Claiming His Wedding Night

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.’

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