Читать книгу Claiming His Wedding Night - Lee Wilkinson - Страница 9

PERDITA jumped to her feet and, her heart racing, scarcely able to breathe, stammered, ‘I…I don’t understand. Do you mean you work for Salingers?’

‘Not exactly.’

‘Then what is this?’ she demanded raggedly. ‘Some kind of joke?’

‘No, not at all.’

‘I don’t believe you. If you don’t work for Salingers—’

‘I don’t actually work for them, but you could say I’m here on their behalf,’ he broke in smoothly.

She shook her head. ‘No, no…Even if it means waiting, I’d prefer to deal with Mr Calhoun. I don’t want to talk to you.’

‘I’m afraid you have no option. As I said before, if you want to save your father’s company you’ll have to negotiate with me.’

Clutching her bag, she moved a step or two towards the door, desperate to escape. But, tall and dark and dangerous, he was effectively blocking her way.

Hearing the panic in her own voice, she said, ‘I want to leave.’

‘Giving up so easily?’ he taunted.

‘Not at all,’ she denied jerkily. ‘I’ll talk to Salingers. Explain to them. Ask to see someone else.’

‘I’m afraid it won’t be any use.’

‘Why won’t it?’

‘Because I own the company.’

‘You own Salingers?’ she said through dry lips.

‘That’s right.’ Smiling a little at her shocked face, he went on, ‘So I suggest you sit down again and we’ll talk over breakfast, as planned.’

Shaking her head, she insisted, ‘No, I want to go now. There’s absolutely no point in staying. I know perfectly well that you’ve no intention of helping.’

‘That’s where you’re wrong. I’m quite sure we could come to some kind of agreement that would satisfy both of us.’

It was a trick, and she knew it.

‘No, I don’t trust you.’

‘You can’t afford not to,’ he pointed out laconically. ‘Without my help JB will go under, and you know it.’

It was the truth. But she couldn’t believe that he really intended to help.

There was a series of slight bumps, and part of her mind registered that the plane was still moving away from the terminal building.

Getting more anxious by the moment, she repeated hoarsely, ‘I want to leave.’

When he made no attempt to move, taking her courage by the scruff of the neck, she advanced towards him purposefully. ‘If you don’t let me pass, I’ll be forced to scream.’

‘Dear me,’ he said mildly. ‘We can’t have that. Though Henry may look a little like a gigolo, he’s really quite sensitive and easily upset.’

Knowing he was laughing at her, Perdita gritted her teeth. ‘I mean it.’

Without moving, he queried, ‘How is your father’s health these days?’

‘What?’

‘I understand he’s recently undergone delicate heart surgery. Can he afford any further stress?’

When, white to the lips, she merely stood and stared at him, he went on, ‘So suppose you take the sensible option and stay and talk to me?’

‘It wouldn’t do any good.’

‘Let’s have breakfast and see, shall we?’

While he was speaking there was a knock, the door slid aside and the steward put his head round. ‘Excuse me, sir, but the Captain asked me to let you know we have a slot and will be taking off in a minute or so.’

‘Thanks, Henry.’

As the man disappeared, Jared turned to Perdita. ‘It looks like breakfast will have to wait until we’re airborne.’

Airborne.

Her paralyzed brain clicking into gear, she tried to push past him. ‘I must leave before it takes off. I must!’ she cried frantically.

Catching her wrist, not hurting, but keeping her where she was, he said, ‘I’m afraid you’ve left it much too late.’

‘No, no, you have to let me get out! I can’t possibly go with you!’

‘Once again, you have no option. The outer door’s secured and we’re at the top of the runway. We need to be seated for take off.’

As she strove to come to terms with this latest development, Jared urged her into the small forward cabin, where the steward was already buckled into one of the jump seats.

Recognizing the futility of arguing, she submitted to being pressed into one of the seats. Then Jared fastened her belt and tightened it, before taking his place beside her.

A few moments later the plane began to move down the runway, gathering speed.

Take-off seemed quick and effortless and, as soon as they had climbed steeply to the required height and levelled out, the steward disappeared through a curtained doorway.

Perdita, who had sat like a statue, her thoughts in chaos, burst out, ‘I don’t know what you hope to achieve by this—’

Jared put a finger to her lips, stopping her breath and sending a shiver running through her. ‘I’ll tell you what I hope to achieve as soon as we’ve had breakfast, but in the meantime we don’t want to upset Henry.’

He unfastened their seat belts and shepherded her through to the lounge area.

‘I really don’t want to eat,’ she protested. ‘In the circumstances, I’d prefer to know just what you’re playing at.’

His voice holding a quiet authority, he said, ‘I’ll be happy to tell you, once breakfast is over.’

When, biting her lip, she was once again seated at the table, he stood for a moment or two looking down at her before taking the chair opposite.

He was dressed in oatmeal-coloured trousers and a well-cut lightweight jacket, with a navy-blue silk shirt and a matching tie loosened at the neck. His crisp dark hair was parted on the left and cut and styled conventionally.

But even as the thought struck her, she knew there was nothing remotely conventional about Jared.

Unable to look away, she found herself staring at his handsome face. He was the same, yet not the same. Any trace of the younger, carefree Jared she had first met was gone. This man was altogether harder, tougher, with a mature width of shoulder and lines of pain etched beside his mouth.

Meeting those brilliant eyes and glimpsing a cold purpose in them, she shuddered and tore her gaze away just as the steward wheeled in a breakfast trolley loaded with several silver dishes.

He was about to serve them when Jared said briskly, ‘Thank you, Henry. We’ll help ourselves. But perhaps you’d be good enough to fetch Miss Boyd a clean cup and saucer?’

‘Certainly, sir.’ The dirty crockery was whisked away and immediately replaced by fresh. Then, with a slight inclination of his gleaming head, the steward withdrew silently.

‘Coffee?’ Jared enquired politely.

Subduing a sudden desire to laugh hysterically, Perdita answered with equal politeness, ‘Please.’

He filled both their cups before lifting the lids of the various dishes and enquiring, ‘What’s it to be? Bacon and eggs? Sausages? Kidneys? Mushrooms?’

‘Nothing, thank you. I couldn’t eat a thing,’ she told him stiltedly.

‘Try. You’re too thin as it is.’ Looking at her set face, he added, ‘Starving yourself isn’t going to solve anything and, if I remember rightly, you used to enjoy bacon and eggs.’

She sat in tight-lipped silence while he served her with a generous amount of crisp bacon and fluffy scrambled eggs before helping himself to the same.

Then, his eyes fixed on her face, he waited.

His willpower proved to be stronger than hers—as it always had been—and finally she gave in and picked up her knife and fork.

He waited until she put the first forkful of food into her mouth before starting on his own.

Once Perdita began to eat, in spite of all the trauma, she found that her normal healthy appetite was back and she cleared her plate.

Jared made no comment, but he swapped the plate for a clean one and put the toast-rack within easy reach.

When she sat unmoving, he helped himself to some toast and spread butter and marmalade on it in a leisurely fashion.

Seeing he had no intention whatsoever of saying anything until he was good and ready, she threw in the towel and followed suit.

She had just taken her first bite when, with a glance from beneath long dark lashes, he remarked slyly, ‘The last time we had breakfast together like this, we were in Las Vegas.’

Her eyes on her plate, she kept chewing in silence.

‘But perhaps you don’t remember?’

She remembered only too well.

All her life Perdita had been cosseted and cared for, guarded as well as any chaperoned miss from the Edwardian era.

Naturally quiet and a little shy, and loving her father as much as he loved her, it had never occurred to her to feel caged and stifled by so much care and affection.

That was, not until she met Jared and wanted enough freedom to spread her wings.

At first everything had gone well. Her father had been prepared to both like and respect him until Martin had mentioned that Jared had a bad reputation with regard to women.

Suddenly waking up to the fact that his beloved daughter might be in danger, John had ordered her to give, ‘that young Dangerfield’ a wide berth.

She would certainly have rebelled but, as her father had recently suffered his first heart attack and his doctors had warned against worries or stress of any kind, she had, outwardly at least, complied.

For several months she and Jared had been forced to meet in secret, snatched moments together that had left both of them dissatisfied and bitterly unhappy.

He had begged her to marry him and present her father with a fait accompli, but she had been afraid to chance it while his recovery was still uncertain.

Then, while Elmer was away in New York, John had had to go into Mardale, a Los Angeles hospital, for a week of special and extensive tests.

Perdita had made up her mind that if the results were good and showed that her father was more or less recovered, she would tell him the truth.

When the time had come for John to go to Los Angeles, he had refused to let her accompany him, saying there was no point in her simply hanging around a hospital all that time. She would be much better off at home.

‘After all,’ he had added, ‘it’s not as if you’ll be on your own. Martin will be there.’

Truth to tell, she had been pleased to stay behind. It had given her a few precious days to be with Jared.

That sudden taste of freedom had gone to both their heads, and when he had suggested a trip to Las Vegas she had eagerly agreed.

All the tawdry glitter of that city in the desert had seemed to be right and romantic, and she had been blissfully happy to be with the man she loved, with no idea how it was all going to end…

Feeling suddenly chilled through and through, Perdita snapped off the thought and brought her mind back to the present.

What had made him mention Las Vegas? she wondered. She didn’t for a moment believe it was just an idle remark. Jared never did or said anything without a good reason.

Which meant it would only be playing into his hands to ask.

Holding on to her facade of composure as best she could, she ate her toast in silence while she waited for him to finish his coffee.

As soon as he had, she gathered her courage and said, ‘Now perhaps you’ll be kind enough to tell me what all this is about?’

‘All what?’ he asked innocently.

‘This…whole thing.’

‘You mean our meeting? But surely you—’

‘Don’t try to play games with me,’ she broke in angrily. ‘This must have been planned right from the start.’

‘That’s quite true,’ he admitted.

‘So it was you who made sure Salingers approached my father to suggest they might have a solution to all his company’s financial problems?’

‘Right.’

‘Why?’

‘Why do you think?’

‘You planned to wait until the very last minute and then withdraw your offer of help.’

‘Wrong.’

‘I don’t believe you…Your intention was to watch JB Electronics go down.’

‘Now why should I want to do that?’

‘Revenge.’

‘Ah…I can’t deny revenge is sweet.’

‘But after three years! Surely you’ve moved on? Forgotten the past?’

‘Have you?’

Watching all the colour drain from her face, he said, ‘It wouldn’t appear so.’

‘Even if things aren’t forgotten,’ she argued desperately, ‘surely they cease to hurt so much? Anger cools…’

‘I’m not so sure about that.’

Though his tone was quiet, almost pleasant, she began to shiver.

Seeing that slight betraying movement, he smiled a little. ‘Though I am sure of one thing. As the old saying goes, “Revenge is a dish best served cold”.’

‘So I was right,’ she choked. ‘You are planning to stand by and gloat while Dad’s company goes under?’

‘You’re quite mistaken.’

He sounded as if he meant it and, brought up short, she gazed at him, perplexed.

‘Then what are you planning? There has to be some reason for…’ The words tailed off as a frightening thought struck her.

‘For you being here?’ He smiled coldly. ‘Oh, yes, there’s a reason. More than one, in fact.’

With a boldness she was far from feeling, she demanded, ‘Well, are you going to tell me? Or would you prefer me to guess?’

‘What is your guess?’ he asked interestedly.

Her throat dry, she said, ‘That I was right about you wanting revenge…I just got the wrong person.’

When he made no attempt to deny it, she swallowed convulsively. ‘So this whole thing was set up just to lure me to the airport and on to the plane…Well, it can’t possibly work!’

‘It’s worked so far,’ he pointed out.

‘But it’s kidnapping! And, in case you haven’t realized, kidnapping is against the law.’

Her attempt at sarcasm only made him smile.

‘How can you call it kidnapping? You got on the plane of your own free will.’

‘But when I wanted to get off, you wouldn’t allow me to.’

‘My dear Perdita, surely you realize that people can’t just get off a plane and start wandering about on the runway.’

Realizing it was fruitless to keep arguing, she relapsed into silence.

If luring her here was so he could extract some kind of revenge—and he had failed to deny her accusation—how far did he mean to go? Was it his intention simply to scare her? Give her an uncomfortable couple of hours before letting her go?

Or could he have something altogether more sinister in mind?

No, surely not.

She had accused him of kidnapping without seriously believing it. All the indications were that he was now a wealthy and respectable businessman with a position to maintain. Not some kind of criminal.

But, whatever, it would do no good to let him see how rattled she was.

Taking a deep breath, she said, ‘Very well, you’ve won so far. But now what? If I don’t get back to the office soon they’ll wonder where I’ve got to, and if Dad doesn’t hear from me before too long he’ll start to worry.’

‘There’s no reason why you shouldn’t phone him. And the office too, if it comes to that.’

‘You won’t try to stop me?’

‘Certainly not. After all,’ he added sardonically as she reached for her bag, ‘we can’t have your father worrying about you.’

His words echoing in her head, she froze. What could she possibly tell her father that wouldn’t worry him half to death?

Watching her, well aware of her dilemma, Jared suggested, ‘Perhaps it would make more sense to talk business first? That way, if you can convince me that the company is worth saving, you’ll have something positive to report.’

Though she deeply mistrusted him and was convinced that any discussion would be futile, seeing nothing else for it, she agreed, ‘Very well.’

‘Before we start, it might be an idea to move to somewhere more comfortable.’

Rising to his feet, he pulled back her chair and seated her in one of the soft leather armchairs, before summoning the steward to clear away the remains of breakfast.

As soon as Henry had cleared the table and whisked away the trolley, Jared moved to join her.

Settling himself opposite, he stretched his long legs negligently and, his eyes on her face, waited.

When she said nothing, he invited, a shade mockingly, ‘Go ahead.’

But the reasoned arguments and the facts to support them that she had previously rehearsed had fled and, faced with a mental block, she hesitated.

Apparently appreciating her difficulty, he suggested, ‘Why not pretend I’m Sean Calhoun and tell me why I should buy into JB Electronics?’

His words provided a key to the block. Taking a deep breath, she began by explaining what had caused the company’s present difficulties before going on to outline exactly what was needed to restore the balance and make them really profitable once more.

He listened without interrupting, his almond eyes fixed on her face. Extraordinary, handsome eyes, long-lashed and heavy-lidded, with jet-black pupils and silvery-grey irises.

Eyes that in the past had, depending on his mood, made her think of cold winter moonlight, or the dangerous gleam of rapiers, or the brilliance of summer lightning…

Dragging her recalcitrant thoughts back to the task in hand, she went on a shade unsteadily, ‘We have several excellent new projects in the pipeline which, once they’re properly funded, should be winners. In other words, the company is well worth saving.’

‘Eloquently put,’ he applauded. ‘But presumably your bank is unwilling to either provide a loan or extend your overdraft?’

Convinced that he already knew she’d tried and failed, and was relishing it, she said tightly, ‘That’s right.’

‘As JB Electronics is an Anglo-American concern, I take it that the present problems aren’t confined to the UK, but affect the company as a whole?’

‘Yes,’ she admitted with a sigh. Even Elmer’s big house in San Jose—the house that she and her father had stayed in when they were in the States—was very heavily mortgaged.

‘So, to get a rough idea of how things stand overall, how much does the company owe the banks?’

She told him.

‘And how much are you in debt to your suppliers?’

When she had told him that too, he asked, ‘What about your workforce?’

‘Up until now we’ve managed to pay them.’

‘How?’

Wondering exactly what he was getting at, she sat in tight-lipped silence.

When she failed to answer, he remarked smoothly, ‘I understand that your house in Mecklen Square is mortgaged up to the hilt?’

She had opened her mouth to deny it when the obvious truth of his statement hit her like a blow over the heart.

It explained so many things. Things John hadn’t wanted to discuss or had hedged over.

As she stared at Jared in horror, he said, ‘I see you didn’t know.’

Why on earth hadn’t her father told her? she wondered despairingly.

But even as she posed the question, she knew the answer. Only too aware that she had enough worries and unwilling to spoil her forthcoming wedding, he had deliberately kept it from her.

‘How remiss of your father to send you to negotiate without telling you the full facts,’ Jared remarked silkily. ‘It leaves you at a disadvantage.’

Angered by his obvious satisfaction, she demanded sharply, ‘How come you know so much?’

‘Past mistakes have convinced me that it’s preferable to negotiate from a position of strength, so I made it my business to find out.’

‘Well, bully for you,’ she said bitterly.

‘Now we come to the question of assets…’

It took a moment or two to gather herself before she admitted, ‘As no doubt you already know, at present we have no viable assets.’

‘Hmm…’ He ran long, lean fingers over his smooth, freshly shaven chin while he sat and studied her heart-shaped face in silence.

She was still as lovely as ever, he thought, with her pure bone structure and pale blonde hair, her flawless complexion and those fascinating eyes, the clear greeny-blue of turquoise.

But it was more than the high cheekbones, the wide passionate mouth and the cleft in her softly rounded chin that made her beautiful. It was the character in her face, the warmth and individuality.

As the silence lengthened, well aware that this was torture by hope, teeth clenched together, she waited, determined to show no sign of impatience.

Only when her nerves were stretched almost to breaking point did he stir himself and say briskly, ‘Right. If my auditors’ report agrees with what you’ve just told me, I’m prepared to buy into JB Electronics and provide as much money as it takes to put it back on its feet.’

She released the breath she had been unconsciously holding. It sounded like the answer to all their prayers, but Jared was an unlikely, not to say unbelievable, saviour and she recalled one of her father’s pet sayings. ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’

She took a deep steadying breath. ‘And, presumably, for that kind of outlay, you’d want to take over and run the entire company?’

‘No.’

‘Then what would you want?’

‘Fifty-one per cent of the shares.’

‘That would give you overall control.’

‘Nominally. Though I would be quite happy to leave the running of the company in your father’s hands.’

Given that kind of reassurance, had it been anyone other than Jared, she felt sure she could have agreed, with her father’s blessing.

After all, what choice did they have?

But, with all that had happened in the past, none of them would trust Jared an inch.

‘I could never agree to fifty-one per cent,’ she said through stiff lips.

‘So what would you agree to? Forty-five, fifty, if it proved to be really necessary?’

‘Yes,’ she admitted. ‘But certainly not more.’

‘Pity. I could save JB. Make it profitable again. But of course it’s your choice.’

A choice between the rock and the whirlpool. A choice she couldn’t possibly make alone.

Her greeny-blue eyes clouded with worry, she said, ‘I’ll have to talk to my father.’

‘But you don’t think he’d trust me enough to agree to fifty one per cent?’

‘He’d be a fool if he did.’

Jared laughed as though genuinely amused. ‘Well, I’m pleased to see you haven’t lost all your spirit. It’ll make things more interesting.’

She was wondering what he meant by that cryptic remark when he reached over and took her hand. ‘In view of the fact that in the past you and I—’

The shock of his touch made her stomach clench and, pulling her hand free, she cried jerkily, ‘The past’s dead and done with.’

‘Now that’s where you’re wrong. What’s happened in the past makes us what we are today.’

The fact that she knew it to be true only served to make her distrust him even more.

‘But, as I was saying, taking into account that in the past you and I were lovers, I might be prepared to negotiate.’

Just for a split second hope flickered into life, then almost immediately died. Why should he negotiate when he so assuredly held the whip hand?

Showing he never missed a thing, he remarked with a slight smile, ‘You don’t appear to be overjoyed at the prospect.’

‘I don’t believe for a minute that you mean to budge,’ she said flatly.

‘You’ll never know for sure until you try.’

As she began to shake her head, he advised evenly, ‘In view of what the outcome might be if you refuse, perhaps you should take a minute to think about it.’

Reminded of the dread consequences, she bit her lip. Then admitting defeat, she said heavily, ‘I don’t have any option.’

‘Exactly.’

His voice holding the merest hint of triumph, he added, ‘As any negotiations are going to take time, I’ve a suggestion to make…’

Eyes on his face, she waited.

‘And it’s this, that you speak to your father and tell him that, though things are looking hopeful, there’s still a long way to go.

‘However, while the negotiations are under way, as a gesture of goodwill, Salingers will put in place a financial package that will pay wages, hold off your creditors and keep things ticking over.’

Had the offer been made by anyone other than Jared she would have regarded it as a lifeline, but, as it was, she strongly suspected that in reality it was a carefully baited trap.

She was even more convinced when, looking at her from beneath long thick lashes, he added, ‘It might be as well to keep my name out of it and let your father think that you’re dealing with Calhoun.’

‘But that would give him a totally false picture,’ she protested.

Jared lifted broad shoulders in a slight shrug. ‘It’s up to you, of course. If you think he can stand the additional stress and worry, tell him the truth by all means…’

As she reached for her phone, he added casually, ‘There’s just one more thing. Tell him that I have to be in the States for the next ten days or so, and that I’ve invited you to join me there while further discussions take place—’

‘I don’t know what you expect to gain by this,’ she burst out, ‘but if you think for one minute that I’d go anywhere with you, you’re mad!’

He sighed theatrically.

‘Oh, yes, I know,’ she cried, her voice bitter, ‘I don’t have much option.’

‘In view of the fact that we’re already over the Atlantic, you don’t have any option.’

As she bit her lip, he added, ‘Now, as time is flying, your father must be getting anxious to hear from you…’

He would be, she knew, and over the past weeks his hypertension and the amount of stress he was under had proved to be a big concern for his doctors.

But what was she to say to him?

A few seconds’ thought convinced her that it would be far too risky to tell him the truth. He was bound to find out sooner or later, of course. But for the moment at least, she would go along with Jared’s scenario, while she tried to put in place some kind of damage limitation.

Taking a deep breath, she strove to steady herself. Her father knew her well and, as the news she was about to give him would appear to be as good as anyone had dared hope, she mustn’t allow him to pick up any signs of distress.

As she brought up the number of the nursing home, Jared rose to his feet and, showing the kind of supreme confidence that made her grit her teeth, said, ‘I’ll leave you to it,’ and disappeared into the forward cabin.

At the first ring, her father’s voice asked eagerly, ‘Perdita?’

‘Yes.’

‘I was just starting to get worried. How are things going? Any hope of saving the company?’

Trying to sound positive, she said, ‘Yes, I think there might be.’

‘So what does Calhoun want?’

She hesitated, then went along with it. ‘He started off by asking for fifty-one per cent of the shares.’

‘Just as I thought,’ John said grimly.

‘But when I told him you wouldn’t agree to that, he said he might be willing to negotiate.’

‘The trouble is, negotiations like that could take weeks, and we just don’t have the money to keep going in the meantime.’

‘He’s offered us a way round the problem.’ Perdita explained about the immediate injection of cash.

She heard her father’s sigh of relief before he remarked, ‘In the circumstances, that’s extremely generous. I mean, Salingers must know they have us right where they want us.’

‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘But of course it could well prove to be a two-edged sword, as it will effectively put us in debt to them.’

As soon as the words were spoken, she bit her lip, realizing just how worried and despondent she must have sounded.

‘Well, in the circumstances, we haven’t much choice,’ John said practically. ‘And I’m only too relieved and thankful that you’ve done so well. I always knew I could rely on you.’

When, pierced to the heart by such undeserved praise, she remained silent, he added, ‘Look at it this way; we’ve got a stay of execution while the negotiations take place, so there’s still a chance.’

Trying to sound cheerful, she agreed, ‘Of course.’