Married By Christmas by Carole Mortimer

Author:Carole Mortimer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-06-07T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘I BELIEVE we have guests coming to dinner this evening?’ Lilli’s father addressed her stiffly when he came in from his office a little after six; Lilli was in the day-room pretending to be interested in a magazine.

Pretending, because she couldn’t really concentrate on anything at the moment!

How she had got through the rest of the lunch with Patrick, she had no idea. She vaguely remembered him talking about trivial things through the rest of their meal, seeming unconcerned with her monosyllabic answers, putting her in a taxi at two forty-five, so that he could go to his meeting with her father. His parting comment, she now remembered, had been something about them dining together this evening, so that her father could get used to the idea of him as a son-in-law.

But, however long his meeting with her father had taken, Patrick had somehow also found the time to call a prestigious newspaper and have notice of their forthcoming marriage put in the classifieds!

Lilli knew all about this because a reporter from the newspaper had telephoned her here just over an hour ago wanting further information on their whirlwind romance. Lilli’s answer to this had been, ‘No comment.’ But not ten minutes later Sally had also telephoned to find out if it was true; it seemed a friend of a friend also worked on the newspaper, and, knowing Sally was a friend of Lilli’s, had telephoned her for information. Which Sally couldn’t give, thank goodness—because she didn’t know any of the details of Lilli’s relationship with Patrick!

There was no doubt that Patrick was going to give her no chance for second thoughts, was making this marriage a foregone conclusion by publicly announcing it.

Not that Lilli could have had second thoughts even if she had wanted to. But, Patrick being Patrick, he had made sure that she couldn’t, not without causing even more publicity for herself.

She looked up at her father with dull green eyes, noting how strained he looked, matching her own dark mood of despair. ‘Guest,’ she corrected flatly.

‘Guests,’ her father insisted as he came further into the room, moving to the tray of drinks on the side table, pouring himself a liberal amount of whisky, swallowing half of the liquid down in one needy gulp. ‘Patrick is bringing Gerry with him,’ he told Lilli abruptly before swallowing the remaining contents of the glass he held.

This information brought Lilli out of her mood of despondency, her eyes now sparkling angrily. ‘He is not bringing that woman to this house,’ she stated furiously. ‘I told him earlier exactly how I felt about his sister. He knows that I—’

‘Lilli, Gerry isn’t only Patrick’s sister, she’s the woman in my life,’ her father cut in carefully. ‘And while you might have strong feelings about that—in fact, I’m sure you do!—I would rather not hear them.’

‘But—’.

‘I mean it, Lilli,’ he told her in a voice that brooked no further argument. ‘Now, as my banker, Patrick has advised that I go ahead with bringing a case against Andy for embezzlement,’ he continued without a pause.

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