‘Listen, Caro, I know it’s your job to do the best for your client, but we’ve known each other for a long time and—’
‘Don’t you dare say another word, Freddie Soames. We may have known each other forever, and we may indeed be friends, but I am not cutting you a deal on this snuffbox. You should know better than to even ask.’
His shrug was completely without rancour. ‘You can’t blame a guy for trying. You have a hard-nosed reputation in the industry.’ He said it in such an admiring tone that she had to laugh. ‘It’s so at odds with your personality outside of work that I just...wanted to try my luck,’ he finished with a grin.
At odds with her...? That made her grow sober again. Was that why Paul and Barbara had thought they could walk all over her? Was that why...? She gulped. Was that why Jack had left her five years ago?
If she brought the same backbone and strength of purpose to her personal relationships as she did to her work, would it make a difference? If she’d put her foot down and stated, This is what I expect from all of you—honesty, respect and acceptance. And if you can’t promise me that then...then...
Jack had said he could give her all of those things.
But she hadn’t believed him.
Out of nowhere her heart started to thump.
‘Caro, are you okay?’
She started, and shot Freddie a smile. ‘I’m simply tickety-boo, Freddie.’
It occurred to her that now she had the snuffbox back in her keeping she was curiously reluctant to let it go.
Time to force Freddie’s hand. ‘Richardson’s has given you first option on this beautiful example of a seventeenth-century snuffbox, but you must understand that interest in these items is always high. I’m going to count to three. You have until then either to accept at the asking price—’ she touched a finger to the notepad ‘—or to decline.’
‘No need to count, Caro.’ He leaned back, fingers clasped behind his head. ‘I’m going to chance my luck when it goes to auction.’
She laughed at the light of competition that sparkled from his eyes. As she’d known it would. ‘If it makes it to auction, Freddie. Don’t count your chickens.’
She wrapped the snuffbox in a soft cloth, placed it into a protective box and slipped it into her purse. ‘It was lovely to see you.’ She shook his hand and left.
She stood on his doorstep for a moment. Freddie Soames lived in Knightsbridge...maybe that was why Lawrence Gardner popped into her mind. She glanced at her watch. The interview with Freddie hadn’t taken nearly as long as she’d thought it would. On impulse, she dialled Lawrence’s number.
‘I wonder if you have a moment or two to spare for me?’ she said after their greetings.
‘Absolutely, my dear girl. I’m in the Knightsbridge branch today.’
‘I’m about two minutes away.’
* * *
‘So this is the offending item that caused all the trouble.’ Lawrence handed the snuffbox back to her. ‘I’m very pleased you recovered it.’
‘Oh, yes, I am too.’ She told him the story Jack had given her.
His gaze slid away. ‘All’s well that ends well, then.’
She folded her arms. ‘You don’t believe that story any more than I do. I know Paul and Barbara were behind the snuffbox’s disappearance...at my father’s behest.’
‘Ah...’
‘Has Jack been to see you since our...uh...unscheduled meeting at the bank on Wednesday?’
He hesitated and then nodded. ‘I believe that boy has your best interests at heart, though, Caro.’
She pulled in a breath and nodded. ‘I do too.’
‘Right, well... Jack came to see me this morning. He wanted a couple of bank cheques drawn up.’
She listened closely to all he had to tell her and her heart started to burn. ‘Father blackmailed Barbara and...and threatened to cut off the funds for her mother’s care? That’s...diabolical!’
Lawrence winced.
‘Why didn’t she come to me? She had to know that I’d take care of it.’
She suddenly recalled Barbara’s words from the night they’d spent in Kent. ‘You’ve always been a funny little thing... It can be very difficult to get a handle on how you truly feel.’ Maybe...maybe Barbara hadn’t known.
She cursed her own reserve. And Barbara’s.
‘I can’t imagine, though, why Paul would agree to do such a thing.’ Lawrence sighed. ‘He dotes on you.’
‘Oh, that’s easy.’ She rubbed a hand across her chest. ‘He was in love with my mother. I believe she’s the only woman he’s ever loved.’
‘Good God!’
She smiled at the appalled expression on Lawrence’s face. ‘No, no—I don’t believe for a single moment that there was anything between them other than mutual respect and friendship.’
‘Thank God!’ He sagged back in his chair. ‘But if you’re right it would explain why he’d be so set on you taking over management of the trust.’
‘I can’t believe I never saw it before now, but all my life he’s tried to gently guide me towards it. I thought he was simply trying to be conciliatory—to improve matters between Father and me.’
A sense of betrayal niggled at the edges of her consciousness, but she pushed it away. It would be easy to retreat behind a sense of outrage and betrayal, but what would that achieve? The last time she’d done that it had led to five years of misery.
‘So Jack’s taken it upon himself to try and put this all to rights?’
Lawrence spread his hands and nodded. ‘What are you going to do? Is there anything I can do to help?’
She leaned across his desk to clasp his hand. ‘You have already done so much and I will be eternally grateful.’ She pulled in a breath. ‘I’m going to make things right—that’s what I’m going to do. Although I could use some help with a couple of practical matters.’
He straightened. ‘I’m a practical man. Fire away.’
* * *
Three hours later Caro let herself into the house in Mayfair. A voice emerging from the room to her left informed her that Paul, at least, was in. She moved across to the doorway of her father’s study and her heart hammered up into her throat, before settling back to bang and crash in her chest.
Jack!
Jack was here. He hadn’t left for Australia yet. Somewhere inside her she started to salsa.
The internal twirling faltered when she remembered that flights to Australia didn’t usually depart Heathrow until the evening. Her heart nose-dived to her toes. Jack’s flight was probably six or seven hours away yet. He still had plenty of time to make it.
Unless she managed to change his mind.
She moistened suddenly dry lips. Her happiness was in her own hands. All she had to do was reach out and take what she wanted.
If she dared.
‘Caro, darling!’ Barbara shot to her feet, a look of dismay settling over her features. ‘Darling, I...’ She fell back into her chair, her words trailing off as if she had no idea what to say.
Caro didn’t blame her. Squaring her shoulders, she strode up to the desk. ‘I’d like to take the floor for a moment, if you don’t mind,’ she said to Jack and Paul.
She pointed to the two chairs on either side of Barbara, and after a moment’s hesitation the two men moved to them.
Paul could barely meet her eye.
Jack stared at her with such undisguised hunger it made her blood rush in her ears, but his gaze snapped away when he realised she’d surveyed him and he shuffled the papers he held in his hands instead. An ache swelled through her.
She slid up to sit on the desk, but had to swallow a couple of times before she could risk speaking. Her voice jammed in her chest again when Jack darted a glance of frank appreciation at her legs.
That sealed it. She knew exactly what she was going to do.
But first...
She reached into her purse and pulled out the CD. ‘I believe this belongs to you, Jack.’
Bar
bara closed her eyes. Paul paled.
Jack’s eyes darkened as he took it from her outstretched hand.
‘It must’ve fallen from your bag when you visited me earlier. You really should learn to fasten the latches on that thing.’
She could see his mind flicking back to this morning. ‘I pulled the snuffbox from it and...’
‘And then dropped said bag to the floor when you had your coffee.’
‘Without fastening it again.’ The pulse in his jaw pounded. He raised the CD slightly. ‘Did you listen to it?’
‘Oh, yes.’
All three of them winced.
She reached out and plucked the documents Jack held from his other hand. Cheques. One made out to the facility where Barbara’s mother resided and the other made out to her mother’s trust. Both for huge sums. Oh, Jack! This isn’t your mess to clean up. Shaking her head, Caro tore the cheques into sixteen fragments apiece.
Barbara pressed the heel of her hand to her mouth to stifle a sob.
‘Okay, so here’s the deal,’ Caro continued calmly, dumping the scraps of paper on the desk behind her. She opened her folder and brought out the first in a series of documents. ‘Barbara, this paperwork here, as you’ll see, is a contract between the facility where your mother is kept and me. It ensures that your mother’s care is guaranteed. I do wish you’d trusted me to take care of this in the first place.’
* * *
God, she was magnificent.
Jack stared at Caro and his skin tingled as a rush of warmth shot through him. He hadn’t been sure how she’d deal with the truth of all this, but he could see now that he should have trusted her with it. She was all class.
‘Oh, I...’ Barbara had to wipe her fingers beneath her eyes, to mop up the tears that had started to fall.
‘I understand that my...reserve has made you unsure of me. I am sorry for that. I also understand that your loyalty must’ve felt torn between my father and me as well.’
The other woman lifted her chin. ‘The fact of the matter is I did marry your father for his money, darling. I wanted my mother taken care of properly.’
Caro nodded. ‘And in return for that my father received a wonderful wife who always went the extra mile for him. I still think he received the better part of that deal. I want you to know that I’ve had several million pounds transferred into your account—’
‘That is absolutely unnecessary! I don’t—’
‘Humour me, Barbara. I’ve also had the deeds to the villa in Spain transferred into your name.’
Barbara swallowed. ‘You’d like me to move out?’ She nodded. ‘Of course you do—’
‘Absolutely not! I just know how much you love that villa. You and Father honeymooned there.’
‘Oh, but, Caro darling, it’s all too much.’
‘Nonsense.’ Caro turned from Barbara to Paul. ‘Now, Paul.’
Jack leaned back, folding his arms and enjoying the show.
‘It’s occurred to me that if my mother’s trust means so much to you then you are probably the perfect person to manage it. This document here—’ she held up a sheaf of papers ‘—names you as chairman of the trust’s board.’
‘Miss Caroline, I—’
‘Caro!’ she ordered.
Paul swallowed. ‘Caro, I...I don’t know what to say.’
‘Say you’ll accept the position and that you’ll do your best to execute the duties of the post.’
‘You have my word,’ he croaked, falling back into his seat.
‘I’ve also arranged for a pension for you. Something my father should’ve taken care of before he died. It will be in addition to the salary you draw from administering the trust.’
The older man’s head shot up. ‘I won’t be drawing a salary from the trust! It will be an honour to administer it.’
Caro didn’t look the least surprised by this avowal. Jack would bet she’d factored that in and had made sure that his pension was very liberal.
‘Good grief, Caro! I can’t accept this,’ he said when she handed him the paperwork outlining the details of the pension. ‘This is far too generous.’
‘You’ve earned it. You gave my father sterling service for over thirty years. Besides, I can afford it...and it’s what I want.’
Caro drew in a deep breath, and such a roar of longing spiked through Jack, his hand clenched about the seat of his chair to keep him there.
‘Now, I want you both to know that these things I’ve set in motion today are set in stone. They cannot be changed. I cannot revoke or undo what I’ve just promised you. You are both free to simply walk away from me now, without the fear of any reprisals.’
The room went so still that all Jack could hear was the tick of the grandfather clock out in the entrance hall.
Caro pressed her hands together. ‘So now it’s time for me to cast aside my wretched reserve and for us to speak plainly with each other. Barbara and Paul—I consider the two of you my family.’
Jack’s heart burned that she hadn’t included him in that number.
‘I care about the two of you a great deal. I was hoping my affection was returned.’
‘It is, darling!’
‘I love you like my own daughter!’
‘But that didn’t stop either of you from trying to sabotage my happiness. If the two of you really care about me then what I demand from you is respect, loyalty and acceptance for who I am. If you can’t give me that, then we need to go our separate ways.’
Paul shot to his feet. ‘You will have it to my dying day,’ he vowed.
‘Yes, darling, you have my word too.’
Caro’s smile was sudden, sweet and utterly enchanting. ‘Then we can continue on as we’ve been doing. I mean to give up my flat and we can all live here in this ridiculous house like the mismatched dysfunctional family that we are.’
Barbara stood in swift elegant motion and pulled Caro from the desk to fold her in a hug. ‘Darling, that sounds marvellous.’
Paul waited beside them, impatiently moving from foot to foot, until he had a chance to engulf Caro in a bear hug. ‘Splendid! Splendid!’
With a heart that throbbed Jack slipped the strap of his satchel over his shoulder, stood and turned towards the door.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Caro called after him, before he’d had the chance to take two steps.
He pulled in a breath, but didn’t turn. ‘I have a plane to catch.’
‘In what—six hours?’
Acid burned his stomach at the thought of flying away from her. He met her gaze briefly. ‘I have to be at the airport in four hours’ time and...and there are things I need to do before then.’
Number one on that list was: save face and maintain whatever pride he could.
‘I was hoping... Please, Jack, could you spare me ten more minutes?’
He should say no. He should toss a casual sayonara over his shoulder and walk away from her with a jaunty stride.
Casual? Jaunty? Impossible.
Saying no to Caro? Also impossible.
His shoulders slumped. His satchel slid to the floor.
‘Sure. What’s ten minutes?’
But they both knew what havoc ten minutes could wreak. Six and a half years ago on a reckless impulse he’d asked her to marry him. On impulse she’d said yes. It had taken less than a minute for them to promise to build a life together.
Five years ago, when he’d thought she meant to abort their baby, it had taken him ten minutes to pack his bags and walk away.
When he’d told her he loved her yesterday, it had taken less than a minute for her to shatter his hopes.
What was ten minutes? It could be the most hellish time of his life, that was what.
Or the most heavenly.
He pushed that thought away. He could harbour no hopes.
He snapped back to himself to find Barbara slipping her arm through Paul’s and leading him from the room, murmuring something about tea and cake.
He forced his gaze to Caro’s. ‘You want to take me to task for keeping the truth about the snuffbox from you?’
She shook her head, her smile spearing into the centre of him. ‘It was kind of you to want to protect me from the truth, even if it was misguided. It was even kinder of you to offer such large amounts of money to both Barbara and Paul in an attempt to make things right.’
He’d hoped by buying their gratitude it would help offset some of the damage Caro’s father had caused.
‘If it’s not that, what do you want to talk to me about?’
Her gaze dropped to her hands and she looked so suddenly uncertain that he took a step towards her. She glanced up and then away again. Finally she reached into her purse and pulled a wrapped object from it. He knew immediately what it was—the snuffbox.
She unwrapped it, placed it on her palm and stared at it for a long moment. ‘I bought this earlier today.’
She what? ‘You mean to tell me that blasted Soames bloke didn’t want it after all?’
‘Oh, he wanted it all right.’
Her laugh washed over him and it was all he could do not to close his eyes and memorise it—to help him through tomorrow...and all the days after that.
‘But he decided to play games instead—hoping for a lower price—and I found I didn’t want to part with it. Regardless of the price offered.’
She held it out to him. ‘Jack, I’d like you to have it.’
His jaw dropped. ‘That’s absolutely not necessary. I told you I didn’t require payment, and—’
‘It’s not payment. I know enough not to challenge you on that. This is a gift. A...a symbol.’
He snapped his mouth shut. He found himself breathing hard, as if he’d just completed the obstacle course at his old police training college. ‘A symbol of what?’
She placed the snuffbox in his hand and backed up again, to lean against the edge of the desk. She pushed her bangle up her arm as far as it would go and twisted it.
‘I’ve only just admitted this to myself, but...my heart was lost in the same way that this snuffbox was lost. You found the latter and somehow that helped me to find the former.’
His heart pounded a tattoo against his ribs. He was too afraid to hope. Caro didn’t like risks. She avoided them where possible. It would be folly to think she’d risk her heart on him a second time.
Harlequin Romance February 2016 Box Set Page 51
