Engaged at the Chatsfield Read Online Free

of this, I swear to God I’ll—’
    ‘How was I to know you’d turn up?’
    He swung around and glared at her so darkly his dark blue eyes looked almost black. ‘So, now it’s my fault, is it? What on earth were you thinking? You’d just let everyone think we were engaged and not tell me about it? How were you going to stop it leaking out? Did you think of that?’
    She snagged her lower lip again. ‘I didn’t actually say we were engaged. Harriet assumed—’
    ‘You’re wearing a bloody engagement ring, for God’s sake. Even I assumed you were engaged. Little did I know it was to me.’
    Juliet winced at his savage look. ‘I told her I was seeing someone.’
    His brows jammed together. ‘Are you?’
    Her cheeks grew warm. ‘No...’
    ‘So why the charade?’
    She fiddled with the clasp on her watch to occupy her hands, otherwise she would have been tempted to wring them in despair. Why was he so disgusted at having his name linked with hers? Was she that much of a toad he couldn’t bear the thought of being associated with her romantically? She knew she wasn’t a stunning beauty or anything, but she hadn’t exactly left a trail of broken mirrors behind her...or at least none that she knew of. ‘I told Harriet I was seeing someone and she assumed it was you.’
    His frown deepened. ‘Why would she assume that?’
    Juliet moved over to the sideboard to inspect the floral arrangement rather than let him see how much his comment affronted her. ‘I guess because we’ve been friends for years.’
    ‘There’s a heck of a difference between being friends and being engaged.’
    She turned from the flowers to look at him again. ‘She pressed me for details and when I said it was serious—’
    ‘You told her we were serious ?’
    She raised her chin. ‘I’m sorry if the notion disgusts you.’
    He gave her a flustered look. ‘I’m not— I didn’t— Look, don’t take it personally. I’m just not looking for a relationship right now. It’s the last thing on my mind.’
    ‘I’m not asking you to be in one.’ Juliet tried to squash the spreading sense of disappointment that was making her chest feel tight. ‘I just wanted to get through this weekend without everyone feeling sorry for me or sniggering at me behind my back because I haven’t got a partner. I had no idea Harriet would jump to conclusions so quickly and I certainly had no idea she would send a tweet to all Kendra’s followers.’
    He swore again. ‘Just wait until your brother’s followers get wind of it. The whole bloody world will be congratulating us.’
    Juliet frowned as she reached for her phone. ‘Maybe I should call Mum...’
    ‘Wait.’ His hand came down on her arm. The feel of his fingers wrapping around her wrist was like a surge of electricity through her body. She felt it right to her core, to the place his touch had ignited at Christmas. His fingers were warm, broad and strong. She slowly brought her gaze up to his, her stomach dropping like a book toppling off a high shelf as his eyes meshed with hers. ‘We need to think this through,’ he said. ‘We need a plan.’
    ‘A plan?’
    His fingers loosened a fraction but he didn’t release her. His eyes were dark and unreadable as they held hers. ‘Looks like we’re stuck with this till the end of the weekend.’
    Stuck with me, you mean , Juliet thought with another flicker of resentment. Did he have to make it so flipping obvious? She slipped out of his hold and picked up her purse. ‘I have to go to the tea party. We can talk about this later.’
    ‘You do realise we’ll have to share this room?’
    Juliet’s hand froze on the doorknob. She had seen the size of the bed. It was an acre of mattress with a high hedge of pillows. It was big enough to have its own postal code. It was big enough to land a fighter jet on. It was big enough to sleep a football team without any of them touching. Surely she could get through two nights without coming in to contact