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‘Any misunderstanding is yours, mia bella,’ he said. ‘Because I have been the legal owner of this house and its land since noon today. So shall we open the champagne you so thoughtfully have brought and drink to Mannion’s new beginning? Together?’
His dark face swam in front of her. She said in a choked voice, ‘No, it’s not true. He couldn’t—he wouldn’t...’
‘Do you wish to see the papers? They are in that desk. Also Adam’s receipt for the money. Well?’
She shook her head numbly and heard his sharp sigh.
He took her arm, shepherding her out of the room and across the hall to the drawing room where he placed her in the corner of a sofa and disappeared.
For a moment, Dana was completely still, then, with a soft moan, she buried her face in her hands, her body shaking with dry sobs.
Oh, God, she thought brokenly. The things she’d said. The things she’d let him see. All in all, a pretty comprehensive exercise in self-betrayal.
But she must not make a bad situation worse. Somehow, she had to pull herself together and try to retrieve some of the ground she had lost.
When Zac returned with a tray of coffee, she’d combed her hair with her fingers and was sitting, quiet and composed, with her hands folded in her lap.
As he set down the tray, he said, ‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes.’ Then: ‘No! I don’t see how he could do such a thing. Sell his inheritance.’
He shrugged, as he seated himself in a chair opposite. ‘For money. Of course. Without winning the National Lottery, how else could he lay his hands on such a large sum with no real effort on his part?’
‘But—Mrs Latimer—didn’t she mind?’
‘Serafina is a pragmatist. She made the gift as she believed her husband would have wished, but the rest was Adam’s own business.’
She said, ‘But why did he sell to you—of all people?’
‘Ah,’ he said softly. ‘Then you have realised there is no love lost between us.’
She remembered the simmering resentment of the past weeks. ‘Something like that.’
‘Again, it was money. I offered the price he wanted, and it became a simple cash transaction without prolonged negotiations or expensive legal fees.’ He added drily, ‘He did not have to like me for it.’
‘No.’ Dana took a deep breath. ‘But you—you really want Mannion?’
‘It has its attractions. And I need a base apart from my London apartment.’
‘So, it’s just a matter of convenience.’ She shook her head. ‘Poor Mannion. All this was going on and I had no idea.’ She paused. ‘And you, of course, took the message I left. You didn’t think of calling me—explaining the true situation?’
He said mockingly, ‘Not even for a moment, mia cara. But I am sorry if I have deprived you of the celebration you had planned.’
‘That doesn’t matter.’ Which was true. She felt nothing but relief that her surrender would not be required after all. Or that she might have to drink herself insensible first.
I didn’t realise, she thought, how much I was actually dreading it.
Aloud, she said quickly, ‘And I should go.’
‘Not yet,’ he said. ‘It is unwise to drive after a shock.’
A shock, she thought bitterly. Was that really the way to describe the cataclysm that had just destroyed her dreams—her future, leaving her with nothing to hope for?
He poured the coffee, a rich, dark brew, and handed her a cup.
She lifted her chin. ‘I prefer it with milk.’
‘I suggest on this occasion you drink it black.’ He leaned back, stretching out long legs in khaki chinos, his black polo shirt open at the neck. ‘Because, Dana mia, you may need the extra caffeine when you hear what I have to say.’
CHAPTER NINE
SHE DIDN’T WANT COFFEE. The last thing she needed was an extra stimulant when she felt wired to snapping point already, but it seemed wiser to avoid a clash with her equally unwelcome host, so she drank some, finding she was oddly glad of its heat and strength.
‘Goodness.’ She tried to speak lightly to conceal her unease at his last remark. ‘That sounds terribly serious.’
‘Marriage,’ he said, ‘is a serious business.’
She replaced her cup carefully in its saucer. ‘Yes, I—I suppose so. I didn’t know you were contemplating such a thing.’
