Marni was doing her best to sort things out, but she was becoming increasingly annoyed because the wretched man was so obviously amused by the whole thing while she was squirming with embarrassment.
Gaz came closer and the white gown did nothing to stop all the physical manifestations of lust that had struck Marni when she’d first set eyes on him.
Lust, she had discovered very quickly, was stronger than embarrassment, for all the good it was going to do her. This man was way out of her league in every way, so a casual affair was out of the question.
She watched him, nervous, apprehensive, wondering just what he might be thinking.
‘Actually,’ he said, coming to sit beside her on the couch, ‘the betrothal is a splendid idea. You may not know it but I have seven sisters, six of whom are bent on finding me a wife.’
‘Only six?’
Marni was interested in spite of herself, although she had to admit to a little twinge of dread as to where this betrothal idea might be leading.
‘The seventh’s heavily pregnant at the moment and fortunately has other things on her mind. But having six sisters producing eligible women for you almost daily is very difficult, especially when I’m trying to come to terms with this job. So your arrival has come at just the right time, and with the photo as proof that my father arranged it, my sisters can do nothing but accept it. It’s perfect!’
Marni stared at him in disbelief.
‘Perfect?’
‘Absolutely perfect!’ The dark eyes were definitely smiling.
‘Are you saying you’ll tell your sisters we’re betrothed?’
‘Of course.’
She shook her head then pulled herself together enough to demand, ‘But that’s all? Just betrothed? A temporary arrangement to stop them dangling women in front of you? That’s all you want?’
‘For the moment,’ the white-robed figure replied, while Marni quelled an urge to run a fingertip along the fine dark line of his beard. ‘I wouldn’t rush you into marriage.’
‘Marriage!’
The word came out as a startled squeak, and it was the squeak that brought her to her senses.
Mature, professional women did not squeak!
‘Let’s just back up here,’ she said firmly, trying hard not to notice how exotically handsome he looked in his prince outfit. ‘I know it was a ridiculous thing for me to do, coming here and rattling on about a betrothal, but you were meant—no, you weren’t meant to be you to start off with—you were meant to be this kindly prince and I’d burble out my stuff, you’d laugh, I’d let Pop know I’d done it, he’d have the op to keep his part of the bargain, and everything would be fine.’
She hesitated then added, ‘To be honest, it did cross my mind you might not be so kindly and I just might end up in a dungeon or deported at the very least, but Pop needed—’
Gaz held up his hand, the white robe falling back from his lower arm so Marni could see his wrist, fine dark hairs on his forearm, smooth olive skin…
‘This Pop you talk of—he’s the one who wrote on the photo?’
Marni swallowed hard, unable to believe a little bit of a man’s arm could have excited her so much.
She managed a nod.
‘What operation?’
Whether it was the tension of the day or her concern over Pop or simply relief to be talking about something other than her reason for being here, suddenly words flowed freely.
How Pop had always been an active man, involved in so many things, running different charities, on the boards of hospitals and refuges, years ago two stents had been put in and he’d continued on without missing a beat then suddenly this tiredness, exhaustion and a diagnosis of a faulty heart valve and blocked stents, two bypasses and open-heart surgery the only answer.
‘We’re sure he’ll get through it, Nelson and I, but Pop feels at his age maybe it isn’t worth it—’
Again Gaz lifted his hand and this time Marni refused to look at that erotic bit of forearm.
‘Nelson?’ Gaz asked, frowning now.
‘The man who looks after Pop—he’s been there for ever, looked after me as well. A kind of general factotum.’
But Gaz wasn’t listening. He’d pulled out the photo and was staring at it.
‘Where was this taken?’ he demanded, and Marni explained.
‘Apparently your father took over the whole hotel,’ she added, and Gaz smiled.
‘He was never one to do things by halves and I suppose if I was as young as I look then some of my sisters would already have been married, then there were the wives and the aunts and all the women the women needed to look after them whenever they travelled. But if he took over the whole hotel, where did you come into it?’