The woman cast her a hard and suspicious glare. ‘What business is it of yours?’
Uh-oh. That had been a mistake, Wendy thought. She mustn’t let this woman see that she cared. ‘Children’s services has money for such contingencies.’ She forced her voice carefully into neutral. ‘We like to see our families settled with every possible chance of making a go of it.’
‘Yeah, well, the only thing that’d help me is a new car.’ The woman gave a hard, shrill laugh, and motioned out the window to where her ancient sedan stood in the driveway. ‘If you have any spare cash floating around you can donate it to that. You see that getting over the Nullarbor? The kid’ll have to get out and push.’
And she wouldn’t put it past her to make her, Wendy thought wearily but, as Tom shook his head, she carefully disengaged those clutching fingers and gave Gabbie a gentle push toward her mother. The law was the law and Wendy had no rights here at all. ‘Your mummy’s waiting, Gabbie,’ she said.
‘Gabbie’s been given a pup,’ Tom ventured, still caught by Gabbie’s appalled face. ‘She’s become very attached. How do you feel about taking him, too?’
‘A dog!’ Sonia’s eyes widened. ‘You have to be joking? What the hell would I do with a dog?’
‘Mummy…’ Gabbie ventured her own whispered plea. ‘Mummy, I really love Bruce.’
That was enough. Sonia’s eyes turned to flint. ‘All the better to leave it here now,’ she said flatly. ‘There’s no way I’m taking a dog anywhere and I’m not getting rid of any dog. Unless I dump it at the first corner. You lot do it.’ She grabbed Gabbie’s hand. ‘That’s all your stuff in the bag? Good! Then, that’s all I’m taking. Say goodbye, kid. With luck, you’ll never see these people again.’
It was too much. Wendy was practically choking, trying to hold back her tears, and even Tom looked sick. Wendy turned away, and then she paused.
There were cars turning into the drive. Three cars. Who? They stopped one after another and doors opened.
Nick emerged first from his station wagon. What was Nick doing here?
A sleek black Mercedes arrived next with two men in the front seat.
And last was Luke’s Aston Martin…
They were certainly here on business. Stunned, Wendy watched as the men congregated, greeted each other and strode purposefully to the front door. They were all business-suited and they came straight in-as if they were expected-and she whirled around to find Tom’s sick look had changed to an expression of vast relief.
‘What…?’
But Tom wasn’t listening. ‘If you’d wait a moment, Mrs Rolands,’ Tom said as the four men entered. ‘These people have a proposition to put to you.’
‘A proposition?’ Sonia stared. ‘I don’t want no-’
‘Are you Mrs Rolands?’ It was Luke. He’d entered first, had cast one sweeping glance around the office, had taken in Wendy’s distress, Gabbie’s fear, Tom’s relief-and now he concentrated solely on the woman on the other side of the table. He laid down a folder and opened it wide. ‘I’m very sorry we’re late. You’ll understand we had a lot of organisation to do since we heard you were coming for Gabbie, and I’ve only just flown in from New York.’
‘New York? Who the hell are you?’
‘I’m Luke Grey.’ They might have been alone in the room together-he and Sonia. This was Luke at his businesslike best, and he was letting nothing stand in his way of his intentions. ‘I employ Miss Maher, here.’ He motioned to Wendy but he carefully didn’t meet her eyes. There was no way personal involvement could be hinted at. ‘I employ her to look after my half-sister. I’m an international businessman, and I don’t have time to care for the child myself. The pressures of work, you understand.’ He gave Sonia a brief but not unsympathetic smile. His wheedling smile. ‘I’m sure as a single mother you must feel the same.’
‘I…yes.’ Sonia was flummoxed.
‘The thing is that my small sister has taken a fondness to your Gabbie.’ He made no mention here that Grace was seven months old and took a liking to everyone. ‘As you may know, in her role as Home parent, Miss Maher has been looking after your child, too. I’m here to see if we can work out a way for that arrangement to continue-for the children to remain together long-term.’
Sonia’s eyes narrowed in distrust. ‘The kid comes with me.’
Luke nodded. ‘I can understand that as a mother you’d be very distraught to give your child up. But Mr Burrows, here…’ he motioned to Tom ‘…has indicated you’ve thought of adoption before. You’ve signed pre-adoption papers and then pulled out at the last moment-like you are now.’
‘I might have.’ Still the hard suspicion. ‘What of it? I can change my mind any time I want.’
‘But seeing you’ve left your child in care for the requisite few months before adoption can be finalised, and you’ve done this a number of times now, I wondered,’ Luke said smoothly, ‘whether there may be some way we could make your final decision easier.’
‘Such as…’
‘Such as cash, for instance?’
‘We’re not in the market of selling children,’ Tom said quickly, and Luke gave him a brief nod.
‘I understand that.’ He motioned to the men behind him-three of the solidest looking men you were ever likely to meet. ‘These men are all qualified lawyers. Nick here is Bay Beach’s local magistrate, Charles is my personal lawyer and David is specialised in family law matters. They’ve explained to me that no pre-adoption payment is acceptable. But Gabbie has been placed under foster care pre-adoptively on a number of occasions. If Mrs Rolands relinquishes her now, an offer making things easier for her in the future could be considered reasonable. It would be a personal matter between the two parties, with no bearing on the adoption.’
‘An offer? How much?’ He’d caught her now. The woman was staring at Luke as if he was holding the Holy Grail. Money…
‘Say…two-hundred-thousand dollars?’ Without further hesitation he lifted a cheque from his breast pocket and laid it on the table. The piece of paper fluttered toward her, and her eyes turned to it, riveted.
‘You’ve got to be kidding. Two hundred grand…’
‘I’m not kidding, Mrs Rolands,’ Luke said gently. ‘My half-sister needs a companion and I want her to have Gabbie.’
‘You’re crazy.’
‘Maybe. But it’s a once only offer. If you take Gabbie away now, my sister may become attached to another child and I’ll make that offer to someone else. I have the lawyers here for the necessary paperwork. Once you sign custody over to W…to Miss Maher.’
But it was a slip. The start of Wendy’s name… It made Sonia lift her eyes from the cheque and she stared from Luke to Wendy, and then they stayed on Wendy.
And it was impossible for Wendy to take the hope from her face fast enough. Oh, God…
And Sonia knew.
‘You’re doing it for her,’ the woman spat. ‘You’re doing it so
She whirled and stared out the window. ‘And look at that?’ She gestured to Nick’s car, gleaming immaculately out in the driveway, and her vitriol was increasing by the minute. ‘We’re worlds apart and I wanted that so much! My husband promised me we’d be rich, but he couldn’t make it in a pink fit. Two hundred grand-and I’d guess it wouldn’t even buy that. You must be loaded. It wouldn’t make any difference to you at all, and the kid…’
‘You can have the car, too-if you like.’
The sudden silence was deathly. You could have heard a pin drop. The entire room held its breath.
‘You’re…you’re joking.’ Unlike the cheque, the car was a real and tangible thing, gorgeous in its enticement, and Sonia’s incredulous face told the room she knew its worth.
‘I’m not joking.’ Luke shrugged as if he was losing interest. ‘The cheque and the car can both be yours. Now. The registration forms are in the glove compartment. I’m sure with these lawyers present I can sign it over on the spot. That’s my last offer, though. Take it or leave it.’
The woman whirled to face him. Then she stared down at her daughter, and the indecision was written clearly on her face.
