The Innocent's Surrender (2 page)

Apparently, she?d learned with horror, her pale blonde hair, creamy skin and wide, long-lashed green eyes had found favour among a number of the susceptible young men in the wealthy social circles that the Papadimos clan moved in. The question of whether or not she had a brain had not come under consideration by any of her would-be suitors.

She was regarded solely by them all as a trophy bride.

But, Basilis had announced magnanimously, she would be permitted to make her own choice among them. Nor would she go to her husband penniless, the sum of money which her father?s will had left in trust for her having multiplied in value under his stewardship. All this, she must understand, in addition to the dowry that he would settle on her himself.

Which, in his assumption, made everything all fine and dandy.

My God, Natasha had thought, trying to suppress the appalled bubble of laughter welling up inside her, looks and money. I?ve suddenly become the catch of the season, if not the year.

It had taken, she recalled, hours of patient persuasion to convince Basilis that his plans for her were doomed. That she had her own vision of her future, that clashed fundamentally with his on a number of points, and that marriage didn?t feature?or not for some years, anyway. And any future husband would be expected to respect her intelligence and her need for independence.

Hours of standing her ground against his roared disapproval and voluble reproaches. Hours, too, of resisting the more subtle emotional blackmail he used as a last resort, when anger and pleading had clearly failed.

And hours of assuring him with perfect truth that she loved him dearly, and that she would be eternally grateful for his care of her while she was growing up. That she owed him more than she could ever repay.

But that she was now in charge of her own destiny, which she was sure rested in England rather than her country of adoption. And that it was there that she would try to carve out a life for herself.

Also she had been very careful not to hint, as she might have done, that it was Irini who could be in need of his matchmaking abilities, as no queue of hopefuls appeared to be lining up to woo her.

Now, she looked away from the other girl?s glare and said quietly, ?I see. And may I ask what exactly is on this dotted line that?s been prepared for me??

Stavros reached over with the wine bottle. ?It is merely a small matter of negotiation,? he said soothingly. ?A delaying tactic. No more than that.?

Natasha moved her glass out of range, regarding him stonily. ?Indeed?? she queried drily. ?Well, if it?s so trivial, why bring me all this way? Why not just send the papers to my solicitors in London?as we agreed last time I was here?? She paused. ?I do have a business to run, you know.?

Without surprise, she heard a contemptuous snort from Irini, followed by Stavros and Andonis explaining in unison that it was not
quite
that simple. That it was a family matter, and therefore better dealt with on a personal basis, without lawyers being troubled.

?Oh, God,? Natasha muttered under her breath, watching Christina chewing at her lip, and Maria tugging at the gold chains that festooned her plump neck as they exchanged frankly uneasy glances. Things must be much worse than I thought.

Eventually the full story began to emerge, her foster brothers taking the narration in turns, rather like a Greek chorus from some ancient drama. Strophe, she thought wryly, and antistrophe?as Basilis had painstakingly explained to her on their visits to the theatre to watch the plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles.

Only it was a very different tragedy she was hearing this time. A tragedy of mismanagement, greed and stupidity on a fairly grand scale, with disaster right there, waiting in the wings. Because now there were big questions being asked by their insurers, and the shareholders were running scared, which, for the first time, made Basilis?s once-powerful empire seem vulnerable. Something she had never thought could happen.

And where, she asked herself as disbelief warred inside her with something very like hysteria, where was the god in the machine, so beloved in classical drama, who would descend to save the day?

?But we are taking steps to regulate the situation,? Stavros announced grandly. ?To begin with, we plan a major refit of all the passenger accommodation on the Arianna line,? he added, as if it were suddenly all his own idea, and Natasha found she was biting her lip again?hard.

?Well,? she said. ?That?s?good.?
And certainly better late than never
.

?Except that the necessary finance is proving more difficult to obtain than we thought,? Andonis added.

But there?d been money set aside, Natasha recalled, startled. So what had happened to that? Better, she thought, not to ask, perhaps.

But if they?d asked her here hoping for a loan, then they?d be seriously disappointed. Helping Out, the small business she?d started with the inheritance from her father, was established now, and doing well enough for her to have taken on a partner, and be thinking about expansion.

Because there were always emergencies, large and small, in people?s lives. They might simply need their dogs walking, or their children collecting from school or nursery, or someone to house-sit while they were on vacation. Or there could be elderly relatives to be visited, or taken shopping.

And, in the worst-case scenario of accident, illness or bereavement, they wanted someone calm and trustworthy to step in and take over. To make sure that meals were cooked, laundry was done and life went on with an element of stability until matters settled down.

And it was infinitely satisfying to know that Helping Out had an excellent name for reliability, and that most of her clientele came on personal recommendation, even if they were a little surprised to find that both she and Molly Blake were only just past their twenty-first birthdays.

The business provided Molly and herself with a decent living, because, while their fees were not extortionate, they did not sell the services of their staff cheaply. They employed good people, and made sure they were paid accordingly, and were not afraid to pitch in themselves when required.

But at the moment, there wasn?t a lot of financial slack.

?Of course, we are exploring every avenue,? Stavros continued. ?And we hope that the necessary loan will be available to us very soon.? He paused. ?But while the details are being finalised, we have to deal with another problem.?

A kind of shiver went round the table?as if a chill breeze had suddenly rippled across a cornfield.

?Unfortunately, news of our difficulties has reached other people.? Andonis took up the tale of woe. ?And if there is blood in the water, there will always be sharks circling. It was rumoured that some of our rivals were considering a hostile takeover, which was quite bad enough.?

?Until two weeks ago.? Stavros spoke with gritted teeth. ?When we received an offer to buy outright a half-share in both the Arianna line and the cargo fleet.?

There was a silence, then Natasha said carefully, ?And you regard this as a problem, instead of a possible solution??

Andonis banged his fist on the table. ?It was an insult.?

?You mean, they were offering peanuts?? Natasha mused aloud. ?Well, that often happens with an initial bid.?

?No,? Stavros said harshly. ?The money could be considered fair.?

?And could always improve,? she suggested tentatively. ?If, as you say, there?s room for negotiation, it might be the answer.?

And if I were in your situation, she added silently, I?d take the cash, while it?s there, because this might be as good as it gets. And, although the thought of an outside partner has always been anathema up to now, maybe beggars can?t be choosers.

?That is not possible,? Andonis said, glancing at his brother, their brooding anger almost tangible. ?Not when it comes from such a source.?

And Natasha drew a ragged breath as suddenly realisation dawned. Oh, God, she thought. Not that again. Not another episode in this eternal family feud. Please?
please
?don?t let it be that.

Knowing all the time that her prayer would not be answered.

She said quietly, ?In other words?the Mandrakis Corporation.? And watched the general recoil, as if she?d uttered some disgusting obscenity. She made an attempt at reason. ?But surely that?s all behind us now that Thio Basilis is dead and Petros Mandrakis has retired.?

?Then you are a fool to think so,? Irini said with contempt. ?Because in his place sits his son, Alexandros.? She spat the name.

?Alex Mandrakis?? Natasha questioned incredulously. ?The playboy of the western universe, and darling of the gossip columns? Oh, give me a break here.? She snorted. ?Judging by his reputation, he?s far more interested in making love than war.

?Besides,? she added brusquely, ?he probably thinks the Arianna line is a string of polo ponies.?

Andonis pulled a wry face. ?Perhaps that is how he was. But he is now the head of the Mandrakis empire, and he is making everyone aware of the fact.?

?But for how long?? Natasha queried drily. ?Until the
apr?s-ski
beckons from the Alps, or the
Floating Harem
starts its summer cruise of the Med?? She was referring to the tabloid Press?s nickname for the Mandrakis yacht,
Selene
, but regretted it when she saw Irini?s outraged expression.

She shook her head. ?Leopards don?t change their spots, brother, and he?ll soon get bored with being the latest tycoon, and revert to his former way of life.?

?I wish we could think so,? Andonis admitted. ?But our information says that it is not so. That he is indeed his father?s son, and has therefore become a force to take account of. So we need to be wary.?

?His father?s son,? Natasha repeated silently. She stifled a sigh. If only the same could be said of either of you two, she thought without pleasure.

?Because he is as much our enemy as his father ever was, or more.? Irini was speaking again. ?And he will not be content, that one, until the whole Papadimos family is finished?starving in the gutter.?

Natasha?s lips tightened. ?A little extreme surely,? she said. ?Stavros has just admitted that he?s offered a fair price for a share in both lines.?

?Because he knows it will not be accepted,? Andonis said. ?That we would rather die first.?

Unlikely, Natasha thought drily. Not if push actually comes to shove.

?However,? Stavros said with faint triumph, ?we have let his interest become known among the bankers we have approached, and have said that we are giving the matter our serious consideration.?

She frowned. ?Why would you want to do that??

?Because having Alex Mandrakis as a business partner,? Andonis said, ?would be considered excellent security for any loan. A licence to print money, in fact.

?Already attitudes to our request for refinancing are changing.?

Stavros nodded. ?In fact, an offer in principle was made almost as soon as we had explained our own terms for this partnership. Terms that appear to bind our mutual interests together like hoops of steel, and which we have already submitted to Alex Mandrakis.?

There was a note in his voice that was almost gloating. ?The delaying tactic I spoke of, little sister. Because he, of course, will eventually refuse these terms. We count on it. But not immediately, because he is clearly intrigued, and has even asked for certain?assurances from us, which we are prepared to give him, although, again, not immediately.?

?We wish, you understand, to string him along,? Andonis explained kindly. ?To make him believe these negotiations might even be genuine. That we are prepared, as you say, to let bygones be?bygones.? His eyes flashed. ?But we are not, Natasha
mou
, and by the time he discovers this we will already have our loan, and he will no longer be necessary to our requirements. You understand.?

Only too well, thought Natasha. My God, is this their idea of being wary?

Aloud, she said slowly, ?Far be it from me to rain on your parade, but it may not be as simple as that. What if your bank demands his signature as an essential part of any deal? If they want to make sure that Mandrakis is definitely on side before they reach their decision??

?That is unlikely,? said Stavros. ?Because the nature of this new agreement is a matter of extreme delicacy, and the bank will hesitate to exert pressure on either party.?

He was being altogether too smug, and on the shakiest of foundations, Natasha thought, annoyed and concerned at the same time.

She said coolly, ?I didn?t think banks were particularly delicate?not when enormous sums of money are involved. And, while the Mandrakis Corporation may be fireproof, because of, or in spite of, their new chairman, the Papadimos track record over the past year or so is not that great,? she added, ignoring a choking sound from Irini. ?They?d be taking a big risk.?

?But they will not see it in that way,? said Stavros. ?Not if they believe that our families will soon be joined by more than a business agreement.?

Natasha stared at him. ?I?m sorry,? she said slowly. ?I think you?ve lost me.?

?We have suggested a different kind of partnership,? said Andonis, and smiled. ?A marriage with our family, no less. And that is what he is even now considering.?

Natasha?s gaze swung automatically to Irini.

No wonder she?s in such a foul temper again, she thought. And this time, I can actually feel sorry for her. Whether they mean it or not, it?s pretty ghastly finding yourself offered to someone like Alex Mandrakis, knowing you?ll be turned down, whether you want him or not.