So he phoned her. ‘Kara, it’s me. I’m outside. Let me in.’
A moment’s silence before she spoke. ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, and he thought he heard tears in her voice.
‘I need to speak to you.’
‘I don’t want to speak to you. Go away.’
‘I’m going nowhere,’ he declared firmly. ‘Open the door, Kara, before I break it down.’ He wouldn’t have done that, of course, but it worked. He heard the key being turned in the lock, heard a bolt being withdrawn, and the thought that she needed to lock and bolt herself in turned his stomach. Who was this man, and why was he harassing her?
Kara’s white and drawn face shocked him. He immediately wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her that whatever it was that was happening in her life he would take care of it. But he guessed that she wouldn’t let him.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked again.
‘I came to talk about the money you asked me for. But it has begun to look as though there are far more important things to talk about. Who was that man?’
If Kara’s face could have gone any paler then it did. Her eyelids closed for a few seconds, and when she clutched the wall for support he put an arm about her shoulders and led her into the sitting room, where her mother also looked as though she was on the verge of collapse.
Once Kara was seated he sat down himself, looking from her to her mother and back again. ‘Are you going to answer my question?’
Kara closed her eyes for a moment before looking at her mother. ‘Can we have a little privacy, please?’
‘Kara, are you sure this is for the best?’
‘Mum, we can’t go on like this any longer. I have the baby to think of now, and things are only going to get harder for us. I have to tell Blake.’
Lynne actually looked relieved as she nodded and left the room.
Once they were alone Kara told Blake the whole story—about the loan her father had taken out in her mother’s name, about the payments constantly rising. ‘It’s a never-ending nightmare,’ she added, once she had finished.
‘And this is why you wanted all that money?’
She nodded, her arms folded across her chest, her eyes sadder than he had ever seen them.
‘Why didn’t you tell me before, Kara? I could have sorted all this mess out for you!’
‘Because my mother did not want anyone to know,’ she answered with a wry twist to her lips. ‘It’s very shameful to have been duped by the man she once loved, the man she married. She would have been deeply embarrassed. She’s not the sort of person to share her problems with strangers.’
Blake wanted to take her into his arms and comfort her, but he felt that was not the right thing to do considering the way he had spoken to her yesterday. She would probably push him away, and he did not want that.
His deepest concern at the moment was the degenerate who was doing this to them. Anger had risen in him as she spoke—anger that any man could prey on two helpless females the way this man did. He played on their fear, driven by greed, uncaring that he was making their lives a living hell. And they probably weren’t the only people he was harassing.
Neither had he helped by parking his Bentley outside their house! In fact he was the one who had exacerbated their problem. He curled his fingers into his palms. ‘Do you know where this guy lives?’
Kara shook her head, at the same time looking quite alarmed. ‘You’re not thinking of confronting him?’
‘Someone has to,’ he growled. ‘He cannot be allowed to get away with this. What he is doing is unlawful.’
‘It doesn’t stop him.’
‘Of course not. There are plenty of con men like him around. But they usually get their just desserts in the end. He’ll come unstuck—you’ll see. Meantime, I definitely think you should come and live with me. You and your mother. He’ll soon give up when he realises that you no longer live here.’
‘It’s not the answer,’ said Kara, although her heartbeats had hastened at the thought. The loan shark would find them wherever they were. The only way they would get this man off their backs was to pay him in full the amount he claimed they owed.
‘I’m not giving you a choice.’ His grey eyes were relentless on hers. ‘You will be safe, both you and your mother, and our baby. I promise you that. I’m not sure that all this stress is good for you or the little one.’
It wasn’t good for them, Kara knew that. But she knew that Blake was only offering her his home in order to keep the baby safe and keep her under his spell. The other option was staying here and living with the nightmare of the loan shark everyday.
She had her mother to think of too. All this worry was not doing her health any good. She deserved better. She had put up with so much during her life that it would not be fair to put her through any more. Not when Blake had offered them a lifeline.
‘I don’t seem to have much choice, do I?’ she asked quietly, unaware that her eyes reflected her sorrow.
‘Not if you know what’s best for you. For you both.’
Kara drew in a long, ragged breath, and released it on a sigh.
‘So you agree? You’ll move in with me?’
She nodded. ‘I’ll tell my mother.’ She didn’t dare look him in the eye. In a way he was saving their lives, but she was not happy about it.
Her mother, though, was both delighted and overwhelmed. ‘Thank you, Blake,’ she kept saying. ‘Thank you, Blake. You have no idea how much this means to me.’
‘I think I do,’ he answered gruffly. ‘What I want you both to do is pack up whatever you’ll need for the time being, and I’ll organise transport for the rest tomorrow.’
Everything was moving so fast that Kara felt dizzy. Blake took one look at her and ordered her to sit down.
In contrast her mother seemed to have taken on a new lease of life, bustling around, collecting everything she thought they would need.
And finally they left behind the house where so much misery had occurred. Kara knew that this was only going to be an interim period in her life, but she could not help feeling relief. Not that she expected to be entirely happy living with Blake. The closeness they had once shared was gone, and there was no way she could go on living with him permanently. He wouldn’t want that either, she felt certain. He was doing his Good Samaritan act but it was only a temporary solution to their problems, and he was really only doing it to ensure his baby was safe.
Her mother, though, was in seventh heaven. ‘Whoever would have thought we’d end up living somewhere like this?’ she asked. ‘Blake’s a good man, Kara.’
‘It’s not permanent, Mum,’ said Kara, unaware that there was a sharp edge to her voice. ‘I don’t want to be beholden to him.’
Lynne frowned. ‘How can you be beholden when you’re expecting his baby?’
‘You’re forgetting we’re only just about friends. There’s nothing between us any more.’ Except her heart refused to believe it. It went on the rampage every time he was near. But there was nothing she could do but ignore it—pretend it wasn’t happening. The honeymoon period was over. Their relationship was held together by the baby and nothing more.
‘Are you sure, Kara?’
‘Of course I’m sure. And we’re not going to stay here any longer than necessary.’
Lynne’s voice was filled with alarm when she spoke. ‘We’re safe here, Kara. Can’t you see that? Safe for the first time in our lives.’
‘Yes, but—Well, we’ll see,’ she accepted reluctantly. She was thinking of herself rather than her mother, which was incredibly selfish. But living with Blake was not her idea of fun.
Later that evening when her mother had gone to bed early, Blake invited Kara to join him for a drink.
‘If you make it a hot chocolate,’ she said.
A single brow rose. ‘I actually like hot chocolate. Mrs Beauman will be delighted. She thinks I drink too much alcohol.’
Such mundane conversation, when Kara guessed
he would much prefer to talk about their circumstances. ‘My mother really appreciates what you are doing for us,’ she said. ‘It’s as though a whole weight has been lifted from her shoulders.’
Blake nodded. ‘I can well imagine it. There was no way I could allow you to go on living there, a perfect target for that unscrupulous money-lender. Why didn’t you tell me about him before, Kara?’
‘How could I?’ she asked. ‘He’s the biggest embarrassment of our lives. We both felt so ashamed, and we wanted no one to know.’
‘As though it was your fault?’ he asked with surprising understanding. ‘When in fact it was that useless man of a father who got you into this mess?’
Kara closed her eyes. The only good part of her whole life had been the time she’d spent in Italy. Only then had she been able to forget her problems. She’d been the happiest she had ever been. Except that the pleasure she had experienced then had now given way to a whole new set of problems. Unconsciously she put a hand on her stomach.
Blake’s eyes narrowed. ‘Are you all right, Kara? All this upset cannot be very good for your—for our baby.’
‘I’m OK,’ she said. ‘A touch weary, that’s all.’
‘And is the little man all right?’
Kara could not help but smile. ‘He—or maybe she,’ she corrected, ‘is doing fine.’
When his housekeeper came in, setting a tray down on the table beside them, she was still resting her hand on her stomach.
Mrs Beauman’s smile was warm and welcoming. ‘It’s good to see you again, Kara. I hope you and your mother will be very comfortable here. You must tell me if there is anything that you need.’
‘I will,’ promised Kara.
Their hot chocolate was in a Thermos jug, with two china mugs on the side. Blake leaned forward and filled their mugs.
Kara waited until he had finished before saying, ‘Does Mrs Beauman know about the baby?’
Blake shook his head. ‘I saw no reason to tell her.’
Because he was ashamed? Because this was an interim period in his life? Kara had no idea what the future held. Of one thing she was certain: she could not go back to their house again. They would need to find somewhere else to live—somewhere they would never be found by the obnoxious man who was harassing them. Maybe even move to a different part of the country.
She had always fancied living in Scotland. That would be a good place. Far enough away to forget her troubles. But would her mother like it up there? And how would they manage when they had no money?
‘Do you still want me to carry on working for you?’ she asked. ‘Because I would really like to do so.’ She did not tell him that it was to try and build up her bank balance and fund their move.
Blake smiled—one of those smiles that turned her heart over and sent a zillion sensations through her body, darting along nerves and arteries, looking for escape but finding none. ‘Nothing would please me more, Kara. I will miss you when you stop work to have the baby. You’re the best PA any man could ever wish for. It will be hard finding your successor.’
His best PA! Was that all she meant to him? Her pleasure died. He couldn’t have made it any plainer that their affair was over, that the only reason they would stay in touch was because of the baby.
She picked up her mug of chocolate and cradled it between her hands, and as silence settled between them she wondered whether she was jumping to the wrong conclusion. Blake had been talking about work, not their personal life.
It was her hormones. They were all over the place. She did not know what to think any more. So much had happened today that all she longed for now was sleep. Peaceful, refreshing sleep. It would be the first night in a long time that their money worries hadn’t troubled her.
‘Would you mind very much if I went to bed?’ she asked as soon as she had finished her drink. She had sipped it so quickly that her mouth stung. ‘It’s been quite a day and I’m tired.’
‘But of course,’ he said at once, standing up.
He held out his hands and she had no option but to take them. And when he had pulled her to her feet he pressed a kiss to her brow. ‘Sleep well, Kara.’
And that was it. No arms around her, no holding her close, no mouth-to-mouth contact. It was the sort of kiss you’d give a friend, but not a lover. She might as well get used to the idea that their situation had changed. That Blake no longer wanted her in his bed. She was ultimately going to be the mother of his child, and he would see her all right, but as for anything else …
CHAPTER TWELVE
BLAKE had tried to appear calm and in control for Kara’s sake, but inside he was seething that any man could stoop so low as to put the fear of hell into two defenceless women. Kara was even more vulnerable at the moment. He had seen how distraught she was, how terrified, and the thing that hurt most was that he had had a part to play in it.
He had not stood by her when she came to him for help. He had been brutally angry instead, believing the very worst of her. And although she was grateful to him for rescuing them he sensed that she had lost all faith in him in every other respect. He was almost afraid to touch her, in case she brushed him away. Rejection was not something he could handle. The fact was that whatever had been growing between them was gone. Ruined by his own stupidity.
He bowed his head in his hands, wondering how he could go on working with her, having her live in his house, without ever being able to touch or kiss her. Or bed her. It was a fate too hard to contemplate.
But first things first. He needed to sort out the villain who had been blighting their lives.
It did not take him long to discover who he was and where he lived, and on Monday evening after work, after he had taken Kara home and knew that she was safe, he drove to the man’s house.
A very fine house. Bought, decided Blake, feeling renewed anger rise in his throat, on the proceeds of his underhand, heartless treatment of innocent people. A woman answered the door—an over-made-up blonde, wearing a low-cut blouse and a tight black skirt. ‘Yes?’
‘I’ve come to see Mr Draydon.’
‘And who shall I say is calling?’
‘Benedict. Blake Benedict. And tell him I’m in a hurry.’
When she moved to shut the door Blake put his foot in the way. It had been a telling action, suggesting that he wasn’t the first caller to want to see this man.
Blake’s grey eyes were hard when the loan shark finally appeared. He had taken so long that Blake was on the verge of entering the house and seeking him out.
‘Yes?’ Already he seemed on the defensive.
‘Mr Draydon?’
‘That’s right. Do I know you?’
‘Not until this moment. But I think you will remember me for some time to come.’
The man frowned.
‘Do you get a great deal of satisfaction from frightening defenceless women? Extracting money from them that they can ill afford? I’m actually talking about one woman in particular, but it’s my guess that she’s not the only one you’re trying to defraud.’
The man’s eyes narrowed. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
‘No? Does the name Mrs Redman ring a bell?’
Blake saw the flash of enlightenment in the man’s eyes before he blanked it off. ‘She is on my books, yes.’
‘And for how long has she been “on your books”?’
‘What are you getting at?’ he asked with a sudden snarl. ‘And what’s it to do with you?’
‘I am suggesting,’ said Blake loudly and firmly, ignoring his question, ‘that you are illegally demanding money from her and her daughter. I am suggesting that the loan has already been paid many times over. I have seen the original documents and I know how much you have taken from them. I’d now like to see your books.’
This was Blake on the warpath. Blake in his immaculate handmade suit and silk shirt. Blake with an expression so hard it might have been carved out of stone, causing the other man to lose some of his bravado.
<
br /> ‘If you do not comply I shall not hesitate to go to the police,’ he added, not for one second allowing his eyes to drop from the other man’s.
‘You’d better step in.’ Mr Draydon’s eyes darted this way and that, checking to see whether anyone was watching.
Perhaps, thought Blake, this was not the first time he had had some irate client turning up on his doorstep.
Inside, the house was as Blake had guessed it might be—filled with expensive furniture, clearly bought with his ill-gotten gains. But he made no comment, simply standing and waiting while the man went to find the necessary paperwork.
What Blake saw, what he read, the figures that leapt out of the pages at him, tripled his heart-rate. He wanted to lash out at the man. He wanted to make sure he never did this to anyone again. The sum of money that Kara and her mother had paid him over the years compared to the sum of the original loan—including interest—went far beyond anything he had expected.
This man was a crook—an out-and-out crook—and he deserved to be behind bars. But that was not why he was here. He was here for Kara’s sake. Kara and her mother.
‘I think you will agree,’ he said, his tone so cold and hard that it would have flattened a lesser man, ‘that their debt has been paid. Actually it has been paid many times over, but we will not go into that. Not now.’ He eyed the man threateningly, suggesting that if he did not do as he asked then he would be in even deeper trouble. ‘What I want you to do, Mr Draydon, is tear up those documents right here in front of me, and let’s have an end to this. Otherwise, as I said, I’ll get the police involved. This is nothing short of fraud.’
By the time Blake had finished speaking the man had begun to look very nervous. ‘It is an unfortunate oversight on my part. I will give you the papers. You can do with them what you like.’
‘How generous—considering how much you’ve conned out of the Redmans,’ said Blake, his voice infused with such sarcasm that it was a wonder it didn’t flatten the man. In front of him he tore each piece of paper into quarters, before stuffing them into his own pocket. ‘Goodbye, Mr Draydon. I wish never to see you again.’
A Night With Consequences Page 14
