Rachel Lindsay - Love in Disguise

by Rachel Lindsay

  ‘I did?'

  'Of course you did! Wipe your eyes and listen to me. I don't know if the Portuguese papers got the story backwards or if your translator was standing on her head when she read it to you, but Jasper is the one who's been arrested for fraud, not me. I was the one who discovered it'

  'You?' she gasped.

  ‘Yes. We were having merger talks, as you know, and I began to go through his books. He had kidded so many people for so long that I suppose he grew careless. Or maybe I was a bit more astute than the other people he'd been dealing with. Anyway, I realised what had been going on and I had to make a decision. Either to stop the talks and let him continue the way he was—building a bigger and bigger empire on fraud—or to take my information to the Director of Public Prosecutions.' He sighed. 'It wasn't an easy decision. I've know Jasper quite a few years and it goes against the grain to destroy someone, even though you despise what they're doing.'

  Unbidden, Claudine came into her mind. Her expression must have given her away, for Mark gave her another shake. 'Claudine's known for years what Jasper was doing and she also knew it was only a matter of time before he was found out. So she offered to give me additional information about some of his deals.'

  'Because she loved you?'

  'Because she has a fair stake in Jasper's business. She pretended she was also against what he was doing, but I'm pretty sure she condoned it. Anyway, her evidence will save everyone a lot of time and effort. It will also add a few more years to Jasper's sentence, but that won't worry our Claudine.'

  'So that's why she didn't want him to know she was seeing you?'

  Mark nodded. 'Once the story broke, Jasper would realise it was because of me. She was afraid that if he knew she was seeing me he would also suspect she'd done the dirty on him.'

  'As she did!'

  'As she did,' he agreed. 'Once she knew Jasper's ship was sinking, she couldn't swim away from the wreck fast enough.'

  For a brief moment Anthea paused. 'Is she swimming in your direction?'

  Mark tried to look modest and failed. 'I believe that was her intention. However, I made it quite clear that I wasn't available.'

  Anthea drew a deep breath. 'She as good as told me you were in love with each other.'

  'She wanted you to think it. She felt if she could keep us apart she'd stand a better chance of getting me for herself.'

  'She nearly succeeded. If I hadn't misunderstood the story in the Portuguese papers, I'd never have come back.'

  'You speak as if I've no mind of my own,' Mark protested.

  'I'm not sure a man has against a determined woman.'

  'Like you, you mean?'

  'Like me,' she said, and pulled his head down to kiss him. 'When did you fall in love with me?'

  'I'm not sure. I became aware of you when you started answering me back! Then when you put on that grey dress I bought you—and looked so ghastly in it—I felt such tenderness for you that I began to see what was happening. I knew for sure the day your parents came to tea and let the cat out of the bag.' His eyes twinkled. 'Or should I say let the girl out of the disguise?'

  She giggled. 'You were so furious.'

  'And jealous,' he added. 'You deliberately used Roger to annoy me.'

  'You used Claudine.'

  'I bet she didn't give you as many sleepless nights as Roger gave me!' He was unexpectedly savage. 'I'm going to make you pay for every one of them.'

  'How?' she asked, nestling close.

  'By making you spend the same number of sleepless hours with me.' He ran his lips along her cheek to her eyelids. 'That should cover us for our first month of marriage,' he said huskily.

  'And after that?'

  'I'll think of something. I'm nothing if not inventive!' Once more his mouth lay on hers, moving gently, insistently, with a promise of passion to come.

  'Darling Mark,' she whispered. 'I always wanted to marry an inventor!'