The Marriage Solution. HELEN BROOKS
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study in neutrality. ‘From what David tells me, he was ill-advised himself and someone has certainly reaped a vast profit from this little deal. Now, whether it was actually illegal or not is another question and one that needs answering before the dust settles.’
‘I see.’ She didn’t want him to come to her house; she didn’t want anything at all to do with him, but in the face of what he was suggesting she had no choice but to smile, albeit painfully, and incline her head. ‘Well, of course, if my father thinks you should investigate further—’
‘I do.’ David cut into the conversation sharply, his voice more alive than it had been for the last four days and certainly more full of energy than she had expected when she’d walked into the room that evening. ‘Bankruptcy—’ He stopped abruptly. ‘I’ve never owed anyone a penny in my life,’ he continued gruffly, ‘and it doesn’t sit well, Katie, dammit! If there’s a chance—’
‘If there is I’ll find it.’ Carlton’s voice was smooth as he spoke but there was some inflexion, just something she couldn’t put a name to, that made Katie stare at him hard. He was so cold this man, so in control. She didn’t trust him; she didn’t trust him an inch, and she was suddenly more sure than ever that there was an ulterior motive governing what appeared to be a straightforward request.
‘Dad, these papers...’ She hesitated and searched for a way of disguising the question she had to ask. ‘Are there any you’d prefer to keep confidential? I could bring them all in here tomorrow and let you sort through them with Mr Reef if that would be more helpful. You must know what you’re looking for, after all, and he might miss—’
‘No, no. Let Carlton take anything he needs, Katie,’ David said briskly. ‘He probably knows what he’s looking for better than I do.’
She didn’t doubt it, Katie thought grimly, and that was exactly what was bothering her. She stared helplessly at her father, willing him to read her mind and know what she was thinking but he just smiled back at her before turning to Carlton with an easy gesture of thanks. ‘Anything you can do would be appreciated, Carlton.’
Anything he could do? She felt a little shiver of premonition as her father spoke. He had never made a mistake before in the business world that was his lifeblood; it seemed very strange that now, suddenly, he had made one, and one of such gigantic proportions that it would leave them totally destitute. Exactly what part had Carlton Reef played in all this? she wondered suspiciously. And why this offer of help now, after the rage of a few days ago?
As she turned to the dark figure at her side she realised, with a sudden surge of panic, that if her father had been unable to pick up the waves she was attempting to send him Carlton Reef had had no such problem. The grey eyes were chips of stone in an otherwise expressionless face, the mouth a taut, sardonic line of enquiry.
‘I have a photocopier in my study at home, Miss White,’ he said coolly, the use of her surname a distinct put-down. ‘Would you like to accompany me there tonight so you can keep the originals in your possession?’ It was a definite challenge and one, in view of her father’s comments, that he didn’t expect her to take up.
She stared at him for a few moments, her natural politeness and gentleness warring with the feeling that possessed her where this man was concerned. ‘Yes, I would,’ she said quietly, hearing David’s exasperated indrawn breath with a resigned sense of the inevitable. He would disapprove of her actions in dealing with Carlton Reef in the same way he disapproved of everything but she wouldn’t have been able to sleep tonight if she hadn’t followed through on her instinct.
She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the astute, intelligent mind ticking away behind those hard grey eyes was several paces in front of theirs. Quite what he bad in view she wasn’t sure, but if she had had to answer the old ‘friend or foe?’ question there would have been no hesitation. Carlton Reef was no friend of theirs.
For the rest of the visit Katie sat quietly listening to the two men talk. Carlton didn’t broach the business difficulties again, concentrating on light, witty conversation that kept David amused without him having to make any effort himself.
Carlton Reef was a formidable adversary, she thought silently as the minutes sped by. She had never met a man who generated such an air of easy authority, who seemed so totally sure of himself. And she was forced to recognise, after nearly an hour had passed, that, in spite of her distrust and dislike for the man, there was something compellingly attractive about him that was both fascinating and frightening.
She remembered the feel of being in his arms and that light kiss as he had left her a few days before and shivered in spite of the over-hot room. This was ridiculous, she told herself sternly. She needed to keep all her wits razor-sharp around him and thoughts of this nature were definitely out of order.
The smoky eyes turned to her as the round, clinical clock on the wall ticked to seven o‘clock. ‘Would you like a few minutes alone with your father, Katie?’ he asked quietly. She noticed that he hadn’t asked David and surmised that he had gleaned enough about their relationship to know what her father’s reply would have been.
‘Thank you.’ She smiled stiffly. ‘I won’t be long.’
‘There’s really no need...’ The older man’s protest was lost as Carlton rose and leant across the bed to shake him by the hand, making his goodbyes as he did so.
‘It’ll probably take a few days to sift through the correspondence, David,’ he said easily as he walked to the door after replacing the chair near then wall, ‘but if there’s anything I’ll call you immediately after the solicitors have checked it out OK?’
‘Fine, fine.’ Her father was beaming as the door closed and for a moment, as Katie glanced at him, she knew a dart of intense irritation. ‘What’s the matter?’ As his eyes switched to her face she tried to relax her features but it was too late. ‘You don’t like him, do you? Why?’ he asked disapprovingly.
‘I don’t know him,’ she prevaricated quickly.
‘He tells me you went to see him on the day I was brought in here,’ he said quietly, ‘after he’d phoned the house. That took some guts, Katie, but why didn’t you tell me?’
‘There was no need.’ She forced a bright smile to her face as she wondered where the conversation was leading.
‘Katie...’ Her father hesitated and then leant back against the pillows, his face more drawn now that Carlton’s stimulating company had left. ‘The situation can’t get worse than it is, now can it? If there’s the faintest chance he can pull it round, even if it means we’re left with the house and nothing else, it’s worth a try. I got greedy, girl...’
She stared at him in absolute amazement for the second time in an hour, aware that they were having the first real conversation of their lives.
‘I’d always planned to leave the house to you, you know. Jennifer would have been looked after with an equal financial payment but I’ve always seen my grandchildren being raised in the old home, somehow. I know that’s what your mother would have liked. She was always so upset she hadn’t produced a son to carry on the White name that she didn’t realise all I wanted was her—’
He stopped abruptly and there was a moment of deep silence before he continued. ‘I don’t know why I mortgaged the house—it was a crazy thing to do—but I thought I was going to make a killing.’ He smiled grimly. ‘And there was a killing all right.’
‘Don’t think about it now, Dad.’ She stood up quickly; the expression on his face was too painful to watch. ‘You’ve got to concentrate on getting better.’
‘I didn’t want to before Carlton came today,’ he said thoughtfully, his expression introspective, ‘but if there is a chance...’ He looked up, his face touchingly hopeful. ‘You do see we have to take it?’
‘Of course.’ She bent to kiss him goodbye and he turned his cheek to her as normal, the gesture as aloof as always. On the rare occasions in the past when she had