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Because Christmas was all around and it was as if the entire city had been taken over by Disney. The big stores were shiny with tinsel and glitter and fake snow. Red-clothed Santas with fluffy white beards rocked manically as little children pressed their noses against the plate-glass windows. Past the giant tree on Trafalgar Square the luxury car purred and when they stopped at some traffic lights, Lucy opened one of the windows slightly so she could hear the carol singers who were collecting money for the homeless. Her heart clenched as she registered the first notes of ‘Silent Night’ because it always reminded her of her brother, and quickly she pressed the button so that the electric window floated up to blot out the nostalgic carol. Instead she focussed on the crowds of people who all seemed to be on a mission, hell-bent on buying gifts even though there were several weeks left until the big day.
There were plenty of things Lucy liked about Christmas. The lights. The colou
rs. The music. The way usually inhibited people went out of their way to smile and say hello. She just didn’t like the way it made her feel, because it seemed to emphasise all the things she didn’t have. It was a time when you could feel extra-lonely if you lived on your own because most people seemed to have somebody, while she had nobody. It was when she most missed having a family. When she found herself feeling emotionally vulnerable—which wasn’t a particularly nice sensation. Usually she tucked herself away with a large supply of chocolate and sobbed her way through just about every corny film which was showing on TV.
But this year was going to be different. Her teeth pressed down hard on her bottom lip and she gnawed away at it. And how. She had a wedding to organise and—this was the bit she still couldn’t get her head around—she was going to be a Christmas bride. At least, that was the plan—although nothing had been arranged just yet, which was making the thought of marrying Drakon seem even more surreal than it already was. Excitement and dread flooded through her, yet the truth was that, despite her misgivings about becoming the Greek tycoon’s wife, she had stumbled at the first hurdle. She had fallen in love with his orphaned nephew.
Her throat thickened as she remembered meeting the tiny baby—a meeting on which everything had hinged. She had insisted on Drakon being absent. Had she been afraid he would influence her? That he would distract her with his powerful presence and remind her of how much she still wanted him? She had expected objections from the powerful tycoon. She’d imagined he might wish to observe her first contact with his tiny nephew as a kind of interactive job interview, but to her surprise he had agreed to stay away. She’d been jittery with nerves—because the thought of holding a baby again after so long had thrown up all kinds of complicated emotions. Alone, she had waited in one of the reception rooms of Drakon’s vast London apartment until the nanny had appeared with a snowy white bundle in her arms. Greek-born Sofia must have been in her fifties, though her step was spritely as she carried the baby towards Lucy.
And Lucy remembered the compassion which had washed over her as she’d stared down at Xander’s tiny head and it had been pure instinct which had made her extend her arms so that she could cradle the infant close to her racing heart. She had been prepared for the pain which had speared through her at the thought that she would never hold a child of her own like this, but not for the instant bonding which had followed. Had it been provoked by tenderness for one who had lost so much at such an early age, or by the tiny starfish hand which had clutched her extended finger and melted her heart?
She had asked if she could give the baby his bottle and then cuddled him until he had fallen asleep. And soon after Sofia had taken Xander back to the nursery, Lucy’s telephone had rung, as if it had been programmed to do so.
‘Well?’
Drakon’s question had been terse and to the point and there had seemed little point in prevaricating. Why pretend that this was anything other than a cold-blooded business arrangement?
‘Yes.’ Lucy’s voice had been low but unfaltering. ‘I will be your wife.’
‘Good.’ There was a pause. ‘In which case, you need to pack a case and I’ll send a car to collect you. Be ready tomorrow morning.’
‘So soon?’
‘What’s the point of waiting, Lucy? Delay will serve little purpose.’
‘But I’ve got three cocktail parties next week for Caro’s Canapés which I’m booked to work at.’
‘Leave that to me. I will arrange a suitable replacement.’ His voice had dipped to become a murmured caress. ‘I intend for you to become my wife as quickly as possible and I think we both know the reason for that.’
Lucy had opened her mouth to say something and then shut it again. Because didn’t she want that too? Wasn’t there a tiny part of her which worried that if they left it too long, Drakon might suddenly change his mind and realise that it was a completely preposterous idea to marry someone like her? And wasn’t it crazy to realise how gutted she would be if that were the case? ‘No, tomorrow sounds absolutely fine,’ she said compliantly.
Which was why she was now on her way to Drakon’s Mayfair apartment and her brand-new life. Trying not to feel like Cinderella as she perched on the edge of the limousine’s soft leather seat and attempted to keep her muddy boots elevated.
Her heart was pounding as they skirted Hyde Park and drove towards the imposing modern block in Mayfair, which commanded a prime view of the city’s largest park. Lucy peered out of the window, her heart missing a beat as she saw Drakon’s imposing figure imprinted darkly against the glittering windows of the block. She blinked in surprise. He was waiting, she realised. Waiting for her?
He seemed lost in thought and hadn’t noticed the car, giving Lucy the opportunity to study him unobserved. She thought that seeing him standing on the street made him seem even more of a stranger than he already was. She noticed a blonde wearing dark glasses and a fur coat do a double-take as she walked past him with a tiny white dog trotting on a red lead, though unfortunately the dog chose that precise moment to cock its little leg against a lamppost. Yet wasn’t that the type of sleek woman he should have selected as his wife? Lucy wondered painfully, trying and failing not to drink him in with her hungry gaze.
On the cold winter day, he was dressed entirely in black and the effect was to make him dominate his surroundings even more than usual. The inky overcoat echoed the dark gleam of his eyes but his mouth was hard and unsmiling. He’d had his hair cut and the rock-star strands were now neatly trimmed in a style which seemed to emphasise all his olive-skinned beauty. Suddenly she realised he could make her blood sing even from this distance away, although the day was so cold and wintry. Being around him was like having a fever, she thought, clasping her fingers together so tightly that the knuckles cracked.
Some sort of notification must have gone off, for he slid his phone from his inside pocket and glanced down at it, then narrowed his black eyes to focus on the approaching limousine. Had he been forewarned that she was on her way, perhaps by his taciturn driver? In desperation, Lucy glanced down to see that her hands were shaking and a sudden shiver of trepidation whispered over her skin before she dared lift her head to meet his gaze. Was she imagining the faint flash of disapproval in his eyes as the car purred to a halt and he moved forward to open the door for her?
A cold gust of wind whipped through her as she stepped onto the pavement, acutely aware of the fact that her best coat was looking decidedly threadbare and that, although she’d spent an hour last night buffing up her boots, their newfound shine didn’t hide the fact that they were old. She’d tried to do her best with her appearance but her resources were limited and even if they hadn’t been—what did a poor girl wear when she was about to move in with her billionaire fiancé? She felt like diving back into the car and begging the driver to take her home, but somehow she managed to scrabble together a memory—an important thing she’d learnt on her very first day on the wards as a student nurse. And afterwards, whenever her mother had sunk into one of her deep depressions and Lucy had attempted to help her spirits up. Keep it positive. Look on the bright side.
‘So,’ she said brightly, tilting her chin upwards and managing a faint reproduction of a smile. ‘Here I am.’
Yes. Here she was. Drakon tensed as he felt a rush of something he didn’t recognise. Was it incredulity that he’d selected this woman to be his bride when she couldn’t have looked like a more unlikely candidate if she’d tried? But he’d had no choice. And wasn’t that the story of his life? he reminded himself grimly. That unwanted responsibilities were always waiting in the shadows to grab at him and to direct his life onto a path he had never intended...
Her big blue eyes were looking at him uncertainly and something made him dip his head to brush his lips over hers in a fleeting kiss, amused by her instinctive intake of breath and the sudden confusion of her expression, as if she hadn’t been expecting him to embrace her so publicly. In truth, he hadn’t been expecting it himself, but he found himself turned on by the fact she wasn’t wearing any make-up and by the provocative tremble of her lips. Maybe he should take her inside and kiss her a little more thoroughly, so that she would lose that rather unflattering look of apprehension and replace it with one of passion instead.
‘Let’s go inside,’ he said abruptly. Drawing away, he ushered her into the luxury complex, past the security guard who was regarding her with open curiosity.
‘What about my suitcase?’ she was saying as they reached the elevator and the doors slid open.
‘What about it?’
‘I’ve left it in the car.’
‘The driver will bring it inside shortly. You don’t have to worry about things like that any more, Lucy.’ Rather impatiently, he pressed the button. ‘You’ll find my staff will deal with the more humdrum elements of your life from now on and you won’t have to bother with logistics. So why don’t you just concentrate on getting to know one of your new homes?’
