head in utter disbelief. “I’ll pretend you never said that, Robbie.”
“Sorry, sorry,” he apologised. “I know that was totally out of line. I’m only trying to say …”
She cut him off mid-sentence. “I know what you’re trying to say.”
“Then don’t look so sad. Boyd chose you. That says it all, don’t you think? Rupe, wicked old tyrant that he is, won’t be able to sway him. You know Boyd. He’s his own man. Why, any other girl would be over the moon.”
“Why wouldn’t they be?” Leona smiled wanly. So why did she feel as if she had stepped into a minefield?
Boyd was actively searching for her by the time she made her way back into the house.
“Where have you been?” He moved swiftly towards her, blue eyes searing her to the spot so she couldn’t run off. “You wouldn’t have gone without saying goodbye to me, would you?” he asked.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, straightening her delicate shoulders to confront him. “If you’re going to speak to your father, I feel I should be here.”
His expression lightened, like the sun coming out from behind clouds. “Leo, my love, you’re made of the right stuff.” He bent his dark head to kiss her cheek. Just a kiss on the cheek induced delicious shudders. “But you don’t have to do this. Not yet. This is my father’s house. I have to remember that. We both know he’s always refused to countenance any change to his plans.”
“I’m the very last daughter-in-law Rupert will want or expect.” Even Boyd couldn’t deny it.
Boyd, perhaps fearing they might be overheard, suddenly bundled her into the drawing room. “We’ve been through this before, Leo, and I don’t want to go through it again. It’s you I want. End of story. We had a deal, remember?”
“An indecent deal, some might say,” she said, puffing a few tendrils of hair off her heated forehead.
Boyd muffled an exasperated oath beneath his breath. “So you want to back out?”
“Then I suppose you’ll have Robbie detained before he’s halfway home?” she flared.
“A deal is a deal,” Boyd reminded her, looking every inch the acting CEO of Blanchards. “I don’t want a life without you. If you’re honest with yourself, you don’t want a life without me.”
He was exactly right but, before Leona could say so, they were interrupted. They both spun as Jinty, her sister at her shoulder, sailed into the room. “Tonya is off,” she said, as though Tonya was their very favourite person.
But Tonya was staring at them both as though they were aliens. “What’s going on here?”
“Honestly, Tonya, have you never considered a career in the police force?” Boyd asked.
Tonya’s sharp-featured face clouded over as she studied the striking tableau before her.
“Tonya!” Jinty, who was teetering between anger and embarrassment, cast her socially inept sister a warning glance.
Tonya either missed it or elected to take no notice. “Isn’t this just too thrilling! It is true, isn’t it?”
“I’m afraid so,” Boyd said in mock sympathy.
Tonya stepped around her more substantial sister, who was trying to block her way. “She’s pregnant, is she? I mean, that would be the only way.”
Jinty snorted loudly, wondering what further damage her sister could inflict, but Boyd’s handsome face darkened and his voice, though he didn’t raise it, sounded like a call to war. “Jinty, would you please take your appalling sister out of this house? She could be in some danger.”
Jinty didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Tonya’s arm, applying considerable pressure. “Out we go, Tonya. Out, out, I say! But, before we go, I expect you to apologise for that unforgivable remark.”
“The hell I will!” a distraught, bitterly angry Tonya ranted. “All this time Rupert’s sweet little Leo with her red-gold curls and her big green eyes has had her eye on the pot of gold.”
“Pot of gold! Is that what I am?” Boyd asked and gave an ironic laugh. “Try to get control of yourself, Tonya. Make the effort.”
“I said come with me, Tonya.” Jinty’s voice rose, near to a screech. “I’ve been praying for years and years you’d learn how to keep your stupid mouth shut, but it has all been for nothing.”
“But you’ve said yourself—” Tonya started to protest, but Jinty gave her a furious push ahead.
“Unbelievable!” Boyd muttered as they moved out of the door, Tonya dissolving into wails.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
Rupert suddenly appeared, looking deeply irritated—something he did very well. “What on earth’s going on?” he asked, staring towards the front door. “Was that my wife I heard screeching? Or was it one of the peacocks?” Peacocks did, in fact, roam the estate.
“It was Jinty,” Boyd confirmed. “Tonya put her in a very bad mood.” When his father didn’t respond, Boyd asked, “It was you who dumped Tonya on us?”
“You can’t dictate to me, Boyd. This is my house, might I remind you?” Rupert returned with supreme arrogance.
“The house is yours as the current custodian,” Boyd flashed back. “The house then passes to me. I’ve told you before, Tonya is a born trouble-maker. One wonders why you choose to ignore it.”
“Oh, she’s harmless.” Rupert threw up his hands. “Besides, Jinty likes her here,” he said with dizzying untruth.
“Jinty is as unhappy to see Tonya as the rest of us,” Boyd flatly contradicted. “If you have the time, Leona and I would like to speak to you.”
“Certainly, certainly.” Rupert was now at his most affable. “Come back to the study. What’s it about? Leo has already had a big promotion. One step at a time now, Leo.” He wagged a finger at her. “You’re only twenty-three, aren’t you?”
“Twenty-four, Rupert,” Leona said, marvelling that her voice sounded so composed.
“You’re not going to tell me you’re thinking of getting engaged?” He swung round to beam at her. “Young Peter, is it?” he asked conspiratorially.
“Young Boyd,” Boyd corrected very dryly, making the position manifestly clear.
Rupert stopped dead, just outside the open study door. “Is this some sort of joke?” His black brows rose and before Leona’s very eyes he turned into Geraldine’s tyrannosaurus.
“Why don’t we go inside?” Boyd suggested, clearly unimpressed by his father’s shape shifting. But the strain was showing on Leona. She was trembling. Rupert broke people. He was ruthless when crossed. Everyone in and outside the business world knew that. What about her father’s job? Rupert could sack her father on some pretext. Being a billionaire
