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‘Oh, dear.’ David Brewster’s mild, slightly flustered voice broke into the stormy scene before Rufus could come back with his own cutting reply. ‘It would seem that Mr Gresham may have made an error in judgement concerning his wishes for the two of you.’
‘Not at all,’ Rufus assured the older man grimly. ‘My father was fully aware of the—enmity, that exists between Gabriella and myself.’
And James, Rufus knew, had always been deeply saddened at the obviously strained relationship between the two of them.
His father had also advised Rufus numerous times that he ought to remarry, if only to give his now seven-year-old over-indulged daughter a stepmother. A suggestion that Rufus had told him he had no intention of complying with after his experience with Angela.
But James, it seemed, had decided to try and rectify both these situations, after his death, by making this ridiculous condition about Rufus and Gabriella marrying each other in order for them to gain their inheritance.
With the forfeit that Toby would inherit everything instead if they didn’t!
Something that James had known that Rufus wouldn’t—couldn’t—allow to happen. James had held no illusions about the irresponsible Toby, either, and had known that he would ruin Gresham’s in a year and have squandered the money away not long after!
The money wasn’t important, because Rufus had enough money of his own without needing any of his father’s, and the properties in Surrey, Aspen, Majorca and the Bahamas weren’t important to him, either. But the two Gresham’s stores were different. He had put everything he had into those two stores the last six years, made them more successful than ever, and he refused to let a total wastrel like his cousin Toby just walk in and ruin them.
To the point where he would be willing to marry and live with Gabriella, even for six months, in order to keep them? To live in close proximity with her, day after day, for her to become his wife—something he’d sworn he would never have again! Was he willing to do that…?
‘I really had no idea.’ The lawyer looked at them frowningly. ‘I must admit I thought it rather strange. Nothing I said would deter Mr Gresham from making these particular arrangements in his will, I’m afraid.’ He shook his head sadly.
But why wouldn’t it? Gabriella questioned, incredulous. What on earth had James hoped to achieve by making such an unacceptable clause in his will?
Because it was unacceptable to both Rufus and Gabriella. As poor David Brewster had just been made a witness to!
Although Rufus now looked self-disgusted that the outburst had been made at all. He was a man who preferred to keep his emotions under control, Gabriella knew. Only she, it seemed, and the prospect of having to marry her, had the power to make him forget that normally cool reserve!
‘There has to be some way out of this.’ She looked at the lawyer beseechingly.
‘I’m afraid not, Miss Benito.’ He grimaced. ‘I drew Mr Gresham’s will up myself, and I can assure you there is no get-out clause, no room for manoeuvre—’
‘No two hundred pounds when you pass go,’ Toby put in dryly, obviously enjoying this situation immensely.
But then, he would. To by enjoyed nothing more than dissension and disharmony—even more so if he was the cause of it!
As he had been three months ago…
Which was the reason that forfeit to Toby didn’t make any sense to Gabriella. James had been furious with his nephew before he’d died, and wouldn’t even have him in the house after what he had tried to do to Gabriella. He certainly wouldn’t want Toby to inherit the Gresham’s stores, the money, or property.
So why had James put such an ironclad clause in his will…?
Because he had known neither Rufus or Gabriella would want Toby to inherit the Gresham’s stores, the money or property!
But he also knew that Rufus and Gabriella didn’t like each other.
He knew it, but hadn’t been happy about it, as he would rather they had all been one big happy family. It was what he had always wanted.
Enough to force Rufus and Gabriella into marrying each other?
A move guaranteed to increase their dislike of each other rather than nullify it!
‘What’s the matter, Gabriella?’ Rufus taunted softly. ‘Is marriage to me no longer part of your plans?’
It had never been the plan he was implying it was. She had fallen in love with him six years ago, had loved him five years ago, had thought their being together that day in Majorca had meant that he was in love with her, too. A futile hope, as he had so cruelly pointed out!
Her chin rose to meet his challenge. ‘No more than marriage to me has ever been in yours!’
‘Not at all, then,’ he drawled dismissively.
‘Exactly,’ she was stung into snapping.
‘Isn’t this fun?’ Toby said to no one in particular. ‘Of course, the two of you could just save yourself the trouble of even trying to live together—an exercise obviously doomed to failure before you begin!—and just hand all that lovely loot over to me right now!’
‘Miss Benito and Mr Gresham have a week in which to come to their decision,’ David Brewster put in firmly before either Rufus or Gabriella could make a reply.
‘Oh, I think I can wait a week.’ Toby nodded, totally unperturbed by the animosity surrounding him as he grinned happily.
‘There is one other stipulation in Mr Gresham’s will that I think you should both be made aware of before coming to that decision.’ The lawyer had obviously decided to ignore Toby’s comments.
‘Let’s hear it,’ Rufus muttered wearily.
‘The two Gresham’s stores will, as already stated, at the end of the stipulated six months of marriage become the sole property of my son Rufus James Gresham, but the restaurant within the Gresham’s store in London is to be refurbished, renamed Gabriella’s, and opened to the public as such and leased in perpetuity to Gabriella Maria Lucia Benito, then to be named Gabriella Gresham.’
Rufus drew in a sharp breath. ‘In other words, my father isn’t just expecting me to marry and live with Gabriella for six months, he’s expecting me to work with her, too? Indefinitely!’ He spoke with icy control, determined not to give way a second time to the impotent fury he felt, although he could feel a nerve pulsing in his tightly clenched jaw.
‘That is so, yes,’ David Brewster confirmed ruefully.
‘Could I just point out that he’s expecting me to live and work with you, too?’ an obviously agitated Gabriella put in forcefully.
She hadn’t expected that clause in his father’s will, either, Rufus acknowledged cynically. She had probably expected to just be able to walk away with her share.
He certainly hadn’t missed her involuntary reaction to the mention of ‘monies owing’ in his father’s will. Surely his father hadn’t been stupid enough to lend Gabriella money? Money that he must have known would never be repaid?
Rufus looked across at her with cold green eyes, totally unmoved by the pallor in her cheeks. ‘I already run Gresham’s, already own my own home, already have my own fortune—which one of us stands to gain more here, do you think?’
‘You see?’ Toby put in again mildly. ‘Not a hope in hell of the two of you living together for six months without killing each other! Although,’ he added consideringly, ‘as that would probably mean that I still inherit—’
‘I really don’t think those sorts of comments are of any help to this situation whatsoever, Mr Reed,’ the lawyer rebuked, obviously having reached the end of his patience. ‘I suggest that we meet back here one week from today, at the same time, Miss Benito and Mr Gresham,’ the lawyer continued crisply. ‘Then the two of you can give me your answer. Your presence will not be needed at that time, Mr Reed,’ he added disapprovingly.
They could form a club, Rufus mused hardly.
‘There’s nothing else in my father’s will, no more hidden conditions or clauses,’ he prompted hardly, ‘that we should be made aware of, is there, before reaching that decision?’
David Brewster met his gaze steadily, seeming to hesitate briefly before answering him. ‘No, I can assure you there is nothing further in Mr Gresham’s will that concerns any of you,’ he said evenly.
‘How about the three of us go out to lunch together to talk about this?’ Toby suggested brightly as he stood up to leave.
Gabriella knew that any food she tried to eat right now would probably choke her. And just the thought of having lunch with Toby, a man she totally loathed after he had tried to force her into making love with him, made her feel nauseous.
‘I think not,’ Rufus was the one to answer sharply, surprising Gabriella by taking a steely hold of her arm. ‘Gabriella and I obviously have a few things we need to talk about, but, as David has already pointed out, your part in these proceedings is over, Toby,’ he added pointedly.
Gabriella looked up at him frowningly. She didn’t want to go anywhere with Rufus, either. As for his fingers tightly clasped about her arm…!
Her chin was once again raised determinedly as she tried to break that steely grip. And failed.
Something that made Toby give another unconcerned grin. ‘Just let me know when the two of you decide not to get married.’
Married.
The word echoed inside Gabriella’s head.
To Rufus.
Just putting the words together—’married’ and ‘to Rufus’—was enough to send a shiver of alarm down her spine.
But she hadn’t always thought so; she would once have been overjoyed at the thought of being Rufus’s wife.
Before she’d learnt to hate him.
Before she’d known how much he hated her.
Toby was right; she and Rufus didn’t stand a chance of succeeding in living together as husband and wife for six months!
CHAPTER TWO
RUFUS was aware of Gabriella’s efforts to shake off his hold on her arm as they left David Brewster’s office. A move he had no intention of letting her succeed in making. The two of them needed to talk. Today. Now.
‘Goodbye, Toby,’ he told the younger man pointedly once they were all outside on the street.
‘Don’t call us we’ll call you?’ his cousin came back tauntingly.
Rufus’s mouth tightened. He and Toby had never been particularly close, and he knew that James had only tolerated him because he was the son of his only sister. A tolerance that for some reason had come to an abrupt end three months ago.
‘Don’t hold your breath,’ he advised dryly.
Toby gave a derisive laugh. ‘Oh, I’ll hear from you,’ he said with certainty. ‘Or Brewster. It really doesn’t matter which.’ He shrugged. ‘The result will be the same.’ He grinned confidently.
‘Has it ever occurred to you, Toby, that Rufus and I may just both dislike you more than we dislike each other?’ Gabriella felt stung into replying.
Toby gave her a considering look from insolent blue eyes. ‘No,’ he finally answered with a mocking smile.
A smile Gabriella would dearly love to slap off his good-looking face!
Her loathing for this man welled uncontrollably. ‘Then if I were you, I would start thinking about it,’ she advised hardly.
He gave an unconcerned shrug. ‘Even if the two of you decide to try this bogus marriage idea, it will never last.’
‘We only have to live together for six months,’ Gabriella reminded him challengingly.
Toby gave a confident shake of his head. ‘I don’t think the two of you could spend six hours living in the same house together, let alone six months!’
The fact that he was right only made her angrier. ‘You might be surprised!’ she snapped, eyes glittering.
‘Somehow I doubt it,’ Toby dismissed in a bored voice. ‘Goodbye, then, Rufus. Ciao, Gabriella,’ he added tauntingly before turning to saunter off down the street.
‘I was always under the impression that you and Toby liked each other,’ Rufus prompted, his gaze narrowed speculatively.
Gabriella looked up at him. ‘Impressions can sometimes be deceptive,’ she told him huskily, dark lashes sweeping low over creamy cheeks as she hid her thoughts from him.
Not where this woman was concerned, Rufus told himself firmly. She was her mother’s daughter, and he had better not ever forget that fact.
His mouth twisted mockingly. ‘So is it true that you dislike Toby even more than you dislike me?’
‘Oh, yes,’ she assured him vehemently.
That had never been Rufus’s impression before today, he thought. Gabriella and Toby always seemed to have gravitated to each other in the past whenever there had been any sort of family function. So what had happened to change that?
And did it have anything to do with the fact that his father had also banned Toby from the house three months ago? he wondered shrewdly.
‘We need to talk,’ he told Gabriella grimly. ‘My car is parked—’
‘I’m not going anywhere with you,’ she instantly protested, taking a step back, forcing Rufus into releasing her this time.
He frowned darkly. ‘You know, Gabriella, if we carry on like this then Toby is right—we might just as well hand everything over to him right now!’
Gabriella’s eyes widened. He couldn’t seriously be thinking about going through with this, could he? With marrying her?
Only with a gun held at his head, she conceded ruefully.
Which was pretty much what James was doing!
‘Did I say something amusing, Gabriella?’ Rufus snapped as he obviously saw her rueful smile.
No, she acknowledged heavily, her moment of humour over; if anything the joke was on her!
‘Not particularly, no,’ she sighed. ‘But I can’t see how the two of us going somewhere to talk is going to make any difference to the fact that we don’t want to marry each other.’
‘Surely that depends on how we decide to talk?’ Rufus came back challengingly.
Gabriella gave him a narrow-eyed glance. The last five years had made Rufus harder and more cynical, the lines of that cynisism etched beside his eyes and mouth, the dark blond hair shorter and the muscled length of his body leaner, but Rufus was still the most breathtakingly handsome man she had ever met.
Nerve-tinglingly so if the way she could still feel his hand on her arm was anything to go by.
An attraction that appeared not to have diminished over the years as she had thought…!
Rufus met her startled gaze, knowing as he did so that he hadn’t forgotten a single thing about touching her so intimately five years ago. Or the feel of her slender hands as she had caressed him…
He had been lost the moment he had touched her slender curves, unable to stop touching her until he had taken her over the edge of pleasure, watching her as he had done so, the heat in his own body longing for that same release.
But it was a release he had denied himself, knowing that he couldn’t—daren’t!—lose himself in her silken warmth, that to do so would be to enter a madness he wouldn’t be able to withdraw from.
