An Interrupted Marriage (Silhouette Special Edition) by Laurey Bright Page B

marked down. Wish it would fit me!” She was plump and dark, her nails painted blood red and her abundant bosom encased in a cascade of scarlet ruffles.
    “Try it,” Magnus urged. “It’s a bargain, apparently.”
    Looking at the tag, Jade privately thought that the new price was more appropriate than the crossed-out one, but it was very pretty, if a little impractical for everyday. She wouldn’t buy it, of course, but she took it from Magnus so as not to make a fuss.
    When she came out of the changing room he queried, “Any good?”
    “This skirt,” she said, turning to the hovering shop assistant and handing her the oatmeal one. “And...” Holding the two dresses she’d picked out she said doubtfully, “I don’t know about these.”
    “Didn’t they fit?” Magnus asked.
    “Yes, and they both look good,” she admitted, “but I only wanted one.”
    The assistant said, “They’re about the same price, so that won’t help you make up your mind.” Smiling at Magnus, she said, “What does your husband think?”
    “Take them both,” Magnus responded on cue.
    “No.” Jade shook her head. “If I regain the weight I’ve lost it’s a waste.”
    “What about the other dress?” Magnus asked.
    She’d left the fuchsia cotton hanging in the booth. “I haven’t tried it,” she admitted. “I’ve no use for it, really.”
    The assistant persuaded, “It’s the sort of dress you could wear anywhere. Day or night. And it doesn’t have a snug fit. I’m sure you’d find it useful.”
    “Try it,” Magnus urged her, drawing back the curtain. Taking the other garments from her, he added to the shop assistant, “We’re taking both of these.”
    Jade made to protest, but she didn’t want to argue in front of the woman who was now folding up the dresses and the skirt.
    “Come on.” Magnus reached up and took down the fuchsia dress from the hook, holding it out to her. “I want to see it on you.”
    She flashed him a look that brought his black brows up. Taking the dress, she stepped into the booth and pulled the curtain across between them, rattling the brass rings. She thought she heard a faint breath of laughter as she began unbuttoning her blouse.
    The dress flattered the line of her shoulders and neck, complementing the uncluttered new hairstyle, making her skin appear creamy and warm, and moulding the rounded swell of her bust. The midsection skimmed her ribs and waist, and the hem of the gracefully flared skirt lightly brushed her legs.
    She turned to look over her shoulder in the mirror, seeing how the back dipped almost to her waist, framing smooth skin and the faint hollow of her spine. It might have been made for her.
    The curtain moved as Magnus opened it a few inches.
    She was facing him, her eyes startled and wary, but his gaze was apparently riveted on the view in the mirror, before he turned it to her face, then thrust the curtain aside and let his eyes lower, examining the length of her body. He took a step back, and said, “Yes. Definitely, yes.”
    The shop assistant, her curiosity evidently having got the better of her, hovered at his elbow.
    “There!” she said with satisfaction. “He was right, wasn’t he? It’s lovely on you!”
    “I don’t think—” Jade started.
    He shook his head. “I’ll give it to you,” he said. “A coming-home present.”
    “Been away, have you?” the assistant enquired.
    “Yes,” Jade said after a moment. “For a while.”
    “He must have missed you.” Casting a teasing glance at Magnus, the woman added, “I’d make the most of it, if I were you. Were you in hospital?”
    “Why do you say that?” Jade asked sharply.
    “You said something about regaining weight.” Smiling at Magnus again, she said, “Though some of us would kill to be as slim as she is.”
    Magnus wasn’t looking at her, but at Jade’s suddenly whitened face. He stepped forward, and said dismissively to the woman, “Thank you.” He gave her a smiling nod and