His Blackmailed Bride

Paige closed her eyes with relief. ‘Thank God. I thought…’

Her father took off his coat and handed it to her. ‘I suppose you might say I’m here on business,’ he said slowly, watching as she hung the coat on the rack beside the door.

‘Business?’

Her father nodded. ‘Yes. Could we sit down somewhere, Paige?’ He smiled apologetically. ‘And I could use a drink. Brandy, if you have it.’

‘But what kind of business?’ she asked, staring at him. ‘Quinn never said…’

‘Brandy first, please. I had to wait for ever for a taxi at the airport.’

She nodded. ‘Of course. Come sit by the fire and I’ll get you a drink.’

He followed her into the library, watching as she took a snifter and poured a generous brandy.

‘Thanks,’ he said when she handed it to him. ‘Cheers—isn’t that what they say here?’ He tossed the drink off in one swallow and inhaled through his teeth. ‘Maybe you’d better have one of those yourself,’ he said with a strange laugh.

She stared at him for a moment and then she nodded. ‘Maybe I had,’ she said, and she splashed some brandy into a glass. ‘Now, Father, why don’t you tell me what this is all about?’

‘This is a lovely house you have, my dear.’ He looked around the room. ‘That’s a Watteau, isn’t it?’ he asked, gesturing at the painting above the fireplace. ‘Expensive.’

A chill began to move along Paige’s spine. ‘Quinn’s not here,’ she said, watching him.

He turned towards her. ‘That’s just as well.’

The chill grew more pronounced. ‘But you said you were here on business, Father.’

‘Yes. But it has nothing to do with your husband. This need only concern you and me.’

She stared across the room. ‘What are you talking about?’

His eyes met hers and then slid away. ‘I wouldn’t have come to you if I had a choice,’ he muttered. ‘You must understand that, Paige. But I… I had nowhere else to turn, and…’

‘Does Mother know you’re here?’

Andrew Gardiner’s head rose sharply. ‘Of course not. I… I just told her I had to go out of town on business.’

‘For Mr Fowler?’

Her father laughed. ‘Exactly.’

She took a deep breath. ‘I think you’d better tell me why you’re here.’

Her father nodded. ‘Yes, all right.’ He eyed the brandy bottle longingly. ‘I don’t suppose…’

‘Father, please, what’s this all about?’

‘All right, Paige. I’ll come to the point. I have to borrow some money from you.’

‘Money? And you came to me?’ She almost laughed. ‘I have no money, Father.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ His voice was sharp. ‘You married a fortune.’

‘I married a man,’ she said carefully. ‘There’s a difference.’

He shrugged. ‘The point is, you have a lot of money, Paige. And I… I need some.’

She looked at him. ‘For what?’