Consequences

Part 18

Doug couldn't wait to have a chat with his grandmother! Just what the hell did she think she was doing? He'd worry about that later. Right now he had more pressing matters to deal with.

"So now what?" Doug asked, wanting to see whether she had thought about how to handle their current circumstance. He was tempted to pay for a one page advertisement advising all and sundry that his grandmother had gone mad!

Isabelle watched his eyes. Well obviously he didn't find this at all amusing. But then she'd had a few hours to get used to their grandmothers' scheme. Isabelle shrugged with cool dismissal and leaned back in her chair while still maintaining her posture. There was no point getting worked up over their current predicament. In the grand scheme of life, this little derailment was a minor inconvenience. She just hoped he had the goodwill to understand that. Isabelle looked straight into his eyes and said calmly, "In some ways my grandmother is quite right, being engaged to you does me no harm." She was surprised to see the astonishment in his eyes. Looked like she was capable of being unpredictable. "If it is of benefit to you and your company, then we could go along with your plan."

"My plan?" What plan? He wondered whether she was as scheming as her grandmother. But then again, why would someone with her assets, physical, social and financial want to hook up with him?

Isabelle nodded. "Yes, this morning you proposed a gradual fading out leading to a break in our engagement." Had he said that? Doug frowned as he tried to recall just what they had discussed. "That might be the easiest way to extricate ourselves from the good work of two busybodies." She lifted her mug of hot chocolate, "It would also stay the execution I am planning for my grandmother!"

"I can't believe they'd dream up such a harebrained scheme." Doug muttered to himself. He also found the woman sitting beside him to be rather an enigma. Most women would be creating a scene about this predicament. This woman seemed to think it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. He wondered whether she equated their situation with a buzzing insect, nothing but an irritation.

"Enacted too." Isabelle smiled at him again, and once again Doug wondered silently what it would be like to go on a real date with this woman. "That's why mine headed off to Adelaide. Thought she'd be safe!"

He chuckled. Her smile was infectious. "Mistaken huh?" He knew he was starting to relax in her company.

"Positively." She beamed with quiet surety.

"Well. Isn't this nice and cosy?" Tina stood beside the table. Her body language was easy to read. "Slumming it are we?" She asked Isabelle, as she glared with belligerence.

"I'm sorry?" Isabelle glanced up at the tall blonde woman. What she wouldn't do to have a bust like that, Isabelle thought as she looked at the blonde who appeared to have difficulty in finding clothes that fit, let alone covered her more obvious assets.

"I bet you are." Tina looked over at Doug, "Aren't you going to introduce us Hawke?" She demanded loud enough to have several other patrons turn toward the scene that was unfolding.

"Tina!" Doug warned quietly and glanced quickly at Isabelle to see how she was handling the interruption. Life was about to become even more complicated. And if Tina had anything to do with it, life would take on even more of a scandal.

Tina refocused on Isabelle as she said with malicious frankness, "Has he told you that he's been shagging us both?"

"I beg your pardon?" Isabelle knew her eyes had widened in shock, and that her voice had practically squeaked. It wasn't so much the language as the fact this woman appeared to think she could speak like that in public. Isabelle blinked in utter confusion.

"No, I didn't think so." Tina folded her arms and glared at Doug as she went on, "Just for the record. I'm Tina Marshall." She flicked a look at Isabelle, saw that there was no recognition there, "Doug and I had dinner Monday night. Together. Alone." Tina addressed Isabelle, but her eyes kept track of Doug's movements. "He didn't tell you that, did he?"

Ok, now things made sense. Isabelle almost felt sorry for the blonde woman. It can't have been easy for her, reading about this engagement in the paper when you are going out with one member of the party. Poor Tina. No wonder she was annoyed. Isabelle knew she would be livid if her boyfriend's name suddenly appeared in the newspaper and in an engagement notice where she wasn't the other engaged party!

Isabelle attempted to defuse the situation, "Ms Marshall, do sit down. I can understand your reaction, but there is something..."

"You're welcome to him!" And with that Tina picked up one of the glasses of water and threw its contents at Doug. The liquid splattered mostly on his shirt, and even though he tried to shield Isabelle, he was too slow, and some water caught Isabelle. In that instant a series of flashbulbs went off and Isabelle and Doug found themselves to be the focus of a couple of cameramen. Tina smirked at her handy work, and then turned and left with the camera men in tow.