by Annie Dyer
“Shit. Have I said something wrong?” He leaned across the space between us, his hand reaching out to touch me, then pulling back. “Come on, Imogen, give me some instructions for what I do now, or bollock me for doing something wrong.”
I laughed; the tears gone. “I’m not used to compliments like that. It’s kind of been missing on the really bad dates I’ve been going on.”
“Then those men were fools.” He left his seat and came next to me. “Let me try to work this out for myself. My fiancée is the most fucking gorgeous woman I’ve ever met, and she’s upset because some idiots in the past have been too obsessed with themselves to see past their noses.” His arm went round my shoulders. “Be glad they didn’t notice because you might’ve been stuck with them, and instead you’re stuck with me.” He paused. “I hope that idea doesn’t make you look like you’re going to cry again.”
I laughed; his speech so completely perfect. “I’m good. I won’t cry. Promise. You look hot, by the way.”
“Hot? Am I starting to sweat? Shall I take this off?” He made like he was about to take off his jacket, which I didn’t think I could cope with.
“You know what hot I mean.” I elbowed him in the side, which made him put his arm back round me and hug me back into his side.
His cologne was musky and reminded me of bedrooms and sex, which wasn’t helpful. “I really don’t. You’ll have to explain.”
“Noah! You do know. Stop fishing for compliments.”
He laughed. “I’ll just have to strip if you won’t tell me, and how will that look when we get to the restaurant. It’ll be a scandal.”
“Hot. You look hot – as in attractive.” That was all he was getting.
His laugh was dirty. “I suppose it’s a good job my wife-to-be thinks I’m hot then.”
The limo came to a stop, my champagne barely touched. “We’re here.”
He gave a nod. “We’re here. Although I’m not sure I want you out in public with those legs on show.”
It was my turn to laugh. “You have no say in what I wear, Soames.”
“I thought you’d say that. I’ll happily loose on that one.”
The restaurant was busy, its vibe buzzing. I recognised someone from a Hollywood movie and a model before I’d been in there for a minute, and it all felt a little surreal. Seph had dated a couple of people who were often in the columns of celebrity magazines, and there had been the children of people who were famous at my old school, so I didn’t feel completely starstruck, but for the last seven years at least, I’d been immersed in work.
This was a huge treat.
Noah took my hand as we followed the host from reception through to our table, the décor gorgeous enough to make me want to take a few photos and send them to my cousin Ava, who was an interior designer. I was more aware of how our fingers were entangled though, the heat from his hand warming everywhere.
I didn’t want to let go. This big, gorgeous man who spoke so well had managed to utterly charm me in the space of a few days.
Our table wasn’t hidden away. It was prominent, almost the centre of the restaurant. Noah pulled my chair back so I could sit before the host could, his hand brushing my shoulder as I sat down, yet his attention was on the host, talking to her about the restaurant and the chef as if he knew him.
By the time he was seated, I’d figured Noah’s interest in the place was more than just the food.
“You’re an investor here?” I looked at him with wide eyes.
He nodded. “It’s my job to manage – or oversee – my family’s investments. We set aside a certain amount each year to help start-up ventures in aspects that interest us. Robbie, my brother, is keen on the arts and theatre, so we opted to support one of the theatre companies this year, and one that supports people with disabilities to get involved. Angus – the other brother – is mad on food, so we chose certain restaurants to help start up. This was one from a few years ago.”
“What do you pick?” Given I was marrying the man in a few weeks, I should probably know a bit more about him.
He grinned, that dimple appearing. “I’m the outside guy. I like start-ups that support the environment or look at renewable energy, promote green spaces – that sort of thing.”
“What would you have done if you hadn’t worked for your family?” I remembered an evening at school, where we’d all been lazing round the common room, the staff on duty too interested in their book to make sure we weren’t having some wild party, which we weren’t, but our conversations weren’t being monitored the same for a Tuesday night. We’d been talking about future careers then. I’d been all set on being a lawyer – there’d never been an alternative for me, and Noah had mentioned about being a farmer, laughing when he’d said he could run one of his family’s farms.
He grinned again. “Something to do with agricultural management. Looking at sustainable farming. I’m a country boy at heart.”
“You said the same thing when we were at school. You’d have been a farmer.”
Noah laughed. “I remember that. You were always stuck on being a solicitor. Looks like you did very well at it.”
The waiter came by, taking orders for drinks, which was a straightforward bottle of champagne.
Noah waited until she was out of the way, his attention never wandering far from our table and me. “Do you wish you’d done something different?” he asked, his fingers pushing through his hair.
“Some days. But most of the time, no. I’m pretty good at my job, and I’m specialising in Anglo-American contract law, so it’s becoming pretty niche.” I paused, thinking about how to phrase this next part. “Part of the reason my dates never seemed to go anywhere was because I’m ambitious and I care about my work. If we got past the first date, and we were trying to sort a second and I couldn’t fit in it around their schedule, it kind of came to an end.” I shrugged. “The men I dated tended to have full-on careers as well, and they didn’t expect to have to work round me. I suppose if I couldn’t give a little for a second date, that demonstrated how it would be in the long run, so it wasn’t worth the effort.”
He didn’t say anything at first, watching the sommelier come over with a bottle of champagne, the waiter following with the stand.
“You don’t need to worry about me trying to dictate your career while we’re married.” He said it as the sommelier poured, handing us each a flute. “I’ll have engagements that I have to attend and while there might be some you want to come to, there will be lots that you’d only attend if you were having trouble sleeping.”
I laughed, not expecting that. “Maybe we need to have a shared calendar or something. I can set one up, and then you know when I’ve got a lot on…”
“I can have dinner ready for you and a bath ran for when you get in.”
“I wouldn’t expect that.”
He raised an eyebrow and sipped at the champagne. “Why not? You work hard. You love your job. I’m fortunate. I set my own hours and I can pick and choose what I delegate to someone else most of the time. Unfortunately, I can’t delegate other people to spend time with my mother.”
“Is she that bad?” I was slightly worried now about what I was walking into.
Noah shook his head. “Only with the three of us. She has high expectations, a lot of which are set because of what other people she knows expects. She wanted Angus to take on the job I do, with him being the eldest, and I think she expected him to stay living in Norfolk too. She has a role she plays, and she plays it well, but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t care.”
“Have you told her about me?” I felt nervous about this, even though this marriage wouldn’t be for long. I didn’t want to not get along with my mother-in-law, as I’d prefer an easier life.
“I have. She wants you and me to stay with her in Norfolk this weekend. If you have work, I’ll tell her so and she’ll have to deal with it.” He smiled as if this was no big deal.
“I can do this weekend. I was meant to go to Sun
day lunch at my aunt’s but they’ll understand.” My sisters probably wouldn’t, but that would be because they didn’t have a weekend away planned with a guy who looked devastatingly gorgeous in a tux – and everything else.
I tried not to think about what he looked like underneath. Tried.
“Perfect. Before you worry about anything, she’ll put us in separate rooms until we’re married. Don’t get me wrong, she knew damn well what we were all like before settling down, but that doesn’t mean she’ll encourage it. She’s old-fashioned. And a pain in the arse, most of the time.” He didn’t look upset by it.
I nodded, taking my time to savour my drink. I loved champagne like most people, and it was a treat I didn’t often get to have, let alone mid-week. These last few days had been completely the opposite to what I was used to – without the bad dates.
“What do I need to know about her and what do I need to do to make your life easier?” I’d come to the separate rooms later, maybe when I didn’t have something alcoholic in my hand.
Noah gave me that smile again. “Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For being considerate.”
I tipped my head to one side and regarded him. “Doesn’t take anything to be considerate.”
“Some people expect to be paid extra for it, when they know you’ve got money.” His expression was one of amusement. “Lady S is a stickler for manners and old money. I was surprised she never said anything about me marrying Carla – her money is new, and Carla was probably seen a little too much on social media. Lady S doesn’t totally get social media, but some of her friends do, so the account she gets isn’t always accurate.”
Lady S really didn’t have anything to worry about from me then. Social media was something I didn’t have time for, unless I was stalking the odd famous person while I was queuing for the loo.
“I’m not active on any accounts, and my father’s side of the family is from old money. The Green law firm goes back a couple of centuries through New York and Ireland – that’s probably not old enough compared to your family, but it isn’t tech money. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” My opinions of Lady S’s opinions didn’t matter. My grandfather was old fashioned in his ideas and I’d just learned to pick my battles wisely, unlike Shay, who he loved provoking into an argument. “How will she be with a woman who works full time – and I can’t believe I’ve had to ask that question.”
Noah drank more of his champagne. “We had this with Vivi, Gus’ wife. Vivi’s a doctor as well, and still works. She chose to reduce her hours when she had their eldest. She could’ve finished completely if she’d wanted, or had a nanny, but both of them wanted to carry on working. Lady S said nothing, just made an expression like she’d smelled something unpleasant. We don’t let her get away with everything – she can have all the opinions she wants; it doesn’t mean we have them too.”
“Good to know. I remember her coming to school once.”
Noah smiled. “She remembers you. Look, Immy, she was an older mother when she had me, and she was brought up in a certain way. She’s difficult and she has some bloody weird ideas sometimes, but she isn’t nasty. I think the best word to describe her is particular.” He shrugged. “Anyway, other than to confirm you’re okay for next weekend, let’s stop talking about my mother.”
I inhaled deeply, knowing this was the part where I jumped into the deep end from the highest diving board. “I’m okay for next weekend.”
“Good. Let’s talk about anything but my family. Tell me about yours.”
I learned at that point that Noah was a good listener. He asked questions when I told him about my cousins and siblings, checking to see if any of them were likely to come after him with a cricket bat when I told them we were engaged. I aired my worries about Shay and how he’d changed, and I didn’t know why, told him about Lainey and her new husband, Jake, who lived in Severton and how much I missed her, as out of all my family, I was closest to her. I told him that Georgia knew about our fake engagement, but she wouldn’t say anything, and then I described her and Seph’s relationship. Whether it was the champagne or Noah, or a combination of the two, I found myself telling him what I hadn’t found before in any relationship and coming back to England and my wider family made me want what they’d found – that person they could find a home with.
He didn’t say anything when I finished vomiting my feelings, but he didn’t look like he was going to run.
“That was probably a lot to take in and I have no problem if you want to back out of our agreement.” I felt hot with embarrassment.
“Is that what marrying me is about? You get a little of that life?” His voice was quiet.
The waiter came and took away the plates from our starters. I knew they’d been good, but I couldn’t remember at all what I’d had.
“A kind of try before you buy, I suppose. I love my job and my life. I like the freedom I have to go out with my friends whenever I want or work late without feeling guilty. I see my cousins and friends struggling sometimes with trying to fit everything in, and there are days when I don’t envy them at all. Georgia’s little girl, Rose, wasn’t well at school the other week, and Georgia had to pretty much leave everything to go and get her – which wasn’t a problem. The problem was the worry she felt.” I shrugged. “I guess I feel lonely on my own, and I’m not enjoying dating at the moment, so spending a year being married kind of gives me an idea if the grass really is greener.”
“You do realise that there’s shit in every field. You just don’t see it from the other side of the fence.” Noah undid his cuffs, removing the cufflinks and pushing the sleeves further up his arms.
It was then I realised there was such a thing as forearm porn.
“I know. I suppose this experiment is a chance to see which side of the fence smells better. What about you? Any qualms about being a husband for a year?”
He laughed, that dimple making another appearance. At some point I was going to make him smile and take a photo, then use it as the wallpaper on my phone, which was what I figured a good fiancée should do.
“Kind of. Like you, I’m not used to having to consult with someone about what I’m doing. I’m worried about the times I have to be away – we’ve estates in Norfolk, Wales, Scotland and Northumberland, so I can have a week when I’m away most of the time. I’m worried about saying and doing the wrong thing and doing something that makes you hate me.”
He sounded so completely earnest; I should’ve lost my heart right then. It was only the fear of it being shredded apart that made me hold onto it.
“You won’t.”
“How do you know that?”
I paused, waiting for the waiter to serve our main courses. “Because you’re aware of it, and everyone makes mistakes. You should see my cousins – Seph and Max especially. They’re continually cocking up, bless them, and I see Georgia and Vic getting seriously frustrated, but it never lasts. That doesn’t give you carte blanche to be a dick, though.” I gave him the stink eye.
Noah laughed quietly. He’d gone for a lamb dish that’d surprised me. Given the size of his arms, I’d figured he lived off steak.
“My main role model has been my father, who’s rarely acted like a dick, but never became Lady S’s lapdog either. I can’t promise I’ll never fuck up, but I won’t be an arse for the sake of it.” He ended the sentence with taking a bite of his meal.
“Likewise. Maybe all marriages should be like this: a clear agreement beforehand, everyone laying out what their expectations are.” Maybe it was the champagne that made this seem like a great idea, or maybe I really was on to something.
“Here, try this.” Noah ignored my suggestion and offered to feed me what he’d put on his fork. “It’s really good.”
I looked at the forkful like it was an alien creature. No one had ever fed me before, apart from my parents when I was a baby, and I had no idea what I was meant to do here. We were supposedly a couple in love; one half
of that wouldn’t decline being fed, surely?
I opened my mouth wide enough for the meat to fit and leaned further forward, using my teeth to pull the food off Noah’s fork. It was delicious, but the food wasn’t what I was thinking off. It was Noah’s eyes shining and his smile as I shared his food.
“You’re missing something from your agreement,” he paused. “Romance. We’re like animals – we have to court our mates to prove we’re the best choice for them. Think of how peacocks behave, especially the males. They put on a show.”
“I don’t expect a show.” The words came out of mouth very fast. “Seriously, we can keep this low key.”
He shook his head, still chewing. “That’s not what other people will expect, Immy. They’ll expect you to be courted. Like we’re doing now.”
I looked around the restaurant, the table definitely in the centre. The limo, the champagne, the compliments. Was this just an act for him to perform in front of everyone else?
“For show?”
He didn’t answer me, just changing the subject which I was beginning to learn he was a master at.
The limo picked us up again, Noah putting his arm around me as we walked to it, and opening the door for me instead of the chauffeur. A bunch of flowers was on the seat opposite to where I sat, roses in all different colours, three or four dozen of them.
“They’re for you, by the way, before you ask.”
It was as if he could read my mind.
We drove straight back to mine, the traffic lighter than it had been earlier. When we got there, Noah went to get the door again, carrying the flowers to the house, organising times for leaving on Friday for the trip to his Norfolk home.
We stopped outside the door, awkwardness stiffening my spine. What now? Did I kiss him again? We couldn’t shake hands. What was next?
I didn’t get chance to think about it.
He bent down and kissed my cheek.
“This evening’s been amazing, and I don’t mean the agreement side of it. I’ve enjoyed every minute.”
“Thank you. I’m not sure all of the next year will be…”