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Chapter Fifty Six
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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fifty Seven
Chapter 57.As he waited, giving her time to clear the room, he realised he shouldhave asked her how her elbow was doing. Unfortunately, the quick flash ofher smooth, golden backside as she’d finally turned and fled had knocked itclean out of his mind.Miracesca didn’t hang around to ask whether Dan was going to continue hisnap or would prefer to go downstairs and have something to eat. She justgrabbed the first clothes that came to hand and bolted. And, havinggathered up the paperwork she’d brought back from the office, she shutherself away in the study.Her jeans were the comfortable baggy fit cut that she’d worn whenNate wasn’t around to grumble that she looked untidy, the top somethingloose and equally figure obscuring. It felt disloyal somehow—even in thelast couple of weeks, when he’d hardly been able to lift his head, he’d stillwanted to see her looking like his ‘princess’—but it was too late to thinkabout changing. Too late to think about obscuring anything, too.D
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fifty Eight
Chapter 58.‘Oh, Nate n! Why didn’t you bring one of these home for me? If I’dknown…’But she knew why. Ship the stuff in and ship it out again before youhave to pay for it. That had been his strategy. It had worked for frogs.This was different.But it would have to be her long-term, comeback strategy. Her future.And Toby’s. Right now she needed hard cash, and quickly, or she was goingto have to marry Dan to save her family and friends from disaster and whathad once been an impossible dream, locked in the deepest recesses of herheart where she never dared go, would become the darkest of nightmares.Not before she’d examined every other option, she swore. There had tobe another way.She picked up a legal pad, drew a line down the centre, and at the top ofone side she wrote ‘Assets’, and on the other side, ‘Liabilities’.What assets did she have? Her jewellery, mostly. Maybe some of thosedesigner evening gowns could be sold through a dress agency. They hadsome good pieces of
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Fifty Nine
Chapter 59.THIS would have been the perfect moment to hail a passing black taxi andsay, ‘Follow that car!’Dan couldn’t just drop a bombshell like that and then drive away. Shewanted an explanation. She wanted to know what the devil he thought hewas doing and she wanted to know now!By some miracle—and she was certainly due one—a cruising taxiappeared just when she needed one and she hailed it. The drama of themoment was somewhat spoiled, however, by the fact that women didn’twalk around with wallets in their hip pockets.Dan’s car was long out of sight by the time she’d fetched her bag andshe had to content herself with, ‘The London Eye, please. As quickly as youcan. It’s an emergency.’Even as she said it, she realised how stupid that must sound. What kindof emergency called for a ride on the London Eye? Not that she had anyintention of going on it. But the driver—who’d probably heard everythingin his time—just said, ‘Yes, ma’am’, and set off enthusiastically enough int
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty
Chapter 60.‘Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to pay the rent until I get myself sorted out?If you’re that worried about Toby being homeless?’‘It isn’t just Toby, though. Is it?’‘Nate n wouldn’t expect you to take care of Matty and Connie.’‘He asked me to take care of you and Toby. It seems to me you’re all apackage and it really is easier to do it this way.’It certainly would be no simple matter rehousing Matty…‘But you could have just renewed the lease.’ She didn’t want him tohave bought the house, she discovered. That was too…personal.‘That was my first thought,’ he said. ‘There’s no easy way to tell youthis, Mira, but your landlord gave Nate six months notice to quit fourmonths ago. You only had a couple of months before you’d have had tomove out.’Surprisingly, she didn’t feel any huge sense of shock. The revelations ofthe last week had taken her beyond any place where she could feel shocked.Nate n had known he was on borrowed time, that there was nothing hecould do to
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty One
Chapter 61‘If I fell under Matty’s metaphorical bus, you’d have to sell the house topay inheritance tax. This way makes more sense.‘It makes sense if you haven’t got a heart, but since we’re talking aboutthe unexpected, let’s really go for it.’ She looked at him, demanding aresponse.‘What’s on your mind?’‘This. We get married. You live upstairs in your little apartment. Me andLame Ducks Incorporated are spread out all over the rest of your house.That’s what you have in mind, right?’‘Right.’‘Okay. Now tell me this. What happens when you meet the girl of yourdreams and fall in love?’Fran had to ask the question, even though the very idea of him falling inlove drove daggers through her.‘That’s the one thing that isn’t going to happen, Mira.’His conviction shook her momentarily, but she pressed on. ‘Dan, I knowyou spend most of your life in the wilderness, chipping lumps off rocklooking for oil and minerals—’‘Really it’s a bit more technical than that,’ he objected.‘—b
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty Two
Chapter 62.‘Mira? Are you all right?’She shook her head, unable to answer, as she took in huge gasps of air.‘Take your time.’‘I’m sorry. That was…’ She didn’t even attempt to finish the sentence.There wasn’t a word to express the way she was feeling. To have the onething you most wanted in the world. Yet not have it. To know that you couldnever have it.‘I know,’ he said.‘No, Dan,’ she said. ‘I promise you, you don’t.’His gaze met hers and for one brief, shocking moment she saw his pain.Remembered the woman he loved but could never have because she lovedsomeone else. And she laid her hand on his arm.‘I’m so sorry. You deserve better from me than that.’He looked down at her hand, pale against his sleeve, and the bright newgold of the wedding ring gleamed as it caught the sun.‘I do understand how hard it must have been for you. I wish there hadbeen more time.’‘It wouldn’t have made any difference.’‘No. I suppose not,’ he said, apparently missing her allusion to his own
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty Three
Chapter 63.She blinked, looked away, out of the window and up at the apartmentblock, then out across the Thames.‘Is this where you live?’ she asked.‘Lived. Someone will pick up the few things I’m sending over to EltonStreet. If you’ll store them until the conversion is done?’‘Oh, yes, of course.’‘I just have to pick up my bags, then drop the keys in at the office. Youcan take the car, keep it,’ he said, handing her the keys. ‘It’s insured for youto drive.’‘But how are you getting to the airport?’ she asked. Then, not waitingfor him to tell her, she opened the door and got out. ‘What am I saying? I’lltake you.’ She forced a smile. ‘That’s what wives do, isn’t it?’Dan, quite unable to help himself, looked at her across the roof of thecar and said, ‘You might not want to go into what wives do, Miracesca.’Then, taking pity on her as she blushed, he said, ‘It’s okay. I really don’texpect you to morph into the perfect wife. There is, after all, no one eitherof us has to con
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Chapter Sixty Four
Chapter 64.‘Believe me, the rental reflects the value of contents as well as theaccommodation.’‘But…why?’‘I told you. I bought this as an investment and it’s done well. I’ve tripledmy capital outlay. Something that Steve could have done if he’d used themoney I gave him wisely. I should have let it before, of course. It’s aterrible waste of resources leaving it empty and it put the insurancepremiums through the roof. The apartment in Elton Street will be muchmore cost effective.’Money? Was that all this meant to him? She didn’t believe it for aminute‘I meant why did you lie to me?’‘I didn’t. You assumed I had to sell and I didn’t deny it.’‘Why?’ she persisted.Because he was a fool, Dan told himself. Because he wanted to be ableto help her in every way, put all of his resources at her command, give hernot just a home, but everything she’d ever need. Because he loved her.None of them were reasons he could offer for what must now seemcompletely irrational behaviour. Wha
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