The British Billionaire's Innocent Bride Read online

  ‘That’s understandable…’ Lily murmured.

  ‘Of course,’ he replied quickly. ‘And, because of that, when she asked I allowed her to be a weekly boarder at her school, to be with her friends. I must say she seems easier now when she’s back home—which she is full-time now, naturally, because it’s the school holidays. I know she misses her mother, but I can’t take her place, and—well…I’m not sure I understand women,’ he added, looking thoughtful for a second.

  ‘Are there grandparents around?’ Lily asked.

  ‘No—’fraid not. My parents are dead,’ he said slowly. ‘They were both well into middle age when I came along…’ His lip curled. ‘I was probably a very unpleasant surprise.’ He shrugged. ‘They were both practising doctors with busy lives—I never actually saw too much of them during my childhood.’

  So, Lily thought, he might have known his parents, but in essence he’d been almost as alone as she had.

  ‘And Elspeth’s parents…?’ she ventured hesitantly.

  ‘Her father is alive, but he lives in South Africa. We seldom see him.’

  ‘So—who takes care of the children?’ Lily asked. ‘When you’re at work?’

  ‘Well, of course I’ve had to employ nannies…though they’ve seldom been asked to stay overnight.’ The strong mouth tightened as he spoke. ‘As soon as I come home, I’m the one in charge.’

  And how, Lily thought.

  ‘But luckily for me I have Beatrice—or Bea—and her husband,’ he went on. ‘They live nearby. Bea used to help my wife in the house, and then with the babies as they came along. But she’s over seventy, and I don’t want to take advantage of her good nature, even though she says she loves helping out. Which she’s doing while I’m here,’ he added. ‘She and Joe move in and sleep over until I come back—the kids adore them. But—as I said—I don’t want to wear them out.’ He leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. ‘It was a good job we hadn’t any more offspring, because three are about as many as I can handle… We’d intended having a much larger family, but—well—fate had other ideas,’ he said.

  ‘Well—you may yet have more one day…’ Lily began.

  ‘Oh, that won’t happen,’ Theo replied at once. ‘I shan’t marry again. That’s not on the cards.’ He paused for a second. ‘I have no plans for myself. The children and their welfare, their future—that’s all I care about, all that keeps me going.’ Who could ever take the place of his beloved Elspeth? Who would he ever want to take her place?

  Lily shrugged to herself. He was still young, and a very marriageable prospect for any deserving female, she thought. But it was obvious that his mind was made up, and she somehow knew that he wasn’t likely to change it.

  Thinking that he’d divulged far more of himself than he ever had before to anyone—certainly not to a random female—Theo leaned forward.

  ‘And you?’ he asked. ‘D’you have any other siblings?’

  ‘No. It’s just Sam and me,’ Lily replied. ‘Though it would have been nice if there’d been more of us.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll make up for that one day,’ he said easily. ‘Have lots of kids of your own, and—’

  ‘No. I don’t want children,’ Lily said bluntly. She paused. ‘If you’d seen me with those twins…I just don’t think I’m a natural mother, that’s all. It wouldn’t be fair—to any of us.’ And I’m never going to be a natural wife, either, she added silently to herself, recoiling at the thought, remembering her past with something approaching revulsion.

  ‘And your parents—they’re obviously still alive…?’ he went on, making the presumption as Lily could only be in her early twenties.

  Lily’s spine began to tingle, and she tore her gaze away from his. She didn’t want to discuss any more of her life with anyone—certainly not with him. Yet he had been surprisingly honest about his own position, so she found it difficult to be evasive.

  ‘Our parents are no longer living,’ she said. Well, who knew where their father was? ‘So, you see, we’re both orphans, you and I.’ She smiled. ‘I can’t even remember them.’

  ‘Who brought you up?’

  ‘Oh, an assortment of aunties and uncles,’ Lily said, looking away. There was no need to say that she’d been a human reject, despaired of by foster carers. Because it hurt her to think it—even to herself.

  Theo looked at her for a long moment, sensing an undercurrent of something he couldn’t explain passing between them. She was bright, obviously articulate and intelligent—yet there was something about her that reminded him of Freya. She was sad, too, he thought. Not just about being an orphan, as she’d said, but for other, deeper reasons.

  The meal ended rather soberly after all that, and, foregoing dessert, they left the restaurant and walked towards St Peter’s. Late as it was, there was still plenty of activity everywhere, and Lily realised that she didn’t feel at all tired, but relaxed and happy. And she couldn’t put that down to the wine, because she hadn’t drunk any since lunchtime… It had to be Rome, she thought. With just a little credit going to the man walking along beside her. Theo had been personal, and personable, all evening, but he had not once stepped over that line of familiarity which was unacceptable. She realised that no man had ever made her feel so…protected…so appreciated. He seemed to enjoy being with her, with not a hint of wanting anything more. She breathed in deeply, silently. It was a relief to feel this secure.

  Presently Theo said, ‘Perhaps it’s time I got you back to your hotel.’ He looked down at her. ‘If your brother has recovered, he’s sure to be wondering where you are by now.’

  ‘Oh, he won’t be worried about me,’ Lily said at once. ‘He knows I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.’ She hesitated, thinking how smug and self-sufficient that must sound. ‘It’s just that I’ve had to stand on my own feet for so long I never expect anyone to feel responsible for me in any way,’ she explained. ‘And—that’s the way I like it,’ she added.

  He nodded slightly. ‘Yes—I can understand that,’ he said, thinking that he was in much the same position himself. Ever since he’d become a lone parent he’d had to almost fight off the well-intentioned efforts of various women wanting to help shoulder some of the responsibility. But he’d been determined from the outset that that would not happen. This was his problem, and he was going to solve it himself. And he’d done all right so far, he thought—even if Freya was a continual source of worry to him. But he felt sure that it would all come right one day.

  ‘Your brother’s hotel is very well situated,’ he remarked. ‘You said it’s off Piazza Navona? Couldn’t be better.’

  ‘I know,’ Lily said. ‘So I don’t have to look far for entertainment. The hotel is just far enough away from the beaten track to be surprisingly peaceful. I’ve never lost a night’s sleep there yet.’

  It didn’t take long to get back, and Theo realised, rather disturbingly, that he didn’t want the evening to come to an end. He’d enjoyed himself—really enjoyed himself. Since Elspeth had gone, he’d hated eating alone in foreign countries, and he’d been glad of the chance to invite someone other than a professional colleague to have supper with him. It had been a bit of luck that he’d spotted Lily sitting alone by the fountain, and even more lucky that her brother hadn’t been well enough to accompany her. For some reason he felt…lighter—lighter in spirit than he had for fourteen months. But of course the reason for that was quite clear. He’d been on a mission—even if he hadn’t been aware of that at first. A project had presented itself, and projects were what kept him going these days. The fact was that he liked Lily—liked the woman’s company. She didn’t grate on his nerves, which was often the case now, when he was with a member of the opposite sex. And subconsciously a plan had been forming in his mind, without him knowing it. Why else had he quite shamelessly been assessing her all the evening—assessing her character, sizing her up?

  Just as they approached the lighted entrance to her hotel, he stopped, forcing Lily to
halt her steps. She looked up at him, smiling quickly.

  ‘Well, thank you, thanks a lot for that lovely meal, Theo,’ she began.

  ‘No—thank you—for agreeing to come with me tonight,’ he said seriously, waiting for the right words, the right moment to continue. ‘Actually, Lily, I’ve been wondering whether you’d…’ he began.

  Lily presumed that he was going to suggest they meet up again while they were in Rome. But she was here to be with her brother—they only had another two days, after all. She’d have to think of a diplomatic refusal, she thought.

  ‘No—I’m sorry…I really must be entirely free for Sam. We have such a short time here together,’ she said, ‘and we’ve not seen each other since last year.’

  He smiled down into her upturned face. ‘No—no, of course. I wouldn’t dream of intruding upon any more of your holiday,’ he said. ‘It’s not that.’

  ‘Oh?’ Lily said, immediately feeling foolish and frowning slightly. ‘Well…what is it, then?’

  Unusually for him, Theo had difficulty finding words, but then he managed to come out with what he had to say in his normal forthright manner.

  ‘Would you… Would you step in and look after the boys for me—just for a few weeks?’ he asked. ‘I did notice from the address on your luggage earlier that we live in the same town…I’m between nannies at the moment, and I’m in a bit of a fix. I loathe the thought of interviewing yet more girls who seldom turn out as I’d hoped. It would just be for a short time,’ he added quickly. ‘Not a long-term commitment, but it would give me time to—well, to regroup…while you make up your mind about your future. It would be just a temporary thing, I assure you. The children will be back at school in a month or so, so you’d have plenty of time for yourself to make plans, write off for interviews, make telephone calls and stuff… And I pay well over the going rate for the job,’ he added, almost afraid to hear her reaction to his request.

  Lily sank down on to the low stone wall skirting the entrance of the hotel and looked up at him, amazed at what he’d asked. ‘Do you honestly believe that I could be up to the task?’ she said. ‘I’ve told you—I don’t think I’m any good with children. If you’re looking for Mary Poppins, you’ve come to the wrong person.’

  ‘I’m sure you’d be better than some of the girls I’ve employed so far,’ he said flatly. He hesitated. ‘I expect it’s my own fault—I must be rubbish at the selection process,’ he said. ‘They all seem OK at interview—but it never quite works out.’ He held her gaze for a moment. ‘And—by the way—I’m not asking you to be Mary Poppins. I’m just asking you to be a stand-in until I find her.’

  ‘Well—how many nannies have you employed so far?’ Lily asked curiously, still utterly taken aback by the unexpectedness of his proposal. What on earth was she going to say? What on earth did she want to say?

  ‘Three in just over a year,’ he said. ‘I had to sack two of them because they turned out to be totally unsuitable, and the third left because she’d suddenly decided to take off and go backpacking for a year. So then I had to use the temporary services of an agency, and that wasn’t ideal at all. The poor kids never knew who was going to be there when they got home.’

  Lily swallowed, not sure how to respond. She’d made up her mind that being with children all day was definitely not for her, but deep down she felt that it might not be such a bad idea to fall in with Theo’s wishes. It could be a timely stop-gap while she reviewed her future—as he’d suggested.

  He broke in on her thoughts. ‘If you did agree, Lily,’ he said, ‘it would mean turning up in time to take Tom and Alex to school in the mornings—though of course they’re on holiday for the next six weeks or so—and to pick them up at three. Then giving them their tea and waiting with them until I get back at about seven. I always put them to bed,’ he added. ‘And of course you’d need to be available all day at the end of the phone to deal with any problems when they’re at school. Although I’m obviously contactable in a dire emergency, I cannot leave my post for minor things.’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘I suppose what I’m really trying to do—what my subconscious hope is—is to find a replacement for my wife… Which is unreasonable of me, of course. How could that ever happen? How could any staff member fill that sort of gap?’

  He sat down next to Lily, the lighting from the hotel throwing strange shadows across his face, and, staring across at him, Lily thought how tired he looked—and a bit lost. She sighed inwardly. Despite all her misgivings, something was dragging her towards accepting his offer. From what he’d said, it shouldn’t be too onerous a commission, and his boys weren’t likely to be such little horrors as the twins. They wouldn’t dare—not with Theodore Montague for a father!

  She smiled suddenly. ‘Let me sleep on it,’ she said. ‘I need a little time to make important decisions.’

  ‘Quite right—I’d go along with that,’ he said earnestly, sensing victory. Somehow he’d read her mind, and in that brief instant he knew that she was going to say yes to his request. But he also knew that she would make him wait a while for his answer.

  The frown on the handsome brow cleared, and he stood up, taking a business card from his pocket.

  ‘My mobile number’s on this,’ he said briefly, handing it to Lily. ‘Give me a ring—any time—with your decision.’

  Lily studied the card. ‘What if I interrupt something important?’ she asked, not looking up at him.

  ‘Oh, don’t worry about that,’ he said at once. ‘Bea also has my number, and she knows she can contact me at any time if necessary. My children come first in my life.’

  They eventually said goodnight, and Lily watched for a moment as he strode away to return to his own hotel on the other side of the city. When she went inside, Sam was at the reception desk.

  ‘Oh—Lily!’ he exclaimed, coming over to give her a hug. ‘I’m terribly sorry about this evening. I’ll make up for it tomorrow, I promise. Is everything OK—where have you been?’

  ‘Out to a wonderful supper—and walking about, soaking up the atmosphere,’ Lily said happily.

  And she was happy. She’d had a great evening, and she’d enjoyed a man’s company more than she could have believed possible. But most of all bubbling up in her consciousness was the fact that not once had he attempted to touch her, to take her hand or even to brush against her. They had not made physical contact all evening. And that was the best thing of all. No wonder she’d been able to completely relax.

  As she got ready for bed, she glanced at the business card again. She’d ring him later on tomorrow, with her acceptance. After all, she’d be daft to turn down the opportunity of marking time—and being paid for it—while she reassessed her future.

  CHAPTER THREE

  A WEEK later, Lily caught the bus which would take her to the opposite end of the town—the posh end—where Theodore Montague lived. She was too ashamed to drive over in her battered old car, preferring to leave it where it was outside her flat.

  It was Saturday, and she’d been invited over to tea to meet the children, and to see where she’d be spending much of the next three months of her life.

  Gazing out of the window, Lily remembered again how appreciative Theo had been that she’d fallen in with his request, and he’d accepted the fact that she would give it until the end of October before moving on to pastures new.

  ‘By that time I ought to be able to find someone else,’ he’d said. ‘Especially if you’re around to sit in on the interviews.’ He’d paused. ‘I do think that a woman is better at assessing another woman in these special circumstances. You’ll probably spot the warning signs that seem to have gone over my head so far,’ he’d added.

  Lily hadn’t made any comment, still surprised that he considered her, or her opinion, to be of any value. But it had made her feel good inside—had even made her look forward to the challenge of taking up this unlooked-for post. She would try her best to succeed where others had failed—maybe prove to herself that she wa
sn’t as bad at handling children as she’d thought. After all, it was only going to be for twelve weeks.

  The house turned out to be one of a terrace of Georgian dwellings, opening out onto the street, with no front garden. The imposing shiny black front door was flanked on either side by two bay trees, and looked solid enough to keep out the most determined intruder.

  Lily took a deep breath as she raised her hand to grasp the large knocker—but before she could make her presence known the door was flung open, and a tall, elderly grey-haired woman stood there, with two small boys jockeying for position in front of her.

  ‘Hello…you must be Lily!’ the woman exclaimed. ‘Do come in. We’ve been watching at the window, waiting for you.’ She smiled, standing aside for Lily to enter, and almost at once her heart lifted at the genuine welcome she was receiving.

  ‘Yes, I’m Lily,’ she said hesitantly. She looked down into the upturned faces of the children, whose interested eyes and ready smiles demonstrated their obvious wellbeing. ‘And you’re…Tom? And…Alexander?’ she asked.

  ‘No. I’m Alex,’ Alexander said promptly. ‘I hate people calling me Alexander.’

  ‘And I’m not Thomas. I’m Tom-Tom,’ the smaller child lisped.

  ‘I’ll remember.’ Lily smiled. She turned to the woman. ‘And you’re…Bea?’ she asked shyly.

  ‘That’s right, dear—Jill-of-all-trades and mistress of none!’ She looked down at the children. ‘Aren’t you going to say hello to Lily properly, boys?’

  ‘Hi, Lily,’ they chorused obediently.

  ‘That’s right. Now, Freya is out playing tennis at the moment,’ Bea explained, ‘but she’ll be back in an hour. Do come on through, Lily. Theodore is busy in his private study at the moment, but he’ll be finished shortly.’

  Lily tried to take in her surroundings all at once—something she was very good at—and she was aware straight away of the luxury which surrounded her. The huge oak-floored entrance hall was enhanced at one end by a massive antique dresser on which stood two golden-shaded lamps, some expensive-looking objets d’art, and in the centre a silver-framed photograph of a beautiful dark-haired young woman. Lily glanced away quickly, not wanting to appear inquisitive—she didn’t need telling who that was. It could only be Elspeth, whose picture there—to be met by the gaze of every visitor—told its own story. She was still mistress here. Still the most important woman in the house.