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As she looked at the lined, worried faces of the couple sitting in front of her, Grace’s heart started banging hard against her chest. She didn’t understand what she’d done wrong but it was obvious from the grim set of his features that he truly believed her guilty of a serious misdemeanour. And these people believed it too. ‘We pay a great deal for the coffee,’ she said hoarsely, stating one of the few things she knew to be fact. ‘It’s one of the reasons it’s taken us so long to see a profit from the business.’
‘Your company accounts would suggest otherwise.’ Rafael turned his attention back to Filomena, who was speaking again. ‘She says that they can no longer afford to sell to you at the price you pay. They are searching for an alternative buyer.’
‘No! She mustn’t do that. The coffee is really special, I know that and so do the customers. Wait a minute …’ Trying to think on her feet, Grace leaned forward and stretched her hand out to the woman in a gesture of conciliation. Then she let it fall back into her lap. The woman didn’t want conciliation, she wanted money and clearly she wasn’t receiving it. ‘Please tell her that there’s been some mistake. I don’t know all the facts yet but I will, I promise. I’ll look into it. I’ll find out what’s gone wrong. But don’t stop supplying us.’
‘You’ll look into it?’ His voice was loaded with sarcasm. ‘What is there to look into?’
‘You’ve seen the accounts. You know that we pay a great deal of money for the coffee.’ Her palms were sweating and she rubbed her hands over her trousers. ‘It’s one of the reasons that our overheads are so high.’
‘I’ve seen that you pay a great deal of money to the dealer who imports the coffee for you.’
She stared at him. ‘You’re suggesting that our money isn’t getting through? That the dealer my father uses is overcharging? That he’s dishonest?’
He gave a faint smile. ‘Oh, I don’t think the dealer is the only dishonest one here. The money you’re paying is grossly inflated. Far beyond the price of the coffee. I’m sure there are several benefic
iaries. Unfortunately, this fazenda isn’t one of them.’
Her mouth was suddenly dry. ‘You think we have some sort of shady agreement with the importer? That he charges us too much and then we split the difference?’
‘It looks that way.’
‘You’re accusing me of fraud.’
‘That’s right.’ His tone was silky smooth and he seemed entirely unperturbed by her growing tension. ‘I am.’
She stared at him, trying to get to grips with the enormity of his accusation. ‘And it doesn’t occur to you that there might be another explanation for the figures?’
‘Offer me one.’
She bit her lip. ‘I can’t. Not yet. But I will.’
‘When you’ve had a chance to think one up?’
‘No. Not that.’ She rounded on him angrily, panic pricking her usually even temper. ‘When I’ve discovered what’s been happening.’
‘Perhaps you’re just incredibly fond of the dealer.’ His eyes dropped to her mouth and then to her breasts and his implication was obvious.
His barely veiled reference to their steamy encounter in the forest brought the colour flooding into her cheeks but she didn’t respond. She opened her mouth to defend herself and then closed it again. What was the point? What was the point of telling him that she didn’t normally behave with such a complete lack of restraint? It would merely flatter his already overdeveloped ego and anyway, he wouldn’t believe her. And she could hardly blame him for that in the circumstances. Her response to him had been every bit as hot and uninhibited as his. ‘There’s obviously something going on, I agree. And I don’t blame you for thinking that I’m involved because all the evidence would suggest that I am. I need to make some calls.’ She muttered the words, almost talking to herself as she ran through her options. ‘I need some information.’
‘Don’t bother with the calls. Your business is finished but you needn’t worry. I’m sure you could make a reasonable living as an actress. You’re very convincing.’ Rafael stifled a yawn and rose to his feet. ‘We need to get back to the lodge before dark. And it gets dark very quickly in the rainforest.’
She didn’t care about the dark and she didn’t care about the dangers lurking in the rainforest. Her demons were much closer and more real than that.
Something had gone wrong with her business. If he was right, and she had no reason to doubt him, then someone had been fiddling the books to make money.
But how could they have got away with that? And who was responsible?
She intended to find an answer to both questions just as soon as she’d persuaded Rafael Cordeiro that she was innocent.
But did it really matter what he thought of her?
What really mattered more than anything was that these people, these gentle, hospitable people, thought her guilty.
And perhaps, in a way, she was guilty, she thought miserably as she sifted through the sparse facts at her disposal.
True, she hadn’t taken the money but it was her business, her accounts, and she hadn’t noticed that anything was amiss.
Racked with contrition for the fact that they’d suffered because of her, she tried to work out what she could do to make amends. Impulsively she dropped to her knees and took Filomena’s hand in hers.
