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Caro reluctantly took the paper; it was one of the popular tabloids, the one which, she remembered, had carried that other photograph, of Gil and the Earl brawling in a nightclub over Miranda. She had a fleeting sense of deja vu; she remembered so vividly seeing Gil's dark face for the first time in that picture and feeling that instant tug of attraction. It hadn't entered her head, of course, that before much longer she would be sharing the limelight of the national Press with him, but there she was, on the front page, with Gil, last night, outside his home.
Caught by the flash her face showed panic, and to her horror her breasts were clearly visible above the neckline of that low-cut dress, and somehow that slit in the skirt had blown back, exposing a long, shapely thigh.
'I look terrible!' she moaned. Gil looked as sexy as ever, except that he was scowling, of course, and throwing a hand up in a vain attempt to shield them both from the camera.
'Is that all you've got to say?' he snarled. 'If you're fishing for compliments, don't bother. How you look isn't the issue here. It's that headline.'
The big black headline jumped out at her. 'STORE HEIR PLAYBOY TO WED TAKEOVER GIRL' she read with horror.
'Did you give them that story?' Gil demanded.
'Of course not!' She read the copy under the picture with frantic and dismayed haste. They had it all there, in a garbled form, of course, but close enough to the truth to be difficult to deny.
'Caroline Ramsgate, only daughter of empire-building store-owner Fred Ramsgate, last night announced her engagement to Gil Martell, tycoon playboy and heir to the famous Oxford Street store, Westbrooks, which he manages for his grandmother, Lady Westbrook. Is it just coincidence that Fred Ramsgate is currently negotiating to buy Westbrooks? Or could the price of love be another major department store for the Ramsgates without any actual money changing hands? And what does Miranda, Countess of Jurby, until very recently Gil Martell's frequent companion, think about the sudden, surprising switch of his affections?'
Gil was watching Caro coldly. 'Charming, isn't it?'
'To both of us,' she agreed, her mouth twisting. 'If we were getting married it would be very hurtful, too. Lucky that we're not.'
'Luck has nothing to do with it,' Gil muttered, scowling. 'If I ever marry it will be because I want a woman around for life, and not for any other reason.'
He shot her a hard stare. 'Sure you didn't drop a hint to these people?'
'I told you I didn't!' she snapped. He was saying again that he wouldn't marry her for worlds, and she felt like bursting into tears, but she couldn't, so she snarled at him instead. 'But I'm pretty sure I know who did, and I think you know, too. Miranda.'
'Why should she?'
'A jealous woman is capable of anything,' Caro said, with an irony she hoped he wouldn't suspect. Her own jealousy was like a lead weight on her chest. 'Look, I can't see who else it could be. Except, maybe, your housekeeper...'
'Mrs Greybury is so discreet she thinks twice about telling me anything!' Gil said drily. 'No, it can't possibly have been her.'
'Then it's Miranda. Unless she told somebody, who tipped off the papers. But the leak had to come through Miranda.'
Gil pushed his hands into his pockets, moodily kicking the level turf they stood on. 'I suppose you're right.' He glared at her. 'Why in heaven's name did you have to tell her we were engaged? If you hadn't invented that crazy story, this wouldn't have happened.'
'You asked me to help get rid of her!'
'Well, don't give me any more of your help! You always make things worse.'
'Oh, thanks,' she said, grey eyes bright with hurt.
Gil looked into her eyes and she hurriedly looked down, her lower lip trembling. He gave a long sigh. 'I'm sorry, don't look like that! I'm just so sick of finding myself in cheap newspapers; they tell nothing but lies, but you can never prove they're lying and it's maddening.'
'That's no excuse for taking it out on me!' she said, turning away. 'Can I finish my run now, or have you got something even nastier to say to me?'
He put a hand on her arm. 'Caro-- '
She slapped his hand down. 'Keep your hands off me!'
That was a mistake; it was a red rag to a bull and Gil breathed heavily, going dark red. 'You seemed to like my hands on you last night!'
Caro was so angry that her hand automatically came up to hit him. The blow didn't reach its target because Gil caught her wrist in mid-air and dragged it downwards, dragging the rest of her with it, with such force that her body slammed into his, the impact leaving her breathless. Before she could get her breath back, Gil kissed her.
Her knees turned to jelly, her eyes closed; she kissed him back with helpless yearning for just an instant, then her mind began screaming and she woke up and realised what she was doing. She opened her eyes and saw that Gil had his eyes shut, which made her feel very odd again, for a second, then she used all her strength to pull free and began to run.
She thought he would follow her, and her heart was beating like a tom-tom, but he didn't. She didn't look back to see what he did, but as she jogged along beside the lake a few minutes later she glanced across the water and saw through the trees that the Rolls had gone. She told herself she was relieved, but she wasn't sure if she was telling the truth.
She went home twenty minutes later, showered again, got dressed in a simple but chic olive-green dress and went down to get some breakfast only to find that her father was up, eating his own breakfast, with that newspaper spread out on the table in
