Bachelor's Wife Read Online Free Page A

herself any more, she began to feel better on realising that not much harm could come to her with so many other people around. But her healthy appetite had long since disappeared, though rather than appear a ditherer she chose quickly from the menu, without thought to whether she was going to like what was placed before her.
    Barely had the waiter gone than the man opposite her was introducing himself as Nash Devereux and enquiring her name. 'Perry Grainger,' she told him, her nerves settling down since for all there was an aggressive look to him, he no longer appeared to be the crazy individual she had first thought him.
    'Right,' he said, 'I need to have paper proof that I have a wife—and though it's obvious since you're only eighteen that you feel—security—is more important than that cosy little word called love,' dear heaven, he was sounding cynical, she couldn't help thinking, 'your reasons for wanting a husband are of no concern to me.'
    She bit down the urge to tell him she didn't want a husband at all—well, not until she fell in love anyway. But she could see he would scoff at her if she made any such remark, and could well come back with: what was she doing having lunch with him in that case? And then she recalled he had said he needed to have paper proof that he had a wife, and was glad her wits hadn't completely deserted her.
    Hope sprang within her and with it sudden daring. Dared she, if it was to be one of those name only things, dared she commit herself to marrying him, to taking the five thousand pounds that was so vitally important to Ralph? Not giving herself time to think further, she was blurting out:
    'You said you needed paper proof,' and jumping in before her courage failed, 'Does that mean you don't want to be married in the—er—real sense of the word?'
    Her pale cheeks were crimson as she forced the last words through her lips. But Nash Devereux gave her very little time to feel embarrassed.
    'God forbid!' shot from him, the violence of his words underlining their sincerity. 'It's a necessary evil, no more.' Then, his look sharp, 'If you have any idea in your head of making more out of this than five thousand, forget it. I shan't want you round my neck after the ceremony.'
    Her sensitivities wounded that any man could speak to her so, be so aggressive to the point of rudeness, Perry wanted to tell him what he could do with his five thousand, tell him she didn't want it. She checked. But she did want it, and if all she had to do to get it was to put up with a few of his insulting remarks until the ceremony was performed and they went their separate ways, then since clearly no help would be forthcoming from Sylvia and there being no one else to turn to, she would have to swallow her pride and take it. But scary as she found him she couldn't resist a pride-wounded retort of:
    'That goes for me too, only double!'
    'Good,' he said briefly, and would have gone straight away into giving her information needed for the marriage. But though only eighteen she might be, and desperate to I have the money for Ralph as she was, there was a streak of caution in her that had her questioning before he could continue:
    'Why is it so important that you can produce a certificate to say you're married?'
    His expression was hard as he looked away. Then quickly his laser-beamed look was back on her, piercing through her, everything about him telling her she could mind her own damn business. And while she looked back at him, her eyes wide and apprehensive at the no-bones words she had been expecting, the rough words didn't come.
    'Are you alone in the world?' he enquired, his face stern.   
    There was Ralph. But loving Ralph as if he was the father who had died when she was a baby, she couldn't tell this hard-eyed stranger anything about him. Some fear gnawed at her that he might change his mind about the money if he knew it was to be spent on settling Ralph's gambling debts.
    'My parents are dead,' she told him,