To Become A Bride

Was it her imagination, or did Audrey’s expression suddenly look guarded? But the other woman had told her she knew nothing about Jonas Noble, and Danie believed her. So why did Audrey suddenly look so wary?

‘Any help?’ Danie went on, watching Audrey intently.

Audrey turned away from the intensity of that searching gaze. ‘Not particularly. Rome simply hasn’t mentioned him.’

Rome might not have mentioned Jonas Noble, but Danie was sure that revealing his identity as a doctor had given Audrey some idea of exactly what he was doing here…

And why shouldn’t it have done? Audrey spent more time with her father than anyone else, was sure to be aware if Rome was ill. Even if she wouldn’t talk to anyone else about it…

Danie stood away from the desk, knowing she would get nothing further out of Audrey. ‘I had better go and see if he’s ready to leave yet.’ She pulled a face at the prospect of spending yet more time in the company of Jonas Noble.

‘Have fun,’ Audrey replied distractedly, her thoughts obviously elsewhere.

Were they with Rome? Danie pondered as she walked slowly back to the dining-room. Because she had no doubt whatsoever, now that Audrey knew Jonas Noble was a doctor, she also knew exactly what he was doing here!

Danie gave an impatient sigh. If her father was ill, then she had a right to know. She wasn’t a child; for goodness’ sake, none of them was, and, although it would be upsetting to find out Rome had serious health problems, it couldn’t be any worse than how not knowing was turning out to be!

‘Why the long face, Danie?’ her father asked as he met her out in the hallway.

He was alone. Which posed the question; where was Jonas Noble?

Although, for the moment, Danie put that question aside, and looked intently at her father. ‘What’s going on, Daddy?’ she demanded.

Her father steadily held her eyes. ‘I—’

‘And don’t try and fob me off by telling me you don’t know what I’m talking about,’ Danie cut in determinedly, her expression mutinous. ‘Because you know exactly what I meant!’

Her father raised blond brows reprovingly. ‘I wasn’t about to do that, Danie,’ he answered softly, that very softness telling her that he was becoming angry himself. ‘But I’ll talk to you—to all of you—when I’m good and ready.’

Danie drew in a sharp breath. Her father was tough when it came to his business dealings, had needed to be to become the successful man he was, but he rarely, if ever, became angry with any of his daughters. The very fact that he was angry with her now told Danie just how serious this all was…

‘Where’s Jonas Noble?’ she asked tautly.

Her father relaxed slightly, a teasing light entering the blue of his eyes. ‘Unless I’m mistaken, you didn’t seem in too much of a hurry to spend time in his company earlier.’

Danie grimaced. ‘You weren’t mistaken. But as it appears I don’t have any choice in the matter—’

‘Oh, but you do.’ Rome grinned. ‘I’ve had Charles drive Jonas back to London,’ he explained at her sharply questioning look.

Danie blinked her surprise. Jonas Noble had already left? He was being driven back to town?

‘And whose idea was that?’ she snapped resentfully. Damn it, she might not have wanted to spend any more time in the man’s company, but it would at least have given her another chance to find out more about him!

‘Mine, actually,’ her father replied matter-of-factly. ‘Although Jonas seemed quite happy with the arrangement too,’ he added.

Danie would just bet he had! She hadn’t been unaware of Jonas Noble’s dislike of her, knew that he had found her brash and rude. Which she had been, she conceded ruefully. But she had also been aware, when she’d entered the sitting-room before lunch, that he had been surprised by, if not attracted to, the difference in her appearance without the baseball cap, that he had been momentarily stunned by her looks. Only momentarily, she acknowledged wryly; she was sure that not too many things wrong-footed the arrogant Mr Noble for long!

‘I was only talking to Audrey,’ Danie muttered resentfully. ‘You said you would give me a call when Jonas was ready to leave.’

Her father’s humour disappeared. ‘I preferred him to be driven back with Charles,’ he stated firmly.

Effectively removing any chance she might have to talk to Jonas Noble again!

She didn’t like this. Not one little bit. And if her father thought he had got the better of her, then he was going to be disappointed. Jonas could only have left with Charles minutes earlier, which meant they couldn’t have got very far yet.

‘Where are you going?’ her father called after her as she turned to run up the wide staircase.

Danie glanced back only briefly. ‘I think I’ll go back to town too,’ she told him.

‘But—’

‘You’ll have to excuse me, Daddy,’ she interrupted his protest, turning to go up the stairs two at a time. ‘I’m in rather a hurry.’

It took very little time to collect the things she needed from her bedroom, and race back down the stairs again. On her way to the front door she heard the murmur of voices coming from the sitting-room.

‘—will have to be told soon, Rome,’ Audrey was saying gently. ‘Very soon, I would have thought. This isn’t something you can keep to yourself for very much longer.’

It wasn’t in Danie’s forthright nature to eavesdrop, but those few words held her transfixed in the hallway, her heart beating faster, her eyes dark with apprehension as she listened to the rest of what Audrey had to say.

She’d believed Audrey when the other woman had told her earlier that she didn’t know who or what Jonas Noble was, or what he was doing here, but obviously the little Danie had told the other woman about him had given Audrey the answer to the latter at least…!

‘I realise that,’ Rome groaned in a pained voice. ‘It’s just that— This isn’t the sort of thing you can just blurt out over breakfast one morning!’ he rasped impatiently.

Audrey sighed. ‘I know, but if I’ve been able to guess…’

‘Yes, yes,’ Rome muttered heavily. ‘I will tell them. But in my own time,’ he said grimly. ‘I have to get used to the idea myself first!’

‘I know, Rome,’ Audrey returned huskily. ‘I do know. I just— Oh, Rome!’ she choked emotionally. ‘It will only be a matter of weeks before they all realise—’

‘It’s all right, Audrey,’ Rome soothed, appearing to be the comforter now. ‘It will be all right, you’ll see.’

Danie couldn’t stand and listen to any more, hurrying from the house, closing the door softly behind her, loath to let her father or Audrey know she had heard any of their conversation.

Weeks…! My God, did that mean—? Was her father—?

She didn’t care whether Jonas Noble wanted to see her again or not—he was damn well going to. Because she was determined to get some answers from somewhere—and at the moment Jonas Noble seemed to be the man who had them all!

It was warm and comfortable in the back of the Rolls Royce, and Jonas could feel the effect of that warm comfort as his eyes once again began to close sleepily. Thank goodness it was the weekend and he could sleep in late tomorrow.

You’re getting too old for this, Noble, he told himself. One sleepless night had reduced him to being almost a walking zombie. Almost, he smiled to himself sleepily. He had been awake enough to visit his patient today.

And he had certainly been awake enough to appreciate the beautiful, if caustic, Danie Summer!

He shook his head as it rested back against the leather seat, smiling slightly, his eyes closed. Not a woman to be trifled with, he decided, knowing that she believed he had done exactly that. And had resented him intensely for it. He—

‘I’m going to pull over, Mr Noble,’ Charles announced from the front of the car, glancing in his driving mirror as Jonas opened his eyes to look across at him. ‘Miss Danie seems to want a word,’ Charles added helpfully.

Miss Danie—!