Kathy had still to look at him. Coffee was served. Her heart was thumping in what felt like the foot of her throat and the sick hollowness in her tummy was refusing to abate. Oh, yes, she was sorry all right. Even though she had served her time in prison her conviction was still the equivalent of a giant rock anchored to her ankle. And it seemed that it always would be.
But what was really tearing her apart was the change in Sergio. He was not a male who could ever have envisaged having a wife who was a social embarrassment. She could not forget that he had once tried to persuade her to change her name and move to France to escape her past. Now his forecast of public humiliation was coming true and it was a miracle that her Alpha male had yet to voice a single I-told-you-so. A total miracle, Kathy conceded miserably. His cool façade of formality could only be concealing the furious frustration that he felt he had to contain.
‘Fortunately, I did prepare for this eventuality,’ Sergio informed her.
‘Am I going to disappear at sea?’ Kathy mumbled, for in her opinion only a bigger scandal would wipe out the one about to break.
The silence was electrifying.
Sergio released his breath in a slow hiss. ‘That’s not funny, Kathy.’
Kathy had rarely felt less like laughing. There was an intolerable ache of tears in her throat. Only hours earlier, she had been naively rejoicing in her contentment. In so far as he was able, Sergio had contrived to forget her prison record. But it would be foolish to ignore the fact that Sergio had conservative views on crime and punishment. He abhorred dishonesty. He was ashamed of her now. How could he not be? He was striving to be sympathetic, but she could sense his reserve like a wall inside him.
How had he felt when Leonidas Pallis had warned him of the story about to break? The cringe factor during that conversation must have been high, she thought guiltily. Leonidas might be one of his oldest friends, but men didn’t like showing a more vulnerable side to each other and a wife who was a former jailbird could only be a source of severe embarrassment. How much shame could any marriage stand? How could he continue to respect her? For how long would Sergio overlook her past without thinking of her as a liability he could do without? He was very proud of the Torrente name and here she was dragging it through the mire. He had wanted her past to stay hidden to protect their child. All of a sudden she was seeing how events could conspire to destroy their relationship.
Kathy made a courageous effort to pull herself together. ‘You were saying,’ she muttered in a wobbly undertone, ‘that you had prepared for this?’
‘Maremma maiale,’ Sergio groaned, crossing the room to propel her up out of her seat and into the protective circle of his arms. ‘We’ll get through this, bella mia. It’s a matter of damage limitation.’
Held close and comforted, Kathy gulped back the tears threatening and nodded vigorously into a broad masculine shoulder. He felt strong and familiar and she wanted to stay in his arms for ever.
‘My PR team have come up with a press statement that strikes the right note,’ Sergio declared, settling her down onto a sofa. ‘It will end the speculation. Next week someone else will be the target.’
Kathy wasn’t quite sure she understood what he was saying, but his concern for her had banished her fear of losing him and strengthened her. ‘All right.’
His spectacular dark gaze was intent. ‘It’s not what you have done, but how you handle it once it’s in the public arena that matters.’
Kathy gave him an uncertain nod. ‘This statement…’
‘I have a copy of it here.’ Sergio extracted a sheet of paper from a file and extended it for her perusal. ‘It’s standard stuff and with your agreement, it will be released to the press.’
Kathy had only read the first sentence when her heart started to sink. It was basically an acknowledgement of her conviction for theft, a reference to the fact that she had served the sentence for her wrongdoing and the assurance that she had learned her lesson. An everyday tale of retribution and redemption.
‘I can’t allow you to release this to the media,’ she whispered tautly.
‘Public apology—that’s what it takes now. It may seem glib and pointless, but people will respect you for being honest about your past.’
‘Sergio…’ There was a desperate plea for understanding in Kathy’s troubled gaze. ‘I am not a thief. I didn’t take that silver. I went to prison for something I didn’t do. I can’t agree to this statement being made on my behalf because it would be a lie.’
‘That press release will draw a line under the whole affair and take the steam out of the story.’