Family or Love?

Chapter 3

Jacintha lifted her eyes resolutely to his face and bit her lips to stop them trembling,she knew now that she had to tell the truth,she drew in her breath shakily and said: 'I have no choice but to open and read his mail. He is blind and his wife who usually does all is away at the moment.' Her voice seemed to echo in the silence and she added quickly, feeling her tension rising; 'And before you feel obliged to offer pity and dismiss my brother out of hand as a bad risk because of his disability,I would like to tell you that he is extremely capable,like many handicapped people he is prepared to work very hard and his business sense can't be questioned, obviously there are some things he can't do , such as driving a car or reading,but his wife does those for him,He would make the music shop pay, really. I can guarantee you that' she stopped abruptly.

Having lost both their parents in a car accident when they were children probably accounted for the fierce pride she felt for her brother- especially as he had lost not only his parents but his sight as well, but she knew she must not fall into the trap of boasting about him as it tend to bore people and she can't afford to bore this man.

Gabriel Montero appears to be lost in thought for a while ,then without speaking he swivelled around to face the window allowing Jacintha to study him without being observed.

He had quite unfair good looks,he also appeared to posses intelligence, health,money and power. She found herself making the inevitable comparison: Graig got nothing,he had been blinded as a boy and he had to struggle for everything ever since, but on the bottom of her thoughts came a surge of guilt;she was being disloyal to Graig who in real terms had much more. He had courage, determination,a fine personality and a warm heart. He also has a loving wife , adequate music ability and a good business head. She thought with regret at how furious Graig would be if he ever found that he had come here to argue his case. Should she haven't come?was she interfering? But she couldn't just sit back and watch him lose his only chance of doing something great for himself without doing anything.

Suddenly she found she was thinking out loud. 'My brother would be very angry if he knew I was here'

Gabriel swung around his chair and with raised brows asked, 'why did you come, then?'

She licked her suddenly dry lips nervously and answered honestly, 'I had to do something,when I opened the letter this morning I could utter it out just like that without trying to assist firstly. I know he doesn't have any security and it sounds risky. But- please.' she broke off and looked at him with.

Gabriel Montero laughed,but it was not a laughter of amusement rather of a mockery. He made a complete turn in the chair and then he rested his hands on the desk with his eyes fixed on Jacintha.

'Why are you laughing?' she asked uneasily

'My dear girl you come storming in here accusing me with unjustice and you seriously expect me to look sympathetically on your case,all you have accomplished so far is to infuriate me.'

She felt totally hopeless,she had failed ,she had earned his dislike instead of his understanding.It was her own fault. If only she had kept her temper he might have been more receptive,she gave a despairing shrug. 'I see. Well of course I quite understand, obviously there is no reason for you to help us and I can also apologize for taking much of your time,but do you see that I couldn't just sit back and do nothing more especially whem it concerns someone I care about?' She looked at him straight in the eyes,he self consciousness gone. Flushed with emotions her eyes with appeal,she obviously knew how very beautiful she looked.

Gabriel Montero was not oblivious, however he tilted his head back slightly and narrowed his eyes. 'Oh,those eyes-those beautiful innocent eyes. They are certainly lovely my dear but they won't work on me.' he told her with a hint of a grin.

Jacintha felt as though she'd been punched only two weeks ago someone else had condemned her in this way; why did her eyes affect people? Humiliating memories flooded back and she was almost lost in them when she heard his voice again.

'Perhaps if you were to sit down again we could conduct the remainder of this interview in a civilised manner,it may not appeal to you but it is the way I like to do things.' She sank reluctantly back into the chair.

'Can you give me a valid reason why should my father's company give your brother a loan?' he asked.

It occurred to her distantly that he referred to the Montero's company as though he were not part of it, but she did not dwell on it;it was irrelevant,they were all powerful people their relationship wasn't her concern.

'Well,' she began a spark of hope rising inside, There a if course the interest on the loan. The accounts of Plush Music show that it's a sound concern, it has been going for fifty years now.'

'Why is it up for sale now,then?' he asked leaning his head on one side slightly and watching her closely.

'The owners are retiring and going to live abroad,and there is no one to in the family who is interested. The owners very much want my brother to have it, but they can't help financially as they need all their money themselves for the move abroad.' she stopped, suddenly it all seemed hopeless,as she was speaking she'd heard how weak it all seemed now,Graig had no security,they were out of their league. Feeling sad she looked up at him wondering whether to excuse herself and leave or wait until he called the meeting to an end. She felt oddly reluctant to move and he seemed to be in deep thought, swivelling to and fro in the chair. Jacintha found herself wondering about his age and position,she guessed that he must be in his early thirties;she had vaguely known there was a Luke Montero son and distantly remembered hearing something about him.

If her memory served her right he had gone to live and work in London years ago,but before today the Montero family had only been a name to her - they were one of the wealthiest in Natal owning land and property not only locally but all over the world.

His voice interrupted her reverie. 'Could you please tell me something about yourself Miss Dawn?'

'My brother,do you mean?' she queried in surprised.

He lifted his brows. 'No. Both of you I'd like a little background.' she thought his voice seemed suddenly softer and his eyes warmer. Unable to stifle yet another burst of hope,she began eagerly. 'Certainly,Graig is four years older than me,he is twenty- three now.He married Susan about six months ago,Graig and I lost our parents in a car accident and that was when Graig went blind.Our Aunt Betty who brought us up died a few months ago. We live in a duplex in a little village called Mtata, at least I am only staying at there at the moment- I have been at college in France studying music I.......er' she paused. 'Married people need a place to themselves but I am staying there until I get myself sorted out,as I said Susan is away looking after her sick mother,so I am sort of standing in for her.'

Gabriel frowned .'But in the letter your brother said he has a shared tenancy of the duplex with you ,so it is your home.Why do you speak of it as though it is not?'

'Yes in a way of course it is my home. The tenancy was passed to us both when our Aunt died.It was an arrangement my aunt had with your father so that we would both have a home after her death I don't know the technical details,' she explained.

'But why do you speak as though you are a visitor at the duplex?' he asked,his eyes probing hers.

'We can't really all live there together,as I said married couple need to be on their own, I'm not sure of my plans at all at the moment,if Graig manages somehow to get the shop we'll probably give the duplex up.' her voice faded as the uncertainty and confusion of their lives was borne in upon her.

This time last month she had known what here plans were;she had graduated from college and a man called Alec Gray had arranged a job for her and an accommodation. It was a flat overlooking a park,she had moved in as excited as a child in a candy shop, suspecting nothing,she had not thought about it when she'd noticed his clothes in the closet and his shaving gear in the bathroom,she had closed her eyes to the brashness of the club she was to work in and believe Alec when he had told her the job was only temporary,a better one was coming. She hadn't worried that Alec didn't seem too concerned with her music career and had been anxious for her to take some kind of dance lessons-' body movement tuition.' he'd said it was called. What a naive fool she had been.

She had never even given one performance,had one lesson or even spent one night in the flat because the very first day Alec live-in girlfriend had turned up at the door.

She had taken one look at Jacintha and embarked on a tirade of jealousy ending with, 'Dont you give me that innocent wide-eyed look, you must have known that Alec was like,well this is my territory so you can go and flash your pretty eyes somewhere else.'

Jacintha had left the flat and headed to Mtata duplex feeling ten years older, to her Alec had just been a charming, sophisticated and rich man she had met at a college concert,who had taken her out to dinner a few times and offered her a job, there had been no more to it than that,but he had obviously believed that his money and looks could buy her company whenever he felt the need and had installed her forthwith. In retrospect it seemed incredible that she could have been so stupid and her cheeks stung as she relived her humiliation.

She brought herself back to the present with an effort ' I think I better be going now Mr Montero as I explained I am helping Graig in the shop in Susan's absence.'she added quickly to stop him getting the wrong Impression, 'He can manage on his own but the shop is busy and it does need two people, anyway I don't want to get caught on the road,it looked like snow is on the way here.'

Gabriel swivelled to the window and turned back and said, 'There's no Snow so you will be quite safe for the moment I haven't finished with you just yet.'

His arrogant tone stretched her already taut nerves almost to a breaking point and her temper rose. she fought free from the confining chair leapt to her feet and almost shouted, 'Well I have finished! clearly you are not going to help and as you so pointed out,why should you? so I will be on my way, Thank you so much for your time!' without waiting for a reply she turned and marched out.

She was standing in the hall a little forlornly hoping the housekeeper would appear with her coat when she heard the familiar voice from the end of the passage. 'Come back here ,Miss Dawn.' There was a silence 'Please' he added.

She found she was shaking ,partly with rage ans partly with apprehension. Damn him! she would not go back, but what if he could re-consider?

She walked stiffly back to his study,her head up and her eyes on fire. He was standing with his back to the door looking out of the window,now shadowy with the evening light. He turned as he heard her enter and she was forced to tilt her head up to look at him.

'Don't you think you've behaved somewhat impolitely walking out in mid conversation like that.Why waste my time in the first place if you ain't got gut to follow through?'

She winced at the harshness and undeniable truth of his remark.

'Please sit down,' he commanded.

Weary now she did as ye said without argument and he sad down behind the desk.

'I do not enjoy being insulted and on my own territory and I will not tolerate it,you appear to think that you only have to flash your lovely eyes at me and I will jump through hoops.' He stopped abruptly his uneven breathing belying the coolness he intended to portray.His eyes burned into her and Jacintha sat perfectly still,her heart pumping. His face was stony as he continued.

'However, despite all this I will be obliged if you will say nothing at the moment to your brother for the decision of my father's company regarding his loan application.His case was dealt with by one of our offices and I would like to look into the matter further. This doesn't necessarily mean anything has changed, merely that it is been looked into. I shall be in touch sometime in the near future. Now perhaps you would leave me and please do me a favour of doing so calmly. It may go against your nature,but it is the way I like things done.'

Jacintha nodded,mumbled a breathless "thank you" and after another struggle with the chair she walked to the door, only to be stopped once again, 'And Miss Dawn,' Gabriel called.

'Yes,' she said turning, unable to hide the smile on her face.

'If there is a slightest hint of snow out there you are to come back,' he announced as though he were perfectly entitled to to issue her with orders. 'That road is dangerous in snow.'

Taken back,she nodded,bade him a good evening and left the room. The warmth that had spread through her at his last few words took her by surprise,for a moment she felt as though on the eve of a holiday.