How had he felt when Leonidas Pallis had warned him of the story about to break? The cringe factor during that conversation must have been high, she thought guiltily. Leonidas might be one of his oldest friends, but men didn’t like showing a more vulnerable side to each other and a wife who was a former jailbird could only be a source of severe embarrassment. How much shame could any marriage stand? How could he continue to respect her? For how long would Sergio overlook her past without thinking of her as a liability he could do without? He was very proud of the Torrente name and here she was dragging it through the mire. He had wanted her past to stay hidden to protect their child. All of a sudden she was seeing how events could conspire to destroy their relationship.
Kathy made a courageous effort to pull herself together. ‘You were saying,’ she muttered in a wobbly undertone, ‘that you had prepared for this?’
‘Maremma maiale,’ Sergio groaned, crossing the room to propel her up out of her seat and into the protective circle of his arms. ‘We’ll get through this, bella mia. It’s a matter of damage limitation.’
Held close and comforted, Kathy gulped back the tears threatening and nodded vigorously into a broad masculine shoulder. He felt strong and familiar and she wanted to stay in his arms for ever.
‘My PR team have come up with a press statement that strikes the right note,’ Sergio declared, settling her down onto a sofa. ‘It will end the speculation. Next week someone else will be the target.’
Kathy wasn’t quite sure she understood what he was saying, but his concern for her had banished her fear of losing him and strengthened her. ‘All right.’
His spectacular dark gaze was intent. ‘It’s not what you have done, but how you handle it once it’s in the public arena that matters.’
Kathy gave him an uncertain nod. ‘This statement…’
‘I have a copy of it here.’ Sergio extracted a sheet of paper from a file and extended it for her perusal. ‘It’s standard stuff and with your agreement, it will be released to the press.’
Kathy had only read the first sentence when her heart started to sink. It was basically an acknowledgement of her conviction for theft, a reference to the fact that she had served the sentence for her wrongdoing and the assurance that she had learned her lesson. An everyday tale of retribution and redemption.
‘I can’t allow you to release this to the media,’ she whispered tautly.
‘Public apology—that’s what it takes now. It may seem glib and pointless, but people will respect you for being honest about your past.’
‘Sergio…’ There was a desperate plea for unders
tanding in Kathy’s troubled gaze. ‘I am not a thief. I didn’t take that silver. I went to prison for something I didn’t do. I can’t agree to this statement being made on my behalf because it would be a lie.’
‘That press release will draw a line under the whole affair and take the steam out of the story.’
‘Did you even listen to what I just said?’
‘You already know where I stand on that issue,’ Sergio breathed in a driven undertone. ‘Maybe you need to forgive yourself for what you did before you can come to terms with it. But right at this moment we have something more immediate to deal with—’
Her cheekbones flushed with annoyance, Kathy flew to her feet. ‘I can’t believe you just said that to me!’
An expression of hard resolve was stamped on Sergio’s lean, darkly handsome features. ‘You made a mistake when you were young and you had no family to support you. Many teenagers have made similar mistakes, put them behind them and gone on to live law-abiding lives just as you have done. You should be proud of that achievement.’
‘Stuff the pep talk! There’s only one little problem—I didn’t make that mistake in the first place!’ Kathy fired back at him. ‘You’ve never even let me tell you what happened.’
‘You avoid the subject like the plague.’
Kathy froze in surprise. She was dismayed that her desire to stay away from a controversial issue during their honeymoon had given him that misleading impression. And a heartbeat later she was furious with herself for being so craven.
‘Don’t treat me like your enemy. I’m trying to help you,’ Sergio spelt out grimly.
Kathy compressed bloodless lips. ‘I know.’
‘Will you agree to the statement?’ Sergio demanded.
Kathy turned as pale as a martyr at the stake. ‘No, never.’
Sergio dealt her a forbidding appraisal. ‘This problem will run and run. It won’t go away. It has to be dealt with.’
The expectant silence that stretched was like an icy hand trailing down her taut spine, but she defied that intimidation. Her apple-green eyes alight with resolve, she tilted her chin. ‘But not like this. Not with me making a fake confession and a fake apology for something I didn’t do. I served my full sentence because I wouldn’t lie and express remorse for someone else’s crime.’
Sergio surveyed her with cold, hard censure in his challenging gaze. The trauma of that moment made her stop breathing. Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room. Pulling in a jagged breath, she collapsed down on a seat and stared into space. What if this costs me my marriage? What if I lose him? Her mind was awash and adrift on terrified thoughts and fears.
It didn’t help that she could see his point. He had decided she was guilty at a very early stage of their relationship when he hardly knew her, and he was as stubborn as a mule. He had even got as far as explaining her criminal behaviour to his own satisfaction—youthful mistake, no family backup. In trying circumstances, he had not voiced a single word of blame or complaint. And now he was engaging in what he had called damage limitation in an effort to protect what little remained of her reputation. Determined to keep her safe from the paparazzi, he had marooned her on his yacht. He was doing what came most naturally to him: taking charge, making decisive moves to handle the crisis and trying to protect her, as well. But instead of being grateful for his advice, she was being unreasonable and refusing it. She dashed the tears from her eyes with a trembling hand.