The Yuletide Engagement & A Yuletide Seduction by Carole Mortimer Read Free Book Online

Ellie had learnt only too well—and obviously Patrick and his uncle knew too—Gareth’s charm was all a front for his calculating brain, to create Delacorte, Delacorte, Delacorte, and Davies!
    At only thirty-two Gareth had ambitions that he had no intention of working at if they could be achieved by a simpler route—such as marrying the senior partner’s daughter!
    It had taken Ellie almost two weeks to realise thatGareth was dating someone else besides herself—he hadn’t wanted to give up on one option before making absolutely sure of the second one! Once she had realised what he was doing she had told him precisely what she thought of him. And what he could do with the relationship he had tried to offer her as consolation prize.
    If she had thought he was genuinely in love with Sarah then it would have been a different matter; she would have just accepted the inevitable. But by that time her eyes had been wide open where Gareth was concerned, her illusions shattered.
    But she still had no idea what Patrick was up to…
    Because he was up to something. She was sure of it!
    â€œSo, Ellie, what do you think?” Patrick looked at her consideringly now. “Do you want to help us prove to Sarah what an absolute bas—What a calculating mercenary her new fiancé actually is?” he amended harshly.
    Ellie glanced across the room to where she could see Gareth, now talking to Sarah, a superior smile curving his lips as she looked up at him with absolute adoration, obviously enthralled by his every word.
    A shudder ran down Ellie’s spine. Had she once looked and felt as Sarah so obviously did? She had been attracted to Gareth, of that she had no doubt—just as she had no doubt that she had been meant to feel attracted to him! She had been flattered by his interest too—what woman wouldn’t be when he was so handsome and charming? But she was relieved to realise that if she had ever believed herself in love with him it had been short lived, because she felt nothing but disgust as she looked at him now.
    She turned back to Patrick, her shoulders straighteningwith resolve. “I have absolutely no idea how you intend going about that, but, yes, I’m willing to help. If I can,” she added uncertainly.
    If Patrick and George, two very capable men, had no idea how to go about revealing Gareth in his true colours to the besotted Sarah, what could she possibly do to achieve that?
    Simply telling Sarah what she thought of Gareth would do no good. She had thought of that once she’d become aware that Sarah was Gareth’s latest target—her concern and liking for Sarah were completely genuine—but she had concluded that Sarah was very unlikely to believe anything she had to say about Gareth once he had told Sarah the “woman scorned” story. Pity was the more probable emotion Sarah would feel on hearing it—for Ellie!
    Patrick gave her hand a triumphant squeeze. “I hoped my instinct about you was right, Ellie,” he told her warmly.
    She eyed him uncertainly. “What instinct?”
    He grinned. “I knew you were a fighter,” he said with satisfaction. “You had to be, to have chosen and succeeded in taking on the responsibilities you did eight years ago. Any woman who could do that isn’t going to let a man like Gareth Davies get away with anything—least of all gulling some other poor woman in the same way you were!”
    Again, Ellie was sure there was a compliment in there somewhere—it was just buried beneath the insult that had followed it!

CHAPTER FOUR
    â€œW HAT on earth do you think you’re playing at?”
    Ellie turned slowly to face Gareth, already knowing by the aggressive tone of his voice that his mood was ugly. She had briefly left the dinner table after dessert to go to the ladies’ room. Gareth must have deliberately followed her.
    Yes, she was right about Gareth’s mood. He