Wife by Agreement

Hannah, who loved the smell of wet leaves under her feet, just smiled. 'Didn't you mind when your husband left the house to Ethan?' she asked curiously. The idea of leaving this house, even after the short time she'd lived here, was horrifying.

'Not in the slightest. Jordan knew I never felt the same way about this place as he did. We were two very different people, she reflected, a wistful expression drifting over her face. 'We both made a lot of concessions to make our marriage work. I certainly wouldn't have stayed in one place for thirty years for anyone other than Jordan. I doubt if he'd have gone trekking in the Himalayas for anyone but me.'

'And now you've met someone else,' Hannah said quietly. She was deeply touched by this glimpse of a profound love. It was the sort of love she'd always dreamt of.

'Ethan told you that, did he? Yes, I'm very lucky.'

'But it's not Drew, is it?' Her feminine instincts told her Ethan was wrong.

Faith threw back her head and laughed. 'Of course not.'

'Then why did you tell Ethan that it was? He's really upset about it.'

'I didn't tell Ethan; I just didn't correct him. My son, Hannah, has a tendency towards pomposity, and I feel it my maternal duty to pull him down to size occasionally.'

'Who is Drew?'

'Drew is soon to be Ethan's stepbrother.'

'You're marrying his father!' Hannah cried, unable to repress a chuckle at the joke. She suddenly let out a sharp cry as a red-hot needle of pain bit deep into her shoulder. 'Something stung me,' she explained, rubbing the area, which was already beginning to puff up.

'It looks like the sting is still in. We'd better do something about it immediately.'

Hannah was rather glad she'd weakly allowed herself to be flattered into purchasing several more outfits when she'd bought the red dress. This full-length cream slip dress, which her mother-in-law had heartily approved of, was made of soft, clinging silk. She hadn't expected an opportunity to wear it to present itself so soon.

When Hannah had worried about the puffy, discoloured area around her bee sting Faith had produced some antihistamine tablets, which had taken down the swelling miraculously.

Hannah touched the single string of luminous pearls that hung about her neck as she descended the sweeping staircase. Ethan's mother had dismissed Hannah's reluctance to wear them the way she steamrollered any obstacles.

'Beautiful.'

Pausing on the bottom step of the stairs, Hannah turned around with a smile. "They're Faith's.'

'I didn't mean the pearls,' Drew said, stepping through the library door. He was pulling at the folds of his tie with a dissatisfied frown. 'I meant the neck. Damn thing—-I should have left it the way it was.'

'Can I help?' she offered with an amused smile. Drew looked grateful.

'Help away.'

'Do you always carry a dinner jacket in your rucksack?' she teased, adjusting his tie and retreating up one step on the staircase to view her work. 'That's better,' she approved, stepping down the step again and flicking a speck of dust off his lapel.

'Faith arranged for someone to pick one up from my flat.'

'You live in London?'

'Split my time between London and New York.'

'Would I be wrong to assume your work normally involves wearing a tie?'

'I went into the family firm.'

'So what does that make you when you're not being a beach bum?'

'Would you believe a banker?'

His self-conscious grin was contagious, and Hannah found herself laughing back. "Then why the worn denims and rucksack?'

'Would you believe a woman?'

'It must have been serious,' she said sympathetically.

'She got cold feet the night before the wedding.'

'Ouch! Should I ask why?'

'I was too boring. She thought my suit would need to be surgically removed by the time I was forty and I lacked spontaneity. She did go into more detail than that, but I won't bore you.'

'So you turned your back on your suits.'

'I gave most of them to a charity shop, actually,' he recalled with a wry smile. "That was twelve months ago. I was backpacking across South America when my dad decided enough was enough. We were still discussing the issue, quite loudly as I recall, when Faith appeared. She took on the role of referee as one born to it.'

'And they fell in love. That's so romantic!' she breathed.

'Just how many people have you invited, Mother?'

Unconsciously Hannah's fingers tightened on Drew's jacket lapel as she heard Ethan's voice. 'I've hardly seen Ethan today,' she said, as her stomach began to perform painful contortions. She swallowed hard to relieve the sudden constriction in her throat.

'I suppose it depends on why you're trembling as to whether I'm envious of him or not.' Drew grimaced as she cast a reproachful look at him. 'Sorry,' he murmured pacifically. 'It's probably my fault—he's been shadowing me in case I pocket the silver.'