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“Exactly. The truth will kill him. You know it will.”
“No,” Jennifer whispered, but her voice shook with uncertainty. That was the one thing Alexandra might have right. If Roarke knew his daughter wasn’t really his—how would he deal with it?
“The bottom line is that you didn’t just tumble into his life. You schemed your way in. You let him see you as some sweet, innocent thing when in reality you knew who he was, what he owned, what he h
ad that you wanted. Money. Prestige. He had it all, and when you found out that he was lonely, that he was vulnerable, that he was the kind of man who could easily be taken in by a woman who’d pretend she was interested in him, in his child, in this—this dull, boring island—”
“Jennifer?”
The breath caught in Jennifer’s throat.
It was Roarke.
He said her name again and she swung toward the doorway. When she saw the look on his face, she felt the room sway beneath her feet.
How much had he heard?
“Roarke.” She put her hand to her throat. “How—how long have you been standing there?”
He looked from her to Alexandra, then to her again. “What is she talking about, Jennifer?”
“She—she—” Jennifer’s mouth trembled. “What did you hear? Because none of it is the way she’s making it sound.”
“I heard her say you schemed your way into my life. Did you?”
“No. No. I—I—”
“She said you were after my money.”
“Never!”
“Then tell me she was lying.” He took a step forward. “Tell me that we met by accident. That you hadn’t set out to—to trap me.”
Jennifer swallowed hard. “Roarke, please. It’s not—it’s not that simple.”
His eyes darkened. “It’s every bit that simple. Was she lying or wasn’t she?”
“No. Yes. But not about—”
“No? Yes? What the hell are you talking about?” She said nothing, and he moved forward quickly and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Answer me,” he demanded. “Did you come into Campbell’s looking for a job that day, or for me?”
“For—for you. But—but…”
“Because I’m Roarke Campbell.”
“Yes. But it’s not the way it seems.”
“She told me everything.” Alexandra hurried toward them, her voice soft and filled with concern. “She came to my room a little while ago—she said I’d better get out of your life, that she wasn’t going to tolerate any interference. Oh, darling, how awful for you. To have trusted this girl when all the time she was laying her pathetic little plans.”
Jennifer stared at Roarke, horrified.
“Roarke. Please, don’t believe her.”
“Are you saying she’s lying?”
“Yes. Of course.”
His eyes swept across her face. “Then tell me why you sought me out.”
