The negotiations

He stirred and the harshness relaxed a little. ‘I’ll go and say goodnight to him now.’

Irene heaved a sigh of relief and she stood up to allow him to pass, only to find she simply couldn’t help herself as he drew abreast of her.

‘What made you think I might have coached him? I would have thought I’d made it perfectly clear these things can’t be rushed.’

He stopped one step below her so their eyes were almost level. And she saw something else she’d missed in her earlier summation of him—he might be hiding it well, but he was tired.

A smile flickered in his eyes as he said, ‘Yes, ma’am, you did impart that pearl of wisdom to me, amongst a few others. Uh—why? I’m not in a good mood, to put it mildly. I haven’t been for days and when I get like this I tend to be—cynical, suspicious, even downright bloody-minded.’

‘So they told me—’ She broke off and bit her lip.

‘Told you that, did they? My staff?’ he drawled. ‘They’re right.’ ‘But have things fallen through?’ She looked concerned. ‘Has i