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‘Long,’ he admitted. ‘I need averyearly night.’
Merida nodded. ‘Well, I shan’t be disturbing you—I’ve moved my things into the front guest room.’
‘The front guest room?’
‘It’s a bit bigger than the other one, and I like—’
‘What the hell are you going on about?’ Ethan interrupted.
‘I think we should have separate rooms.’
He must have thought she was joking, because for a moment he smiled.
‘I’m serious, Ethan. I’ll tell Rita that the front guest room is being refurbished and keep it locked when she’s here.’
Merida had thought it all through. She simply could not give of herself—give her heart—night after night after night, to a man who thought so little of her. She could not count down the days until it was all over.
‘The marriage is consummated,’ Merida told him, and went on with what she had decided. ‘I’ll attend all the necessary functions, and I’ll sort out the nanny’s area and the nursery, and have everything running smoothly for the baby before I’m gone.’
Merida would take her role seriously. She would be the perfect Devereux wife. But she would never for a moment forget the reason she was here.
She carried Devereux property.
That was it.
‘I’ll do everything that’s stated in the contract, and everything that you pay me to do I’ll do well, but I won’t be your whore for a year,’ Merida said.
She put down her knife and fork and excused herself from the table.
‘We sleep separately from now on.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MERIDAPERFORMEDBEAUTIFULLYin her new role.
If there was ever to be an award for Contracted Wives then it would go to Ms Merida Cartwright—which was now her defunct stage name.
She and Ethan were seen out, holding hands at intimate dinners, Merida elegant and coiffed as she gazed adoringly into his eyes. They attended formal functions with Merida blending in accordingly. Her growing bump was perfectly dressed in shades of black, powder-blue and silver-grey, and she had a whole row of various shades of neutral shoes.
‘Let the eyes fall on the diamonds.’ That was Howard’s favourite tip, and Merida always smiled when he said that and thanked him.
She did, however, resist Howard’s strong suggestion that she get foils to tame her red mane at least down to a strawberry blonde. But she had a blow dry on alternate days and her hair was always sleek and smooth.
And Ethan was the perfect gentleman.
Well, he was a rather sullen perfect gentleman. But he’d gone into this with very low expectations of marriage and theirs didn’t disappoint.
He felt he understood now the concept of the ‘honeymoon period’, because for all of two days it had been bliss.
But it was a marriage of convenience, and if sex wasn’t on her agenda then his wrist would just have to suffice.
He was way too suave to cajole her.
And as for Merida...?
She tended to sleep in on weekday mornings. It possibly wasn’t very wifely, but he was off and running around six, then out through the door just after seven—and shewasseven months pregnant, after all.
As for the renovations... Who knew? But Merida found she had a hidden skill and was utterlybrilliantat spending Ethan’s money.
