Emma Darcy - Last Stop Marriage

Instinctively she stood tall, taking full advantage of her height as she greeted the much smaller dignitary and thanked him for his assistance in procuring fast, professional help for Monty.

Lin Zhiyong was well in his seventies. He invariably wore a Mao suit, apparently scorning the modern trend toward Western-styled clothes. Jayne suspected he was not comfortable about inviting in Western technology, either, but he was less comfortable with failure.

After a brief exchange of courtesies, he came to the purpose of his visit. ‘It is most regrettable,’ he stated without the slightest crack in his essentially enigmatic demeanor, ‘but it would appear that Mr. Castle will not be capable of fulfilling his contract with our government in the time allotted.’

A broken contract meant Monty would take a huge loss, not only in personal investment but in reputation. Jayne knew she had to reply with confidence and authority.

‘On the contrary, Mr. Castle will deliver on his contract,’ she asserted. ‘While he may not be able to do so personally, another expert in his field will take over and see Mr. Castle’s plans to completion. Castle Constructions will finish the project on schedule.’

Lin Zhiyong stared at her with flat, black eyes, his timeless Chinese face as expressionless as the Buddhas in the old temples.

Conscious of the many onlookers in the office gauging her response to Lin Zhiyong’s supposition, Jayne deliberately evoked the Dragon Lady image by keeping her shoulders straight, maintaining her full height, her head tilted as though she was about to emit fire from her nostrils, blue eyes ablaze with conviction.

The elderly official, however, was not about to be diverted from pursuing his point. He was too accustomed to a position of power over others to be overly impressed by a twenty-seven-year-old foreign woman, no matter how remarkable she was.

‘May I inquire who it is you propose to call in?’ he asked in a mild, silky tone.

It flashed through Jayne’s mind that to hesitate was to show weakness. She had no choice. Any prevarication would be a terrible disservice to Monty.

‘Dan Drayton,’ she replied, not letting any hint of uncertainty show as she answered for her employer. ‘He is recognised as one of the foremost explosives experts in the world. If you wish to check his credentials…’

‘I am aware of his credentials, Miss Winter, as I am also aware he is presently occupied in Africa. It was the reason for our choosing your employer instead of Mr. Drayton in the first place.’

Africa! Was he in Liberia, Libya, or had he moved on to Morocco or Mozambique? Jayne couldn’t think of any other countries whose name started with L or M in Africa. Dan might still be working through K. Kenya leapt to mind. Whatever the location, the more important question was, with what and whom was Dan occupied? If she literally couldn’t get him…

‘You do appreciate,’ Lin Zhiyong went on, ‘that time is an important factor in the contract.’

The softness of his tone did not veil the implacable intent in his words. There would be no extension of the deadlines to be met. Penalty clauses would be actioned.

Jayne had a few seconds of intense trepidation. Was it better to put damage control in place now? Were Monty’s instructions a straw he was grasping at in a moment of great crisis, a straw that could prove more costly in the end? Or was she looking for a way out of having any personal contact with Dan?

One thing she wasn’t, was a coward!

‘I believe Mr. Drayton will oblige Mr. Castle in this matter. He will come,’ she declared, trusting that Monty knew more than she did about Dan’s present professional life. ‘He will come,’ she repeated with decisive assurance.

‘You cannot know that,’ Lin Zhiyong replied, unmoved from his sceptical viewpoint.

‘I do know it,’ Jayne retorted, stonewalling as hardily as General Jackson.

‘How?’

The knowing challenge warned Jayne he was aware that she had not yet communicated the news of Monty’s collapse to anyone outside China. The necessity to save face left her with no other option but to reveal a personal connection.

‘Because Dan Drayton promised me I only had to call him for anything, and he would supply it.’

She had never put that promise to the test. She didn’t doubt Dan had meant it at the time. He had wanted to show himself generous in their parting. Whether he would hold to it now after two years of silence from her was highly doubtful, but Lin Zhiyong couldn’t know that.

She sensed a subtle change of attitude in the man confronting her, a flicker of recognition in his eyes acknowledging a different kind of power to his, a power that was essentially female. Dragon Lady could breathe fire into a man. The fire of desire.

The irony of it twisted Jayne’s heart. That had been true between her and Dan throughout most of their marriage, but Dan wouldn’t come to Monty’s aid, if he came at all, because he still wanted her. Their desire for each other had wilted into insubstantial smoke under the deadening effect of other needs.

Nevertheless, she saw no reason to disillusion Lin Zhiyong’s typically male deduction. It gave her the breathing space she needed.

‘Today is the eighth day of the eighth lunar month,’ Lin Zhiyong stated portentously. ‘On the fifteenth day, when the moon is full, the people in this province celebrate Zhongqiu Jie , the Mid-Autumn Festival. I shall be hosting a party that evening. You and Mr. Drayton are cordially invited to my home, Miss Winter.’

In other words, Dan Drayton had better be here by then, or else!

Jayne mouthed all the correct, courteous words of acceptance and appreciation for both herself and Dan. Lin Zhiyong departed, satisfied he had gracefully applied the time pressure that would keep Monty Castle’s project on schedule or prove it was impossible. It also allowed him to save face and retain his position of influence and power in the government hierarchical system that was so important to the Chinese.

The office emptied of visitors and Jayne shut the door after them, briefly leaning against it and closing her eyes, fiercely hoping she had not just set herself up for an ignominious fall.

She had to get Dan for Monty. It was a professional call, not a personal one. She hoped Dan was of a mind to let private bygones be bygones. She was simply doing her job, following her boss’s instructions. She would state the problem, pass on Monty’s request, and keep everything on a business basis.

A sense of pride stirred. It would be good for her if Dan did accept the proposition. It was the ideal opportunity to prove she had become her own person, self-determining and strong enough not to be affected by Dan or the memory of their all-consuming relationship. That was another life.

She pushed herself into action, making herself a pot of tea and stacking a plate with Chinese sugar biscuits before settling at Monty’s desk. Somehow she now had to activate the plan she had just promised. She steeled herself to the task and picked up the telephone.

DESPITE the time differential between the countries, various communication problems with officialdom, and a lot of persuasive effort on her part, Jayne tracked Dan Drayton to an apartment in Casablanca.

The long hours of tension, of holding herself together until her goal was reached, resulted in a sense of light-headedness when she heard the receiver of his telephone lifted from its cradle.

‘Mmmh?’

Had she done it, or hadn’t she? ‘Am I speaking to Dan Drayton?’ she asked, her voice almost cracking under the pressure of her need to know.

‘Mmmh…’

It was a lazy, disinterested sound, but definitely not negative. Maybe she had woken him from a nap. An afternoon siesta was common in Mediterranean countries such as Morocco. Jayne took a deep breath, trying to calm the quickened tempo of her heartbeat. This was a terribly important business call. She had to get it right.