An Interrupted Marriage (Silhouette Special Edition) by Laurey Bright Page B

go,” Magnus had said.
    Jade had been shocked. “No, Magnus!” The farms had been in the family for generations. “It’s your heritage, and your mother’s home! What would it do to her, on top of the stroke?”
    “I know. I could divert some of the profits from my business to the farms, try to rebuild them into a viable enterprise, but there isn’t enough income to provide the household help and nursing that my mother needs, and send the twins and young Andrew to university as my father had planned. That’s quite apart from normal living expenses. I’m sorry,” he’d said then. “It isn’t fair to involve you in this mess. I should never have married you.”
    “Don’t be silly,” she’d told him. “I want to help, Magnus. You must let me.”
    * * *
    Three years on, it hurt her that he seemed unwilling to acknowledge that his love had been all the reward she needed.
    Magnus said now, “If you didn’t want payment for all that you did for me—and my family—then why can’t you accept the clothes and whatever other necessities I can give you in the same spirit, instead of being so damned difficult about it?”
    Jade sipped thoughtfully at her drink. “I suppose you’re right,” she said. “I’ll stop being difficult. Magnus—”
    His eyes were alert, as though something in her voice had warned him.
    Her eyes fixed firmly on the quarter cup of now lukewarm tea in her hands, she said in a low but steady voice, “Is there someone you should...tell...about the decision we agreed on last night?”
    There was a heartbeat’s silence, and then she heard the thud of his cup as he placed it forcefully on the desk. “ No, damn you!” he said, making her gaze fly to his face in astonishment, seeing it bleak and angry and taut. “There isn’t anyone I need tell. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to work.”
    Startled, Jade straightened from her perch against the desk, staring at him, but he wasn’t looking at her. Calling up some more numbers to the screen with quick keystrokes, he was ignoring her completely, his eyes fiercely concentrated, a scowl on his forehead.
    She walked back to her own desk, and sat there looking at his rigid back for some time.
    Where had that got her? she wondered. Exactly nowhere, of course. His anger could mean any one of a number of things, and she had no idea which. She put her cup on the corner of the desk, picked up the earphones and flicked a switch. Magnus’s voice filled her ears, and she concentrated hard on transforming the verbal notes that he’d made into neatly printed copy.
    By lunchtime she’d typed a small pile of letters for Magnus to sign. He wrote his strongly looped signature at the bottom of each, and said, “Enough for today. You’ve been a great help.” He seemed to have got over his spurt of temper.
    Jade said, “I’ve enjoyed it. It’s good to feel like a useful member of society again.”
    She got up, took a deep, relaxing breath and lifted her hands to briefly massage her scalp, her fingers pushing under her hair and fluffing out the new short style. Magnus’s eyes were drawn to her taut body, and for an instant she was held still in his dark, riveted gaze, until he dragged it away.
    She lowered her arms slowly, a small spark of triumph warming her. No matter how he might try to pretend, he wasn’t indifferent to her. On a basic, sensual level she had a measure of power over his emotions. It was a power that she would exploit if she had to.
    “Lunch,” Magnus said curtly. He strode to the door and opened it, waiting for her.
    “Coming.” She gave him the sweetest smile she could muster as she preceded him from the room.
    Mrs. Riordan’s eyes flicked from Jade to Magnus as they entered the dining-room together. Ginette, too, gave them a curious glance.
    “How are you, Mother Riordan?” Jade asked as she seated herself.
    Mrs. Riordan took a fork and picked up a piece of cold beef to slide it onto her plate. “The same as