Marriage of Convenience

Chapter Twelve

'So I suppose you'll be buying up Harrods this afternoon, as you spent the morning with Sam?' Theo Said as he escorted her from the restaurant, his hand under her elbow, making her feel safe and protected.

'Just a dress.' Freya smiled quickly. She'd forgotten she'd said she'd be going shopping this morning, Sam's phone call had driven it out of her mind, and she still went cold when she remembered the hatred she'd later seen in his eyes.

Freya wasn't in the mood for shopping, and as she turned into Bond Street her thoughts were miserably chewing over the interview with her cousin that morning. Perhaps she'd always subconsciously known that his dislike of her went deeper than mere resentment, and perhaps that was why she hadn't even thought about approaching him for advice when Leo had made his first blackmailing demands.

She had always known that her aunt and cousin had little time for her, were unwilling and unable to absorb her into the family. But Uncle Charles cared about her, and she had Theo, and he had become everything to her.

Things were looking good, she assured herself, and there was real hope for their marriage. It would succeed, and one day he would love her as she loved him. On that, she was quite determined! And tomorrow, after she'd paid Leo off, she would be able to put the past - behind her and concentrate all her energies on the most important thing in her life her marriage to Theo.

An hour later she walked out of a boutique, mingling with the crowds on the pavement. The dress she had bought was more daring than her usual choice. It was calf-length, with a full, soft skirt, in ice-blue—which made the most of her recently acquired a tan. So far, so good, but the front of the bodice dipped lower than anything she had ever worn before and the back was nonexistent—except for the band of the halter strap around the neck. The quiver of inner excitement she experienced as she imagined Theo's reaction when he saw her in the dress brought a dreamy smile to her lips. And someone said, just behind her, 'Been buying something super?'

Freya turned, smiling down into the eyes of Clara Adams. Clara worked in the Research department at Dylan Dexter and Freya asked, 'Day off?'

'Umm. A couple of days, actually.' Her brown eyes slid to the classy carrier Freya was holding. 'I want to buy a summer suit, but I couldn't afford the prices they charge in that place. You look great, by the way, a tan suits you—and the whole building are still buzzing over the way you upped and married the Frozen Asset. Oops!' Clara clapped a hand over her mouth. 'Me and my big mouth!'

'I think I may have thawed him a little,' Freya grinned and felt proud, and deliriously happy because it was the truth.

'Tell you what, why don't we grab a coffee, have a natter? We've been having a collection for a wedding present for you and Theo—I mean, Mr. Dylan—and he said you'd drop in one day next week—he'd arrange which day with you—and we could do the presentation bit then. Have you retired, or something?' Her head tilted to one side, '1 wish I could. I fancy myself as a Kept Woman!'

'No such thing!' Freya was quick to put out that rumor. Clara was a small fish in the Research Department but she had a largemouth, and Freya was going to be behind her desk first thing on Monday morning, if not sooner.

At the cramped table in the tiny restaurant. Clara picked up the menu. 'I haven't had lunch yet and my stomach thinks my throat's been cut—do you mind?'

'No, of course not, go ahead,' said Freya. 'I'll just have coffee.'

'Well, I'm glad you're not aiming to be a lady of leisure,' Clara confided when she'd given her order. 'Word had it you were resigning, and when Emily Steven from Takeovers and Mergers heard she nearly flipped. She fancies her chances as your successor!

'There's no question of my resigning,' Freya denied firmly.

'And talking about Takeovers and Mergers--' Clara's brown eyes were avid as she looked up from her tuna salad. 'A client phoned me yesterday morning, and this guy said he'd heard a rumor that we're making a takeover bid for your uncle's company, Dexter Securities.

He wanted to know if he should buy-in.' Freya's heart did a small somersault. Her uncle's firm—the largest family-owned company—to be swallowed up by Dylan Dexter? It would break his heart, make all the years he and her father had spent building the business up from scratch seem like a waste of time. And Clara said, 'I thought you'd like to know what was in the wind. Why don't you get on to someone in Takeovers and Mergers, find out what's going on? Know what I mean? You could come up with something interesting.'

It was no secret that Freya's father and Theo's uncle, direct descendants of Oliver Dexter and William Dylan who had founded the merchant bank way back in the eighteen hundreds had quarreled. It had happened a long time ago, almost fifty years ago to be exact, and Freya's father had sold out his shares to Theo's uncle and had gone into secondary banking, founding Dexter Securities with his younger brother, Freya's Uncle Charles.

When her father had died ten years ago Uncle Charles had carried on the by then successful company until the second of his heart-attacks had forced him into retirement. Now Sam was at the helm, and if Dylan Dexter were considering a takeover bid.

And why hadn't Theo told her? Surely she had a right to know? He would have the final say in any such decision; the board was like putty in his hands. They respected his judgment too much, and with good reason, to do more than superficially question his decisions— and then only for the look of it...

'Hey!' Clara snapped her fingers under Freya's nose. 'Come on back here—you looked miles away!'

Freya glanced at the other girl with a start, her eyes unfocused, then smiled automatically, picking up her cup to finish her coffee and Clara, eyeing the suit in fine olive green crepe Freya was wearing over a white silk V-necked blouse, asked wistfully, 'I don't suppose you'd help me look for a suit. You've got such fantastic taste.'

'I'm sorry,' Freya said quickly, perhaps too quickly, she conceded as Clara's face set in a huffy mask. This latest bombshell made her unfit company for anyone, and the last thing she could settle to do was trail around the shops looking for clothes. She had to contact Theo. 'I really don't have time,' she offered, her grey eyes serious.

Clara shrugged. 'That's OK.'

But she looked brighter when Freya told her sincerely, 'You don't need me to help you choose what to wear. You always look great.'

'I'm sorry, Freya, your husband is tied up in a meeting all afternoon.' Rose sounded perky. 'Your husband! You could have knocked me down with the proverbial when I heard you and Mr. Dylan were married! I suppose congratulations are in order!'

'Thanks.' Freya injected warmth into her voice although she felt like howling with frustration. 'How are you coping?'

'Fine,' Rose laughed lightly. 'I couldn't believe it at first, but he's actually smiled at me a time or two. Marriage has turned him into a human being.'

'I told you only needed time to get used to him,' Freya reminded, hating to have to waste time on chit-chat when all she wanted to do was find out from Theo if there was any truth in the takeover rumor.

But the smile slipped from her face as Rose told her, 'As a matter of fact I was about to phone you. Mr. Dylan asked me to let you know he'd be late home this evening. Something suddenly cropped up and he's got a working dinner with some of the businessmen who are handling the bid for a chain of American hotels. Just preliminary discussion, you know the sort of thing.'

Freya did, and if she'd been in the office, functioning in her normal capacity, it would have been she who had arranged the dinner, sat near him, taking it all in, every word, ready to chew over with him later. She would have been the recipient of his innermost cogitations... Instead, she was to dine alone, biting her nails and waiting for him to come home. She didn't know how she managed to end the phone conversation with any civility at all, but she must have done because Dawn sounded unruffled as she said her goodbyes and hung up.

She couldn't believe that Theo would have told her nothing had Dylan Dexter been seriously considering a takeover bid for Dexter Securities. And why he had to pick this night, of all nights, to be late coming home, she didn't know! It was enough to drive her distracted.