Part Time Marriage Read Online Free PDF Page A

lunchtime.'Clever swine.

    `None of this is at all important. You've just said you're no longer in urgent need of a husband.' He looked to be about to leave.

    Elexa suddenly realised she had very mixed feelings about that. It seemed a very good idea that he should go and that she should forget that she had started this whole sorry business, but... `I never wanted a husband at all,' she informed him. `But I'm being pushed-'The phone starting to ring cut through what she was saying. She knew it would be her mother-and started to panic again. `Can you hang on while I take this call?' she asked quickly, and didn't wait to see whether he would or not. Presenting him with her back, she went over to the telephone and picked it up.

    `I was hoping you'd be home from work by now,' her mother's voice came briskly down the wires. `Now, what's so dreadful about your man-friend that you couldn't tell me about him before?"

    'There's nothing dreadful about him,' Elexa foundd herself answering, barely able to believe she was still carrying out this myth that there was someone she was going `steady' with.

    `Then why didn't you bring himm to the christening yesterday?'

    `He's-uh-busy,' Elexa replied. What am I doing? `He's a very busy man.' 'He's notmarried ! Tell me he's notmarried ! You wouldn't go out with a married man. Don't tell me I've reared a daughter who would-'

    `Mother!'Elexa cut off her tirade. `I didn't bring him because he-um-puts a lot of hours in with his work.'

    `What's his name? He does have a name?'

    Oh, grief. Elexa hadn't heard any doors closing. If Noah Peverelle was still in earshot-and she couldn't blame him if he was; she had after all listened in to his conversation-then he would just love it if she gave her mother his name. `Can I give you a ring later?' she asked, and, rushing on before her mother should ask why, `He's-er-here now-um...'

    `He's there with you now? Why didn't you say?"

    'I-er...' `Ring me before you go to bed tonight,' her mother instructed firmly. `And you'd better bring him to dinner on Saturday.'

    Elexa came away from the phone with her head spinning. She turned and saw that Noah Peverelle was still there. `Oh, grief,' she sighed, and collapsed into the nearest chair.

    But she was not to be allowed time to get herself back together, it seemed, for straight away Noah Peverelle was bombarding her. `Why would you tell your mother anything about me? And don't deny it was me you were talking about.'

    Elexa had just about had enough of him. `It didn't have to be you; any man would have done,' she snapped, but wearily felt obliged to explain. `Yesterday, in order to put somebody off, I invented having a steady boyfriend. He told my mother-she now wants me to bring said steady boyfriend to dinner on Saturday.'

    `You look as fed up as you sound,' Noah Peverelle observed, and added speculatively, but nonetheless accurately, `It's your mother who wants you to be married, not you, isn't it?'

    Elexa didn't want to be disloyal to her mother, but somehow, having been driven to this situation by her, she was feeling just a little too worn down just then to mind so much.

    `I don't need marriage. I've got a super job, excellent prospects of promotion-I'm more than happy with my career.'

    `But your mother isn't?'

    Elexa sighed. `I've tried to explain how it is.'

    `You can't have tried very hard.'

    She felt like hitting him. `Much you know! I tried so hard my mother is now convinced that some man has caused me so much pain that I'm off men for good- and that I'm never likely to marry. Now various old friends, and new acquaintances, are invited to my parents' home when I'm due to make a visit, and to family get- togethers-and I'm instructed to be nice to them.'

    `Yesterday's offering being the one whom you told you were going steady?' Elexa looked across at the unsmiling rather good looking, she realised-dark-haired man occupying her sofa, recognising just how astute he was. It hadn't taken him any