Deceit Of A Pagan

‘And if I didn’t want his charity?’

‘Then you were a very stubborn as well as stupid girl. But no matter, I regret I cannot live with you.’

‘Oh, don’t regret it,’ Templar said smugly. ‘I thought that might be your answer, and in the circumstances I can’t marry you. If you choose to take me to court about the baby’s guardianship that’s up to you, but I’ll fight it. Oh yes, I’ll fight it! I don’t think you would like the publicity any more than I would.’

‘Perhaps not, but I would win.’

‘Naturally,’ she admitted. ‘But would you like to put Keri through all that?’

‘Would you? Oh, very well! We will share a house. It will have to be near London, I have too many business ties here to live anywhere else.’ He looked impatiently angry at her blackmail.

Templar was dumbstruck, her plan backfiring on her. She hadn’t expected this. She had thought he would drop his ideas of marriage and instead she had made matters worse. She would now have to share a home with this man. She shuddered at the thought of it. ‘Um—–’ she hesitated. ‘Perhaps—perhaps you were right. We—we could live apart.’

‘No, you are right. Keri needs both parents.’

Templar felt a sick sinking feeling in her stomach. What had she let herself in for now?

CHAPTER THREE (#u436003f1-6311-5575-8127-610d5358cac9)

TEMPLAR relaxed back on the garden lounger, smiling happily as Keri crawled about at her feet. They spent most of their afternoons like this and already, after only a few weeks, the two of them were attaining a healthy glow that had been sadly lacking. To Keri the huge garden was like a forest, and she loved nothing better than exploring its green depths.

It was three weeks since Templar’s quiet wedding to Leondro Marcose, or Leon as she now called him. Not that they were any more friendly towards one another, but she could hardly address her own husband as Mr Marcose. Mrs Harvey, the housekeeper Leon had engaged, would have found that very odd, even odder than their sleeping arrangements. Leon’s bedroom certainly adjoined her own, but the door between them was firmly locked and she could only assume that Leon had the key; she had certainly never seen it.