A Contract, a Wedding, a Wife? by Christy McKellen

Author:Christy McKellen [McKellen, Christy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781335135094
Amazon: 133513509X
Publisher: Harlequin Romance
Published: 2018-04-03T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Cluedo (UK)/Clue (US)—uncover the culprit with deduction and guile.

IT WAS MORE of a garden party than a posh evening do, as it turned out, which suited Soli just fine. It meant she was less likely to melt into a sweaty, nervous puddle as they mingled with the large throng of elegant, sophisticated guests.

Xavier was received with a mixture of exaggerated bonhomie and friendly curiosity and he seemed, to Soli, to be completely at ease as they moved from group to group, giving a nod here and there and occasionally stopping to introduce her before politely excusing them and moving swiftly on.

The comforting weight and heat of Xavier’s arm around her waist kept her grounded as they circulated around the party and after a while she started to relax and chat with the people who asked kind, but slightly bemused questions of her, particularly about how she’d met Xavier. Once she’d given her answer about meeting him through the business she quickly moved the focus of the conversation onto the other person, making sure to ask them lots of questions about themselves.

They’d been there for about twenty minutes without catching sight of the host or hostess, who according to one guest were either down in the wine cellar stocking up on booze or settling a tantrum-throwing child, when there was a shout from behind them. ‘Xavier McQueen, where have you been hiding?’

They both turned away from the couple they were chatting with to see a tall, slim woman wearing a flowing cornflower-blue silk cocktail dress striding purposefully towards them. She pushed her long, sleek black hair away from her face as she got nearer and gave them a huge grin, her dark eyes sparkling with delight.

‘Veronica. Lovely to see you,’ Xavier said, taking a step towards her. Soli could tell from the smile in his voice that he was genuinely pleased to see her. But if that was the case, why had he not seen his friends for so long? He couldn’t have been that busy with work, surely.

‘I’m so pleased you came! I had a bet on with Hugo that you would. He owes me a fiver, oh, he of little faith!’ She raised a playful eyebrow at Soli. ‘My darling husband thought the two of you might be a bit too busy “being newlyweds”.’ She turned to give Xavier a playful wink. ‘But I knew you wouldn’t be so mean as to deny us your wonderful presence at such an important do. Five years we’ve been married, can you believe it?’

Without waiting for a response from him she turned to look at Soli with wide, discerning eyes. ‘Now, who is this delightful creature? Introduce me to your cute-as-a-button new wife, Xavier.’ She held out a manicured hand, which Soli shook, a little surprised by the strength of the woman’s grip.

‘This is Solitaire—Soli for short,’ Xavier said. The sound of her name on his lips gave Soli a strange little shiver of delight. He had such a wonderful deep, gravelly voice—it always did something to her whenever he spoke.

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