COLD, tired and desperate for an early night, for once Anna was glad she had the flat to herself when she got home. She gave a sigh of frustration as the bell on the street door rang and snatched up the receiver. If this was Sean, he was out of luck.
âRyder Wyndham,â said a voice over the intercom.
Annaâs eyes lit up. âRyder? What a lovely surprise. Come on up.â She buzzed him in and opened her door to wait for him. She felt a sharp pang of sympathy when the new heir to the Wyndham Estate emerged from the lift. It was only months since sheâd last seen him, but with his thick black curls cut close to his haggard face he looked years older and even taller than usual in a long dark overcoat over a formal suit and black tie.
She smiled warmly. âHi. Come in.â
Her visitor stalked past her, looking round him at the room which reflected her landladyâs eclectic taste. âAre you alone, Anna?â
No smile, not even a hello? âYes. How are you, Ryder?â
âIâve been better.â
She nodded gravely. âI was desperately sorry to hear about your brother. Edwardâs death must have been a huge shock.â
âIt was,â he agreed curtly.
âCan I offer you a drink?â
He refused, giving her a head to toe scrutiny which rang warning bells in her head. âI suppose I can see his point,â he said at last, mystifying her.
âWhose point?â
âIâm coming to that.â His eyes remained hostile. âYou donât look it, but by my calculations you must be at least thirty-three now.â
She frowned. âYouâve come here to talk about my age, Ryder?â
âNo, dammit,â he snarled. âI came to tell you, face to face, to leave my brother alone.â
Anna stared at him in blank amazement. âDominic?â
âWho else? Eddyâs dead,â he said brutally.
She took in a deep, calming breath, trying to make allowances for him. âLook, Ryder, youâre obviously under great strain. Take your coat off; let me make you a drink.â
âI donât want a drink. I want to know what the hell youâre playing at!â
Annaâs chin lifted. âI think youâd better explain.â
âBy all means.â His hostile eyes locked on hers. âAfter Dominic came here to break the news about Eddy, you were all he could talk aboutâhow sexy and gorgeous you are these days, and how sweet you were to him. He came up to London several times before he went back to New Yorkââ
âYou think he came to see me?â she said in disbelief.
âOfficially he was visiting friends, but itâs obvious now that he was coming here to visit you, Anna. I was too taken up with my various problems to suspect where it was actually leading.â His mouth twisted in disgust. âHeâs barely twenty-three, so itâs glaringly obvious why a woman of your age should want to marry a man so much her junior.â
âGreat sex?â retorted Anna, suddenly so furious she could have hit him.
âIn this case, money,â he snapped, looking down his nose in disdain. âWhen Dominic told you he inherited a nice little packet from my aunt, you obviously sent the current man in your life packing and seized your chance.â
A surge of hurt anger welled up so violently it threatened to choke her. âI canât believe you said that,â she said at last, when she could trust her voice. âI had no idea Dominic had come into money. Nor do I care a toss if he did,â she added savagely. âI have no intention of marrying your baby brother.â
âYou expect me to believe that?â he demanded.
She stood with arms hugged across her chest. âWhether you believe it or not, itâs the truth, Squire. When he came to tell me about Edward it was the first time Iâd seen Dominic in years. Just for the record,â she added cuttingly, âhe also paid me a second visit to say goodbye. And, if weâre still counting, I caught a brief glimpse of him at the funeral.â
Ryder frowned. âYou were there? I didnât see you.â
âI left straight after the service to drive back to London.â
âI see. Your grandfather passed on your condolences, but I didnât know youâd actually made it to the church.â His eyes hardened. âThe fact remains that Dominic rang me from New York early this morning to say that youâd agreed to marry him.â
She stared in disbelief. âIf he did, he was lyingâor joking. The phoneâs on the desk over there. Ring him right now and ask him. I wonât even charge you for the call.â
Ryder shook his head. âIâve already tried, but I had no luck at his apartment and his mobileâs switched off. Before we got cut off he said something about ringing me with the details tonight. I had to come up to London today to sort out probateââ
âSo you came to warn me off at the same time. Or maybe even buy me off?â She gave him a taunting smile. âWhatâs the going rate to get shot of unsuitable brides like me, Ryder?â