Page 48 of Things We Do for Love and Science
Sandra whistled through her teeth. “Sounds glorious, but I predict trouble when one of you meets someone else and decides to couple up.”
Delia shook her head. “We’ll be fine. We’ve got it all figured out.”
Chapter Fourteen
Gabriel knelt betweensoft folds of velvet, lavishly embroidered silk, and finely woven brocade, sorting and packaging the dress collection for the auction house. Dust motes danced in the air, lit by the warm rays of evening sunshine. He coughed and got up to throw the window open.
Sotheby’s North of England office had been disappointed to hear that the Renwood dress collection wouldn’t include any of the wedding dresses and had made it clear it would fetch a much lower price as a result.
But Delia’s suggestion to hold these back and display them in a separate room had been too good to ignore. They’d form the centerpiece of the exclusive wedding fairs he hoped to host once the renovation of Renwood Hall was complete.
He smiled, remembering her committed performance as the ‘new’ Lady Renwood. He’d been nervous, terrified they’d mess it up, but she had sailed through the meeting with the Brady-Greenes like a pro and had inspired him to do the same.
Sooner rather than later, he’d have to fabricate some story of a divorce before the bank manager commented on Delia’s continued absence. But that would have to wait. The loan had not yet been approved.
Mr. Brady-Greene had warned Gabriel this might take a while, since it posed a certain risk for the bank. The credit department wanted to wait until the roof repair was completed and some more money had been made by the sale of the remaining valuables. He hadn’t mentioned the two Kauffmann paintings. Good thing the banker had no idea of their value.
Gabriel had pointed out that a complete set of ancestor portraits was essential to the attractiveness of the manor house as a wedding venue, and Mr. Brady-Greene had agreed. Edwin and Emmy were safe, for now.
A soft knock on the door dragged Gabriel out of his reverie. He raised his head. Delia stood in the doorframe, gilded by sunlight. Stunned into breathlessness, he let his gaze rove over her. The forest green hoody she wore deepened the color of her eyes, and her jeans hugged her hips tightly. He gave himself a mental shake.
“Delia. Lovely to see you, I didn’t expect...” She entered with a whiff of her perfume he’d come to recognize: rose and bergamot. Or was it her shampoo?
“Liam let me in. He was heading out with Renoir and told me I’d find you in here, buried among ancestor dresses.”
He laughed and got to his feet. “What a nice surprise. I could do with a break.”
“Surprise? Have you forgotten?” She pursed her lips and raised both eyebrows.
He stared at her and racked his brains until the memory of their arrangement came back to him. Of course, she was ovulating. She’d told him last night and was now there to collect his sperm.
Heat crept into his face, and he raked a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Delia. This is the second time I forgot one of our appointments. You must think me very unreliable.”
“No, you have a lot going on.” Her features relaxed into warmth, and the knot in his stomach loosened.
“Well.” He glanced at her from beneath his eyelashes, his face still heated by an internal furnace. “I...need a few minutes. I haven’t...”
