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Her expression stony and uni on a lemon ‘I suppose it’s surrounded by sea and very private?’
‘Ne…Yes’
‘How thrilling,’ Ophelia droned in a not-thrilled voice, iiant sun-baked rock without occupation while he enjoyed himself elsewhere ‘Please don’t worry about yptian ain But no doubt if someone props me up in a corner you’ll be quite happy with the re wife!’
‘Very funny,’ Lysander countered flatly
‘You ignored oing—’
‘We are in the rowled in an incredulous undertone ‘While you were sleeping, I orking!’
Shi eyes the colour of pale blue ice landed on hied just as a plethora of cameras went off behind security barriers in the airport arrivals hall that prevented the paparazzi fro any closer to their quarries
Wholly disconcerted by a counter-attack of a type he had never previously received, because the i money had always provided an acceptable catch-all excuse, Lysander gritted his perfect teeth ‘Smile for the cameras,’ he told her in a sardonic undertone
‘Oh, dear,to smile about either—’
‘You’re the one who set off this media circus!’
Ophelia paled at that blunt reminder and contrived a rather hunted curve of the lips In truth she was genuinely shocked when it finally dawned on her that the heaving crush of shouting people behind the barriers was co solely on their arrival
In the limousine, Lysander turned bronzed eyes of censure on her ‘I expect you to behave in public!’
‘I expect you to behave in private,’ Ophelia responded with spirit ‘You toldNo bride in her right mind would put up with this kind of treatment on what is supposed to be her honeymoon!’
Lysander startled her by throwing back his arrogant dark head and laughing with husky appreciation She was crazy, but it exerted the strangest appeal for him Just as quickly he reer curve and welcoroin threatened to become painful He closed his lean, powerful hands over hers and pulled her to hiht, I pronore you,’ he murmured huskily, slumberous metallic eyes full of sensual promise
Her rising tely direct masculine response as it made nonsense of her attempt to call him to book and shame him for his attitude Ophelia went red to the roots of her hair ‘That isn’t what I meant,’ she hissed ‘You are not welco to be any more of that kind of nonsense—’
In silent answer, Lysander claainst the hard contours of his lean, er A glittering ripple of white-hot heat and energy snaked through her and she fought a pitched battle with her response before the sudden sound of the passenger door opening made both of them pull apart in a simultaneous action
‘Later, yineka e building The passenger door thudded shut again and the limo moved off
In a daze Ophelia shook her head, uncertain whether he was finally acting the part of her new husband or si her
Inside the exclusive clinic, Lysander was greeted by the ed to meet Reassured by the latest bulletin on his mother’s health, he used a private lift to access her co her illness a secret from all but her closest friends had exasperated hih it was not a senti himself to share even with her, he tried to respect her wishes Her cancer diagnosis had shattered hi his concern hidden had been compounded when the older woman initially succuery
Although exhausted by her recent treatinia, a slihest standards of groo But her son was quick to notice her reddened eyelids He also recognised the corner of the newspaper protruding froed bedspread
‘You’ve already seen the article about Ophelia,’ he guessed
‘I get all the English newspapers’
‘It upset you’
Her discoaze ‘No, memories of the past did that Naturally I’hter-in-law—her mother was once my friend’
‘If you had agreed to ht her to meet you’ In truth, however, Lysander was not yet sure that he could trust Ophelia with his vulnerable inia would always be the woman who had supplanted Cathy Stewart in Aristide’s affections
‘I refuse to blight your first weeks together with this illness,’ the older woman declared staunchly ‘Particularly so soon after your wife has lost her grandht; you should be with your bride’
An indulgent look on his lean, strong face, Lysander sat down ‘I haven’t seen you for several days’
Virginia sighed ‘But I’ot married I swear, I was only scared
for about twenty seconds thinking that you al Court!’
With difficulty he retained his chariset such a wild idea from?’
‘You’re h you can be very ruthless,’ his ive up your freedo was very h, Ophelia’s had rather an unhappy life to date—’
‘But she doesn’t wear it like a badge She sparkles’ Lysander selected the descriptive ith care, thinking of the sassy light in Ophelia’s eyes and the liveliness of her quick movements
Virginia rested anxious brown eyes on her handsome son ‘What I’m about to say e ends in divorce, I’ll blary about the interview that Ophelia gave to the press She needs time and support to adjust to our world—’
‘Of course’
‘Too many women have spoiled you, or perhaps I should say that the possession of power has spoiled you,’ the older woman murmured heavily ‘You haven’t had to learn how to coe to work I need to know that you have a loving home and family to rely on’