The Marakaios Baby (The Marakaios Brides 2)

She spooned a little fruit and yogurt into a bowl and stirred honey into the centre.

Leo rose from the table and a few seconds later brought back a mug of ginger tea.

Margo blinked in surprise. ‘How—?’

‘You left the box of sachets in the kitchen. It seems like something you can keep down.’

‘Just about the only thing.’

‘Don’t forget melba toast.’

‘Right.’

She took a sip of tea and tried to still her swirling thoughts. Leo’s consideration made her feel both restless and uneasy. It would have been easier to deal with his businesslike briskness, even his coldness, but this kindness...it reached right inside her. It made her ache with both regret and longing.

‘Why are you doing this, Leo?’ she asked.

‘Doing what?’

‘This.’ She gestured to the breakfast dishes. ‘You’re being so...considerate.’

He gave her the ghost of a smile. ‘Is that a bad thing?’

‘No, but...’

‘I don’t want to fight all the time, Margo. That’s not good for either of us, or our child.’ He hesitated and then said, ‘The doctor’s office called this morning with the results of the paternity test.’

So that was the reason for his kindness and consideration. ‘So now you know.’

‘And you knew all along.’

‘I told you there wasn’t anyone else, Leo.’

‘I believe you.’

He didn’t look particularly pleased, though, and Margo wondered if the truth had hurt him as much as her lie had. Could he ever understand the desperate fear that had driven her to act as she had? She didn’t even want him to.

‘The marriage ceremony is at the town hall, at two o’clock,’ he said after a pause. ‘We can drive back to the estate afterwards.’

‘All right.’

‘We need two witnesses for the ceremony,’ he continued. ‘I thought I’d ask two of my staff from the Athens office.’

‘Fine.’

It wasn’t the way she’d ever anticipated getting married —a cold ceremony in a bureaucrat’s office in a country she didn’t know—but then she’d never anticipated marrying at all. She’d expected to live her life alone, the way she had since she was twelve and she’d lost everyone. She’d lost Annelise.

Leo glanced at the rumpled sweater dress she’d worn two days in a row. ‘Do you have something to wear to the wedding?’

‘I wasn’t planning to get married today,’ she reminded him. ‘I have this or jeans.’

He frowned and took a sip of coffee. ‘Then we’ll go shopping this morning for something suitable. If you feel up to it?’

She almost asked him why they should bother, but then just nodded instead. Leo had said arguing would be unpleasant for both of them, and she agreed. She would do her part in keeping things civil, even if his kindness had a strange way of hurting her.

Half an hour later they were strolling down Voukourestiou Street, home to many designer boutiques. Leo led her into the first one, a soaring space of airy lightness, with a white leather sofa where shoppers could rest and a few select garments hanging from silver wires suspended from the ceiling.

Margo glanced at the elegant gowns in bemusement, for she had no idea what kind of dress she was supposed to get married in. But this was a business arrangement, so a business outfit seemed appropriate. She saw a pale grey suit at the back of the boutique and nodded to it.

‘How about that one?’

Leo frowned. ‘That doesn’t look much like a wedding dress.’

‘This isn’t much of a wedding,’ she answered.

His frown deepened. ‘We might be marrying in a civil ceremony, but it is still very much a wedding. We will still very much be married.’

He nodded towards a dress of cream silk with an empire waist and a frothy skirt glittering with beaded crystals.

‘How about that one?’

It was a feminine, frou-frou kind of dress—so unlike her usual tailored wardrobe. Margo hesitated, because while it wasn’t something she would normally wear, she did like it. It was different. It wasn’t armour.

She gave a quick nod. ‘All right. I’ll try it on.’

Moments later she stared at herself in the mirror, surprised at how the dress softened her. The warm cream of the material actually brought a bit of colour to her face, and complemented her dark hair and eyes. The sales assistant had brought her a matching pair of shoes—slim heels with a small diamante on each toe. They went perfectly with the dress.

‘Well?’ Leo called.

‘You’re not supposed to see it before the ceremony,’ Margo called back. ‘But I think it will do.’