'My whole life has revolved around David since Kirsty gave him to me,' she declared pointedly.
He made no comment. The grey eyes seemed to be making a reappraisal of her, but it was a hard reappraisal and oddly discomfiting. She worked on smoothing out the sharpness from her voice. Fighting Hal could only embitter him further against her. She had to break this impasse they had reached.
'Please ... can't we try to work something out? I want to be fair to you. Can't you be fair to me?'
Her plea fell on stony ground. 'What do you call fair, Karen? I understand that you and David have been spending the occasional Sunday with my father over the last few weeks. Do you think an occasional Sunday is enough for me too?'
'No.' Her eyes begged for some hint of giving but there was none. 'I thought every Sunday to begin with. Until David got used to you. Then .. .' She sucked in a steadying breath and plunged on, hoping he would agree to her terms. 'Then every other Saturday as well as Sundays. You'll be busy working during the week anyway, and I ... I'd like one free day with David every fortnight. Is that unreasonable?'
He was surprised. There was only the minutest change in his expression but the savage glitter of mockery was gone from his eyes. 'That is ... a more generous offer ... than I anticipated from you.'
'Generous! It'll be like cutting Half my life away. Can you even begin to appreciate that?' Tears blurred her eyes again and she hastily looked down, hoping he had not seen them. She couldn't be weak now. She had to be strong. Be strong as he was. But dear God! One Saturday a fortnight. What was she going to do with herself over the long weekends that David was away?
'Since you have no other attachment in your life, perhaps you'll consider a different proposition.' Karen glanced up warily. The grey eyes were boring into her, ruthless in their intent.
'I don't want a custody case any more than you do--I don't care for such a private affair to be dragged in front of the public eye. But I want David. Not on any part-time basis, Karen. I want him as you've had him for the last three years.'
He paused, then delivered the punchline with devastating directness. 'You can either fight me ... or you can marry me. And in David's best interests, I think you should marry me.'
CHAPTER FIVE
'You're mad!' Karen whispered, appalled at the very thought of marriage to her sister's lover.
'Not at all. It was you who pointed out to me that if I wanted to be the father of the child, I should marry the mother.' His mouth curled to one side. 'And if you remember, the injuries I sustained were not to the head, Karen. They were closer to the heart.'
She recalled the odd way he had looked at her earlier ... the hard, glittering appraisal. Had he been thinking then that she could take Kirsty's place? That she could fill the role that Kirsty had refused, wife and mother? Or was he' intent on revenge? Karen shivered with revulsion.
'I'm not Kirsty. I can't take her place, Hal. Please, can't we...'
He gave a mirthless laugh. 'I wouldn't want you to--take Kirsty's place, Karen. You couldn't. I simply want to be a father to my son.' A gleam of mockery lightened his eyes. 'You should be grateful that I'm giving you any choice at all.'
Grateful! He really was mad! He was acting as if he had the whip hand and it was she who had all the legal guns. She felt like spitting that out at him, but open hostility had to be avoided. If they both moved into entrenched positions it was David who would be caught in the crossfire. She drew in a steadying breath and spoke with the calm control of absolute confidence.
'I've bent over backwards to be fair to you, Hal, offering more access to David than any court would grant you. You can't take David away from me. I've had legal advice too. There's no way a court will set aside those adoption papers, not even if you can prove that you were deceived. If you can't be reasonable ...'
He smiled, but there was no good humour in it. 'Then you received bad advice, Karen. It's not a question of whether or not Kirsty deceived me. The fact is that the adoption papers themselves were fraudulently prepared, and a court will be only too willing to set them aside when that fraud is exposed.'
It shook her-but maybe that was his purpose. 'Those papers are perfectly legal. I've had them checked.'
One eyebrow rose mockingly. 'Have your solicitor take another look at tliem, Karen. With particular attention to the entry under FATHER OF THE CHILD. It says "unknown". Kirsty had to write that so she could have the baby adopted without my knowledge. But the father of the child was known, Karen. Even if you are prepared to perjure yourself by swearing fhat you didn't know the father's identity, your case will still be blown to bits. Apart from the medical evidence, I have an unimpeachable witness who will tell the truth your ex-husband.'
Barry? Barry would testify against her? Was that the important thing he had to tell her? But Hal had only come home that day of Barry's telephone call. Her mind was reeling with shock. If what Hal said was true, that the adoption papers were fraudulent ... and it had to be true or he would not be so arrogantly confident ... then she was in deep trouble. She might lose David. But why would Barry give such damning evidence without talking to her about it? Was Hal bluffing?
'I take it you've spoken to Barry,' she clipped out, hiding her terrifying uncertainties.
'Not personally, no. But my lawyers have obtained a signed statement from him. They're very thorough.'
He was enjoying his triumph, enjoying each turn of the screw. Karen hated him with a more virulent hatred than she had ever thought herself capable of. All her heartburn over being fair to him was bitter ashes in her mouth. 'You've just been leading me on haven't you? Ever since you got here.'
'It was interesting to see just how far you'd go.'
She shook her head ... stupid, gullible fool that she had been, trying to do the right thing. Her eyes blasted him with the depth of her contempt. 'You're nothing but a black-hearted bastard!'
'Then I'm living up to the image you've held of me for years, aren't I?' Hal retorted with bite, then reilaxed into a silkier tone. 'Come now, Karen, I'm being very reasonable. I appreciate that you love David and don't want to lose him. It's really very simple. To keep him, all you have to do is marry me.'
'I can't marry you!' she flared, goaded beyond thought by his taunting manner.
His mouth tightened into a hard, implacable line. 'Then we have nothing left to talk about.' He stood up and the grey eyes were glacial. 'I'll have my lawyers start proceedings tomorrow. I regret that you don't have the strength of your convictions, but since you find the idea of marriage to me more distasteful than a life without David, I'll see you in court, Karen.'
Having thrown down the gauntlet he turned to go.