Merger By Matrimony

‘The telephone’s behind you.’

‘Ah, good. Good, good, good.’ He lifted the receiver and dialled his driver. He felt a heel, actually, having to rouse the man from a deep sleep, but whoever said that life was fair? ‘Bennet’s coming over as soon as he gets dressed. Might be half an hour or so.’ He wondered whether she’d heard him murmuring indistinctly into the phone that there was no rush, within the hour would be fine. ‘Don’t let me keep you from bed… You pop along…I’ll stay down here. The family silver’s safe.’

Destiny clicked her tongue in annoyance and headed towards the kitchen. ‘I might as well make you a cup of coffee,’ she offered grudgingly.

‘Don’t put yourself out,’ he said, following her and then lounging comfortably on one of the kitchen chairs while she filled the kettle and fetched two mugs down from a cupboard. ‘Although,’ he said pensively, ‘you do owe me a favour after your trapping me into tomorrow night’s hilarity.’

‘I had no idea that seeing your fiancée was a trap.’ She pelted a spoonful of instant into each of the mugs, sloshed some boiling water in and topped it off with milk.

‘Stephanie isn’t the problem.’ He hooked out another chair with his foot and proceeded to stretch both legs out in front of him and watch her with his hands behind his head. ‘Her friends are the problem. The women titter and giggle and the men talk in booming voices and compare drinking anecdotes.’ Despite her attempts to cover herself, her robe slipped open as she handed him his mug of coffee and he was privy to the sight of her long body encased in the least attractive item of clothing he could think of seeing on a woman. A faded and well-worn tee-shirt hanging to her knees with some barely identifiable advertising motif on the front.

She sat down opposite him and blew on the surface of her coffee. ‘How long will this car mechanic be?’

‘I told him to get here as quickly as possible. Believe me, the last thing I need now is to be sitting here at the ungodly hour of midnight, waiting for someone to come and fix my car. With work tomorrow.’ He ferociously gulped a mouthful of coffee. ‘And another late night on the horizon.’ He looked at her speculatively. ‘Why don’t you come along?’

‘Come along where?’ For one bizarre moment she thought he was inviting her to go to work with him.

‘Come along to the little dinner party I’m being dragged to? Stephanie would be thrilled and you could meet some people.’ He lowered his eyes and sipped some more coffee. ‘There’ll probably be one or two eligible men there…’ He let the offer fall into the silence like a stone dropping into a pond. ‘Unless, of course, you’re already involved with someone…’ He risked a quick look to see how this was registering. ‘Someone out there in Panama?’

‘That’s none of your business.’

‘Merely trying to introduce you to a social life.’

‘I’m here to sort things out with the company,’ Destiny said shortly. ‘And then I shall be heading back home. I don’t need a social life, thank you.’

‘Everyone needs a social life. Don’t tell me you don’t enjoy some kind of social life out there. On that compound of yours.’ He tried to imagine it and failed. ‘You’re a young woman, after all.’

‘How long have you and my stepcousin been engaged?’

There was no attempt to disguise the change of topic and Callum cursed under his breath. ‘Two years.’

‘Two years! And you’re not married yet?’

‘It’s hardly shocking,’ he said with a trace of impatience in his voice. He had never considered it a long time. In fact, even now, there were no plans for a wedding on the horizon. Neither he nor Stephanie was particularly adamant on moving the step further. ‘Marriage is a serious business. What’s the point rushing into it? You know what they say about marrying in haste and repenting at leisure.’

‘Yes, but if you’re certain about someone, then why hang around?’ She rested her elbow on the table and cupped her chin in one hand while the other cradled her mug, idly stroking the ceramic surface as she continued to look at him.

‘Two years is hardly hanging around.’ Silence. ‘Is it?’ Further silence. ‘It’s nothing to do with whether you’ve found the right person or not.’ Was it particularly hot in the kitchen? He was perspiring and he ran one finger under the collar of his shirt. ‘Marriage is little more than a piece of paper anyway.’