Jude knew nothing whatsoever about babies. A few of his friends had reproduced. He might be a godfather several times over but his dealings with babies were very much of the hands-off, admire-the-kid-from-a-distance nature. And then, just like that, his agile brain snapped back into gear and he dug out his phone to start handling the situation. He called his PA and told him to hire a rota of three nannies to provide the child with round-the-clock care and to ensure that the first one joined them in time for the flight out to Greece. He called his head housekeeper to order a nursery to be set up in all his homes. Those practicalities dealt with, he lounged fluidly back and simmered with pure burning rage.
The baby kept on stretching out little starfish fingers in his direction and he ignored it. It was an absurdly friendly little creature, quite impervious to the chilly atmosphere and the silence surrounding it.
He had married a single parent, a young woman with a child by an unknown man. And it would be a waste of time to set a private investigation agency on to Tansy now because within the week the international press would have exposed every single secret she had, including the identity of her child’s father. Jude was rigid with anger, enraged by her brazen dishonesty from the outset of their acquaintance.
Had he known the truth about her, he wouldn’t even have considered her, he reasoned angrily. He did not need nor want the hassle and inconvenience of a very young child in his life! He had nothing against children. Thee mou…did he not want one of his own to silence for ever Isidore’s lectures about family bloodlines, duty and loyalty? But having his own child, and curbing his freedom to meet the needs of that child, was a far different prospect from the situation that Tansy had landed him into without his agreement! Unaccustomed to anything but his own will restricting him, Jude fiercely guarded his ability to do as he pleased when and where he pleased.
They arrived at the airport. Tansy bundled the kid into her arms like an unwieldy parcel and struggled to keep up with Jude as he headed for the peace of the VIP departure lounge.
By the time they arrived there, Tansy was a hot perspiring mess because Posy was a solid little girl and Tansy wasn’t accustomed to carrying her for so long. After a moment of hesitation, she settled her down on the carpet at Jude’s feet. ‘Look, I have to go and buy essentials for Posy and she’s too heavy to carry. Can you just keep an eye on her for ten minutes?’ she almost whispered, her face flaming at her nerve in even asking. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t even have a pushchair to put her in.’
‘What do I do if she starts crying?’ Jude asked drily, ignoring the sudden grin that spread across Spiros’s usually expressionless face.
‘Lift her?’ Tansy gave him a pleading look. ‘She’s very friendly.’
Raising her rump, the very friendly baby crawled under a chair and got stuck there. She set up a hullabaloo of complaint until Jude lifted the chair away and freed her from her self-imposed cage. By then Tansy and two of his security team had departed. Not a fast learner, Posy crawled beneath another chair and ducked her head away before whipping it back and looking expectantly at Jude with huge blue eyes. She was trying to play peekaboo without anything to hide behind, Jude registered, blanking her while a woman nearby obliged and the baby shook and wriggled with delighted laughter at the response, tousled blonde curls bouncing.
It was probably the cutest baby that Jude had ever seen, but then he didn’t look at many babies and he could well be mistaken. That cuteness factor did not diminish his rage and disbelief one jot. He was appalled by the extent of Tansy’s deception.
Tansy was disconcerted by the amount she had to buy merely to get Posy through a couple of days. Nappies, wipes, powdered milk, bottles, cereal, bibs, dummies, changes of clothes, a toddler cup, a couple of basic toys. A bigger embarrassment was reaching the till and realising she did not have enough in her bank account to cover such a spending spree and then Spiros startled her by stepping in with a black credit card and taking care of the payment for her. She went weak with relief. They arrived back in the VIP lounge festooned with bags of supplies. Tansy was hot and bothered and her feet were in agony from the tightness of her new shoes. She was taken aback to see a strange young brunette down on her knees on the floor entertaining Posy.
‘Who’s that?’ she asked.
‘Our new nanny. Her name’s Kerry, pleasant girl, enjoys travel,’ Jude advanced coolly.
‘How on earth did you acquire a nanny before we’ve even left the airport?’ Tansy whispered in disbelief.
‘She’s emergency cover from an agency. I have very efficient staff.’
‘Posy doesn’t need a nanny, and this is not an emergency.’
‘How are you planning to get through the wedding tomorrow without a nanny?’ Jude asked drily.
Tansy stiffened because she hadn’t thought ahead to that challenge and her shoulders slumped as she recognised her oversight. ‘I’m really sorry about all this.’
‘Not one half as sorry as I am to discover that I’ve married a liar and a fraud,’ Jude imparted with a soft chilling bite that cut into her tender skin like the slash of a knife blade.
Momentarily tears stung the backs of her eyes and she twisted her head away to hide that weakness. She wanted to defend herself, but it was neither the time nor the place. Instead she moved forward to introduce herself to the nanny and scooped up her sister to give her a cuddle. A liar and a fraud, she thought, wincing from the description until she reminded herself impatiently that, having secured Posy’s future with their marriage, she was now paying the price for her deceit.
The private jet was a great deal larger than she had naively expected. The stewardess led the way to one of a set of sleeping compartments at the rear of the plane, which was already set up with a crib for Posy.
‘She’s such a happy baby!’ Kerry remarked cheerfully of her new charge. ‘Is she always like this?’
‘Pretty much and she sleeps like a log too,’ Tansy confirmed with pride as she finished changing her sister and slotted her into fresh clothing, a tight knot of tension forming in her stomach as she contemplated having to face the showdown with Jude. Time to pay the piper, she told herself ruefully, because she had neither an escape hatch nor an adequate excuse for what she had done.
She walked back to the spacious living area with its groups of opulent cream leather seats and tables. A stewardess was already serving Jude with a drink and Tansy asked for a white wine, feeling she needed something to stiffen her backbone. Her anxious gaze settled on Jude’s hard classic profile. From the slash of his black brows, the angle of his strong nose and the corner of his lush shapely mouth, he was compellingly male and absolutely gorgeous, especially with the shadow of darkening stubble emphasising the sculpted hardness of his jawline.
‘I know you must think very badly of me for not telling you about Posy,’ Tansy said as soon as they were alone.
Jude averted his attention from the shapely length of her legs, cursing his male susceptibility for distracting him. He dealt her a lacerating glance in punishment. ‘Don’t fake regret with me. Why didn’t you tell me that you had a baby?’
‘I couldn’t risk it. You might have changed your mind about marrying me,’ she admitted honestly.
‘Thee mou… I don’t need any explanation for your motives!’ Jude derided.
Tansy lifted her chin, a hint of challenge in her bright gaze. ‘Well, actually you do. I didn’t agree to marry you for the reasons you probably think I did.’
‘I’m pretty certain that your reasons are no more complex than the size of my bank balance and the money I was willing to offer,’ Jude pronounced with sardonic bite.