by Kay Thorpe
‘I can cover my own expenses!’ Gina flashed, evoking another of the sardonic smiles.
‘The places my mother will have in mind, I’d doubt it.’
‘He’s right,’ Elinor agreed. ‘A dress suitable for the event I’m talking about will cost several thousand dollars alone, to say nothing of the rest. In the circles you’ll be moving in, the clothes say it all.’
Gina bit her lip, only just beginning to realise what she had let herself in for. ‘It seems I don’t have much choice, then,’ she said.
‘Wonderful! We’ll go to Harry’s Bar for lunch, then hit Rodeo. The little cream suit you had on the other day will be quite suitable.’ She gave a laugh. ‘No pun intended!’
It was worth a great deal to see her mood so much lightened, Gina reflected, smiling with her. She sobered again inwardly on remembering that while Elinor could hardly imagine the marriage was an ideal love match, she had no notion that it would only be a temporary one. Now wasn’t the time to disillusion her though.
Ross left half an hour later without attempting any further one-to-one commune. Gina had a feeling he was relying on tomorrow’s meeting to show her just how ridiculous her aims in that direction at least were. In truth, she had to agree with him, but she wasn’t prepared to let him push her aside. What she didn’t know, she could learn.
Elinor filled in a little more detail about the company for her. Oliver had handed over the presidential reins to Ross when he was diagnosed. Including herself, the board now totalled nine. Four members, led by a man called Warren Boxhall, were keen to see the company floated on the open market. A move Oliver had rejected out of hand, as had Ross.
‘As there’s no chance now of Warren buying up enough stock to gain control, he’ll try to persuade you into seeing things his way,’ Elinor warned. ‘With your thirty per cent alongside, they could force the issue.’
‘So far as I’m concerned, the company is totally safe,’ Gina assured her.
Elinor smiled. ‘I’m sure of it. You’re a Harlow through and through.’ She hesitated before adding. ‘I know this marriage is being forced on you, but it will work out. I sense the two of you already have feelings for each other. Right?’
Outright denial was a waste of time and breath, Gina acknowledged. Elinor was no fool.
‘Of a kind,’ she said.
‘That’s where it all starts, honey. The rest will follow. You’re what Ross needs in a wife. Someone capable of standing up to him—bringing him down a peg or two.’ She laughed at the expression on Gina’s face. ‘I’m under no illusion about my son. He’s very strong-willed. To the point of arrogance at times.’
‘I’d noticed,’ Gina murmured.
‘On the good side, he’s steadfast and true to those who gain his friendship. Wives and husbands should be friends as well as lovers. Oliver was certainly mine.’
Guilt-ridden, Gina had to bite her tongue to stop herself from coming clean. Bringing Elinor down to earth with regard to this marriage would not only be cruel in the circumstances, but would also achieve nothing. Planning the wedding would give her a new lease of life these coming weeks. At least let her have that.
Roxanne failed to appear again the rest of the afternoon. Believing she had probably gone out, Gina had a shock on going up to her room to change for the evening, to find the other already there waiting for her. A very different Roxanne, smiling and apologetic.
‘I’ve treated you badly,’ she said frankly. ‘I guess I was suffering from jealousy. Dad and I were always so close. I looked on him as my real father. I didn’t even know about you until I got here the other day. Can you imagine the shock it was?’
‘It must have been.’ Gina was cautious, not at all sure where this was going. ‘I felt the same when I got Grandfather’s letter. I’d never had any idea what my background was.’
‘Of course you didn’t. It must be terrible never to have known your mother—your real mother, I mean.’
‘It would have been nice to meet her,’ Gina agreed, ‘but there’s no point fretting about it. At least I had the chance to meet my grandfather, even if it was only for a little while. And I’m sorry for the way things have worked out,’ she felt bound to add. ‘It never occurred to me that he’d do what he did.’
The expression that crossed the other face was come and gone too quickly for analysis. ‘You must be wondering why he left me so little.’
‘It isn’t my business,’ Gina refuted.
‘He didn’t like some of my friends,’ Roxanne went on as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘He believed they were only interested in me because I’m a Harlow. This was his way of proving it.’
Gina kept her tone level. ‘He thought they’d desert you once they realised you were only worth a million?’
‘Exactly.’ Roxanne sighed. ‘Whether they do or not, I’m stuffed!’
‘You owe money?’ Gina hazarded.
‘Afraid so. I invested in a project I thought was sound, but it fell through. The people I borrowed the money from are pressing for repayment.’
‘Surely they can wait until your inheritance is through,’ Gina said uncertainly.
Roxanne gave a brittle laugh. ‘I only get the income, remember. I can’t touch the capital.’
It was obvious now where this was going, Gina thought wryly. So much for the apparent change of heart.
‘How much do you owe?’ she asked.
The pause was brief. ‘Three hundred.’
‘That doesn’t sound very bad.’
A hint of a sneer touched Roxanne’s lips. ‘Three hundred thousand.’
Gina gazed at her in stupefaction. The idea of borrowing that much money was crazy enough, losing it a nightmare! She hardly knew what to say.
‘You’re asking me for help?’ she got out.
Roxanne spread her hands in an appealing gesture. ‘I’ve no one else to turn to.’
‘There’s your mother, or Ross.’
The smile acquired a harder edge. ‘I’d rather keep them out of it.’
That at least should be no surprise, Gina reflected. She lifted her shoulders in semi-apology. ‘I don’t see what I can do. I don’t have access to any money myself until the will is proved.’
‘You will have once Ross gets accounts opened for you.’ Roxanne was all eagerness again, sensing victory. ‘I’d be eternally grateful!’
Until the next time she found herself in financial trouble, Gina told herself. Even if she found herself in a position to come across with that amount of money, all she would be doing was giving Roxanne the idea that she was a soft touch.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
The anticipatory expression vanished, replaced by a hatred intense enough to make her take a step back. ‘You’ll regret this!’ Roxanne spat. ‘I’ll make sure of it!’
If Gina had felt any sympathy at all, it was wiped out by the sheer vehemence in that statement. Roxanne didn’t linger any longer, slamming the door as she left the room.
Legs shaky, Gina sank to a seat. She felt all churned up inside. The adopted Harlows were two of a kind beneath the skin. They cared nothing for anyone but themselves.
Ross was going to learn she was no pushover too, she vowed, hardening her attitude again. She’d give him something to think about tomorrow!
The drive downtown next day was accomplished in near silence. Gina had left the screen between front and rear seats of the limousine open, but Michael seemed disinclined to converse.
She had spent a rough night, one minute tempted to throw in the towel and head for home, the next resolved to see things through to the bitter end. Money might not be the be-all and end-all, but it certainly had its uses: millions of them in this particular case.
She was nervous about the coming meeting, but determined too, deliberately lingering until there was little chance of reaching the offices in time to be in the boardroom by ten. Making an entrance, it was called.
It was already five minutes past the hour when Michael brought the car
to a halt before the imposing entrance to the block. Wearing the cream suit along with high-heeled beige shoes, she felt confident enough in her appearance to swan into the reception hall as though she owned the place.
The receptionist had obviously been warned of her coming. The smile with which he directed her to a small, separate lift round a corner from the general run was dazzling. When Ross’s secretary came forward to greet her when the doors opened again, Gina thought for a moment that she’d come to the wrong floor. The reception area certainly looked very similar.
‘Penny, isn’t it?’ she said.
The other woman smiled and nodded. ‘That’s right. Penny Loxley. It’s nice to meet you again, Miss Saxton.’
Gina returned the smile. ‘My name’s Virginia. Gina for short. I’d rather you called me that.’
‘I’d be glad to.’ Penny indicated double doors across the wide expanse of carpet. ‘They’re all here.’
Gina gave a laugh. ‘And I’m late, on my very first morning!’
‘Your privilege.’ Penny wasn’t attempting to hide her amusement, recognising the ploy for what it was. ‘I’ll take you in.’
Crossing the floor in her wake, Gina nerved herself for the coming ordeal. There were six men and two women seated at the gleaming mahogany table that stretched almost the length of the panelled room. Heads turned in unison at the opening of the door, differing expressions on every face.
The men came to their feet as Penny made what Gina considered a totally unnecessary announcement. Mentally girding her loins, she waved an airy hand.
‘Please, do sit down, everyone. There’s no need for formality.’
Ross viewed her expressionlessly as she made her way towards the head of the table, where he still stood. Wearing a suit similar in cut and colour to the one in which he’d greeted her at the airport, he looked the executive from head to toe. At least, she assumed so, being unable to see his feet as yet.
‘You’re late,’ he said.
‘I know.’ Reaching the head of the table, she gave the occupants of it a wide smile. ‘Dreadful of me to keep you all waiting. I just couldn’t make up my mind what to wear!’ She turned the smile full power on Ross. ‘Where shall I sit?’
A dangerous glint in his eyes, he indicated the empty leather chair on his right. ‘Where else would you sit?’
‘Terrific!’ She took the seat, looking round the assembly with overt interest. Of them all, only one face registered anything approaching benevolence. The two women, both of whom were in their fifties, wore expressions fit to turn the milk sour. Gina wondered how they’d look if she gave way to mad impulse and stuck her tongue out at the pair of them.
Ross began an introduction, going clockwise around the table. Warren Boxhall turned out to be the assumedly friendly one. Some ten years older than Ross, he was still a very attractive man. The other names all ran together in her mind. Matching them to the right faces would prove a problem for a while.
‘Why don’t you just carry on as though I wasn’t here?’ she suggested blithely when the introductions were over. ‘Listen and learn is my motto! Mind you, I don’t know about anyone else, but coffee would be very welcome.’
‘It will be here shortly,’ said Ross, sounding unruffled. ‘In the meantime, we’ll do as you say and carry on.’
Gina marshalled her forces over the following minutes, bent on absorbing as much as she could of the proceedings. Running an organisation the size of Harlows was certainly no sinecure.
Coffee arrived and was drunk on the hoof, as the saying went, discussion continuing apace. Gina was engrossed. This was business with a capital B! It made the boutique seem like a child’s plaything.
She needed to put Barbara in the picture, came the distracting thought. She certainly wasn’t going to need an income from the boutique. As the driving force behind the whole enterprise, it was only fair that her partner should benefit.
Telling her parents about the will was going to be the most difficult. The money angle they could no doubt handle, the marriage was another matter—although in their case, the impermanency would probably come as some relief.
She came back to her present surroundings to hear Ross closing the meeting. Chairs were pushed back, legs stretched, mouths exercised in low conversation as the other directors made their way from the room. It was ten to one that she was the main topic, Gina reflected.
‘Just what were you playing at back there?’ Ross asked on a curious note.
She gathered herself, returning his gaze with a bland expression. ‘Playing at?’
‘You know what I’m talking about.’ He still hadn’t raised his voice. ‘Turning up late, acting the dumb blonde.’
‘Isn’t that what you take me for?’ she asked.
The grey eyes took on a new expression as he studied her, his mouth slanting. ‘If that’s the impression I gave you the other night, I’m losing my touch. I took you to bed because it was what both of us wanted. What both of us want still, if we’re honest about it. This marriage doesn’t have to be a totally celibate one.’
‘So far as I’m concerned, it does,’ Gina retorted. ‘I’m sure you’ll have no difficulty in satisfying your needs outside of it. As I will myself,’ she added with purpose.
There was a pause while he continued to regard her with that same enigmatic expression, then he inclined his head. ‘I guess we can run with that. I’m due to take a trip to Vancouver. You’d better come too.’
‘Why?’ she asked, mind whirling again.
‘I’d have thought it obvious. If you’re going to take a responsible role in the company, you need to have some insight into the business. The Vancouver Harlow is our most recent addition. Built to order. I haven’t seen it myself yet.’
‘Would the company head normally do an inspection?’
‘A company head does whatever he—or she—feels like doing,’ he said. ‘One of the perks of the job, you might say. We’ll be here for the charity ball, though, so you’ll still need that dress.’
Gina only heard the one word. ‘You’ll be going too?’
‘I was going anyway.’ Ross glanced at his watch. ‘You’d better get moving. My mother should be here any minute, ready and eager. She never could resist a shopping spree.’ His tone softened just a fraction. ‘She thinks a lot of you, Gina.’
‘I think a lot of her too,’ she said truthfully. ‘Which makes it doubly hard allowing her to think the marriage might be for real.’
‘She knows it’s no love match.’ He made an abrupt movement. ‘I’ll come down with you. I’ve a luncheon appointment myself.’
No doubt with a woman, she thought.
Penny had been in the room throughout the meeting, taking down the minutes, her presence unobtrusive. She’d departed with the others, but was still at her desk in the outer lobby.
‘Are you going to be in this afternoon,’ she asked Ross, ‘or shall I reschedule your three o’clock?’
‘I’ll be in.’ He viewed her quizzically. ‘There’s something different about you this morning.’
‘I know.’ Her smile was radiant. ‘I’m pregnant!’
‘That’s great!’ Ross sounded genuinely delighted. ‘You take care, now.
‘She had a miscarriage last year,’ he advised in the lift. ‘Let’s hope to God she keeps this one!’
‘You’re very fond of her, aren’t you?’ Gina remarked. She shook her head in negation as he shot her a sharp glance. ‘I’m not suggesting anything beyond that.’
‘Good. Penny’s a lovely woman any man would fancy, but even if she weren’t crazy about her husband, office affairs are strictly no go.’
‘For you personally, or the company as a whole?’
‘Both, for preference, although keeping tabs on all our employees would prove pretty difficult. So long as it’s discreet, and doesn’t interfere with work, it’s easier to turn a blind eye.’
‘Is this luncheon date business or pleasure?’ she asked, trying to sound casual abou
t it.
‘Considering you’re calling it a date rather than an appointment, I’d say you already made up your mind,’ he returned drily. ‘I am meeting a woman, as it happens. Isabel Dantry. She’s one of the city’s top investment bankers.’
They had reached the ground floor. Gina exited ahead of him, waving a hand to Elinor just coming through the main doors. What he’d said a few minutes ago about the marriage not necessarily being a celibate one still loomed large in her mind. Drawn to him the way she still was despite everything, was it such a bad idea? Who was to say that deeper feelings might not develop between them, given the incentive?
CHAPTER FIVE
FINE feathers made fine birds indeed, Gina thought, gazing at her reflection in the cheval mirror. The pale green silk gown skimmed her body from asymmetrical neckline to ankle, outlining every curve without clinging. The sandals that went with it were mere wisps of kid leather, totteringly high yet so beautifully balanced they felt quite secure.
Her hair had been cut and styled only that morning, falling now in smooth golden abundance to her shoulders. One arm was bare, adorned only by a diamond bracelet, the other covered from shoulder to wrist. Her only other jewellery was a pair of diamond drop earrings.
For what it had all cost, she certainly should look good though! Elinor didn’t know the meaning of frugality. These weren’t the only things they’d purchased the other afternoon. Nor, if Elinor had anything to do with it, would they be the last. As a Harlow, she had an image to live up to.
She had seen comparatively little of Ross over the last few days. An office had been arranged for her, and a secretary allocated, but so far all she’d done was plough through reams of paperwork relating to the company. Not that she could visualise a time when she’d be capable of doing all that much else, for all her posturing.
Warren Boxhall had waited no more than a day to make the approach Elinor had anticipated. While his charm hadn’t evaporated when she turned down his suggestion that they combine forces, Gina suspected that he hadn’t by any means given up on the notion. If the company was floated on the market, he stood to make millions more from his shares than he could ever draw in dividends.
