by Penny Jordan
‘No. Are you? This is a big thing for you to have done, Sabrina. I understand you must have many doubts but I will try and ease them one at a time. Will you ring your parents today and tell them what has happened?’ In truth, it worried him that she had ventured into this arrangement without apparently telling a soul. He knew it was in reality a temporary arrangement, a marriage of convenience, but it still bothered him that she wouldn’t share the news of their union with the people closest to her. What would they think when they found out? Would they believe he had some kind of hold over her? Would they distrust his promise of help with her business? He sighed and rubbed a hand round the back of his neck.
‘Of course I’ll tell them…my sister too. I can hardly keep it a secret when I won’t be at the flat any more. I know this is how it has to be to satisfy the courts that our marriage is bona fide but is this arrangement going to work, Javier? I mean, living here in Michael’s house—his daughter’s home? What did you tell Angelina about me?’
‘I told you. I said that you were a very nice woman who had agreed to a marriage with me so that I could get a British passport and stay in this country. I explained that you would be living with us for a while so that the courts would believe our marriage was real; that it was important for us to be able to convince them.’
Sabrina dropped her gaze to the floor, to the rich powder-blue carpet that she knew her feet would disappear into if she kicked off her shoes. Everything about the house spoke of luxury and wealth. Michael Calder had been a highly skilled surgeon with a practice in Harley Street. It followed that the family had money. She knew that her husband was wealthy too because she had done as he had suggested and found his company on the internet. There had been newspaper and magazine articles posted on the site—‘Javier D’Alessandro, young internet entrepreneur—multimillionaire by the age of twenty-eight.’ What had he thought of her small, cramped little flat when he’d come to collect her suitcases, with its faded wallpaper and mish-mash of colourful rugs that covered up a carpet that was threadbare and old? She would have liked to perhaps decorate more but because of her devotion to work, barely ever had the time. Oh, well, too late now for recriminations. As she glanced up, her anxious blue eyes careened helplessly into his. ‘At least you told her the truth. She won’t expect me to…to—’
‘Act like a real wife?’ A flash of pain stole into his suddenly hard gaze. ‘Let me reassure you on that score, Sabrina. I have no intention of holding you to anything other than a purely business arrangement. I have neither the aim nor the desire to infringe that in any way whatsoever, so you can relax. Now I have to go and make some phone calls. Rest or unpack, I don’t mind which. I’ll bring up your suitcases then leave you in peace until Angelina returns.’
He walked out of the room with a purposeful, almost angry stride, leaving Sabrina bewildered and hurt at the unexpected coldness in his voice.
‘Hello there. I’m Sabrina. You must be Angelina.’
The child was drinking a glass of milk, a plate with a sandwich on it next to her elbow. She glanced up at Sabrina’s voice, marking her entrance with huge, doe-like brown eyes, watching her for one or two anxiously assessing moments before concentrating once again on her drink.
Wiping her hands down the front of her trousers, Sabrina cautiously approached the table. She hadn’t wanted to stay confined to her bedroom any longer and, when Javier hadn’t come back for her, decided to show her face without him. At the sink a petite blonde in jeans and blue sweatshirt was rinsing some fruit beneath the tap. ‘Hi. I’m Rosie; pleased to meet you. Sit down—I’ll get you a cup of tea in a minute, or would you prefer coffee?’
‘Coffee would be nice…thanks.’
She pulled out a chair two spaces down from Angelina. ‘Did you enjoy your walk in the park?’
‘It was OK.’ The girl didn’t look up from her sandwich. Sabrina’s stomach lurched. Oh, God, this was going to be so much harder than she’d even imagined. All she really wanted to do was gather the child into her arms and hold her close. Just as she did with her nephews Henry and William and baby Tallulah when they were scared or hurt.
‘Near where I work there’s a wonderful park where I sometimes go to eat my lunch. It has a bandstand and squirrels and a small playground with swings. At this time of the year you can barely see the grass for all the leaves covering it. When I was little I used to love to run through the leaves in the park. I thought it was the greatest fun. Do you ever do that?’
Angelina seemed to consider the question. ‘You’re not like my uncle’s last girlfriend—Christina. She was much skinnier than you.’
And what exactly was she meant to glean from that? Did the child resent Sabrina for marrying her uncle when she would maybe have preferred the skinnier Christina?
‘I won’t ever be skinny,’ she admitted with a smile.
‘I like my food too much.’
‘But you have a nice figure. Like my dance teacher, Holly. She teaches me ballet and tap.’
The unexpected compliment completely threw Sabrina. ‘Really? I’d like to be able to dance but my dad always said I was about as graceful as an elephant!’ She grinned at the memory and tried to ignore the little stab of hurt that always accompanied the thought. It was Ellie who had been the graceful one. The one who all the boys had whistled at on the way home from school.
Angelina nodded. ‘My daddy loved to watch me dance.’ At the drainer, Rosie paused in arranging the newly washed fruit into a thick glass bowl. Sabrina’s heart beat a little faster.
‘I’m sure he did. He must have been very proud of you. Very proud.’
‘You married my uncle today.’
‘Yes.’ Her face flooded with heat. ‘Do you mind?’
Considering the question for what seemed like a lifetime, Angelina eventually shook her head. ‘No.’
‘No what?’
Newly showered, his black hair glistening sleekly, Javier strolled into the kitchen, his gaze immediately alighting on his niece.
‘I said no, I didn’t mind you and Sabrina getting married. Can I be excused now, Uncle? I want to go and listen to some music.’
‘Sure. Do you like pop music, Sabrina?’ He asked the question as if he was genuinely interested in her answer. Perhaps he thought she was too old to enjoy that sort of thing? Willing herself to stop being so damn sensitive about her age around him, she summoned up a grin instead. ‘Yeah, I like pop music. I confess I have a real soft spot for some of the boy bands.’
‘Me too!’ Angelina’s eyes lit up at the news and, catching his expression above her head, Sabrina felt Javier’s gaze melt thankfully into hers. It gave her heart a real jolt—as if she’d been plugged into a new, mysterious source of power.
‘How many CDs have you got, Angelina? I’ve got a small collection of my own I could let you look through if you’d like?’
‘Sure.’ She glanced up at her uncle as if to search for his approval. ‘If that’s all right?’
‘If Sabrina says it is, then it is.’ Javier walked across the tiled floor to a worktop. He examined the kettle for water then plugged it in. ‘Maybe you’d like to show Sabrina your room later. I think she’d be impressed by your own music collection, don’t you?’
‘OK.’ The girl took a bite of sandwich, seemingly satisfied by her uncle’s response.
Had she unknowingly jumped a hurdle where Angelina was concerned or was it far too early to tell? Arms folded on the table top, Sabrina sought out Javier as though drawn by some invisible connective cord. What was it about the man that made a room light up when he entered it? No wonder his niece adored him. Had the skinny Christina adored him too? It was none of her business, she decided unhappily. Not when her own presence in his life was destined to be merely the most temporary of arrangements.
‘Run that by me again.’ Jill was regarding Sabrina as if she’d just told her she’d won the jackpot on the lottery. ‘I thought you said you’d got married. Was I hearing things?’
Clic
king some papers into place in a large ring-binder, Sabrina paused, flustered, and instinctively knew that her colleague’s reaction to her announcement was going to be a mere bagatelle compared to her parents and Ellie. Yesterday she’d been so on edge anyway, what with the ceremony, settling into the house and meeting Angelina, that she had deliberately avoided ringing them, and now the prospect of their disapproval loomed like a collection of stormy grey clouds on the horizon.
‘No, you weren’t hearing things. I got married. Please don’t make it into a big deal, Jill. It’s not a love match or anything like that.’
Jill’s eyes grew even wider. ‘It’s not?’
‘I’ve done it to help someone out.’ So why was she having palpitations at the mere thought of the man?
‘Someone?’
‘Javier. He needed a British passport.’
To her consternation, Jill cracked a wide, knowing smile. ‘You’re talking about that gorgeous hunk who came in here looking for you a couple of weeks ago? Oh, Sabrina! You dark horse!’
‘Before you leave tonight, I’ll give you my new home telephone number, just in case you ever need to reach me there.’ Heaving another large ring-binder onto her lap, Sabrina pushed her hair out of her eyes and mentally made a note to take more time with her appearance tomorrow. This morning she’d woken in a strange house with unfamiliar voices and unfamiliar sounds and had lain in bed feeling dazed at what she’d done. In a bid to give the family space and not get in the way, she’d hurriedly washed and dressed and raced out of the house without so much as a cup of coffee. Then she’d spent half an hour in one of those popular coffee chains, nursing a frothy cappuccino and feeling as if she’d burst into tears if someone so much as glanced at her the wrong way. Had Javier been surprised that she’d left for work so early? Or was he too concerned about his own activities once he’d delivered Angelina safely to school? He’d explained to Sabrina that he took the child in the morning and Rosie picked her up at three-thirty. And what did they do about dinner? Should Sabrina get something for herself on the way home, just in case she worked late?
A heartfelt sigh escaped her and she took a moment to absorb the fluttery feeling in her stomach. There was so much she didn’t know. So much they hadn’t had a chance to discuss.
‘I’m sure I wouldn’t be looking half so glum if I’d just got married to someone as seriously sexy as him.’
‘Please, Jill.’ Pursing her lips, Sabrina picked up the phone. ‘Can we just get on? I really don’t feel like discussing this right now if you don’t mind.’
‘All right, but don’t think you’re getting off as lightly as all that. And I’m seriously miffed you didn’t even have a hen night.’
Rolling her eyes, Sabrina put down the receiver without making her phone call. ‘I told you, it wasn’t like that. We only got married to—’
The little bell over the door jingled and both women glanced up to see Javier D’Alessandro step inside. He acknowledged Jill’s presence with a brief nod of his head but his gaze—deep, dark and intense—gravitated almost immediately to Sabrina. Her anxiety increased tenfold.
‘Hi. This is a surprise.’ Feeling Jill’s scrutiny beside her, Sabrina strove to keep her voice light, but everything inside her was going crazy at just the sight of the man. He looked like the successful young entrepreneur he was in his effortlessly elegant suit and expensive overcoat, his sexy masculine fragrance leaving an indelible presence on the room.
‘A pleasant one, I hope?’
Sabrina dipped her head. ‘Of course. What can I do for you? Did Angelina get off to school all right?’
‘She’s fine. You left without having breakfast, without joining us.’ Was that reproach in his voice?
‘I’m sorry, I…’ She turned and looked at Jill, who clearly had forgotten why she was there. ‘Don’t you have some clients to ring this morning, Jill? I’m just going to take Mr D’Alessandro…’ Flushing, she realised her mistake and stood up in a rush. ‘We just need to have a talk. If there are any calls for me, please tell them I’ll call back just as soon as I can.’
In the back room, she busied herself putting the kettle on to boil and sorting out the makings of tea and coffee. For several seconds Javier just watched her, his brain working overtime with the effort to fathom her out. Was she regretting marrying him? Was she too unhappy and uncomfortable in Michael’s house? As soon as he could look for somewhere for them all to move to, he would. But he still wanted to know why she’d felt the need to escape so early this morning, without so much as even bidding them goodbye. On the way to school Angelina had asked curiously if they had had a row.
‘Sabrina.’
She jumped at the sound of his voice, spilling a little of the hot water from the kettle onto her hand. ‘Ouch!’
‘Let me see.’ Before she had a chance to guess his next move he was at her side, taking her throbbing hand into his, turning it over for examination then leading her to the old-fashioned sink by the back wall and turning on the cold tap. The water barely cooled her heated skin, she was so unravelled by his touch. Feeling all her blood roar in her ears, Sabrina tried to pull her hand free, and when she managed it and turned off the tap Javier put one hand on his hip and rubbed at his temple as if he had a severe headache.
‘Have I offended you in some way, Sabrina? Because if I have I wish you would tell me.’ She smelled so good, he was thinking. Flowers and honey with a subtle undertone of musk. A warm, sexy fragrance that was making him feel things he had no business feeling towards a woman who had only agreed to marry him because of a business arrangement. Her soft, dewy complexion was highlighted by two bright spots of pink and her silky honey-brown hair was slowly working its way loose from her tortoiseshell comb. And her eyes…Dios! Her eyes! They were so blue he thought he could drown in them—like an ocean.
‘You haven’t offended me, Javier. Why would you think that?’
‘Why did you run away this morning?’
‘Run away?’ What a curious thing to accuse her of, even if it happened to be true.
‘We wanted you to join us for breakfast, Angelina and I. We all need to get to know each other better, yes?’
‘I didn’t know what you expected. I didn’t want to intrude,’ Sabrina confessed, flushing again.
‘Intrude? How could that be when I asked you to come and live with us? I do not expect you to hide yourself away or creep around the house like a mouse! It is your home as well as ours.’
‘Perhaps we need to talk about some ground rules. It’s an unusual situation, Javier; right now I don’t know how to play it.’
‘Just be yourself, Sabrina. If we all just try and relax it might make things easier for all of us. Angelina will come round, given time. It is early days yet. Already she has expressed interest in you.’
‘She has?’
‘She told me you had a much better figure than my ex-girlfriend.’ He chuckled and the sound made goosebumps chase across her skin.
‘Christina.’ She bit her lip.
His eyes seemed to grow even darker. ‘She told you about Christina?’
‘Just in passing. Do you mind?’
‘No. I don’t mind. I have barely even given the woman a thought, so much has happened lately.’
What did that mean? Sabrina worried. Was he still in love with her?
‘And Angelina is right. You do have a nicer figure than Christina.’ Javier smiled and the impact of that simple gesture caused all sorts of complications in Sabrina’s heart. Not least—how was she going to live with a man who bothered her more than she cared to acknowledge? Her husband who wasn’t really a husband at all.
‘I’ll make us some coffee. Or perhaps you’d prefer tea?’
‘Coffee is fine, thank you.’ To Sabrina’s surprise he took off his overcoat and laid it over the back of an old office chair. ‘When you have made the coffee I thought we could begin work.’
‘What do you mean?’ She stopped spooning coffee grounds into a mug and spu
n round to face him.
‘It is time I started to fulfil my part of our agreement,’ he said smoothly, ‘to help you with your business. If we can spend today going over your books et cetera, then tonight I will devote some time to working out modernisation costs. The sooner we start, the better—yes?’
‘Javier, you don’t have to do this.’
‘What?’ He was frowning, dark eyes suddenly troubled.
‘If you want to give me some advice I’ll accept it gratefully but anything else…’ She shrugged and went back to making the coffee. ‘I was happy to do what I did for you. I don’t need repayment. Honestly.’
If someone had dropped a brick on his head right then, Javier couldn’t have been more stunned. Sliding his hands into the pockets of his tailored black trousers, he shook his head. ‘You would do this thing for me…for nothing?’
‘Lending me your expertise and your business knowledge would be more than enough payment.’ Blushing, Sabrina added a little milk to her own drink and stirred it. ‘As for modernisation, I’ll find the money from another source. I haven’t given up yet.’ Nor will I.
His tanned brow furrowing, Javier wasn’t appeased. ‘I do not want you to find the money from another source. We have an agreement. An agreement I intend to fulfil.’
‘All right,’ Sabrina conceded reluctantly, wondering what it would mean to be under such an obligation to a man like Javier D’Alessandro. And, although she’d married him and fulfilled her own part of the agreement—what exactly would marriage to him entail? In the middle of all this was a sad, hurting eleven-year-old girl who would need care and attention from both of them. If Sabrina’s heart got involved, what then? Weren’t the lines of their so-called ‘agreement’ going to get dangerously blurred?
‘I’ll agree to your financial help as well—but only if we work out an instalment plan for me to pay you back.’
‘No.’
‘Yes. I insist.’
‘You are a stubborn woman, you know that?’
‘Some people call it tenacious. I’m used to facing mountains and finding a way over them.’ Wincing, she mentally pushed aside the sudden cloak of weariness that descended on her shoulders. She’d always worked hard. She didn’t know any other way. Was it because from a young age she’d always felt she had something to prove? Ellie was their parents’ blue-eyed girl. Whatever she did was praised to the skies. And when Ellie had given up her phenomenally well-paid City job to stay at home and become a full-time wife and mother, well…her parents were ecstatic at her ‘selflessness.’