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to admit as much damaged the mental and emotional
    barriers she'd so carefully constructed against him, and she
    couldn't afford that.
    In fact, she couldn't afford any of this...
    She took a deep breath. 'Nick-let's slop here and now, or we
    shall only say things we'll regret. Why don't we just — draw a
    line, let our respective lawyers deal with the rest of it?'
    'Because you're assuming,' he said, 'that I share your wish for
    a divorce.'
    She said, slowly and unsteadily, 'You can't mean that. You
    can't wish to stay married lo someone who— who won't—live
    with you.'
    'Of course not.' He sounded almost brisk. 'Naturally I want a
    wife who'll share my home and my bed.' He smiled at her, his
    eyes touching her—stripping her, she realised, as her heart
    began to flutter in panic.
    'In fact, I want you, my sweet,' he added softly. 'Come back to
    me, and in return for your charming—and willing company,
    I'll tell Matthew Hendrick to save your precious terrace and
    include it in the development. Turn me down, how ever, and
    the demolition crew move in next week. And that's my final
    word.'
    He paused. 'So the future of Gunners Terrace rests entirely
    with you, darling.'
    'You can't do this,' Cally protested, her voice hoarse with
    incredulity. 'You're making me responsible for other people's
    lives—other people's happiness. It—it's emotional blackmail.'
    'Now, my viewpoint is slightly different,' he said. 'Because
    you stood beside me in church and made certain vows. I
    remember it perfectly. You were wearing a while dress with a
    lot of little buttons down the front of it. Frankly, I was
    fantasising about undoing them all—with my teeth,' he added,
    with a kind of sensuous reminiscence that made her shiver.
    'Now, at last, I want those vows fulfilled, and I really think,
    my sweet, that I've waited long enough. Even you must agree
    that our wedding night is long overdue.'
    She said numbly, 'You mean you'd—you'd actually force me
    to—to...'
    'I've no intention of using force,' he told her coolly. 'It's high
    time that delightful body of yours discovered what it was
    made for. And, if memory serves, the last time you were in
    my arms you thought so too.'
    Her head went back sharply, as if he had struck her. 'What
    you're suggesting is obscene. Unthinkable. You can't think for
    one moment that I'd agree.'
    Nick shrugged. 'You came here tonight, Cally, of your own
    free will, wanting a favour. Quite a sizeable one at that. I'm
    now telling you the price ticket it carries. Whether you pay it,
    of course, is your choice alone. It depends on ho w strongly
    you feel about the survival of Gunners Terrace—these people
    you claim to care about so deeply.'
    'You think I'll save them at the expense of my own life?'
    'Not The whole of it,' he said. 'Just the year you stole from me
    when you ran away. You see, I still have use for you u, and
    that should be enough time for you to repay some of the debt
    you owe me—and give me what I want.'
    She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. 'I don't
    understand. You're saying now that you want me to com e
    back to you, but only for a limited period?'
    He said quietly, 'Just as long as it takes for you to give me a
    child. So make your mind up quickly, because the staff f here
    is waiting to close.'
    She stared at him, stunned and incredulous, her brain churning
    wildly. She was dazedly aware that what he'd said was
    correct. The other tables had emptied while they were talking
    and she hadn't even noticed. The waiters were gathered now
    in a small group at the end of the room, chatting among
    themselves.
    While she sat in this pool of lamplight, like a fly trapped in
    amber... Listening lo him, but not believing what she w as
    hearing. She heard herself laugh, the sound strained and alien.
    She said, mastering her voice somehow, 'You want me— lo
    have your baby? You can't honestly be serious. It's ludicrous.
    Totally impossible.'
    'Ah,' he said, 'but I am perfectly