Wife by Agreement

Author:Kim Lawrence [Lawrence, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Romance, General, Contemporary, Fiction
ISBN: 9780373121472
Google: rN8dyTiOq2YC
Amazon: 0373121474
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1998-01-02T05:00:00+00:00

'It didn't occur to you I might not want my daughter to wander around in the company of a total stranger?'

'Drew is not a total stranger.'

'To me he is. You'll have to pardon me if I don't find your character reference comforting. You can be as irresponsible as you like about your choice of friends, Mother, but when it comes to my children—' He drew a sharp breath of displeasure. 'It's bad enough that I have to stomach the man under my roof. Which way did they go?'

'I wouldn't know, darling. Before you go,' she said, picking up the telephone, 'you didn't have any plans for tonight, did you?'

Ethan paused in the act of leaving, a suspicious frown on his face. 'Why?'

'I thought it might be nice to invite a few old friends round tonight.'

'I was hoping for a quiet night—'

'Don't be such a bore, darling!' she chided briskly. 'You'll be old before your time. I've already spoken to Delia,' she expanded.

'Who is Delia?' he asked in confusion.

'Your housekeeper.' She shook her head at her offspring's obtuseness. 'And she's quite happy with the idea. She's recommended some caterers. Naturally I'll invite some of your friends too.'

"That won't be necessary, Mother.'

'It's no trouble,' she assured him. 'I've already spoken to that nice secretary of yours and she's ringing round for me.'

'You rang her at home?' He shook his head in disbelief. 'You're impossible!" he growled. 'Do as you like,' he said, wiping his hands of the whole affair. 'I knew you'd like the idea,' she said imperturbably.

'Just a small party—forty or so.'

Hannah blinked as her mother-in-law placed a friendly arm around her shoulders. 'Tonight? Isn't that short notice? Perhaps some people won't be able to come,' she suggested hopefully.

'Oh, everyone accepted.'

'I'm not sure Ethan—'

'Oh, Ethan was very enthusiastic about it.'

'He was?' Maybe it was his lack of confidence in her own abilities as a hostess that made Ethan normally veto any large gatherings. 'What shall I do?'

'Don't worry about that; everything is in hand. What are you going to wear? That red dress you had on last night was quite charming. I hope you've got a few more like that in your wardrobe. I want to show you off to my friends.'

'Hannah, whose head was spinning, thought it was time to get a few things straight. This was the same woman who had begged her son not to marry her; Hannah had heard her with her own ears.

'I thought you didn't like me. You didn't want me to marry Ethan.'

'Quite right, but that wasn't because I didn't like you.'

"Then why...?'

'I knew Ethan didn't love you, and in my view marriage with love is hard enough, but without it...' She lifted her shoulders expressively. 'I could also see you loved him.' Her blue eyes grew compassionate as she watched the colour flee dramatically from Hannah's face. 'I didn't want to see you hurt.'

'Did you tell Ethan?' Hannah asked, as her heart continued to hammer sickeningly. She couldn't bear the humiliation if he'd known all along.

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