Where Secrets Sleep. Marta Perry

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СКАЧАТЬ said, his tone wistful. “It’s not easy for an independent bookshop to compete with the chains and the online stores, but Evelyn felt a bookshop was important to the community.”

      “Yes, I’m sure she did.”

      Mitchell was putting her on the spot, and she didn’t like it. “I really haven’t had time to gather all the information I need to make plans yet. My grandmother’s bequest came as a surprise to me, you understand.”

      “Ms. Standish.” A peremptory male voice sounded from behind her. She was certainly in demand today. Allison turned.

      “I’m Thomas Blackburn. I’d like to speak with you.” The man was probably about the same age as Ralph Mitchell and his hair was just as white. But there the resemblance ended. Mitchell looked like nothing so much as a slightly anxious rabbit, while Blackburn—tall, erect, faultlessly dressed—had hawk-like features with eyes that pierced and judged.

      “Mr. Blackburn.” She acknowledged his words with a nod. “I’m sorry, but I was talking with Mr. Mitchell—”

      “Oh, no, no,” Ralph said quickly. He stepped back, as if longing to efface himself. “We can chat another time. Really. I must...must get back to...to my inventory.”

      She could have insisted, but it was obvious Mitchell preferred to slip away in the face of Blackburn’s commanding air.

      “Fine.” She smiled at him and then gestured Blackburn to the stairs. “Shall we go up to my office?” It was the first time she’d referred to the office as hers, but she decided she needed a bit of bolstering with Blackburn staring at her so disapprovingly.

      They went up the steps in silence. Blackburn seemed to know the way to the office as well as she did. She unlocked the door, crossed the room and sat down behind her grandmother’s desk. Blackburn took the visitor’s chair, planted his elbows on its arms and leaned forward.

      “I don’t believe in mincing words, Ms. Standish. Blackburn House is Blackburn by rights. Blackburns built it, Blackburns lived in it. I want it in Blackburn family hands, where it belongs.”

      Allison leaned back in the chair, feeling as if she needed to be a bit farther from the power of that commanding presence. “I understand that the building was purchased by my grandfather a number of years ago.”

      “Selling was a foolish action on the part of my father.” Blackburn dismissed the sale with a wave of a large hand. “He was under a certain amount of financial stress at the time, and frankly, your grandfather took advantage of him.”

      Despite the fact that she had no reason to defend the grandfather who was completely unknown to her, Allison found the comment annoying. “The sale was obviously perfectly legal. I’m not sure why you’re bringing it up now.”

      Blackburn’s face twitched in an unconvincing smile. “I merely wanted to show you that I’m serious in my desire to buy Blackburn House. My son and grandson carry the Blackburn name, and it should be their legacy.”

      Not yours. He didn’t say the words, but they were implied by his tone.

      “Did you discuss this subject with my grandmother?” Allison wasn’t quite sure where the question came from—maybe from the fact that she was sitting in her grandmother’s chair.

      Blackburn’s face tightened until it looked as if it might be carved on a monument. “I made repeated offers to Evelyn Standish. She seemed to take pleasure in thwarting my wishes.” His face reddened. “She even talked about changing the name to Standish House.”

      Allison struggled to hide her amusement at this example of small-town rivalry. Somehow she could imagine her grandmother doing just that. She’d probably enjoyed clashing with Blackburn. But Allison just found the old man’s insistence disturbing, particularly when she had no choice but to say no to him.

      “I’m afraid selling is not possible right now, to you or to anyone else,” she said quickly. “The terms of my grandmother’s will—”

      “I know all about the will.” Blackburn looked as if he were gritting his teeth. “Evelyn enjoyed making things as difficult as possible for people. However, that’s not insurmountable.”

      “I’m not going to contest the will—” she began, but he shook his head.

      “No, not litigation.” He smiled slightly. “That benefits no one but the attorneys, I find. I have already spoken with Brenda Standish Conner. She is willing to sell to me.”

      The arrogance of that took her breath away. “Brenda is not the owner of Blackburn House, provisional or otherwise.”

      He didn’t seem impressed by the statement. “I understand that she has already made you an offer to relinquish your claim.” He held up a large hand to quell her protest. “A ridiculous offer, as I’m sure you agree, but that’s Brenda all over. Always looking for a bargain, and perfectly willing to cut off her nose to spite her face. However, I’m sure you’ll agree that staying in Laurel Ridge for a year is an onerous requirement for an ambitious young professional like yourself. As for seeking to run the place at a profit for a year—well, so many things can go wrong in managing a building like this one. Unexpected repairs could eat up your profits very quickly.”

      Allison was beginning to feel her back stiffen at the automatic assumption everyone seemed to make that she didn’t belong here. And how did he know she was an ambitious young professional, anyway? “What exactly are you proposing, Mr. Blackburn?”

      He didn’t hesitate. “Naturally you’d like to gain a tangible profit from your inheritance and get back to your own life. In return for your agreement to Brenda’s offer, I will increase the offer. Shall we say double?” He drew a checkbook from his breast pocket, clearly prepared to write a check here and now.

      Allison had the sensation that she was being pushed toward a precipice. She shoved her chair back, rising. “I’m afraid not, Mr. Blackburn.”

      “Not?” His face reddened. “Do you understand what I’m offering you, young woman?”

      “I understand you’re trying to pressure me into a decision before I’m ready. As a businessman, you should understand that I need to investigate all the possibilities before taking any action.”

      Blackburn stood, towering over her and looking even more like a bird of prey. “Suppose I tell you that my offer will not remain on the table indefinitely?”

      Since he’d already betrayed how much he wanted to regain the property, his argument wasn’t as convincing as he might have thought.

      She smiled. “I’ll pass your offer on to my attorney. You’ll be hearing from us in due course.”

      He glared at her for a long moment, his face so red that she wondered just how high his blood pressure might be. “You’ll regret this, Ms. Standish.” He stalked to the door.

      The best word to describe his exit was stormy, Allison decided. Once the door had slammed behind him, she took a long look at her actions.

      Was she burning bridges by her refusal to act before she was ready? She didn’t think so. If Blackburn wanted the building as much as he seemed to, he wouldn’t give up that easily. Probably he’d hoped to push her into a decision before she had a chance to think it through.

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