Bonds of Matrimony Page 3

  “Of course. But yes. That’s my Ellie.”

  “She’s over twenty-one?” Zach asked. He was almost certain that she was, she looked almost twenty-five to him, but nowadays you just couldn’t be sure. Zach had even been concerned earlier in the day that the man was trying to get him to wed some sort of child bride, but clearly that wasn’t the case.

  “Twenty-two,” Malcolm confirmed, and Zach had to admit that he was slightly surprised by that. She looked older, but he imagined that in the sort of life they led, life took its toll more so than the world he was used to. Thinking on it though, it wasn’t that she necessarily looked older, just that she appeared more mature. Another byproduct of life in the social class that they resided in, he supposed.

  “I have my own conditions that I’ll want to set,” Zach said promptly.

  “Which are?” the man asked.

  “Firstly, that I have your guarantee that you won’t go to the press.”

  “Add in a clause stating that once the two of you are married I’m obliged to stay silent. If I go to the press over anything with regards to you or anyone connected to you it nullifies all other conditions contained in the agreement,” the man said with a wave of his hand.

  “And of course, seeing as how I’m obliged to fulfill so many requirements in the marriage, I expect to be able to set my own for your daughter,” he stated and watched as the man tensed.

  “So long as they don’t counteract any of the conditions already set, I can’t see a problem with that. What did you have in mind?”

  “If I’m to be stuck with a wife hanging around my neck I’d rather like for the people I count as respected colleagues to believe that I haven’t been forced or coerced into it. In that regards I’d expect your daughter to behave like a newly married doting spouse. The document you gave earlier lists a whole plethora of conditions which would result in me losing all of my assets. I propose the same would be true for your daughter. I don’t need to be made a laughing stock by her to my peers.”

  “Meaning?”

  “No cheating, or she forfeits any claim on my fortune. No going to the press. No divulging the true nature of this farce of a marriage. If we’re out together I expect to be shown respect and treated like a real spouse, not one who she’s managed to trap into marriage. If I’m to be restricted in what movements I can make without her with me, I expect the same of her. If she’s to go anywhere, she either goes with a chaperone or she goes with me.

  “The last thing I need is for tales to abound about a straying wife, or a wife who constantly wants to be outside of my company.”

  “You’re turning her into your prisoner,” the man said.

  “Isn’t that what you’re doing to me?” Zach asked with a raised brow.

  “You still have the freedom to go to work. What do you expect her to do during the day?”

  “That’s not really my concern. If you find yourself worried about it, might I suggest rescinding your offer and conditions,” Zach put forward with a slight smirk which promptly fell away when the man eyed him before his own smirk covered his face.

  “I must confess. I’d heard you were shrewd, but well done, I hadn’t expected you to have thought it all through so quickly. But never mind, I believe your house and grounds are large enough to occupy her time well enough when you’re not around. And when you are, she’ll have company, won’t she?” he asked, and Zach frowned at the man.

  “You’re going to regret this, you know,” Zach said.

  “No,” the man said with a triumphant and yet sad smile. “I don’t think I am. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I need to go speak to my daughter,” he said as he slowly stood up and headed out of the room.

  Zach found himself sitting there in silence and wondering what had just happened. He’d thought that he’d be able to play the man at his own game, but he had the sinking suspicion that he’d just played right into the man’s hands.

  Chapter Three

  Ellie’s attention was caught by the light knock on her door and she looked over to see her dad entering her room slowly.

  “Papa?” she asked in concern as she saw his forced smile fall away. When he sighed and sat down on the end of her bed, she found herself even more concerned. “Papa, what’s the matter?” she asked. “Who is that man?”

  “Oh, Ellie,” he breathed sadly. “I’ve done something foolish,” he said softly before looking over at her in concern, and she found herself surprised at his look.

  “What? What have you done?” she asked as she sat up and wrapped an arm around him.

  Sighing, he patted her knee tenderly before answering her, “I … well, I didn’t go for an interview this morning.”

  “What do you mean? Where did you go?”

  “Do you recognize our visitor?” he asked as he looked at her, and Ellie found her brow furrowing. She’d thought that there was something familiar about him but she hadn’t been able to place it. He had dark hair and gray eyes set in a chiseled and handsome face, but that face had been cold, cold and hard and particularly unhappy. He was young enough, perhaps early thirties, but she hadn’t recognized him.

  Her first impression was of the men that frequented The Palatio, the hotel which she worked at, the suave businessmen who thought that they were entitled to everything, and above everyone. He had that same confidence and manner to him, but she’d brushed that thought aside. A man like that wouldn’t be on her doorstep asking for her father.

  Now with her father asking her the question, she was beginning to wonder if her first impressions hadn’t been that far off the mark. Instead of answering, she just shook her head in the negative. Even if he did seem vaguely familiar, she still didn’t know who he was explicitly.

  “Not at all?” her father pressed.

  “No, Papa. He seems familiar, but I honestly don’t think that I’ve ever met him.”

  “No. I don’t think that you have, Ellie,” her dad said then grimaced. “That’s Zachary McCormack,” he supplied, and Ellie’s eyes widened at the name.

  “The Zachary McCormack? Owner of McCormack Enterprises?” she asked in surprise, and her father nodded. “What does he want with you?”

  “It’s not me that he wants something from, Ellie,” her dad said and turned sad eyes her way. Ellie found her mouth gaping open. As attractive as Zachary McCormack was, it was common knowledge that the man was not your usual rich playboy. It was well-known that the man was obsessed with his work, a complete workaholic.

  Women in the past had been linked to him, but they’d always been proven to be rumors. The man didn’t date. He didn’t go near women by all appearances. His focus was his work. That was all. When women had found out that fact, no matter how much he was worth or how attractive he appeared at first glance, it just wasn’t worth trying to fight for his time and attention.

  It was also reported that the man had a temper, that he often got into truly foul moods and took it out on those around him. A beast of an employer. Good to you if you did your job well, and it had to be admitted that he never expected any of his staff to put in the hours that he did, but get on the wrong side of the man and he’d make it felt. Severely.

  So with his reputation, it was no wonder that women didn’t try. And by all appearances he seemed to be perfectly content with things that way. Which begged one important question, a question which she asked her dad.

  “I don’t understand,” she said in confusion. “What could he possibly want from me? He doesn’t even know me. He’s never met me.”

  “Let me explain,” her father said, and Ellie nodded, hoping to have everything cleared up. “I met with Mr McCormack earlier today,” he started, and Ellie looked at him in surprise and confusion.

  “Why?”

  “Because … well, because I found something out. Something that I thought might be worth something to him,” her dad said, and Ellie closed her eyes while her head fell forward as the meaning of her dad’s words sunk in.

  “Papa,” she breat
hed before looking back up at him. “Papa, what did you do?”

  “I offered him a deal, Ellie. I thought that it would solve all of our problems,” he said, and Ellie closed her eyes again as she exhaled heavily.

  “He didn’t agree, did he?”

  “No,” her father said sadly. “Threatened to call security. I told him that I was only trying to take care of my family. Told him that I had a daughter that I wanted to care for. Told him how important you were to me.”

  “So he let you go,” she surmised, then found herself confused again. “So why’s he here then? What does he want now?”

  “To marry you,” her dad said bluntly, and Ellie’s eyes bugged open wide as her mouth fell open.

  “What?!” she shrieked then immediately clamped a hand over her mouth when she saw her dad wince before shushing her.

  “He wants to marry you, Ellie. He’s a man devoted to his business. It’s time that he settled down. Family is important to him. It was his father’s business, after all, he’ll want posterity to hand it down to,” he added, and Ellie just stared at her father in horror.

  “You can’t be serious. He can’t be serious,” she declared. “If he wants a wife and family so much he could go out and get one easily,” she said, even though she knew that wasn’t quite the case with his reputation.

  “You and I both know that it’s not as simple as that. He’s devoted to his work. He doesn’t have time to woo and romance a woman,” her dad explained, and Ellie stared at her father in disbelief.

  “You’re defending him?!”

  “No,” her dad said quickly. “No, I’m not. But … Ellie, I could get into real trouble here. He’s a powerful man. A powerful man with plenty of connections. And what I did … well, it’s illegal, Ellie,” he explained before sighing again and looking away.

  “Meaning what? That if I don’t agree to marry him he’ll get you thrown into prison?! Is that what you’re telling me?! And that’s the type of man that I’m supposed to spend my life with?!” she asked furiously.

  “Not your life. He has a few conditions for the marriage. You can divorce after two years.”

  “I don’t understand,” she said in bewilderment.

  “If two years after consummating your marriage you want to get out you’ll be free to do so.”

  “Two years?” she asked in confusion.

  “I would suppose that that gives you time enough to see if you can produce that heir for him,” her dad said with a shrug and looked away from her.

  “Breeding stock,” she breathed. “He’s treating me as breeding stock.”

  “No. He also requires that you attend events with him. That you eat with him. To the outside world you’ll appear like a real married couple, perfectly in love. You’ll keep true to your wedding vows. Fidelity and respect will be a part of it. But you won’t be able to tell anybody how it all came about. He has a reputation to protect,” her dad said, and Ellie just sat there in stunned silence taking it all in.

  “All in all, Ellie,” her dad continued, “it’s not a bad life set out for you. You’ll have everything you’ll ever want.”

  “Except love,” she breathed. “Papa, you can’t expect me to do this. This isn’t the middle ages. Rich men can’t just buy themselves a bride. This is the twenty-first century!” she exclaimed.

  “I promise you, Ellie, everything will work out,” he said as he held her hands in his, and Ellie searched his eyes. Her father truly believed that. He honestly thought that everything would be alright. But she couldn’t think about it. She couldn’t reconcile herself to it all.

  Shaking her head, she stood up and paced around her small room while her lips pinched tightly together. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t marry a man who would stoop to deceit and treachery, to threats and blackmail, in order to get himself a bride.

  “Ellie, I know this is a shock,” her father said, and Ellie snorted at that understatement. “But this could be –”

  “Papa, please,” she said with tears in her eyes, “this is not going to be the best thing for me. Surely we can think of something else. Some other way to help you out of this mess,” she proclaimed and watched as her father shook his head.

  “I don’t see how,” he said sadly. “What I did was wrong.”

  “What proof does he have? It’s your word against his, and would it really be worth dragging this into the courts?” she said desperately, looking for any other solution.

  “I was in his office, Ellie,” her father said, and she groaned. “His office with surveillance and state of the art recording equipment everywhere.”

  “Oh, Papa,” she said as more tears formed.

  “There is no other solution,” he said. “And he’s determined, Ellie. A determined man with power and money behind him can do whatever he wants. If he wants to punish me, he will. Severely,” her father added, and Ellie shivered. Hadn’t she just thought that exact same word when thinking of Zachary McCormack’s vindictive nature?

  Slumping down onto her bed, Ellie put her face in her hands and tried to think everything through. How could this be happening? How could her simple life have gotten so complicated?

  “Think about it for a few minutes. Mr McCormack’s still waiting in the lounge. Come on out when you’re ready, Ellie. But …,” her dad started, and Ellie looked up to see why he was hesitating. “Try to act at least a little … content with it all,” he suggested, and Ellie looked at him incredulously. “Life will be better if you show him that you can deal with things well,” he added before getting up and heading out of her room.

  Ellie just sat there staring at the closed door and wondering what the heck she’d done to deserve this.

  “I’m sorry for the delay, Mr McCormack,” that distinctive voice said from the doorway, and Zach replaced the photo he’d been looking at to turn towards the other man.

  “I take it that everything’s settled?” he asked with a quirked brow.

  “Of course,” Malcolm said and shot a glance to the picture that Zach had replaced. Zach kept his gaze on the man instead. The picture had intrigued him. It was a family shot of the three Kincaids, and Zach had been observing the utter love that seemed to ooze from the family for each other. There were genuine smiles, a genuine closeness, and the sight had confirmed to Zach that Miss Ellie Kincaid was well aware of the arrangement that was taking place.

  When she’d answered the door he’d thought that perhaps she hadn’t had any idea as to what had transpired between her father and him, but judging by the closeness between the three, he doubted that. With a matter as significant as marriage he was certain that Miss Kincaid was in on the whole scheme.

  That thought left a bitter taste in Zach’s mouth. It was one thing to be manipulated into marriage by a greedy father, but to be so with his future bride fully aware of the whole sordid event was hard to swallow. He’d much rather she was a victim in it all as well, as opposed to being a conniving witch herself.

  Marrying an innocent bystander was a much brighter prospect than marrying a vulture.

  “Ellie should be out in a moment,” the man said, and Zach nodded. He supposed he should at least speak to his intended once before marrying her, though he didn’t exactly feel inclined to.

  “What sort of time limit is on this thing?” Zach asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “How long do I have? When do I need to marry your daughter by before you decide to go to the press?” he clarified.

  “The sooner the better, I suppose.”

  “We have legal documents to draw up and sign,” Zach inputted.

  “Of course. That shouldn’t take too long though,” Malcolm said before sitting down in his chair again, and Zach decided that he may as well sit himself. It had been a long and draining day.

  “Then there’s the license of course,” Zach added.

  “Simple enough,” Malcolm countered. “I should think that you could have everything settled within a week, don’t you?” he prodded
, and Zach clenched his jaw tightly. He’d been hoping to have a bit more time to think of another solution to his problems. But with his workload, and now all of the legal papers to get drawn up, he wouldn’t have the time to spend thinking about the problem properly.

  “I would guess so,” Zach said tightly. “I presume you and your daughter aren’t expecting any sort of grand affair?” he said drily and watched as the man raised an eyebrow at his tone.

  “No. I don’t think we need to worry about that.”

  “Will next Saturday suit you? It may be a little more than a week, being as today’s Thursday, but it means that it won’t interfere with work,” Zach put forward. Though that wasn’t technically true. He quite often worked Saturdays as well as Sundays in order to tackle all of the work that he had, but Saturday seemed an appropriate day to get married without drawing attention to himself.

  “Saturday should be fine. What will you tell everyone?” the man asked, and Zach grimaced. He’d have to spend at least two years with the woman as his shadow, it wasn’t like he could hide her and their marriage from the world. Seeing as how he couldn’t tell the truth, he’d have to think of something.

  “That it was an impetuous decision. Taken in the spur of the moment, I suppose.”

  “Will they believe it?” the man asked doubtfully with a quirk of his mouth as he looked over at Zach.

  “I imagine once they get a look at your daughter I’ll be the envy of every other man that finds out,” Zach said drily again, though also truthfully. There was no denying Ellie Kincaid’s beauty, and once people saw her they’d think that Zach had married her for her looks.

  Of course, anyone that knew him would never believe that, Zach had always wanted a marriage based on love, and love was not solely dependent upon a person’s physical appearance. It was dependent upon them as a person. Though maybe he could plead temporary insanity to his closest friends. Smitten at first sight to the point of forgetting what he really wanted in a woman.