Excerpt from On His Bride’s Terms by Abby Green
On His Bride’s Terms
by Abby Green
CHAPTER ONE
S HE WASN ’ T THE most striking woman in the room, but that was largely because she was dressed with understated elegance and not to draw attention, unlike most of the women here. But, nevertheless, there was something very compelling about her. He saw how she drew second glances. Third.
She was undoubtedly a beauty, but Primo Holt had to concede he was judging her from a distance. He’d never met Faye MacKenzie, or seen her up close, in spite of the fact that their worlds intersected on a regular basis.
But very soon they would interact on a much more personal level because he had every intention of asking her to marry him.
He’d known he would have to marry sooner or later—as the scion of one of North America’s most notable families, it was a duty he couldn’t escape—but he’d managed to put it off for a long time. However, lately he’d had to acknowledge that sooner or later was now.
Not marrying was generating headlines and speculation about his personal life that he did not need. It was detracting from the business. And once his personal life began to affect the bottom line, it was time to face reality.
Faye MacKenzie was the perfect candidate, whittled down from a list carefully curated by his closest advisors. She came from an impeccable family line, dating back into American history almost as far as Primo’s. People said his kin had come in on the Mayflower . He knew that was just a myth, but they weren’t far off the mark.
Her Scottish/English ancestry was evident not only in her name but also her colouring. Pale skin—a rarity in these circles of golden skin that spoke of regular holidays in various exotic climes. Black hair, flowing in silken waves over her bare shoulders. She wore a classic strapless black dress, moulding to her slim curves with a deceptive simplicity that could only have come from one of the world’s top designers. Discreet jewellery, but impressive nonetheless and no doubt from the family vault.
She was a divorcée, but Primo didn’t care about that. She’d married young and divorced young. No children. Apart from that there was no hint of impropriety. She was thirty, to his thirty-five. She was experienced. Mature. Also, appealingly, she was independent. She had a job. She was a highly respected private art broker. She had a degree in art history and a Master’s specialising in art business.
He had no time for taking on a wife who would be intimidated by him, or unused to his world. He needed to hit the ground running with this marriage—and, crucially, he knew just how to appeal to Faye MacKenzie to entice her to agree.