Having resigned herself to taking each day as it came, she could hardly believe it when Ethan suddenly changed the parameters of their relationship. They were lying in bed one Sunday morning, languorously content not to move for a while.
‘It’s the Golden Slipper next Saturday,’ he remarked, running gentle knuckles up and down the curve of her spine.
‘What’s the Golden Slipper?’ she mumbled, nestling her head under his chin.
‘Only the richest horse-race for two-year-olds in the world,’ he answered dryly. ‘The prize money is two million dollars and Mickey has Midas Magic lined up to win it.’
Ethan’s horse—the one that had won the Magic Millions just before the terrible debacle with Lynda Twiggley, which had been immediately followed by Ethan’s determined drive to have her in his life. ‘I guess you want to go and see him race,’ she said, thinking of spending the day shopping since he wouldn’t want her with him in some celebrity marquee where his highsociety friends would be gathered.
‘I know you’re not into gambling, Daisy, but I think you’d find it a fun day anyway. Fashions in the Field can be eye-popping stuff. There’s the whole glamorous spectacle of the Golden Slipper ceremony, plus live entertainment—a guest star singing. Mickey has booked a table for ten in the Winning Post restaurant which has the best view of all the action. We can sit there, eating a gourmet lunch, drinking fine wines and watching it all unfold below us.’
Daisy could hardly believe her ears. She jerked up to look him in the eye. ‘You want me to go with you? Be introduced to your friends?’
He frowned at her incredulous tone. ‘They won’t be all strangers to you. You saw Mickey at the Magic Millions and you know Charlie.’
‘Yes, but I thought…’ She struggled to find the right words. ‘I thought you were keeping me in the background of your life. Not upfront.’
His frown deepened. ‘You were worried about what your parents might think of our connection. I was waiting for a reasonable amount of time to pass in your current career for them to accept it was okay for me to pursue my personal interest in you.’ He grimaced. ‘There’s bound to be publicity about us once we’re seen together.’
Daisy was stunned again. She’d had it all wrong. Totally wrong! He’d been considering her, caring about her. In one huge galloping leap, the hope she had so sternly repressed emerged from its dark dungeon and bloomed in bright sunshine. She had just been elevated from secret mistress to public partner. Her heart skipped and jumped in wild joy. There was a chance this relationship could become a serious one if Ethan was happy for them to be seen as a couple.
‘I have to go shopping. Today,’ she announced, giving him a look of determined purpose. ‘I won’t have enough free time during the week to find something suitable, Ethan.’
‘You could wear your red-and-white dress,’ he suggested. ‘You look great in that.’
‘No, it won’t do.’ She shook her head emphatically. ‘I saw what your crowd wore at the Magic Millions, remember? I need a fantastic outfit with a matching hat.’ She grinned at him. ‘Not brown.’
He laughed. ‘Okay. I’ll take you shopping, buy you whatever you want.’
‘No, you won’t!’ she cried indignantly, bridling against being put in the bought mistress bracket again. ‘I have to accept the free accommodation you give me because of the deal I agreed to, but I’m making good money now and I can afford to buy some fine feathers of my own, thank you.’
She flounced off the bed and stood up in a challenging stance, hands on hips. ‘Those are my terms, Ethan.’
He rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow, the green eyes regarding her with a glint of triumph, as though he had just won something. ‘Then I’ll just tag along, be your chauffeur, take you to lunch somewhere along the way.’
She couldn’t argue with that. Her free time was exclusively his. Besides, having lunch with her out in public was more delightful proof that he didn’t want her kept hidden away. Nevertheless…‘I’d prefer you not to be with me in the boutiques. It’s much more fun for me to surprise you on the day.’
He smiled. ‘I’ll park myself in a coffee shop with the Sunday newspapers.’
Daisy smiled back, bubbling with joy inside. ‘You’d better come and shower with me. We have to get moving. And I warn you this might be a marathon shopping trip. I’m not going to settle for anything less than spectacular.’