A Scandal Made in London

‘You’re a quick learner,’ he said, something about his tone heating her blood and melting her stomach despite her resolve to remain cool and aloof. ‘You’ll soon pick it up.’

Kate thought of glaciers and straightened her spine. ‘How do you know I’m not planning to sabotage things in revenge for the way you blackmailed me into this?’

‘Are you?’

‘I might be.’

‘I wouldn’t,’ he said mildly, although she could hear his warning loud and clear.

‘If only I still had my virginity to sell,’ she said wistfully, half meaning it.

‘Regrets?’

‘Do you care either way?’

Something flitted across his expression, but it was gone before she could even try and identify it. ‘No.’

‘No, well, why would you?’ she said, feeling the tiniest bit stung despite herself. ‘When you own the world, I guess you don’t need to worry so much about other people’s feelings.’

‘I guess not,’ he agreed impassively.

‘So brusque,’ she said with a shake of her head. ‘So serious. So steely.’

‘Is that a problem?’

‘Not particularly, although I guess it depends on your perspective. It seems to me, though, that a real girlfriend might expect the occasional smile. A fiancée definitely would, I should think.’

‘How would you know?’

Ooh, that was harsh. But fair, she grudgingly had to admit. ‘Well, what do you think?’

‘Me? I have no idea.’

She stared at him, surprise momentarily nudging everything else out of the way. ‘None?’

‘None.’

‘But you must have had a girlfriend.’

‘Must I?’

‘Haven’t you? Ever?’

‘I don’t have the time.’

Oh, dear.

She’d assumed at least Theo would know what he was doing, but it now seemed as though it was a case of the blind leading the blind. How had he thought this approach would ever work? Was he nuts?

‘Right,’ she said, resenting him even more for putting her in this position. ‘Well. Let’s hope I’m not the only one who’s a quick learner.’

* * *

Four hours later, having escaped to the bathroom after interminable drinks, a sumptuous six-course dinner and an auction of promises during which the extravagant luxury of the lots and preposterous figures whizzing around had blown her mind, Kate was exhausted. Keeping a smile fixed to her face and gazing at Theo in adoration when all she wanted was to stab him with a hairpin was draining.

He was not playing fair. Having no intention of giving him any reason to think she wasn’t doing her best and therefore renege on his side of the bargain, she had thrown herself into her role. Theo, on the other hand, had not. He’d introduced her as his pregnant fiancée, and remained by her side, but that was pretty much it. He hadn’t smiled at her. He’d barely even looked at her. She’d had to do all the work, and once tonight was over they were very definitely going to be having words.

Unexpectedly, however, there had been some positives to the evening. After the initial flurry of interest, Kate had become pretty much invisible, which was a novelty. Everyone was far more interested in the man at her side. His appearance in public was apparently something of a rarity, and, despite his giving off such chilly vibes he could cause frostbite, people couldn’t get enough of him. The awe he was held in and the resultant fawning she witnessed made her stomach turn, but at least it meant she could observe instead of being observed for once.