Free Adored by Tilly Bagshawe

weeks later, he had made her a proposal that was too good to refuse, even if it didn’t involve matrimony. She was to become his exclusive consort for the rest of his life, in return for which he would not only bankroll her lifestyle but make her a generous provision in his will. That meant a worst-case scenario of a lifetime of financial security as his mistress. Plus, she realized, it would give her ample time to work on undermining Minnie.
    After all, if there was one thing Caroline felt secure in, it was her ability to manipulate a besotted old man.

CHAPTER FIVE
    “Hey, mama, what’s goin’ on?”
    Minnie did a double take. Good God! Perhaps the light was playing tricks on her, but there appeared to be a large semi-naked Negro sprawled out on her antique Italian chaise longue. Other than his state of undress, the young man was remarkable for a huge springy halo of black hair that bobbed up and down as he spoke, and for the long, fat, and disintegrating marijuana cigarette that he was holding perilously close to her Chinese silk cushions. But worse even than that, this dreadful, uncouth apparition seemed to be trying to enter into conversation with her.
    “Beautiful place you got here, know what I’m sayin’?” he continued, littering ash across the furniture and carpet as he attempted an appreciative sweeping gesture with his huge black arm.
    “Thank you,” said Minnie icily. “We like it. Perhaps you’d be so kind as to tell me who you are, young man, and what you’re doing in my drawing room?”
    “He’s with me.”
    A very well-spoken young Englishman had appeared in the doorway and strode confidently over to Minnie, taking her hand and kissing it before she had a moment to protest. “Edward Lyle, at your service.”
    He couldn’t have been much over twenty-one, thought Minnie, but he dressed with an impeccable, gentlemanly English grace that made him seem older. He also had the self-assurance, bordering on arrogance, that so many public-school-educated young people from his country seemed to possess. Minnie hated this in Caroline, but found herself quite prepared to be charmed by it in the case of this handsome young fellow.
    “This is Skinny.” He gestured to his friend. “Stand up, man, show Mrs. McMahon some respect.” Skinny looked at him incredulously but obligingly lifted his massive frame up off the chaise longue. Edward continued. “We’re both old friends of Caroline’s. She said it wouldn’t be a problem for us to hang out at the pool today, which was damn decent of her.”
    Minnie’s interested smile evaporated. Any friend of Caroline’s was an enemy of hers.
    “Please don’t worry, Mrs. McMahon,” Edward tried to reassure her. “We’re very self-sufficient, aren’t we, Skin? We won’t get under your feet.”
    At that moment two strikingly beautiful girls in matching minuscule red Dior bikinis came skipping into the room, their bare feet still wet from the swimming pool. One of them headed straight to Duke’s wet bar, where she proceeded to empty the entire fridge of olives and potato chips, cramming the food in her mouth as though she hadn’t eaten for weeks.
    “Munchies,” she mumbled at Minnie through a mouthful of chips, before collapsing into a wet heap of giggles all over a pink suede armchair. Meanwhile, her friend had flung herself at Skinny, who collapsed back onto the chaise longue so hard that it gave an ominously audible crack.
    “Oh, no,” said Minnie, flapping her arms frantically in a vain attempt to persuade him to move. “Get up! You’re going to break it!”
    But before a disorientated Skinny had a chance to move, there was more sickening splintering. Minnie could only look on in horror as one of the legs gave way completely. Surveying the wreckage, she wanted to scream, but a lifetime of self-control prevented her from doing so. Instead, she addressed herself as calmly as she could to Edward, who seemed to be the only member of the group in