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‘Because Leo what?’ she questioned coldly
Tara sed ‘Leo deserves to knoho his father is He does, Erin Don’t you ever feel guilty that he doesn’t even know?’
‘Of course I do!’ Erin’s hissed words were so fervent that they startled her as much as they evidently startled Tara ‘But life isn’t black and white You know exactly why I did it I didn’t want ht up in the kind of world which Dimitri inhabits’
‘I didn’t hear you objecting when you worked for him’
Erin didn’t answer No, that much was true Because she’d loved her job and had been dazzled by the trust he’d placed in her So she’d turned a blind eye to all the whispers and ruarch Even when her eyes had been opened to the kind of man he really was, even when the scales had fallen away and she’d seen the dark soul at his core, it hadn’t made any difference And wasn’t that the worst part of all—that she had wanted to reach out to help clear that darkness away instead of running as fast as she could in the opposite direction? What a fool she’d been Because all that had happened was that her altruism had been misinterpreted by a man who didn’t see sex Sex which hadto him
‘And he’s been getting soood press lately,’ continued Tara ‘I’ate childhood diseases, somewhere in Russia In fact, I think he’s set up some sort of charitable foundation in his name Maybe he’s a reformed character’
Erin kicked the tip of her white wedding shoe against the counter and for once Tara didn’t object ‘Leopards don’t change their spots,’ she said flatly ‘Everyone knows that’
‘Maybe they don’t,’ said Tara quietly ‘But even leopards can adapt—otherwise you wouldn’t find the in zoos’
‘I hate zoos,’ said Erin, sliding down fro at her sister ‘And I still can’t believe you told him’
‘I did it because I love you,’ said Tara siht even thank me for it’
With an angry shake of her head, Erin went upstairs to the room she shared with Leo She’d done her best to smarten it up, with pale walls and rows of books which she encouraged her clever son to read—but the cra couldn’t continue indefinitely Her gaze lingered on the framed photos of Leo at variousinfant right up to his first day of school, last year She studied that one the hardest, her eyes scanning his innocent little face—so full of hope and happiness—and her heart clenched with a sense of having cos up
Kicking off her shoes, she changed into her own clothes, wondering how she must have appeared to Died much? She stared into the mirror Of course she had Even the most liberal of observers would have described her appearance as bizarre, and nobody had ever accused Di liberal
Her green eyes were fringed with more make-up than usual and her hair was still woven into a coht from the cash-and-carry to try to e over her decision and all the trouble she’d gone to, trying to look like a pukka bride—and it had all been over before it had even begun Viciously, she tugged the pins out, one by one, until her long brown hair floated free and her thoughts were spinning as she began to brush it
She had to get a grip She had agreed on a course of action and she was going to stick to it, with as little fuss and emotion as possible She would accompany the Russian to Jazratan and pretend to be his secretary The two of them would talk candidly about Leo anda child just wouldn’t fit into his lifestyle That there was a good reason why he’d never wanted any children of his own
And was it a terrible thing to admit that a part of her hoped that would be the case? Because wouldn’t that be easier all round? No uneasysexual cheave her reflection a defiant stare
She would handle it
She had to
CHAPTER FOUR
FROM WITHIN THE shadowed interior of the car, Diaze on the café opposite He had been teo inside, to discover what his son’s world was really like, but had decided against it—despite his uncanny ability to blend into the background when required His e how to lose theed it better than most, despite his distinctively powerful build and the pale blue eyes he had been told were unforgettable