Consequences

Part 27

Isabelle was embarrassed beyond words. But she did not want him to know that. Isabelle waited a second. Then she made and held eye contact. He seemed to think it amusing that she might be interested in getting involved with someone. What? Didn't he think she could have a relationship, want a relationship, a real one?

"This isn't my fault Mr Hawke." Her tone had his lips twitching. She was obviously one of those women who went from pretty to gorgeous when they got cross. Her eyes lit up, her skin flushed with colour, her lips pouted. Isabelle knew she was being baited. "I feel I owe you some sort of compensation for what is happening because of my grandmother's involvement, and I am simply trying to extricate us from the situation. I did not create this situation." She told him.

"I was teasing you." Doug grinned at her, hoping to appease her.

Isabelle's eyebrow quirked at his confident assumption. "You don't know me well enough to tease me." Came the tart response. It was the first time since he had met her that he saw some of the control she had over her emotions waver. Her eyes flashed, albeit for a micro-second as she took umbrage.

"Ok." With a toast to her with his glass of wine, Doug acknowledged her statement. "I apologise." Their eyes met and held. Eventually Isabelle nodded her acceptance of his apology. He sounded sincere. Even if his eyes continued to twinkle, he sounded sincere. Then Doug put his glass down, as he explained, "Three months minimum for one very simple reason. Anything shorter and people will think I used you, your name to get on the business ladder. I've worked too hard to let you take the credit for getting us contacts. Call it pride." He waited for her to say something, "Six months would have been better, but I thought you'd see three as a good and fair compromise."

"I see." She dropped eye contact as she considered what he'd just revealed. There was more going on here. She could sense it. It was in his tone and in what he'd just revealed. Being engaged to her was far from a bonus. That much was clear in his tone of voice.

"I don't think it will impinge on your life that much." Especially as she seemed to sleep most of the day away! "The plan is to be as normal as possible. Being engaged just makes things manic. That is how we convince people we are going through the normal process. We juggle what we do with trying to accommodate seeing each other. But we do what we would normally do. I'm not asking you to change your lifestyle or your commitments." Everything he said sounded perfectly normal. If it was for real, they would be trying to blend their two worlds. But if it was for real they would have already been a relationship where finding ways to spend time with each other would have been well established. "We both have to compromise, obviously. But given the circumstances I do not think it is too much to ask, do you?" He asked suavely, his eyes remained on her because he wanted her to see the challenge in his eyes.

Well that told her, Isabelle acknowledged silently. They were obviously both used to taking ownership and action. Two strong people, butting heads. "I see." She did not drop eye contact. "Have you spoken with your grandmother?" Isabelle wondered whether he'd heard from her. He nodded. "I spoke with mine this morning." Isabelle told him. It had been a long and interesting conversation. Not that her grandmother had shown any remorse for landing Isabelle with this predicament. As far as her grandmother was concerned she was doing Isabelle a favour by throwing a financially sound businessman at her! But what had struck Isabelle even more strongly was the fact that her grandmother thought Douglas Hawke could benefit from the association too! "She said she'd suggested it for philanthropic reasons."

The pizza slice Doug was about to bite into remained a few scant inches from his open mouth. "She thought donating you to the cause was being philanthropic?" What kind of a grandmother did that in this day and age?

Isabelle had hoped that she wouldn't have to explain. She was sure that the man sitting at her table was a proud man. She doubted he'd be happy to hear what she had to say. But given his spiel a few moments ago, a pointed spiel intended to remind her that he was making sacrifices for this debacle, she figured it was only fair to tell him that being associated with the Sojour-D'Sa name was apparently in his interests!

Isabelle kept her voice neutral as she said, "Apparently your firm is having a bit of trouble with a particular situation." His eyes narrowed. His business was no one's concern but his and Jared's. He certainly wasn't going to allow some socialite to belittle it. But she wasn't done. "Apparently that is because you come from the wrong side of the business world." She told him bluntly and wasn't at all surprised to see the heat in his eyes. He was a proud man. He was also far from pleased to hear her take on his background for it reminded him of the yawning gap between their worlds.

Doug held onto his escalating temper. "Who told you that?" His eyes narrowed, and as Isabelle had guessed, he wasn't terribly happy.

Isabelle ignored the signs of his annoyance and increasing temper. "My grandmother told me that." She blithely took a sip of wine.

"Your grandmother?"

Isabelle nodded. "Apparently she and your grandmother had a long chat about the differences social status made to certain deals." She could see her words were annoying him further. Good, she thought. Now he'd know how she felt when he implied he was making a huge sacrifice in remaining engaged to her!

"Social status." He bit out.

Isabelle nodded calmly. "She thought lending you our name might help you." Her eyes cooled a touch more as she tacked on, "As your brother would no doubt have noticed when he hacked into our financial affairs, we once were barely afloat." It hurt knowing that for nearly a decade she had managed to keep their financial status a secret, and now a man she did not know, knew that the Sojour D'Sa family were just about managing. Isabelle looked straight at him. "But we do have our name." She informed him coolly, "And if lending it to you helps, that's fine."