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.It might just be a convincing little act, so that you can contrive to get some of Alistair's wealth to rub off on you.' His voice was soft, but he was watching her intently, his mouth set in a grim line.Emma knew precisely what was going on in that head of his and she didn't like it.He had opted for the oneargument that was guaranteed to squash any further disagreements from her, and had pulled it out like a card which he had been keeping up his sleeve.'That's not fair,' she mumbled, staring defeat in the face.He smiled, a slow, relaxed smile, like a tiger that had successfully cornered its prey.He signalled for the bill, not taking his eyes off her face.'All right, and what if he recovers?''When.''Have it your way.What do we do when he recovers?''We can cross that bridge when we get to it.Is that it for your objections?'Emma didn't answer.'So that's settled, then?' he asked as they prepared to leave the restaurant.Emma disgruntledly wondered why he even bothered to ask the question.He knew that her answer was no longer in the balance.'So it seems,' she replied coolly.'Good.'They drove back in silence, Emma too preoccupied with her thoughts to have even the slightest interest in the dense, lush undergrowth darkly shifting around them.When the car pulled up outside the house, Conrad switched off the engine and looked at her, his arm resting along the seat behind her head.Emma instinctively edged away.'We'll see him tomorrow, first thing.'Emma mumbled her agreement.'And make it convincing.'She forbore to comment, instead clanking open the car door and walking quickly towards the house.She waited while Conrad leisurely locked up the car and then sauntered to join her, taking much longer than necessary to open the front door.He's enjoying this, she thought.He's enjoying knowing that he's thrown me into an untenable position.The fact that she was angry was giving him the greatest of pleasure.As soon as the door was open, she ran up the stairs towards her bedroom, ignoring Conrad's voice as he called out to her, 'No thanks for an enjoyable evening, then?'The man was a sadist, she decided, once she was alone in the privacy of her bedroom.Fortune had definitely been having a laugh at her expense when the damned man had decided to take a break for some rest and relaxation.Why couldn't he have had a shorter break, as any normal person would have? Shouldn't he have realised that he missed his work?For once she regretted the high standard of equipment in Alistair's office.It had made her job infinitely easier, and she had marvelled at all the gadgets and computers that kept him in touch with his companies, never once realising that they also managed to enable Conrad to more than keep in touch with his own companies as well.She finally fell asleep with disgruntled reluctance, and awoke the following morning to a perfectly cloudless, still day.No refreshing breeze, only the sultry heaviness of relentless heat.Through the opened window the heat was leaden and cloying, and Emma quickly shut the window, switching on the air-conditioning for the first time in days.There was no point getting a headache from the humidity when she needed all her wits about her.When she got to Alistair's bedroom, it was to find Conrad already there, and in the relaxed attitude of someone who had probably been there for some time.They both looked at her, Alistair unable to conceal the smug contentment on his face.'Emma, darling, I've broken the news to Alistair.'Conrad's eyes darkened as he came towards her, reaching to stroke the side of her face with his fingers.Emma fought down the melting feeling that swept overher, telling herself that it was all a sham and she had better not be foolish enough to forget it, even for one minute.'Oh, good,' she said, forcing a smile.'You'U have to do better than that,' Conrad whispered in her ear.'Don't forget we're not playing games here.Alistair's health is at stake.'He kissed her on the neck, sending a flood of colour to her face, and then slung his arm over her shoulders.He drew her along to Alistair's bedside.'My dear, congratulations.' Alistair beamed at her.it's an old man's dream come true.My beloved granddaughter, lost to me for years, now to be married to the young man who's always been as close to me as my own flesh and blood.''Not just an old man's dream,' Conrad murmured softly, 'ours too.Isn't that right, darling? I'm only sorry that it took us so long to find out.''Right,' Emma muttered, feeling a sickening wave of guilt wash over her.Why had she ever gone along with this damn fool scheme? She tried gracefully to disengage herself from Conrad's arms, but he pulled her tighter towards him.His fingers tangled in her long hair, ensuring that any further attempt to get away from him would be useless.Talk about playing it to the hilt, she thought with desperation.She made herself relax against him, disturbingly aware of the steady beat of his heart and the warmth of his chest [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]