‘It’s different and very elegant,’ Tabby said, a little breathless as the sunlight accentuated the colourful depth of the precious gem and it shone, holding out her hand, daring to smile for the first time at him.
A slashing smile of appreciation illuminated his lean dark face, emphasising his stunningly handsome features. The level brows, high cheekbones, cut jaw line and brilliant charismatic dark golden eyes. And for a split second, time froze for Tabby while she stared back at him, involuntarily fascinated by all that set Aristide apart from other men.
‘The stylist is waiting for you in my guest room,’ he informed her in an aside.
Conscious of their audience, Tabby assumed that he wanted to deal with the business of buying the ring with her elsewhere and she said nothing about the sudden reference to a stylist, who presumably styled, whatever that entailed.
Bare minutes later, Tabby was surrounded by rails of clothes and the extrovert stylist was dragging out and holding clothes up for her scrutiny while her assistant proffered accessories and other combinations of garments, both women chattering volubly at the same time. All the garments were acceptable in cut to act as early maternity wear, she was assured.
‘You can’t buy me clothes,’ she declared acidly to Aristide in the aftermath. ‘I was ambushed.’
‘That was the plan. Like the ring, they’re mere props,’ Aristide proclaimed dismissively. ‘To act like my fiancée, you have to look as though you belong in my life…and unless you’re happy to play Cinderella for your audience, you can’t do that in unadorned cotton.’
Chapter Five
USHERED ONTO THEprivate jet, Tabby attempted not to gape at the gorgeous pale pearl leather upholstery or the number of hovering staff who had greeted her as she climbed the steps to board.
She looked the part of a passenger on such a luxury flight, she reckoned with relief, well aware that her smart green dress and light jacket, which were cut to flatter the increase in her bust and waist measurements, would look stylish in any company. Even walking through the airport, she had registered that a mere flash of her dazzlingly noticeable engagement ring was sufficient to make her conspicuous to many people.
‘You look terrific,’ Aristide drawled with quiet approval, revelling in her newly found poise. ‘I also feel a little less likely to be accused of cradle-snatching!’
‘I’m almost twenty-two!’ Tabby objected.
‘And I’m almost twenty-nine. It’s enough of a gap to cause comment,’ Aristide told her, veiled eyes roaming slowly over her as she sank into the seat opposite him, slender, shapely legs set at a graceful angle to one side.
‘Did your family comment?’
‘Only to tease me about younger women,’ he acknowledged with amusement.
‘I think it’s time you tell me who makes up your family,’ she responded nervously. ‘I only have Mum, Violet and Belle in my corner and you already know all about them. My grandfather doesn’t really count because Violet and I’ve never got to know him…and what we do know isn’t good.’
‘My only really close relative is my father, but he has several brothers and sisters, who have given me a squad of cousins. My father’s on his fifth marriage and my stepmother, Andy, has stood the test of time, unlike her predecessors. They’ve been married ten years now.’
‘Andy?’ she questioned.
‘It’s short for Andromeda. She’s a darling, who would’ve made a great substitute mother for me, had she been around when I was younger and still needed one,’ Aristide confided. ‘I’m fond of her.’
‘What happened to your own mother?’ she asked uncertainly.
‘She was my father’s first wife,’ Aristide informed her ruefully. ‘She died from a fall on the stairs when I was only a few months old.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Tabby muttered with a wince, blue eyes awash with sympathy. ‘Do you have any memory of her?’
‘None whatsoever,’ Aristide admitted with regret. ‘My earliest memories only relate to nannies, stepmothers or my father’s temporary lovers.’
Her brow furrowed. ‘Temporary?’
‘The lovers, even the other wives, were all of a temporary ilk until my father met Andy. Dad’s liaisons lasted weeks or a couple of months but, sometimes, only days,’ Aristide related with a pained look of recollection stamping his lean dark face. ‘My father is orwasa dysfunctional man when it came to the women in his life. But he’s settled now and content in his marriage.’
Tabby nodded. ‘That’s good. What about siblings?’
‘None. I’m still an only child but I do have a few stepsisters and stepbrothers, whom I still view as family members. Some of their mothers were rather unreliable and my father maintained close ties with them, no matter how bitter the break-ups were.’
‘What’s your relationship like with your father?’ Tabby was enjoying herself, delighting in Aristide’s new openness with her and his willingness to satisfy her curiosity.
‘At times, it’s been troubled,’ Aristide admitted, his shapely mouth compressing as he spoke with yet more honesty than she had expected to receive from him. ‘For a long time I blamed Demetrius for the unstable home I grew up in with all those different women coming and going. I was a very pious teenager.’ He grimaced at the memory. ‘At one point, we didn’t speak for several years. But adulthood made me less judgemental. He did fall for some truly horrendous women, however. He also cheated on some decent ones. Maybe he just wasn’t ready to fully commit again until he met Andy.’
‘And how does he feel about this pretend engagement of ours?’ she steeled herself to ask.
