The Diamond Dad

'As long as it doesn't go on too long,' he said. 'You know this is a risk. If you don't love me as much as you say-'

'But I do,' she said firmly. 'You know that.'

'Yes, of course I do.'

Barker greeted her as soon as she returned home, eagerly sniffing her hands and pockets. When he found no aniseed he gave her the indignant look of a dog who'd been thoroughly conned. Faye pushed him aside with difficulty and went to Garth's study, firmly shutting the door.

Despite the late hour he was still up, working. He pushed the work away and regarded her tensely. He looked tired and he'd torn open the front of his shirt, as though he needed to breathe more easily.

'I've been to see Ken,' she told him. 'We've talked it over and he thinks I should do this. So you've got your deal.'

Instead of pleasing Garth, this seemed to annoy him. 'I don't need that man's permission for anything I want to do,' he growled.

'Not his permission, his blessing,' she retorted. 'I wouldn't do it without that. You said yourself I don't belong to either of you. But if I did it would be Ken, not you.'

'You'll never belong to any other man,' Garth said with a sudden flash of temper. 'As long as I want you, you belong to me.'

'As long as you want me,' Faye echoed. 'But you didn't want me very long, did you, Garth? Not really want me. A mother to your children, yes. But when I grew up you were either hostile or indifferent. A divorce will be as good for you as for me. Then you can marry a doll who'll never answer back.'

'You know nothing about me if you can say a damned fool thing like that.'

'Well, perhaps I never did really know you,' she agreed. 'Or you me. It's better this way. I'll stay with you until the marketing campaign is launched, but only to get the divorce. And I have conditions too.'

'Which are?'

'We leave the children out of it. They're not going to be involved in the publicity. And I won't stop them seeing Ken.'

'I'd rather they didn't.'

'I'm sorry, those are my terms. They like him. Cindy calls him for advice about Barker and Adrian is involved with one of Ken's countryside campaigns. I don't want you worrying them with our private quarrels.'

'And the other condition?' he asked.

'You stay right away from me, or the deal's off.'

'I suppose Haines thought of that one?'

'No, it's all my own idea. I want your solemn promise.'

He sighed. 'Very well. You have my word.'

'So that's settled.' She waited, wondering if he would say something more, but he only shrugged. Once Garth had concluded a deal on the best terms he could get, it wasn't his way to waste time on a post-mortem.

'I hope this means that we won't argue so much, Garth.'

'I've never liked arguing with you.'

'No, you just prefer me to give in without a fight,' she said lightly. 'But this is a business arrangement. Nothing more.'

'Nothing more,' he murmured.

'I'll keep my side and I expect you to keep yours.'

Garth leaned back and regarded her with a wry grin. 'You've become a tough negotiator. You know what you want, and you won't settle for less.'

'You should offer me a job with your firm. I seem to have all the qualifications.'

'Well, maybe I- What the devil is the matter with that dog? He's been trying to scratch the door down ever since you came in here.'

'I'll see to him, then I'm going to bed.'

'Won't you join me in a drink, to celebrate our deal?'

She hesitated. 'No, but I'll shake hands with you, if you will.'

He looked at her little hand, firmly outstretched to him. After a while he took it gently in his own. 'To business,' he said.

'To business. Goodnight, Garth.' She left the room without looking back, so she didn't see him staring after her.

She had a curious sensation of light-headedness. It felt good to have made a stand, and actually stopped the Garth Clayton juggernaut in its tracks.

She wasn't left to muse for long. Barker, bent on sorting out the misunderstanding, followed her upstairs and waited determinedly in the hall while she kissed her sleeping children.

When she emerged he planted himself firmly in her path. But this, too, failed. Faye hugged him and called him loving names, but there was no aniseed. At last he accepted the perfidy of humans, and retired to his basket in a huff.

CHAPTER SIX

It was halfway through Saturday morning when Garth received a phone call from Bill, his second in command and the one person who knew all his business secrets.

'Garth, sorry to call you at home on a Saturday.'

'That's all right. You know I'm never really off duty.'

'I tried the office first. It felt strange not to find you there.'

'Yes, I've been spending a little more time at home recently,' Garth said, hoping his edginess couldn't be heard in his voice. He'd made a special effort to be at home today, meaning to spend some time with his son, only to find that Adrian had other plans. Even Cindy wasn't there to support him, having taken Barker to spend the day with Jenny Patterson, her best friend.

An hour later Kendall had collected the boy in his old van. Garth had longed for Adrian to tell him where they were going and why, but when he didn't Garth shrugged and refused to show how much he minded.

'What's it all about?' he asked now.

'It's the Outland,' Bill said, naming a patch of land about twenty miles away on which Garth intended to build. 'We may have more of a problem than we thought.'

'We've had problems since the day I offered for the place, but nothing that can't be overcome. First they claimed it was a famous beauty spot, though no one I spoke to had ever heard of it. Then they wanted to have the trees protected. Last week they burst into the council meeting and tried to stop me getting planning permission. But I got it anyway.'

'With some restrictions,' Bill pointed out. 'They may not look much, but they're going to cramp your style.'

'Not if I get them lifted, and I will. Trust me. I know the people to work on. So what is it this time?'

'Butterflies. The Outland is supposed to be the habitat of a rare breed.'

Garth groaned, muttering, 'Give me patience,' under his breath. Aloud he said, 'Stop worrying, Bill. If I wasn't put off by that bearded yob jabbing a placard in my eye and calling me a destroyer of creation, I think I can cope with a few butterflies.'

'I thought you should know that there's going to be a protest march at the Outland this afternoon. I tried to get the police to ban it, but no luck.'

'I wouldn't have done that, myself. It makes them look as if we're afraid of them.'

'Yes, but the television cameras will be there. It'll be on the news tonight.'

'Pity! But it can't do us any real harm. Thanks for letting me know, anyway.'

Later that afternoon Faye brought him a coffee and found him engrossed in the television screen.

'You always said watching the box in the afternoon was a dangerous habit,' she reminded him. 'According to you, it led to self-indulgence and time-wasting.'

'There's a news item that I need to see. I've taken an option on a strip of land and apparently a set of longhaired clowns are tramping over it, predicting the end of the world if I'm allowed to build there. There it is!'

The screen was occupied by a board, bearing the name

Melkham Construction, set in an expanse of countryside.

– 

____________________

Beside it stood an earnest young man addressing the camera.

'The protesters say that if this land falls victim to developers' frenzy it will be the destruction of a unique butterfly habitat-'

'Developers' frenzy,' Garth repeated angrily. 'I build houses for people to live in; people like that sanctimonious crowd. Where would they live if no one had built their homes? With the butterflies, I suppose! GOOD GR1EFV

Startled, Faye followed his gaze and saw what had appalled him. The screen was filled with placards whose owners were hoisting them aloft, trying to catch the cameraman's eye. With an inward groan Faye saw that one of them was Kendall and right beside him, his face shining with enthusiasm, was Adrian. His placard bore the uncompromising words, GREED OUT, NATURE IN.