The British Billionaire's Innocent Bride Read online

  Today she decided that she would drive herself over to Theo’s house rather than take the bus—but she wouldn’t lower the tone of the neighbourhood by parking right outside! She’d find a space somewhere out of sight, she thought.

  Theo came to the door himself in answer to her knock. He was casually dressed, Lily noticed—immediately jumping to the conclusion that he wasn’t going anywhere on official business today. Echoing her thoughts, he said, ‘I’ll be working at home, Lily…I thought it only fair to be on hand—as moral support for you, if nothing else—on your first day.’ He smiled, as if guessing what she was thinking, and Lily smiled back, knowing that he was noting every little thing about her.

  And why not? Why shouldn’t he? She was being given charge of his most precious possessions—his three children—and he would expect high standards in every way. But he needn’t bother himself, Lily thought. Despite her fractured background, she was a perfectionist in her own way. She was wearing neatly pressed grey trousers today, and a short-sleeved honey-coloured top that seemed to reflect her freshly shampooed hair, which she’d tied back in a ponytail.

  Hearing voices, the boys appeared from nowhere, still in their pyjamas, and Alex said, ‘We’ve been waiting for you. You’ve been a long time.’

  ‘Have I? I’m sorry,’ Lily said, wrinkling her nose briefly. There was an undeniable smell of burning coming from the kitchen.

  Theo shrugged mildly. ‘Freya is cooking breakfast,’ he murmured.

  Freya popped her head around the door, her small face flushed. ‘Lily—I’m doing you some sausages,’ she greeted her, before going back to the stove.

  As the boys raced on ahead into the kitchen, Theo explained, ‘We’re not usually this disorganised in the mornings, but it is holiday time. For them, if not for me. Routine tends to go out of the window, I’m afraid. And the boys wouldn’t let me help them get dressed. They insisted that they wanted you to do it.’ He paused. ‘You seem to be something of a hit already, Lily,’ he said casually.

  She shook her head. ‘They’re hoping I’ve brought some more sweets, no doubt,’ she said, smiling.

  ‘Well—come on through,’ he said easily. ‘Coffee’s made.’

  The glorious smell of it percolating was even more overpowering than the aroma of charring sausages, and Lily had to admit that, if pressed, she could probably eat something. And certainly enjoy a freshly made coffee.

  On the long table, she saw that bowls of cereal had been put out for the children, and the boys immediately sat down and began to eat. Lily was touched to see that they had set a place for her, too. She looked around quickly, wondering where their father usually sat, but he was busy pouring coffee and making drinks for the children, and she realised straight away that he’d either had his breakfast or never bothered with the meal at all.

  He came over and filled her cup to the brim. ‘Sit down, Lily,’ he said. ‘Uh…I think the sausages are on their way.’ He gave her the merest suggestion of a wink as Freya approached, and the child set the plate down in front of Lily, looking at her expectantly.

  ‘Freya—these look absolutely yummy!’ Lily exclaimed. ‘But, goodness me—I never eat three at a time!’

  ‘There are more over there,’ Freya said, waiting for Lily to start eating. ‘D’you like mustard with them, or tomato ketchup? I’ve put both out for you—see?’ She paused. ‘Daddy never eats breakfast,’ she added off-handedly, ‘so I haven’t made any for him.’

  Lily made a great fuss of enjoying the food, and although the sausages were rather blackened, the centres were cooked well enough, and were surprisingly appetizing. She was able to finish them without any trouble. Though, because Freya was being so sweet, and had cooked them specially for her, she’d have eaten them whatever they tasted like.

  Theo drank his coffee and turned to go. ‘I’ll be upstairs in my study today,’ he said briefly, looking down at Lily. ‘Bea will be doing the lunches—but please help yourself to anything in the house. The children know how everything ticks—feel free to give me a shout if you need me. And you three,’ he said, glancing at the children, ‘be good.’

  Lily smiled, looking up quickly. ‘I’m sure we shan’t be disturbing you,’ she murmured. ‘Besides, I know there’s a big play park nearby, so we’ll probably be going down there later, when everyone’s dressed.’

  He nodded and left the room, feeling quite pleased with how things were going as he went up the stairs. He’d never seen his children react like this with any of the other women he’d employed. The boys were always quite wary of newcomers, and Freya was always only just on the right side of being rude, her negative attitude permanently on parade. But Lily seemed to have cast a spell on his daughter, who’d got up early to prepare breakfast. And as for cooking sausages—the mind boggled! Long may it last, he thought. And as he went into his study and shut the door he admitted to a very unusual, comforting sensation of…what? Optimism? Or relief? He’d found someone suitable for the kids—even if she wasn’t going to be here long. Whatever it was, he knew that he felt slightly less screwed-up about his situation than he had for months. He glanced down at the picture of his wife on the desk, smiling back at her for a second.

  Later, Lily and the children trooped down to the park, arriving back in time to sit and enjoy Bea’s delicious salad and jacket potato lunch.

  ‘Aren’t you having anything, Bea?’ Lily asked, looking up at the woman who was busying herself with adding ice cream to the fresh fruit salad she’d prepared.

  ‘No, dear. I’ll be going home in a few minutes to have my lunch with Joe…We always eat a bit later than they do here—not that Theo ever has much at all during the day when he’s home. I’ve taken him up a sandwich and a coffee, but once he’s shut himself in that study that’s usually the last we see of him until suppertime.’ She paused. ‘He works so hard—he’s tireless, really. I worry that he overdoes it, but…’ She lowered her voice so that the children, who were chattering loudly, wouldn’t hear her, adding, ‘We think it’s his way of coping with his loss, you know. Burying himself in his work to forget.’ She sighed. ‘We do our best to lighten the load, but there’s only so much anyone can do, and Joe doesn’t enjoy the best of health now, so we’re limited in that way.’

  ‘I know Theo is immensely grateful to you both,’ Lily said at once. ‘You’ve been a tower of strength to him…’ She paused. ‘Bea—what usually happens about the evening meal?’ she asked. ‘You don’t do that as well, do you?’

  ‘Well, holiday times are different—we sort of take it in turns,’ Bea replied as she handed out the little dishes of fruit. ‘Theo isn’t much of a cook, but he can produce simple meals, and I make sure they have a roast or a meat pie now and then as well. We sort of mix and match.’ She smiled.

  ‘Well, as long as he doesn’t think I’m trying to interfere and take over,’ Lily said firmly, ‘you can leave supper to me for as long as I’m here.’ She looked up at the older woman. ‘I’m a trained cook, Bea,’ she said, ‘so I’m not likely to poison the family.’

  Bea looked surprised—and pleased. ‘Really, dear? Theo never mentioned that you were a cook—he merely said he’d found someone he knew would be good with the children.’ She paused. ‘But if you really feel you could do some of the cooking it would be a tremendous help. It’s not that I mind at all, you understand, Lily—I enjoy being in the kitchen, especially this one—it’s just that I get really tired in the evenings, and by the time I’ve cleared up I’m pretty exhausted. I know that Theo worries that I’m doing too much,’ she added.

  ‘Yes, he mentioned that,’ Lily agreed. ‘So…I’ll square it with him, of course, but from now on leave the suppers to me, Bea. And surely you don’t need to come in every single day to do lunches?’

  ‘Well, we’d better discuss all this with Theo and see what he says,’ the older woman suggested.

  After Freya had been collected to go to her daily tennis session the boys went outside to play in the garden. Lily had a go
od look in the fridge and freezer. There was enough food there to feed an army, and if Theo agreed with her suggestion she’d have a great time preparing meals in his fantastic kitchen. She smiled to herself as she thought what a simple task it would be to cater for a family compared with the hectic atmosphere that had prevailed in some of the hotel kitchens she’d worked in, where there had been a constant flow of requests for different dishes. Here she would be her own boss—up to a point—and as soon as she’d discovered the kind of food that the children and their father liked it would be a doddle!

  The boys passed the afternoon happily in the garden—especially after Lily agreed to fill their paddling pool for them to splash about in. She was in the kitchen, making a jug of squash to take outside, when Theo appeared.

  ‘How are you surviving your first day here?’ he asked, leaning casually against the doorframe and watching as she took down mugs from a shelf. ‘Any problems?’ He paused. ‘Did Freya behave herself this morning?’

  ‘Freya was a model child,’ Lily said, ‘and happy to push Tom on the swings. She seemed to enjoy mothering him, I thought.’

  ‘Oh, she’s fine with the boys,’ Theo said slowly. ‘It’s me who seems to be the problem. When I’m around everything is an issue.’

  Lily finished putting the drinks on a tray and glanced up. ‘Will you join us for a glass of this? It’s so warm today and…you’ve been shut away for hours.’ As soon as she’d said that, Lily shuddered inwardly. What he did was none of her business—and she felt that he was quite capable of telling her so!

  But he gave a slightly crooked smile at her words. ‘I’m working on a particularly difficult lecture at the moment,’ he said, ‘and it’s giving me some grief.’ He shrugged. ‘The time simply disappears, I’m afraid. But—yes, thanks, I’ll take a glass of that.’ He opened the freezer door and took out a tray of ice-cubes, adding them to the jug. ‘Perhaps I’ll come outside for ten minutes to drink it. Give myself a breather,’ he added.

  Carrying his glass, he followed Lily out into the garden. The boys immediately dashed up to him.

  ‘We’ve been making sandcastles—look, Dad,’ Alex said.

  Theo nodded in the direction the child was pointing. ‘Yes,’ he said mildly, ‘and you’ve certainly altered the appearance of the lawn, too, Alex. But those castles look good, I must say.’

  ‘They’re for me to jump on in a minute,’ Tom said, ‘when Alex says I can.’

  Lily sank down on to a cushioned hammock and handed the boys their drinks, sipping at hers gratefully while Theo perched on the edge of a low, ornamental stone wall. Soon the children resumed their activities.

  Lily glanced across at Theo, wondering how best to make her suggestion of taking over in the kitchen. Even though he was apparently watching what the boys were doing, she knew his thoughts were miles away. The handsome face was serious, the black eyes mirroring his thoughts in their intensity, and she cleared her throat nervously. Perhaps this wasn’t a good moment? But would there ever be one?

  ‘I was wondering…’ she began, and he turned quickly to face her, his eyebrows raised. ‘It’s just that…I was speaking to Bea at lunchtime, and—well…I don’t think her husband is too well at the moment—’

  ‘What is it? She didn’t say anything to me,’ he cut in.

  ‘Nothing specific—I don’t think. But she is anxious. So, I…’ Lily swallowed. She didn’t want to assume anything, or to be officious in any way. ‘If you’ve no objection, I’d be happy to see to all the meals while I’m here,’ she said quickly, her words coming out in a rush. ‘To save Bea having to come in all the time. Just as a temporary thing, of course,’ she added hurriedly. ‘I did make the offer to Bea, and she said that as long as you were agreeable she’d be happy to hand over the reins.’ There—she’d said it. She hoped he didn’t think she expected a raised salary.

  ‘Well, I don’t know—’ he began, so Lily went on.

  ‘I did explain—when we were in Rome—that I’ve been trained in cooking.’ She paused. ‘I can bring over my diploma to show you, if you like…’

  He gave a short laugh. ‘Don’t be an idiot,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to see formal evidence of your achievements. My only doubt is that it might be too much for you. Handling three children is quite enough, heaven alone knows.’ He hesitated. ‘I don’t want to take advantage of you,’ he said slowly, ‘of your willing nature. I would feel bad asking it of you.’

  ‘But you haven’t asked it of me,’ Lily said simply. ‘I’ve offered. It’s my idea. Anyway,’ she went on, ‘let’s give it a try for a couple of weeks, and see if you all approve of the meals I put in front of you. If you don’t, you can sack me and reinstate Bea.’

  He grinned down at her. ‘That sounds good to me,’ he said easily, clearly happy at what Lily had suggested. ‘The boys and I are easy enough to please, but Freya can be picky. Or she is at times. Recently she decided to go vegetarian—until she smelt Bea’s roasting chicken one Sunday lunchtime, and quickly changed her mind.’

  Lily felt relieved that Theo had taken her suggestion on board so easily. ‘What time do you eat supper?’ she asked.

  Theo stood up. ‘About six—for the kids, I mean. I have mine after they’re in bed—about eight, I suppose.’ He looked down at her. ‘But feel free to make up some of the rules for yourself, Lily. We’re in your hands now. I only hope you don’t regret it!’

  Much later, after Freya had come back from tennis and the boys had been cleaned up, Lily sat them all down at the kitchen table.

  ‘Now, then,’ she said, taking a notebook and pen from her bag, ‘I’m going to be the kitchen queen for a couple of weeks, and what I want from you is a list of what you all like to eat—just so that I get it right. Fire away. You first, Tom-Tom.’

  For the next half an hour the children argued about everything they wanted put in front of them, and before long it turned into a hilarious game of thinking up horrible suggestions like roasted worms and steamed slugs. But Lily had learned enough to satisfy herself that, as she’d expected, the family ate all the usual dishes—with one or two exceptions.

  ‘Does Daddy like all that as well?’ Lily asked, glancing at Freya.

  The child shrugged. ‘S’pose so. He doesn’t have supper with us. We’re in bed by the time he has his, so we don’t know what he eats.’

  Lily frowned slightly at the rather dismissive remarks. Theo was right, she thought. His daughter’s attitude was undeniably cool where he was concerned. Lily bit her lip. He was such an obviously devoted parent…the sort any child should be grateful for. She, herself, had never had much reason to be grateful to anyone—but what did children know about gratitude? she asked herself, being honest for a second. Perhaps those bad things in her life, which were so unforgettable, had clouded over and hidden other, happier times which she had chosen to deny.

  After Lily had given the children their supper, they all went in to watch television.

  ‘I don’t want to watch any of this,’ Alex said suddenly. ‘Lily—can you tell us the rest of that story you were in the middle of on Saturday?’ He came over to her and flopped down on the floor.

  Lily was surprised. ‘Wouldn’t you prefer to see this programme?’ she asked. ‘You said it was your favourite.’

  Tom jumped up and switched off the TV. ‘No…come on—let’s have the story instead!’ he shouted cheerfully, at the top of his voice.

  Presently, when at last the boys seemed ready for sleep and, worn out, Freya, too, had got herself ready for bed, Lily felt as if she’d lived two days instead of one! The non-stop chatter, the continual questions from the children about everything under the sun—including about her own life—made Lily realise what a challenging job she’d taken on. Yet she’d amazed herself at how much she’d enjoyed the day—at how well she’d coped with it all. Perhaps she wasn’t such a hopeless case with children, after all. Anyway, if today was anything to go by, she’d at least manage to live through the rest of her time here. And
when school began again, she’d have the opportunity to consider her long-term future.

  For now, she’d do her utmost to help Theodore Montague with his offspring—and maybe free up his mind to concentrate on his work. She frowned slightly, remembering the faraway look in his eyes when he’d sat outside with them earlier. He was obviously engaged in something which was giving him food for deep thought…She shrugged. She couldn’t help him with any of that, but at least she could take the pressure off him where the family was concerned.

  With a sudden rush of warmth she knew, without anyone having to spell it out, that Alex and Tom-Tom and Freya liked her. And she loved them! From the very first moment she’d felt a distinct kinship with the children—something she hadn’t experienced with Bella and Rosie. She couldn’t explain it, even to herself, but why bother to try? Enjoy the now, enjoy the now, she repeated silently. The now would all too soon be the past.

  ‘Can you ask Daddy to come and say goodnight?’ Alex said, as he snuggled up in his duvet.

  ‘I was just going to do that,’ Lily replied.