Free Part Time Marriage by Jessica Steele Page A

six on Tuesday,' her intended informed her. 'You'd better come and have a look at my place before we go-it will obviate any questioning glances if it appears you've never seen the inside of where I live.'

    `Fine,' she answered, and said goodbye feeling mightily relieved that he had taken her mother's insistence on a church wedding so well.

    On Saturday she and Lois went shopping for a wedding dress. Joanna and Lois were to be her attendants, and had arranged to shop for their dresses the following Saturday. Lois accepted totally without question that Elexa had met Noah after telephoning him about business, and exclaimed that it must have been love at first or second sight for both of them.

    `It all happened very quickly,' Elexa said, which-leaving out the `love' bit-she supposed it had.

    `I'll say it was quick,' Lois surmised lightly. `He hasn't had time yet to get you an engagement ring.'

    Elexa made a mental note to buyherself a ring-her mother would want to see one the next time they met.

    In the circumstances, and her own taste being more to the classic than the frothy, Elexa did not want anything too elaborate in the way of a wedding dress. So she could only suppose it must have been some of Lois's enthusiasm rubbing off that she allowed herself to be persuaded to try on a rather beautiful creation of chiffon and lace.

    `You look fantastic!' Lois whispered, and was almost in tears. `You've got to have it, Elexa. You just have to.' Elexa, not having wanted to have a white wedding at all, looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror, and-strangely at that point a picture of Noah Peverelle coming into her head-answered, `I think I shall.'

    Tuesday came around before she was ready for lt. She went into work an hour early so that she could leave early to get ready to go to meet Noah's parents. She owned to feeling extremely apprehensive about the meeting, and hoped with all she had that they would not ask anything of her that called for an outright lie.

    Noah was on time, but she saw no sense in inviting him up only for him to have to go down again. `I'm on my way,' she said into the intercom, and her heart was feeling a touch fluttery at the prospect of seeing him againquite normal, she would have thought, given she was going to marry him yet barely knew him.

    He was as good-looking as ever, she saw as she opened the door and joined him. `How have the phone calls been?' he asked pleasantly as they made their way to his car.

    She knew he was meaning from her mother. `Quite good,' she answered with a smile. `I rather think my mother believes she has to do her best to keep me calm before the "big day" .' As Noah had suggested, they stopped off first at his gracious town house. `Come on in,' he invited, and showed her over the elegantly but comfortably furnished drawing- room, breakfast room, his study and a few of the other rooms before turning to escort her out to his car. They were still in the hall though when he halted her. `Just a minute,'And so, saying, he handed her a small square box. `What is it?"

    'Your engagement ring-my mother wanted details,' he explained.

    `So did mine,' Elexa commented. `I was going to buy one,' she said, and asked, `How much do I owe you?'

    He looked slightly startled.`For what?"

    'The ring,' she answered, and, looking up into his face, she saw a kind of smile pass over his features.

    `Now are you a one,' he murmured, and Elexa felt all kind of funny inside. Quickly she looked down. She was holding the small box. She opened it, and the most gorgeous diamond solitaire winked up at her. `Is it real?' she gasped.

    `Would I give you paste?' he replied.

    She looked up at him again, aware that had he accepted payment for the ring she would have had to dig quite deeply into her financial assets. 'I'll let you have it back,' she said. `When this is all over, I'll return it to you.'

    He stared at her. `You truly are something else again,' he commented, shaking his head.

    `Put it