The Earl's Snow-Kissed Proposal

Well, tough. That wasn’t happening.

As he turned she forced her features into neutral and fixed a cool smile to her lips. There was a silence, and then, his jaw clenched, he stepped forward. ‘Let’s go,’ he said.

‘Right behind you.’

And what a view that is, whispered a small, defiant unprofessional part of her as they descended the grand staircase.

The hotel glowed with a mingling of wealth and Christmas cheer, and the sheer decadence of the art deco foyer was completed with a chandelier that threw out beams of diamond-white light that played and sparkled over the wreath-laden walls.

Lights and baubles arched over the entrances, fluted pillars trailed tiny iridescent lights, and floral displays spread their magnificence over glass-topped tables and filled the air with heavenly scents. Just for a moment Etta relaxed, almost wishing this were a real date. Almost. After all, her track record with dates was hardly stellar.

They walked towards the entrance to the restaurant—a curtained doorway that rippled with a dark green tasselled fabric. Etta stepped through and gasped...

The vast vaulted ceiling gave the room an organic simple feel, and the predominant colours of green and brown gave the area an enchanted sylvan warmth. Walnut tables with slate placemats dotted the floor around the centrepiece—a bare-branched tree with stars hanging from every polished wooden limb.

‘This is fabulous,’ she said as a waiter led them to their table.

As they walked she became aware of the looks directed at them—or rather at Gabe—and her step faltered slightly, t

hough he seemed oblivious.

‘Is it difficult?’ she asked, once they were seated on green leather chairs.

‘What?’

‘Being recognised all the time?’

‘You get used to it. My parents always taught Kaitlin and me to use the attention if we could, but also always to be aware of how our behaviour could impact upon the family image.’

‘What about Cora?’

‘Cora pretty much avoided any publicity—even as a child. My parents had to focus on Kaitlin and me as Derwent ambassadors.’

‘I’m with Cora on that one.’ Etta glanced swiftly around and resisted the urge to wriggle in her seat. ‘What about my behaviour? If I eat with the wrong knife will that impact on you?’

‘You’re looking at it the wrong way. You should be thinking how to use the situation to your advantage. Most women do.’

‘Isn’t that a bit cynical?’

Etta studied the menu. Her tastebuds cartwheeled, already jumping about in anticipation as she read the selection. Each item was a seasonal delicacy that offered local fresh produce with a twist.

‘No. It’s the truth. But I don’t mind if my date can score a bit of beneficial publicity—good for her. As long as she doesn’t lie or smear me in any way, I don’t begrudge her.’

No wonder he’d assumed she would jump at the chance to pose as his girlfriend. ‘Well, I don’t want to exploit your name or your title. In any way. In fact I hope that the press were thoroughly diverted from the scent this morning. If April Fotherington saw us here she would definitely get the wrong end of the stick.’ The reporter was renowned for her ability to track down celebrities and unearth the juiciest of stories. ‘She has pulled off some pretty big celebrity scoops.’

Amusement gleamed in his eyes. ‘So you’re a celebrity gossip magazine reader?’

‘I’m not. Well, I am—but only because of Steph. She reads them avidly and I end up browsing through them too.’

‘You two are really close?’

‘Yup. Steph is like family.’ Her mind flashed to the birth parents she’d never known, to the adoptive parents who were now lost to her, and to the younger sister she’d barely got a chance to know. Close it down. ‘Like an older sister, really.’

‘How did you meet?’

‘At a mother and baby music class when Cathy and Martha were small. The rest of the group didn’t exactly approve of me—I was a seventeen-year-old with a toddler. But Steph looked out for me. Actually bothered to talk to me. If it hadn’t been for her I’d have cut and run. Anyway, Steph was a single mum too—she’d adopted Martha after her marriage broke down.’

That was another reason why they had connected. Steph had shown Etta that adoption could be a good thing—her relationship with Martha was honest, open, and full of love.