even now believing he could possibly have said what he did. But the bouquet of red roses, delivered early this morning, told her that Patrick had indeed stated last night that he intended marrying her.

  Her father had been intrigued by the delivery of the roses when he’d joined her for breakfast, especially since there was no accompanying card with the flowers to say who they were from. But Lilli had no doubts who had sent them; only someone as arrogant as Patrick Devlin could have red roses delivered before the shops were even open!

  ‘Your business associate, Mr Devlin, has decided he wants to marry me,’ she repeated wearily, pushing her scrambled eggs distractedly about her plate. She couldn’t possibly eat anything after the delivery of the roses!

  Her father had lost interest in his bacon and eggs too now. ‘What the hell did you do to him the other night?’

  Lilli could feel the blush in her cheeks. She couldn’t remember being with Patrick Devlin the night before last; she only wished she could. Well...part of her wished she could. The other part of her just wished it had never happened at all. Because Patrick wasn’t going to let her forget it, that was for sure!

  ‘I don’t think his marriage proposal has anything to do with that,’ she dismissed hurriedly.

  Or did it? After all, he had said she was a ten...

  Her father looked at her through narrowed lids. ‘What does it have to do with, then?’

  Lilli met his gaze steadily. ‘You tell me?’ She arched questioning brows.

  ‘I have no idea.’ Her father stood up, obviously having trouble coming to terms with this strange turn of events. He was having trouble coming to terms with it? She found it totally incredible.

  ‘Why ever does he want to marry you?’ Her father scowled darkly.

  ‘Having already “had” me?’ Lilli returned dryly.

  ‘I didn’t mean that at all!’ Her father looked flustered. Dressed in a dark suit and formal tie and shirt, he was on his way to his office. Although he seemed in no hurry to get there... ‘The two of you barely know—The two of you only met two days ago,’ he hastily corrected as Lilli’s expression clearly questioned his initial choice of words.

  ‘Oh, don’t imagine this proposal is based on love,’ Lilli assured him. ‘“Loyalty” and “desire” were the words Patrick used.’

  ‘Loyalty and—! Do you have “loyalty” and “desire” for him?’ her father said incredulously.

  She didn’t even know the man!

  Patrick Devlin was obviously a successful businessman, so she supposed he was to be admired for that, but whether or not he was an honest one was another matter. If her father’s state of anxiety at being involved in business with him was anything to go by, then he probably wasn’t.

  As for desire... She supposed she must have wanted him the other night...

  If she were honest, she had felt a stirring of that attraction towards him last night as well—

  ‘The whole thing is ridiculous!’ She stood up abruptly too. “The man has obviously tried marrying for love, and it was not a success, so now he seems to have decided to marry for totally different reasons.’ Loyalty and desire...

  Her father shook his head. ‘Why does he want to marry at all?’

  ‘It’s time I provided the Devlin name with a couple of heirs,’ drawled that all-too-familiar voice. The two of them turned to confront Patrick Devlin, a flustered Emily standing in the doorway behind him.

  ‘I did ask Mr Devlin to wait, but—’

  ‘Who knows?’ Patrick continued softly. ‘After the other night, perhaps Lilli is already pregnant with my child.’

  Lilli gasped, her father went pale—and poor Emily looked as if she was about to faint!

  Which wasn’t surprising, in the circumstances. How dared Patrick Devlin just walk in here as if he owned the place? And make such outrageous remarks too!

  Lilli turned dismissively to the young maid. ‘That will be all, thank you, Emily.’ She had no intention of giving the young girl any more information for gossip among the household staff.

  ‘Perhaps you could bring us all a fresh pot of coffee?’ Patrick Devlin smiled disarmingly at Emily before she could make good her escape. ‘I’m sure we could all do with some,’ he added dryly as he sat down—uninvited—at the dining-table.

  Emily hesitated in the doorway, looking uncertainly at Lilli. Patrick Devlin might be behaving as if he owned the place, but Emily, at least, knew that he didn’t!

  ‘A pot of coffee will be fine, Emily,’ Lilli said, waiting for the maid to leave and close the door behind her before turning to Patrick Devlin. ‘What are you doing here?’ she demanded, this man, with his arrogant behaviour, didn’t deserve customary politeness!

  He met her question unconcernedly. ‘Waiting for fresh coffee to arrive,’ he replied easily. ‘Good morning, Richard. Has Lilli told you our good news?’

  ‘If you’re referring to that ridiculous marriage proposal,’ her father blustered, ‘then—’

  ‘It isn’t ridiculous, Richard,’ Patrick cut in steadily. ‘Ah, I see the roses arrived,’ he said with satisfaction. ‘I hope you like red roses?’ He smiled across at Lilli.

  There probably wasn’t a woman alive who didn’t, especially if you happened to be the lucky woman who received them. But in this case it depended who the sender was!

  ‘You can’t marry Lilli,’ her father told the other man fiercely.

  ‘Why not?’ Patrick returned lightly. ‘She isn’t married already, is she?’

  ‘No, of course not,’ her father denied impatiently. ‘But you—’

  ‘I’m not married, either,’ Patrick told him firmly. ‘In which case, I can see no obstacle to our marrying each other.’

  ‘But you don’t know each other—’

  ‘I know Lilli is beautiful. Popular—if last night is anything to go by. Well educated. And, as your daughter, an accomplished hostess. There’s no doubting she’s young, and she certainly seems healthy enough—’

  ‘To provide you with those Devlin heirs you mentioned?’ Lilli broke in disgustedly. ‘You sound as if you’re discussing buying a horse, or—or arranging a business contract, not considering taking a wife!’

  ‘Marriage is a business, Lilli,’ Patrick told her evenly, eyes coldly unmoving. ‘And anyone who approaches it from any other angle is just asking for trouble. Not that it will be all business, of course,’ he continued smoothly. ‘I’m well aware of the fact that women like a little romance attached to things. I’m quite willing to play my role in that department too. If you think it necessary.’ His derisive expression was indicative of his own feelings on the subject.

  ‘Hence the sending of the roses,’ Lilli guessed scornfully.

  ‘Hence the roses.’ He nodded in acknowledgement. ‘Ah, coffee.’ He turned to Emily as she came in carrying the steaming pot. ‘Thank you.’ He nodded to her, looking back at Lilli and her father once they were alone again. ‘Shall I pour? Although you look as if you’re on your way to your office, Richard, so perhaps you don’t want another cup of coffee?’ He quirked dark brows.

  This man’s arrogance was like nothing Lilli had ever encountered before; he had already taken over the staff, and now he appeared to be telling her father what to do too!

  ‘Sit down and have some coffee, Daddy.’ Lilli looked at Patrick pointedly as she resumed her own seat at the table—on the opposite side to him. ‘I’m sure Patrick won’t be staying very long.’ She looked challengingly at the younger man.

  ‘Oh, I’m in no hurry to leave,’ Patrick replied, completely unperturbed by the fact that he obviously wasn’t welcome here. ‘I have nothing to do today until my business appointment with you this afternoon, Richard.’ He looked across at the older man. ‘You did ask my secretary for a three o’clock appointment, didn’t you? he queried pleasantly, pouring the three cups of coffee as he spoke.

&nbs
p; Her father sat down abruptly. ‘I did,’ he confirmed gruffly.

  ‘Good.’ Patrick grinned his satisfaction. ‘That means I’ll have time to take Lilli to lunch first.’

  ‘I—’

  ‘You have to eat, Lilli.’ Patrick gently forestalled her refusal.

  ‘Not with you, I don’t,’ she told him heatedly; he wasn’t being polite, so why should she be?

  ‘What do you think, Richard?’ He looked at Lilli’s father. ‘Don’t you think Lilli would enjoy having lunch with me?’

  Richard Bennett looked frustrated once again. ‘I—’

  ‘As my father won’t be the one having lunch with you, his opinion on the subject is irrelevant!’ Lilli snapped frostily.

  Patrick raised dark brows at her vehemence. ‘There speaks Miss Bennett,’ he drawled, his expression innocent.

  Too damned innocent! Lilli remembered all too well what his opinion of Elizabeth Bennett was!

  ‘Mm, this is good coffee,’ Patrick said appreciatively as he sipped the hot brew. ‘I think I must have drunk too much champagne last night,’ he opined ruefully.

  Lilli glared at him. ‘Is that your excuse for your outrageous announcement last night?’ she said contemptuously.

  ‘Do I take it you’re referring to my marriage proposal?’ He frowned.

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Sorry for the confusion, but I don’t consider it an “outrageous announcement”,’ he returned. ‘Especially as I’ve made it again this morning. Several times,’ he added in a bored voice.

  ‘And I have dismissed it as ludicrous—several times!’ Lilli told him with feeling.

  ‘You know, Richard...’ Patrick looked calmly across the table. ‘You really should have taken Lilli in hand years ago—you’ve made the job of becoming her husband all the more difficult by not doing so!’

  Lilli was so enraged by this last casually condemning remark about her independent nature that for a moment she couldn’t even speak.

  And her father laughed!

  Considering he hadn’t done so for some time, it was good to hear—but not at her expense! There was nothing in the least funny about this situation.