Read Online A Paper Marriage by Jessica Steele - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jessica Steele
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She returned to the home she so loved with several large glossy carriers. `You really have been to town,' her mother quipped when she went in, and was as delighted as Lydie had been at the lovely deep coral suit and its accessories she had purchased.
Oliver was unable to keep away from Madeline the next day, and left early and came home late.
But he declared on Thursday that Mrs. WardWatson had said they could cope very nicely without his assistance from then on-and Madeline, it seemed, had a hundred and ten things she must attend to before the `big day'.
`Which leaves me having to ask my little sister to come and have a drink with me down at the Black Bull.'
`Since you ask so charmingly,' she accepted. Oliver's present friends were scattered around the country, apparently, but since some of them were converging on the same hotel tomorrow he was having his stag `do' then-with strict instructions not to get up to anything too outrageous.
`Have you and Madeline decided where to live yet?' Lydie asked when sitting in the Bull with a gin and tonic. Oliver took a swig of his pint.
`Didn't Mother tell you?' He laughed sunnily at the thought that that must be a first. 'Madeline and I are having a place built in the grounds of her parents' home.' `Will you like that?' Lydie queried slowly, her feelings more and more for her brother, whose life seemed to be being taken over by the WardWatsons.
`You bet your life I will,' he declared stoutly. And, misinterpreting her entirely, 'I'd much rather have something new and up to date.'
That shook her more than somewhat. `You wouldn't rather have something with a bit of history to it?"
'Like Beamhurst?' He shook his head. `No, thanks! All Dad's ever done is chuck money at the place. It's no wonder he's skint! That place costs a mint to keep in good repair.' And while Lydie stared at him, incredulous that he didn't seem to appreciate that their father was `skint', as he called it, for no other reason than that he'd had to wade in there and rescue his son from his debts, Oliver went blithely on. `I told him on Tuesday, when Mother was bleating on about my inheritance, that if my inheritance included the white elephant Beamhurst I'd be just as happy to be left out of the will. Drink up,' he said, 'I'll get you another.'
He left her sitting stunned, and went up to the bar while Lydie tried to accept that just because she loved the old house it did not necessarily mean that Oliver had to. Even if he had been brought up there. By the sound of it, too, Oliver was quite cheerfully unaware that, through the mismanagement of his business, their father was in an extremely severe financial situation. As she had been sublimely unaware of the parlous state of their father's finances, so-incredibly-had her brother been! True, with Oliver getting engaged and wanting to be out of the house and off somewhere with Madeline all the while, it was doubtful that he had been in the house for more than half an hour at a stretch. But...
With her brother so excited and happy, and so looking forward to marrying his Madeline, now did not seem to be a good time to acquaint him with a few pertinent details. It was a relief to wave goodbye to her parents and brother on Friday morning-a relief to be in the house with just her and Mrs. Ross. No need to start getting uptight lest she be called on to evade some truth or other-or even tell a downright lie. And what lies she had told, albeit in the interests of her still very worried- looking father. Those lies had been told ultimately for her mother's peace of mind too.
But Lydie was plagued by the thought that, come Saturday, she was somehow going to have to make it appear that she and Jonah had been `intimate friends' and that they were well on the way to being `an item'. Oh, save us! Then, should she be able to overcome that mighty obstacle without Marriott Esquire being or becoming aware that he had been designated
She returned to the home she so loved with several large glossy carriers. `You really have been to town,' her mother quipped when she went in, and was as delighted as Lydie had been at the lovely deep coral suit and its accessories she had purchased.
Oliver was unable to keep away from Madeline the next day, and left early and came home late.
But he declared on Thursday that Mrs. WardWatson had said they could cope very nicely without his assistance from then on-and Madeline, it seemed, had a hundred and ten things she must attend to before the `big day'.
`Which leaves me having to ask my little sister to come and have a drink with me down at the Black Bull.'
`Since you ask so charmingly,' she accepted. Oliver's present friends were scattered around the country, apparently, but since some of them were converging on the same hotel tomorrow he was having his stag `do' then-with strict instructions not to get up to anything too outrageous.
`Have you and Madeline decided where to live yet?' Lydie asked when sitting in the Bull with a gin and tonic. Oliver took a swig of his pint.
`Didn't Mother tell you?' He laughed sunnily at the thought that that must be a first. 'Madeline and I are having a place built in the grounds of her parents' home.' `Will you like that?' Lydie queried slowly, her feelings more and more for her brother, whose life seemed to be being taken over by the WardWatsons.
`You bet your life I will,' he declared stoutly. And, misinterpreting her entirely, 'I'd much rather have something new and up to date.'
That shook her more than somewhat. `You wouldn't rather have something with a bit of history to it?"
'Like Beamhurst?' He shook his head. `No, thanks! All Dad's ever done is chuck money at the place. It's no wonder he's skint! That place costs a mint to keep in good repair.' And while Lydie stared at him, incredulous that he didn't seem to appreciate that their father was `skint', as he called it, for no other reason than that he'd had to wade in there and rescue his son from his debts, Oliver went blithely on. `I told him on Tuesday, when Mother was bleating on about my inheritance, that if my inheritance included the white elephant Beamhurst I'd be just as happy to be left out of the will. Drink up,' he said, 'I'll get you another.'
He left her sitting stunned, and went up to the bar while Lydie tried to accept that just because she loved the old house it did not necessarily mean that Oliver had to. Even if he had been brought up there. By the sound of it, too, Oliver was quite cheerfully unaware that, through the mismanagement of his business, their father was in an extremely severe financial situation. As she had been sublimely unaware of the parlous state of their father's finances, so-incredibly-had her brother been! True, with Oliver getting engaged and wanting to be out of the house and off somewhere with Madeline all the while, it was doubtful that he had been in the house for more than half an hour at a stretch. But...
With her brother so excited and happy, and so looking forward to marrying his Madeline, now did not seem to be a good time to acquaint him with a few pertinent details. It was a relief to wave goodbye to her parents and brother on Friday morning-a relief to be in the house with just her and Mrs. Ross. No need to start getting uptight lest she be called on to evade some truth or other-or even tell a downright lie. And what lies she had told, albeit in the interests of her still very worried- looking father. Those lies had been told ultimately for her mother's peace of mind too.
But Lydie was plagued by the thought that, come Saturday, she was somehow going to have to make it appear that she and Jonah had been `intimate friends' and that they were well on the way to being `an item'. Oh, save us! Then, should she be able to overcome that mighty obstacle without Marriott Esquire being or becoming aware that he had been designated
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