Beaumont Brides Collection Read Online Free PDF Page B

incorporated, with the town stitched up between them.’
    ‘It’s not like that,’ she said, indignant on her father’s behalf and Michael’s. ‘I just meant -’ But he wasn’t listening to excuses.
    ‘That’s just as well. I know very little about the theatre, but I do know that it isn’t a twenty-four hour a day job. He would impress me far more by spending his time managing his business.’ His hostility had an astringent quality that stung her, clearing her head like a blast from a bottle of smelling salts.
    ‘He’s an actor, Mr Devlin. That is his business. The radio station is mine.’
    His eyes flickered over her, missing nothing. ‘I’m afraid it will take more than padded shoulders to convince me that you know what you’re talking about.’
    She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it again. She hadn’t come here to argue with the man, but to impress him with her business acumen. So far she had made a lousy job of it. As if to confirm this, Luke Devlin continued irritably.
    ‘For goodness sake sit down, Miss Beaumont. Now you’re here, you might as well say your piece. I’m sure you’ve been rehearsing for days, but I won’t be performed at.’
    Despite the lack of warmth with which it was offered, this wasn’t an invitation Fizz was about to refuse. Presented with a second chance to state her case there was no point dwelling on the bad start she had made. Instead she made herself smile. It wasn’t as hard as she had expected.
    ‘If I had thought you wanted a performance, Mr Devlin, I would have sent my sister. She’s the actress.’
    ‘So I understand.’ There was a slightly ironical twist to his voice. ‘I look forward to meeting her some time soon.’
    Meeting her? That sounded promising. And the sooner the better. Claudia would pull out all the stops for a man like Luke Devlin. In the meantime Fizz wasted no time in obeying his instruction to sit down, quickly lowering herself onto one end of the sofa.

    Its smooth leather exterior was deceptive. The horrid thing swallowed her up, leaving her struggling for her dignity with a skirt that in the mirror had seemed demure enough, but was suddenly far too short. Or maybe it was just that her legs had rather more thigh than she realised.
    Luke Devlin relieved her of the portfolio she was still clutching awkwardly and occupied the far corner of the sofa, settling back with the ease of a man perfectly at home with himself and his surroundings.
    Fizz, struggling with her skirt, wished that she was still wearing her comfortable cords; the suit certainly hadn’t made the hoped for impression. Quite the opposite. As he flipped through the contents of the folder, outwardly oblivious to her difficulties, she could have sworn that behind that detached expression Mr Devlin was positively enjoying her discomfort. But when he looked up, eyes the colour of rain-soaked slates levelled at her expectantly, his thoughts were unreadable and Fizz made a mental note never to play poker with the man.
    She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Her mind was wandering again. She didn’t have the faintest clue how to play poker. And the idea of playing anything with Luke Devlin was so immediately disturbing that she switched the thought off before it could get out of hand.
    ‘Mr Devlin, you know why I’m here,’ she said, dismayed to discover that suddenly her voice was more breath than substance.
    ‘You’re here to part me from my money,’ he said, matter-of-factly.
    ‘I’m here to convince you to continue this company’s support of Pavilion Radio,’ she replied, evenly, refusing to be put off.
    ‘Right now this company doesn’t have any money spare to support anyone or anything but itself.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘But you have fifteen minutes of my time so I suggest you don’t waste any more of it.’
    Despite his lack of encouragement, Fizz felt the tiniest surge of optimism. Luke Devlin was clearly not a man to prevaricate. If he had