An Eligible Bachelor by Veronica Henry Read Free Book Online Page B

to go digging around in. And she’d neatly disposed of her fictional parents, by sending them off to Australia in pursuit of her fictional brother, where they were all living in the sun-drenched luxury of Adelaide, and where she joined them for family get-togethers from time to time.
    Mousy little Rowan Collins had totally reinvented herself.
    She was now the ravishing and successful Richenda Fox. And given her past, was it so surprising that she craved recognition, security and status? That the prospect of a mouth-watering manor house and a mouth-watering husband was so attractive to her, when she’d had anti-establishment claptrap rammed down her throat from an early age?
    At the same time, she wanted to be sure that whoever she married wasn’t after her for her fame and fortune. Guy certainly wasn’t. He barely acknowledged the world she came from. He was in love with her for herself, not the face that graced magazine covers. He was confident enough in himself not to find her a threat, and he didn’t want to ride on her coat-tails.
    Richenda didn’t think she’d ever been this happy. Which she found very hard to explain when Guy found her sitting in front of the fire, her arms hugging her knees, with tears streaming down her face.
    Guy held Richenda tightly in his arms, any fears and doubts he had felt earlier evaporating. As he kissed away her tears, he realized she was as vulnerable as the next person, and he felt a surge of love. She might be a hugely successful actress, but in some ways that made her even more fragile.
    ‘Sorry,’ she gulped, her sobs finally abating. ‘It’s only because I’m happy’
    Guy stroked her hair. Women were weird sometimes.
    ‘What happens when you’re unhappy?’ he joked.
    Richenda smiled, brushing away the last teardrops. She didn’t want to look red-eyed and piggy She gave a delicate little sniff, then snuggled into Guy’s chest.
    ‘I’ve been thinking,’ she said carefully. ‘I think we should get married at Christmas.’
    ‘What?’ Alarmed, Guy looked at her closely to see if she was joking. It didn’t seem as if she was.
    ‘I’ve looked in my diary. Saturday the twenty-third. We can have the reception here, so we wouldn’t have to worry about booking anywhere. And I’m sure the vicar will find us space.’
    ‘But that’s only two months away’
    ‘Which is why it’s perfect. I’ve got two months off, virtually. All I’ve got to do is some voice-over work on Lady Jane , and all the promotional stuff. So I’ll have masses of time to organize everything.’ She didn’t mention thatthe prospect of a Christmas wedding would add weight to her box-office appeal, that the magazines would all be falling over themselves to put her on the cover. ‘And next year is a nightmare for me. The second series is due to start filming in April. And I’ve got to do a stint in the US promoting Lady Jane before that. And a guest appearance in my old hospital drama – a one-off special. I won’t have time to breathe, let alone get married.’
    Guy didn’t answer, because he didn’t know what to say. Richenda was pacing up and down the room, excited.
    ‘It would be wonderful. A Christmas wedding! And personally, I don’t want a huge affair. I’ve got no family here, after all. My parents would much prefer us to go out and visit them in Australia after the event, than for them to come over here.’
    It came out so glibly. Richenda found that she almost believed in her fictional parents; she could almost imagine booking the tickets here and now.
    ‘I’ve got hordes of cousins and aunts and Mother’s got stacks of friends that will need inviting,’ Guy warned gloomily.
    ‘Well, that’s OK. I’ve got the cast and crew of Lady Jane . I suppose they’re my surrogate family’ Richenda rolled her eyes with a grin.
    ‘So when you say small, you’re talking about…?’
    ‘Two hundred? Ish? That’s small these days.’ Richenda was anxious to reassure Guy, who