Infamous Bargain. Daphne Clair

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      The Charles Heaphy original, a watercolour of a bracken-covered hillside washed in light, with a painstaking rendering of delicate ponga ferns in the foreground, hung on the wall to one side of the desk.

      ‘That’s it,’ Briar said unnecessarily. Kynan was already crossing the carpet to inspect it.

      Briar stood in the centre of the room waiting for him. Finally he said over his shoulder, ‘Quite a good example, isn’t it?’ He returned his attention to the painting.

      ‘Is it? I’m no expert, I’m afraid. I’ve always rather liked it, though.’ She walked over to stand beside him, admiring it.

      ‘Has it been in the family for long?’ He glanced at her again.

      ‘In the family?’ She shook her head. ‘Dad bought it a few years ago, when the financial wizards were saying that art was a gilt-edged investment for the future. I gather that it hasn’t increased in value as much as he was led to believe it might.’

      ‘So he’s not a connoisseur?’

      She wondered if her father had been trying to impress Kynan with art talk. Xavier was good at picking up snippets of information and trotting them out at opportune moments, giving the impression of more knowledge than he really had.

      ‘Are you?’ she countered, deflecting the question.

      ‘I have an interest, but I doubt if I could spot a fake.’

      ‘This isn’t a fake.’ Her father would have had that thoroughly checked.

      He turned to her. ‘I haven’t suggested that it is. Not my field, except in an amateur way.’

      ‘What is your field?’ she asked him. She’d been wondering all evening. His name had sounded vaguely familiar, but she was unable to make the necessary connection.

      ‘Didn’t your father brief you?’

      ‘Brief me?’ She looked at him blankly, finding knowing laughter lurking in his eyes, and dropped her gaze as she recalled being told to be nice to him. She felt as though he was reading her mind, an uncomfortable sensation.

      ‘I’m in company finance,’ he told her, ‘among other things.’

      ‘An entrepreneur?’

      ‘I prefer the term investor. These days entrepreneur tends to be a term of opprobrium.’

      ‘How times have changed.’

      ‘Are you old enough to remember?’

      ‘I’m not a child.’

      ‘No.’ His eyes gleamed.

      Briar looked away.

      He said softly, ‘You’re not pretending to be shy?’

      She looked up then, and found the cool, piercing eyes on her face, a hint of cynicism in them. ‘I’m not shy.’

      ‘No, I didn’t think so. Your father tells me he depends on you a lot. I gather your stepmother isn’t nearly as reliable.’

      ‘She just needs a bit of self-confidence. She’s...’

      ‘Decorative?’ Kynan suggested drily.

      ‘She’s also a very nice person!’

      ‘I’m sure she is. How long have she and your father been married?’

      ‘About thirteen years.’

      ‘That long? You must have been just a kid.’

      ‘A teenager—nearly. Laura was my salvation.’

      ‘Oh?’ His head cocked as though he wanted to hear more.

      She wasn’t prepared to exchange confidences with this discomfiting stranger. She opened her mouth to ask if he was ready to leave now, but he forestalled her. ‘And are you prepared to be hers?’ he asked. ‘Or your father’s?’

      Feeling as though some piece of the conversation was missing, Briar said hesitantly, ‘I...help when I can.’

      ‘I’m sure you do.’ He gazed at her almost broodingly. ‘I suppose you all have a lot to lose.’

      ‘I’m not sure what you mean.’

      ‘All this—’ he looked about them ‘—is very impressive. Gives the effect of a solid background.’

      Her eyes sparked. ‘Everything my father has he’s got by his own efforts. He’s never pretended to be anything he isn’t.’

      ‘Maybe that’s a matter of opinion.’

      Apprehension fluttered in her stomach. Something was wrong, and the supreme confidence of this man, contrasting with her father’s peculiar nervousness tonight, had a lot to do with it.

      He said, ‘I only needed to ask around the financial community when he began pursuing my acquaintanceship, to find out why.’

      With a trace of acid that brought a brief surprise to his eyes, Briar said, ‘You mean it wasn’t for the charm of your personality? And what did you find out?’

      ‘That your father needs cash, and he needs it fast.’

      Several things fell into place. Her anger dissolved in fright, which automatically she tried to conceal. ‘I...don’t know anything about my father’s financial affairs,’ she said. ‘And if I did I wouldn’t be discussing them with you.’

      ‘No,’ he said slowly, ‘I suppose that isn’t your role.’

      Role? Whatever he meant by that, the expression on his face warned her that it wasn’t good. He looked hard and contemptuous, and she didn’t like the way he was studying her, his gaze moving from her defiant eyes down to her feet and slowly back again.

      Stiffening under the visual assault, she said, ‘I’m afraid I’m not up with the play. I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.’

      ‘Oh, come on.’ He was smiling, in an oddly angry way. ‘You’ve played it perfectly so far. Done everything darling Daddy told you to.’

      He knew? ‘My father is just being a good host,’ Briar said. Some dim understanding of what he meant began to filter through her puzzlement. Her voice turned icy. ‘This is your first time in our home and he hoped you’d enjoy the evening. I think you misunderstood. If you’ve finished in here...’

      ‘Surely you’re not finished yet? You don’t need to give up on providing me with enjoyment just because I find you—and your father—a little...obvious.’

      Briar took a deep, disbelieving breath. ‘If this is some kind of game—’

      ‘Isn’t it?’ he queried, his brows rising diabolically. ‘I thought СКАЧАТЬ