you would settle the debt for Peter?’
‘I don’t think so. They wouldn’t be that foolish!’ Jordan’s laughter was harsh, brutal even. In the bright overhead light his face looked tough and uncompromising, with a cold cynicism glittering in his eyes which made her shiver as she saw it.
She knew his reputation, of course. Jordan was a tough negotiator and few who crossed him survived to tell the tale. There had been many articles in the papers about the way he had fought his way to the top with a ruthless determination. He never compromised, never accepted second best, never allowed anything to deter him from his goals. If anyone could help Peter out of this situation then it was Jordan, but what he would expect in return remained to be seen!
She took a quick little breath to control the rush of fear as Jordan continued in the same uncompromising tone. ‘It appears that an attempt was made to contact me once it was realised how deeply in debt your brother was getting. Unfortunately I was out of the country at the time, so the message never reached me.’
Katherine frowned in bewilderment. ‘I don’t understand. Why should these people have contacted you?’
‘Because your brother gave my name as a reference when he asked to extend his credit. Somehow it was allowed to slip through without a proper check being done, and once one club had agreed to the new credit limits the others followed suit. Alarm bells only started ringing when people realised that he was in way over his head, but by then it was too late.
‘Unless Peter finds a way to repay the money he’ll be ruined. There is no way that he’ll be kept on at the Stock Exchange once word gets out, and believe me it won’t take long before that happens.’
‘No!’ Katherine stared at Jordan in despair. ‘Is... is there anything we can do?’
‘That depends.’ Jordan looked down at the mug. When he looked up again, Katherine could see something in his eyes which made her heart beat so fast that she could feel the blood swirling through her veins.
‘On what?’ Her voice was whispery-thin in the silence. She licked her parched lips and made herself repeat the question she didn’t want to ask. ‘What does it depend on, Jordan? What are you saying?’
‘That it is up to you what happens, Katherine. Peter’s future depends on what you decide to do.’
‘I don’t understand...’
‘It’s simple.’ Jordan leant back in the chair as he watched her through narrowed eyes. ‘I am willing to pay everything Peter owes and write off the money so that he doesn’t need to repay me a penny of it. However, there are certain conditions attached to my offer... naturally.’
He made it sound like some sort of business proposition. Katherine wished she could believe it was that simple! Her mind ran wild trying to understand, but she had no idea what he was proposing—that was the trouble. ‘And those conditions are...?’
‘That Peter gets the help he needs to stop gambling. I also expect him to give me a written undertaking, enforceable in a court of law, that he will never use my name again without my permission.’
‘That seems fair.’ Katherine managed a shaky smile. As far as she was concerned Jordan was being more than charitable in the circumstances.
‘That isn’t all, Katherine. There is one other condition attached to my offer. One which concerns you. I want you to think very carefully before you decide, because once you do there will be no going back on your decision. You have to be sure that you can carry it through if you agree to my terms.’
Katherine’s fingers were numb because she was gripping the table so hard. As though from a distance she heard her own voice, thin and shallow, asking the question, ‘And that condition is?’
‘That we end this sham of a marriage.’
The blood rushed through every bit of her so fast that her fingers tingled and her body throbbed. It was relief, she told herself, the sheer relief of hearing those words that was causing this reaction. To imagine that there was the slightest trace of disappointment at it was ridiculous.
‘Of course. I shall give you a divorce any time you—’
Jordan’s laughter was so harsh that she flinched. ‘Oh, no, Katherine, that isn’t what I want! I’m sorry, I must have phrased it badly. Put it down to tiredness or whatever.’
He gave her a slow smile, his blue eyes playing over her white face. ‘In fact, what I want is just the opposite of what you imagined. I want to end the sham of the way we live by making our marriage a real one in every sense. I want us to live together properly as man and wife, to share a roof and a bed. And what I want most of all, Katherine, is a child.’
‘A child?’ She could hear the shock echoing in her voice, feel it rippling through her in waves. She stared at Jordan in disbelief, wondering wildly if she had misheard him. ‘You... you want us to have a child?’
‘Yes.’
‘I...I don’t know what to say. I never imagined...’ Katherine swallowed hard but her voice was still strained. ‘Why do you want a child, Jordan?’
He gave a wry laugh. ‘For all the usual reasons, I imagine! I’m no different from any other man in wanting a child to carry on my name and inherit all I have worked so hard to achieve.’
‘But why now, so suddenly, out of the blue like this...?’ She tailed off, unable to continue, unable to absorb what he was telling her and to make sense of it.
‘But it isn’t out of the blue. I’ve been thinking about this for some time.’ He met her eyes levelly. ‘I’m not getting any younger and I would like to have a child before I’m too old to do all the things a father should do with his son or daughter. But what about you, Katherine? Surely you want to have children while you’re still young enough to enjoy them?’
‘I... I never thought about it,’ she whispered hollowly.
‘Because you’re married to me?’
‘What do you mean?’ She stared at him in confusion as she heard the sudden bitterness in his voice.
‘Simply that you had put off thinking about having a family because of the implications.’ He shrugged, but his gaze was dark and intent. ‘It would entail sleeping with me, wouldn’t it, Katherine? And we both know how you feel about that!’
Her face flamed with angry colour and she stared back at him with stormy grey eyes. ‘Yes, we both know how I feel about that, Jordan. At least there’s no confusion on that score. It’s a pity that you aren’t as clear in your own mind about what you want and why.’
His brows rose, but he seemed more amused by her outburst than anything else. ‘Meaning what, precisely?’
‘That a child isn’t something you can bargain with like...like a clause in a contract! A child should be loved and wanted for the right reasons, not because it’s something you need to perpetuate your name!’
‘Oh, I agree, Katherine. I am in complete accord with you on that. It seems that you do have some views on children after all—even though you may not have thought about having a family yourself. Maybe you should do so now.’
He got
