“Yes, we believe so.”
“Believe or know? Please, tell me exactly what you know.”
“We know that your husband has been making enquiries with contacts in London about your family’s connection to certain countries involved in the importation of armaments. We can only see two reasons for this. One, he simply wishes to know, maybe to protect you. Or, two…”
She jumped up. “Or two, he wishes to blackmail me into annulling our marriage. If I don’t, he’ll expose me to my enemies and I will have no future, anyway. And, if I do, I’ll walk away from my life here with him, with whatever he deigns to give me, but at least I’ll be safe.” She made a grim grunting sound. She stared at the floor for a few moments, before noticing him once more. “Thank you for coming and informing me. I appreciate it.”
He took the cue and rose. “I’m sorry. If there’s anything I or my office can do to support you, you have only to ask.”
She shot him a brief, forced smile. “It’s good to know I have someone on my side.”
“Of course.” He walked to the door. “Goodbye.”
She sat by the window and waited. Sebastian wouldn’t be long. She knew it. She’d wait for him to come and tell her how he was prepared to blackmail her into leaving him and this world, and that everything he’d said, and every caress, had been a lie.
She could wait. She could do that.
Chapter10
The sun was shining brilliantly and Sebastian, while aghast at what he’d found out, felt more in control than he’d been for a long time. At least now he knew everything. And it all made perfect sense.
He drove around to the garage and left his car there before crunching around on the gravel to the front of the house. The wisteria was now in brilliant full bloom. The white and lilac vines intertwined exuberantly around the mellow brick facade of the house. Everything seemed to be flourishing, and he finally felt that he was getting somewhere. He ran up the steps and opened the door to find Indra standing in the hall, unsmiling. He instantly knew something was terribly wrong.
He tossed his jacket onto the chair in the hallway and put his hands on his hips.
“Okay. What’s wrong?”
She raised a steely eyebrow. “I thinkyoushould tellmethat!”
He looked around. Nothing else seemed to be amiss.
“I repeat, what is the matter? Why are you standing there looking like I am the very devil?”
Her expression faltered, as if pained. “Because I think you mustbethe very devil.”
He opened his eyes wide and shook his head, frowning. “What are you talking about, Indra?”
“I’d have thought that was obvious.”
“Not to me.”
“Okay, let’s start with where you’ve been.”
“I spent the night in London. Is that a crime?”
“That depends on what you were doing.”
He frowned. “Okay, let’s get this right. Just because we got close the other night—”
“Close? Is that what you call it?”
He shrugged. “Intimate, then.”
Her indignant expression gave way to a pained one, and he knew he’d hurt her. He’d make it up to her. But first, he needed to find out what the hell was going on.
“As I say, just because we were intimate, you think you can control where I go?”
“No. We’re married and, apart from the other night, which obviously you now regret—”