'You, I hope, are going to be my next major acquisition, Ms Granger.' For the first time a hint of amusement showed in the hard steel-grey eyes and flickered at the corners of his wide, chiseled mouth.
Inconsequential, it struck her that his mouth was at variance with the rest of his features. It was the month of sensualist in the face of a man who otherwise gave the impression of being supremely self-disciplined.
But it was the meaning of his extraordinary statement, rather than the contradiction between his mouth and his eyes that preoccupied her at the moment.
'What do you mean?' she said warily.
'I need a wife. You need financial support. Do you understand the word fortuitous?'
'Of course I do,' she retorted, her long-lashed green eyes sparking with annoyance at the implied aspersion on her intelligence.
She said, 'It means happening by chance… especially by a lucky chance. But I can't see anything lucky about my father dying of massive coronary in his middle fifties with his business on the rocks and his wife destitute,' she added coldly
Matching her coldness, he said, 'In my experience, most people make their own luck. Your father's lifestyle wasn't conducive to a long health life. As a business man, he took too many risks for a man with responsibilities.'
'Did you have dealing with him?'
She knew next to nothing about her father's business life. Since her late teens he had spent little time with his family. It was years since he and her mother had shared a bedroom. Hermione knew there had been other women.
'not directly. But after seeing that picture, I made a point of finding out more about you. I was on the point of making contact when your father died and I put the matter on hold. In the light of subsequent events, I've adapted my original plan to deal with things more expeditiously. If my information is correct, you have no relationship with men in train at the present time?'
'How did you find that out?'
he said coolly, 'I had you investigated… a reasonable precaution in the circumstances. Marriage is a very important contract. When people are buying a house, they have searches made by surveyors and lawyers. I had you checked out, very discreetly, by a private detective. You may want to run a similar check on me. For the time being my secretary has prepared a file which will give you most of the information you need.'
Retrieving the file she was holding, he placed another slimmer folder on the edge of the desk in front of her.
'I can't believe I'm hearing this. I though this was a merchant bank…not a marriage bureau.'
the third chapter sorry about the chapters being so short! please enjoy