never looked back. He had investments in the Internet before most people had ever heard of it. But he couldn’t escape his background-or lack of it. He was one seriously deprived kid. His mother disappeared when he was twelve and from then he was truly alone. He fought tooth and nail and he got a bit behind him. When the last of his foster families threw him out, he joined the army. Heaven knows why. I’d imagine… He’d never belonged anywhere. Maybe the army promised a sense of family. Or maybe it was that he wasn’t all that interested in living.’
‘Ruby, that’s awful.’
‘So was his stint with the armed forces,’ Ruby said bluntly. ‘I’m not supposed to know this, you understand, but a sergeant in his regiment came to see him one day when Marcus was out of town. Darrell’s had a hard time-he was pretty badly scarred and down on his luck and on impulse I invited him to share lunch. So I did and I got the full story of what Marcus went through. Okay, we were on the winning side, but Darrell… He said they saw so much death. Darrell said at the start of the campaign Marcus was an outgoing guy who could share a joke but the more killing they saw the quieter he grew. And then his battalion was caught in an ambush. Most of them were killed. And for Marcus… It was the end. At least that’s the way I see it. He’s internalised it; he’s never talked about it and he’s just shrivelled. He came back and he concentrated on building an empire that’s stunned the world. But there’s nothing else. And then along comes you.’
Peta stared at her across the table, at this big kindly woman with trouble in her eyes.
‘Along came me? What have I got to do with it?’
‘He cares,’ Ruby told her. ‘For the first time. He cares what happens to you. He really cares. He’s thinking about your welfare and he’s offered to marry you. With pride. Even if the marriage will only last for two weeks, you’re the only bride he’ll ever have. Think about that, Peta. Do you really want to knock back his offer to make you a bride? You don’t think you could possibly bring yourself to play the part?’
‘But… How? Why?’
Ruby smiled, reaching across the table and taking Peta’s work-worn hands in hers. ‘All I know is that he’s agreed to stop making money for two weeks. He’s agreed to care for you a little. I think… If you were to pay him back by making it fun…’
‘Fun?’
‘I suspect,’ Ruby said slowly, ‘that it’s a concept both of you have trouble with.’ She smiled some more, and there was a tinge of real regret in her eyes. ‘You know, it’s not illegal. And, as for me… You know, Marcus has just given me a cheque for an obscene amount of money to organise a wedding.’ She hesitated. And the look on her face changed. ‘You know, I had a daughter once,’ she whispered. ‘If Amy had lived she’d be just about your age. I could be buying her a wedding dress.’
Peta stared at her. Dumbfounded. There were needs all over the place here. Not just hers. Not just her brothers. There was Marcus. And now there was Ruby. ‘So it’s not just me and Marcus who need to have fun?’ she ventured.
‘Is it ever just the two of you?’ Ruby’s eyes held lingering pain. ‘I’ve learned the hard way to keep to myself and no, it’s not much fun. But today… Maybe today and for the next two weeks, we could all let our barriers down.’ Her smile returned, and there was a hint of pleading behind the tired eyes. ‘If you’d like, if you’d let me, what I’d really like to do is make you the most beautiful bride the world has ever seen. Show the world what a bride should look like-see how much we can achieve in a few short hours. And then…’ A hint of mischief appeared behind her smile. ‘I’d like to write up the most beautiful gilt invitation and have it hand delivered to Charles Higgins-marked urgent.’
Charles. At least Charles was neutral territory. ‘You don’t like Charles, either?’
‘I can’t stand the man.’ Ruby rose and stood, smiling down at Peta and her smile was a challenge. ‘Well. What do you think? Are you prepared to put aside a few scruples and have fun?’
‘You mean, do the full bridal bit?’
‘It would be great,’ Ruby admitted and there was a real trace of wistfulness in her voice. ‘Marcus can afford it. The man’s so wealthy this is less than pin money. And a wedding-a real wedding-in four hours. It would be fun. Wouldn’t it?’
Peta stared up at her. More and more she didn’t understand what was happening-more and more she felt as if she was right out of control. But if she was so far out of control why not go the whole way? Why clutch at traces of dignity that were impossible to maintain?
Why not have…fun?
‘A white bride,’ she whispered.
‘The whole works.’ Ruby was beaming. ‘I know just the place.’
‘It’s crazy.’
‘But wonderful?’
‘Marcus would run a mile.’
‘Marcus is committed. He goes through with his promises.’ Ruby’s smile deepened. ‘Let’s do the whole thing. I know where his sergeant lives-it’s half an hour from here. Can you cope with me as a matron of honour and Darrell as best man? And I’ll bet Charles will come. He’ll arrive expecting to see a farce and what he’ll see is the works.’
‘The works?’
‘Let’s do it.’ Ruby held out her hand to pull her to her feet. ‘Why not?’
‘I can think of a thousand reasons why not.’
‘Do any of them matter more than enjoying yourself?’ Ruby glanced across the street to the funeral parlour and winced. ‘Life’s for living. Come on. I dare you.’
CHAPTER FIVE
MARCUS was running late. Once he’d got back to his office there were a thousand things that needed to be sorted. To leave for Australia at this short notice seemed impossible.
But Ruby had been there before him, making the impossible somehow inevitable. Every one of his staff seemed intent on pushing him out of the place!
So somehow he’d done it. He’d pushed himself to the limit, but even Robert’s skilled driving hadn’t been able to get him across town right on time.
He was ten minutes late…
‘I hope your bride hasn’t beaten you,’ Robert said, and when Marcus glanced at his chauffeur’s face in the rear-view mirror he found he was grinning.
‘Just how many people know I’m getting married this afternoon?’ he demanded, and Robert chuckled.
‘I’m thinking just about the whole world. The phone in the outer office has been running hot. I gather you haven’t been exactly quiet with your wedding plans.’
No. No, he hadn’t.
What would happen if there were photographers there? he thought suddenly. What if the press had heard about it? He hoped to heaven that Ruby had been able to persuade Peta to buy a dress.
Something pretty.
Peta stood in the outer office of the Justice’s offices and felt absurd. But strangely…good. Light. Free.
Ruby had been right. It had been the best fun. They’d gone to the biggest bridal emporium in New York and when Ruby had explained that it was a rush job, that the wedding was this afternoon, that Peta was marrying Marcus Benson and that money was no object, they’d fallen over themselves to help.
And Peta, who’d lived in a nightmare for so long, had simply acquiesced. Or more than acquiesced, she admitted. She’d tried on one exquisite creation after another. The dress they chose was, in the end, comparatively simple-deceptively so. Of magnificent ivory silk, it had tiny shoestring shoulder-straps and a scooped sweetheart neckline. It looked as if it had been made for her. It clung like a second skin to her tiny waist and then floated out in diaphanous folds, falling softly to her ankles.
She’d stood before the mirror and Ruby had gazed at her, her eyes had misted and she’d breathed, ‘Yes!’
The thing had been decided.
