Conor’s housekeeper was hovering, waiting to give her the guided tour.
“Congratulations, Mrs.Murphy,” she said in a warm Irish brogue.“My name is Anna.It’s my pleasure to make you feel at home.”
“That’s very kind of you, thank you.”She would have preferred for Conor to stay and show some interest, but why would he?She gave one last glance in the direction he’d disappeared and then followed his housekeeper.
It was only as she settled into the sumptuous suite that she realized something was missing, a keepsake that meant the world to her.The tatty rag doll was falling apart, but it was the only thing her mother had ever given her.She could still remember her mother making the doll with some fabric cut from an old gown, and watching her mother’s fingers, red and sore, nails bitten down to the quick, working as fast as she could in the short time available so she could give Karolina a toy.There hadn’t been time to finish the doll before her mother was called back to work.Thrusting it into Karolina’s hands, she’d exclaimed, “Here, you stick some eyes on it, and get someone to draw on a lipstick mouth—”
Those were the last words she’d heard her mother speak.
Memories.Some good, some bad.The trick was keeping close those you wanted to remember and battling hard to forget the rest.
“Mrs.Murphy?”
She jerked alert and smiled at Anna.“Sorry, this is all new to me.I was distracted.”
“Shall we continue the tour?”Anna suggested with a kind smile.
“Yes, please.”
A comfy sitting room led off the hallway.Farther along the corridor, there was a pink marble bathroom and a dressing room fit for a star.Throwing open the wardrobe doors, Anna revealed a host of beautiful clothes.
Karolina blinked.“How did Conor know my size?”
Anna laughed.“That man knows everything.”
Had he measured her with his eyes?Or had these clothes been left behind by a previous occupant?That thought stung more than it should.
“I left a teddy bear for you.A finishing touch,” Anna explained, smiling broadly.
Could bad things happen here with such a kindhearted woman in charge?
“I’ll leave you to settle in,” Anna added as she moved to the door.
“I can’t thank you enough.”
A flash of concern crossed Anna’s gaze as Karolina’s eyes filled with tears.Even the smallest kindness could make her do that.Had Anna guessed what her life had been like?
Brushing the thought away as Anna touched her arm with a reassuring look, she took stock of where she was and everything that had happened.Conor’s house was beautiful and was a reminder of all the people she was fighting for.This tasteful décor and these comfortable furnishings were heaven on earth, and so very different from those dark dank cellars with chains attached to the walls.
“I’ll leave you now,” Anna said as she walked to the door.“Relax and make yourself comfortable.This is your home now.”
Maybe, but it wouldn’t do to get too comfortable here.She’d married for a reason and so had Conor.She was his convenient bride.Debriefing, my bony ass.He would make legitimate children on her.Heirs to his fortune without the inconvenience of romancing a wife.
And that was enough of that!Self-pity was a time suck she couldn’t afford.She might be a virgin bride discarded an hour or so after her wedding, but she was here for a purpose that was far more important than spending time with a man who didn’t want her.
She’d gotten herself into a state, so when the phone rang, she almost jumped out of her skin.And then nearly toppled over when she pounced on the receiver to find yards of chiffon had wound themselves around her legs.“Hello?”
“Mrs.Murphy?”
Not Conor.Not the voice she’d been hoping to hear.“Anna.”With a smile in her voice, she relaxed her death grip on the receiver.
“I hope I haven’t disturbed you.I just want you to know that I’ll get you anything you need.Shall I send up a tray with a light snack and a drink?”
She hadn’t eaten anything today, Karolina remembered.There hadn’t been a chance with Conor late to arrive and in such a hurry to get away.“I’d love that, thank you.”
Anna’s voice was so warm and kind, she had to get off the phone fast before she cried again.She held back from putting the phone down when Anna added, “Congratulations again, madam.I wish you a long and happy married life.”
That did it.Now she wanted to sob like a baby and had to keep her mouth pressed so tight, her lips turned numb.A long and happy married life, she reflected as the phone line went dead.She was a fraud misleading a really nice woman.This marriage was a deal.Karolina was part of a deal—
