A Paper Marriage by Jessica Steele

She didn't have to finish.

    He nodded understandingly. 'I'll come to your car with you when you're ready.'

    Lydie supposed the drive of Alcombe Hall was as good a place as any on which to have their discussion. But it took them some while in which to say their courtesy farewells.

    By then all Lydie could think of was that her great-aunt seemed to sorely be in need of rest and quiet. `Take my arm, Miss Gough,' Jonah suggested when at last they were out on the drive.

    `This gravel path is very uneven in places.'

    'I'll go and bring the car up, you stay there,' Lydie attempted, but Alice Gough would not hear of it. They went very slowly to Lydie's car, and Lydie could not help but notice how heavily Aunt Alice leaned on Jonah. `You'll stay and enjoy the rest of the-er-festivities?' Lydie asked him, for something to say as they progressed to her car. 'You-um-said you liked weddings,' she reminded him.

    She looked across at him. His answer was to grin-and something happened in her heart region. Lydie did not speak to him again until they had safely assisted her great-aunt into the front passenger seat and, on their way to the driver's door, had walked to the rear of the car. And there Lydie halted. Jonah halted with her.

     

    'I'm-sorry about you having to pretend to be my boyfriend today. 'Having got started, she apologized in a rush.

    `What was all that about?' he asked solemnly, and she was glad he was taking her seriously.

     

    `Even now I'm not sure quite how it came about,' she confessed. `When I got home, after seeing you on Monday, I had to own up to my father that I'd seen you and that you'd said he wasn't to worry about the money. That you'd said he was to forget about it. I know, I know-I lied again,' she inserted hurriedly. `But my father's a very worried man, and he's hurting badly over this.'

    `Hurting?' Jonah repeated. 'I'm sorry to hear that.'

     

    `Anyhow,' she rushed on, `he was adamant he would not forget about it, and, I don't quite know how, but he was insisting on seeing you-he still is-and I was saying something about it being difficult, that... Well, you know and I know that the debt is mine-' She broke off to take a look inside the car and with relief saw that here great-aunt was not fidgeting to go home but had nodded off to sleep. `Anyhow, I said something to the effect that I didn't want him to see you.'

    `And he, naturally, wanted to know why?'

    She nodded. `He insisted on knowing why. I again said it was difficult.'

    `You were floundering.'

    `I'm new to this telling lies business.' `You seem to be doing exceedingly well at it.'

    She did not thank him for that comment, and said in a rush, `I was getting very hot under the collar by this time. Dad-um-noticed my warm colour and was certain I was blushing because... Well, he seemed to think I ...' she faltered '...that I had fallen for you.' She was feeling very hot under the collar again by this time. `Well, to be honest, I rather led him to think that,' she felt she had to confess. She had no intention of telling this sophisticated man of her father's comments about the crush she'd used to have on him. `Well, what with one thing and another,' she rushed on, `and I wasn't thinking, just working on instinct, I kind of gave my father the impression that I was seeing you-backed up by the fact you wanted to come to Oliver's wedding. He-um-seemed to think that made you-um-a bit keen on me,' she ended, her voice tailing off lamely.

    `You do appreciate that I'm not in the running to be anyone's "steady"?' Jonah asked gravely.

    `Don't flatter yourself ! ' she snapped pithily, up in arms in a second.

    He smiled that insincere smile, and her right hand itched. `Having established that fact,' he commented, `there seems little more to say.'

    `Just a minute!' She halted him when she thought he might be thinking of walking away. `We were going to discuss what you'd been able to think of in terms of me paying you that money back.'

    `You want me