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‘A TV which will remain switched off whilst you are in bed,’ Ruby told him firmly, relieved to be able to return to the familiar role of motherhood. ‘You know the rules.’ She was very strict about limiting the boys’ television viewing, preferring them to make their own entertainment.

Sander’s comment about the rooms had penetrated her mind and was still lodged there—a small, unnerving time bomb of a comment that was having an effect on her that was out of all proportion to its reality. The sound of Sander saying ‘my bed’ had made her heart jerk around inside her chest as though it was on a string—and why? She had no desire to share that bed with him; he meant nothing to her now. It was merely the result of only ever having had one sexual partner and bei

ng sexually inexperienced. It had left her reacting to a man saying the words ‘my bed’ as though she were a teenager, blushing at every mention of anything remotely connected to sex, Ruby derided herself.

‘I thought we’d use the rest of the afternoon to get the boys kitted out with the clothes they’ll need for the island. We can walk to Harrods from here, or get a cab if you wish.’

The last thing Ruby felt like doing was shopping, but she was determined not to show any weakness. Sander would only accuse of being a bad mother if she did.

Hopefully she might see a chemist, where she could get something for her headache. It had been so long since she had last had one of these debilitating attacks that she didn’t have anything she could take for it. Determinedly trying to ignore her continuing feeling of nausea, she nodded her head, and then winced as the pain increased.

‘The boys will need summer clothes,’ Sander told her. ‘Even in March the temperature on the island can be as high as twenty-two degrees centigrade, and it rises to well over thirty in the summer.’

Two hours later Ruby was battling between angry frustration at the way in which Sander had overruled all her attempts to minimise the amount of money he was spending by choosing the cheapest items she could find and a mother’s natural pride in her sons, who had drawn smiles of approval from the assistants with their appearance in their new clothes: smart, boyish separates from the summer ranges that had just come in, and in which Ruby had to admit they looked adorable.

As a reward for their good behaviour Sander had insisted on taking them to the toy department, where he’d bought them both complicated-looking state-of-the-art boys’ toys that had them both speechless with delight.

The whole time they had been shopping with the boys Ruby had been conscious of the admiring looks Sander had attracted from other women—women who no doubt would have been only too delighted to be marrying him in two days’ time, Ruby acknowledged, and her heart gave a flurry of tense beats in response to her thoughts.

‘I’ve got some business matters to attend to this evening,’ Sander told her as they made a detour on the way back to the hotel to allow the boys to walk in Hyde Park—a suggestion from Sander which Ruby had welcomed, hoping that the fresh air would ease the pounding in her head.

After acknowledging Sander’s comment Ruby focused on keeping an eye on the twins, who were walking ahead of them.

Sander continued. ‘But first I’ve arranged for a jeweller to come to the hotel with a selection of wedding and engagement rings. I’ve also made an appointment for you tomorrow morning at the spa and hair salon in Harvey Nichols, and then afterwards a personal shopper will help you choose your own new wardrobe. I thought I’d take the boys to the Natural History Museum whilst you’re doing that, to keep them occupied.’

Ruby stopped walking and turned to look at him, her eyes blazing with temper.

‘I don’t need a spa appointment, or a new hairstyle, or a new wardrobe, thank you very much. And I certainly don’t want an engagement ring.’

She was lying, of course. Or did she think she could get more out of him by pretending she didn’t want anything?

Oblivious to Sander’s thoughts, Ruby continued, ‘And if my present appearance isn’t good enough for you, then too bad. Because it’s good enough for me.’

Quickly hurrying after the twins, Ruby tried to ignore how unwell she was feeling. Even though she couldn’t see him she knew that Sander had caught up with her and was standing behind her. Her body could feel him there, but stubbornly she refused to turn round.

‘You have two choices,’ Sander informed her coolly. ‘Either you accept the arrangements I have made for you, or you will accept the clothes I shall instruct the store to select on your behalf. There is no option for you, as my wife, to dress as you are doing now. You are so eager to display your body to male eyes that you aren’t even wearing a coat—all the better for them to assess what is on offer, no doubt.’

‘That’s a disgusting thing to say, and totally untrue. You must know the reason I’m not wearing a coat is—’ Abruptly Ruby stopped speaking realising that she had allowed her anger to betray her into making an admission she had no wish to make.

‘Yes?’ Sander probed.

‘Is that I forgot to bring one with me,’ Ruby told him lamely. The truth was that she had not been able to afford to buy herself one—not with the twins constantly outgrowing their clothes. But she wasn’t going to expose herself to more humiliation by admitting that to Sander.

How could he be marrying a woman like this one? Sander wondered savagely. It would have suited his purposes far more if the report he had received from the agents he had hired to find Ruby had included something to suggest that she was a neglectful mother, thus giving him real grounds for legally removing them from their mother. The report, though, had done nothing of the sort—had actually dared to claim that Ruby was a good mother, the kind of mother whose absence from their lives would damage his sons. That was a risk he was not prepared to take.

Ignoring Ruby’s defiant statement, Sander went on, ‘The boys are approaching an age where they will be aware of appearance and other people’s opinions. They are going to have to deal with settling into a different environment, and I’m sure that the last thing you want to do is make it harder for them. I have a duty to the Konstantinakos position as the ruling and thus most important family on the island. That duty involves a certain amount of entertaining. It will be expected that as my wife you take part in that. Additionally, my sister, her friends, and the wives of those of my executives who live in Athens are very fashion-conscious. They would be quick to sense that our marriage is not all it should be were you to make a point of dressing as you do now. And that could impact on our sons.’

Our sons. Ruby felt as though her heart had been squeezed by a giant hand. She was very tempted to resort to the immature tactic of pointing out that since he hadn’t even been aware of the twins’ existence until recently he was hardly in a position to take a stance on delivering advice to her on what might or might not affect them—but what was the point? He had won—again, she was forced to acknowledge. Because now she would be very conscious of the fact that she was being judged by her appearance, and that if she was found wanting it would reflect on the twins. Acceptance by their peers was very important to children. Ruby knew that even at the boys’ young age children hated being ‘different’ or being embarrassed. For their sake she would have to accept Sander’s charity, even though her pride hated the idea.

She hated feeling so helpless and dependent on others. She loved her sisters, and was infinitely grateful to them for all that they had done for her and the boys, but it was hard sometimes always having to depend on others, never being able to claim the pride and self-respect that came from being financially self-supporting. She had hoped that once the boys were properly settled at school she might be able to earn a degree that ultimately would allow her to find work, but now she was going to be even more dependent on the financial generosity of someone else than she was already. But it wasn’t her pride that was important, Ruby reminded herself. It was her sons’ emotional happiness. They hadn’t asked to be born. And she hadn’t asked for Sander’s opinion on her appearance—or his money. She was twenty-three, and it was ridiculous of her to feel so helpless and humiliated that she was close to defeated tears.

To conceal her emotions she leaned down towards the boys, to warn them not to run too far ahead of them, watching as they nodded their heads.

It was when she straightened up that it happened. Perhaps she moved too quickly. Ruby didn’t know, but one minute she was straightening up and the next she felt so dizzy from the pain in her head that she lost her balance. She would have fallen if Sander hadn’t reacted so quickly, reaching out to grab hold of her so that she fell against his body rather than tumbling to the ground.

Immediately she was transported back to the past. The circumstances might be very different, but then too she had stumbled, and Sander had rescued her. Then, though, the cause of her fall had been the unfamiliar height of the borrowed shoes Tracy had insisted she should wear, and the effect of too many cocktails. The result was very much the same. Now, just as then, she could feel the steady thud of Sander’s heart against her body, whilst her own raced and bounced, the frantic speed of its beat making her feel breathless and far too weak to try to struggle against the arms holding her. Then too his proximity had filled her senses with the scent of his skin, the alien maleness of hard muscle beneath warm flesh, the power of that maleness, both physically and emotionally, and most of all her own need to simply be held by him. Then she had been thrilled to be in his arms, but now… Panic curled through her. That was not how she was supposed to feel, and it certainly wasn’t what she wanted to feel. Sander was her enemy—an enemy she was forced to share her sons with because he was their father, an enemy who had ripped from her the protection of her naivety with his cruel contempt for her.

Determinedly Ruby started to push herself free, but instead of releasing her Sander tightened his hold of her.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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