'No doubt,' he bit out tautly.
Morgan made her way slowly up to her bedroom. She hadn't wanted to deny Alex tonight, in fact it would have been all too easy to say yes to him. But it was very important to her, for Alex's sake as well as her own, that they wait until after they were married. Her wedding gift to him was priceless, beyond compare, all the more so to Alex because of bi bitterness and distrust of woman. She would give him the gift of herself gladly on their wedding night. And then let him dare to accuse her of being promiscuous!
It was so very easy choosing a house the next day. Alex had wonderful taste, and most of his likes and dislikes seemed to coincide with hers, so that the choosing of the six-bedroomed Regency-style house was a mutual one.
Morgan liked the house because it was more in the country than the Hammond one, had room for a stable and a couple of horses on the land attached. Riding had been something she had enjoyed as a child but had little opportunity to do since then. The garden was big, but not too big, something she would like to keep tidy herself, with help from Courtney as he got older, no doubt. And it had a small family pool out the back of it too.
'I'll teach Courtney to swim,' she said excitedly as they drove home after dealing with the legal formalities of buying a house in England.
Alex had been very cold towards her when they had first met this morning, but as the day progressed he had seemed to thaw, throwing her an indulgent smile now. 'He can't even focus yet,' he taunted. 'Give him a chance. And with all these activities you intend to become involved in—gardening, riding, taking care of Courtney, teaching him to swim—how do you think you're going to find time to resume your career.'
TU wait until he goes to school,' she shrugged.^
'You could be a thing of the past by then,' he warned softly. 'The public are very fickle, they forget so easily.'
'I could have other children to think about by then anyway,' she said abruptly.
'I'm not trying to push you back out to work, Morgan,' he said with amusement. 'I'm as chauvinistic as the next man, and I don't relish the thought of my wife going out to work. And in normal circumstances I would probably ask you not to do so. But these aren't normal circumstances, you're marrying me because of Courtney, because of a sense of duty to him.'
'And because I wanted you,' she reminded him with challenge.
His mouth twisted. 'You'll have to forgive me if I feel a little sceptical about that,' he taunted. 'There hasn't been much evidence of it lately. Most women seem to find the idea of a physical relationship interesting until they have a ring on their finger, then sex just becomes bargaining power.'
'You're very cynical,' she sighed.
'I've learnt to be,' he nodded grimly. 'Most men do in time.'
Morgan couldn't fight this cynicism now, knew that she wouldn't be able to until they were married and she could show him how wrong he was about her.
Rita Hammond came back to the house on the morning of the wedding, claiming haughtily that if Alex insisted on going through with this ridiculous marriage the least she could do was give him her moral support.
Morgan had to smile at the last. Alex didn't need anyone's support, least of all that of his mother!
'White?' Janet Fairchild came into Morgan's bedroom as she was getting dressed for the wedding.
Morgan bristled angrily at the other woman's ridicule of the colour of her wedding dress. 'Some of us arc entitled to wear the colour,' she replied haughtily.
'I know,' Janet nodded. 'I was.'
'And so am I.' Morgan straightened the soft chiffon dress about her hips, a tiny white lace cap attached to her flaming hair.
'I doubt it,' Janet drawled. 'I must say I'm surprised at Alex's stupidity at marrying you. I'd always credited him with more sense. And why on earth you have to move into your own house I have no idea. This house is big enough for ten families!'
Morgan looked at the other woman with hard green eyes. 'Alex and I do not intend making the same mistakes Glenna and Mark did. Why did you never move in here with your husband?' she taunted.
'Because Mother would eat Charles alive,' Janet said bluntly.
Morgan's mouth twisted. I doubt she would ever have the same effect on me, nevertheless I can do without her vitriolic comments day and night.'
'Are you and Alex lovers?'
'None of your damned business!' Morgan told her in a controlled voice.
Blue eyes hardened. 'I've seen the way he watches you.' Janet shrugged. 'It would also be a way of explaining this madness.'
'AJex doesn't consider it madness, Morgan snapped.
'I don't suppose you do either,' Janet sneered. 'A career as an actress, when all you have is your body and your beauty, can't last very long. Marriage to a rich man means you can't lose. If the marriage lasts you live in luxury, if it fails you get a nice healthy settlement. You're as clever as Glenna, Morgan, maybe more so,'
Morgan's hand seemed to move of its own volition, moving in a slow arc to make hard contact with Janet Fairchild's cheek. The other woman gasped, her own hand going up to the reddening area, as she stared at Morgan in disbelief.
The eyes hardened to hatred, her mouth twisted viciously. 'You'll regret that, Morgan!' she spat out the words.
'I don't think so.' Morgan was shaking with the reaction of losing her temper so completely, but she refused to let Janet Fairchild see that. She would allow no insults to Glenna on her wedding day!
'Oh, but you will.' Her hand dropped to her side, the mark of Morgan's fingers clearly visible on her cheek. 'I'll make sure of it!' She turned on her heel and slammed out of the room.
Morgan could no longer control the shaking; she dropped down on to the bed, breathing deeply. If she didn't love Alex so desperately this constant and vicious hatred from his family would have her running far away from here, Courtney or no Courtney. She knew she had made even more of an enemy of Janet Fairchild today, and that the other woman would need careful watching.
But there was no evidence of the other woman's antagonism as they drove to the wedding, in fact her pleasantly charming manner was more unsettling than the open hatred she had displayed earlier when they were alone.
Alex l