A/n's: I put up another chapter of Daughter of the Moon, but since no one seems interested I thought I'd get back to work on this fic and The Children's Crusade, the next chapter for that one should be up in a couple of days.

Chapter Ten

When Sharni had first seen Mark's beautiful New York home, in the heart of the city, she had loved it. It was her first experience with sumptuous living, and at first she reveled in it. But gradually it palled. Having servants embarrassed her slightly. Eventually Sharni was confronted by a boredom that buying another new dress would not help. She longed for Mint. Autumn had come, and the island would be at its loveliest.

So when Willis Rackham, Mark's personal assistant, telephoned her to say that he was calling on her with amended plans for the hospital, she breathed a sigh of relief that at last things were starting to happen.

At the same time, she was puzzled. That he should take time off to bring her the plans himself, rather than send a messenger, was very strange. But it soon became plain that he had an object in view.

"This looks a great deal better," said Sharni, as she flicked through the pages he handed her.

"And a great deal more expensive," said Rackham in a quiet, cold voice. "It was bad enough when he spent a fortune buying that white elephant. Now he's pouring money into it hand over fist. He's letting the farms at giveaway prices-"

"Do you seriously think the rent of a few out-of-the-way acres makes any difference one way or another to a man having a boardroom battle with Blair Hawkins? They'll be fighting in millions."

It was shot in the dark.

"If you know about the Hawkins, battle, then I'm amazed that I have to explain to you why Mr. Calloway needs every penny," said Rackham in a harsh voice.

Sharni held her breath. She had no intention of letting Rackham suspect how little she knew.

Her gamble paid off, because after a moment he went on, "I know you're new to business, but stock dumping isn't a hard thing to understand. Surely you can see that it would be fatal for Mr. Calloway to go into this with his hands tied by too many other obligations."

"Yes," said Sharni, hardly knowing what she said. There was a roaring in her ears, and she felt dizzy. She knew she must get rid of this man. "You've said what you came to say, Mr. Rackham, and I think you'd better go now."

Sharni made no effort to show him to the door. She was incapable of movement.

******

Mark found her upstairs, seated at her dressing table, a pensive look in her eyes. He bent and dropped a kiss on her neck. His eyes fell on the hospital plans.

"Ah, good! Do they meet with your approval?"

"Yes, they're fine. Mr. Rackham brought them."

Mark made a sound of impatience. "So that's where he was when I wanted him. It's not like him to be gallant at the expense of work."

"He wasn't being gallant. He wanted to get me to abandon the projects for Mint. He said they were ruining you."

"Damn him! It's lucky he's not here now." Mark's face was hard with anger. "I made you certain promises, and I'm keeping them."

She jumped up, banging her hand on the dressing table. "If I'm doing you damage, I want to know. I want us to talk about it and-"

"Look..." He passed a hand tiredly in front of his eyes. "Sharni, there'd be no point in my discussing business with you, because you wouldn't understand."

"I understand stock dumping," she said.

There was silence.

"Rackham has been opening his mouth, hasn't he?" said Mark grimly after a while.

"I let him think I knew a bit more about the Hawkins battle than I did."

"I've been buying Hawkins Enterprises for some time. I may as well tell you. If I put all my shares on the market in one go, the other investors will take fright and do the same. The price will crash. Then I'll buy back my own shares and as many as I can of the others at the lowest price to gain control of the company."

She faced him. "It's unscrupulous," she said flatly. "Because of what it does to the little people. You'll end up with a profit, but they'll see their life savings reduced to nothing."

"Sharni," he said at last. "Shares are speculation, risk. People who don't want to take risks should put their money in a building society." He gave her a bitter smile. "You told me the night we met that 'my methods' weren't something you'd stoop to, so you obviously knew I was pretty black."

"But I didn't know..." she whispered through the tears that were beginning to pour down her cheeks. "Mark, listen to me, please," she begged. "I know you think Mint is the only think I care about, but it isn't true. I care about you, and the kind of man you are. I can't just look away and say that nothing else matters as long at there's money to spend on Mint."

"Can't you?" He took a step back and gave her a long cynical gaze. "If you can sell yourself to the devil for the place, why should you mind if I do the same, in my own way?"

"But you're turning into a monster," she cried passionately. "It has to be my concern when I see that happening to the man I married."

"You didn't marry a man," he said brutally. "You married a bank account labeled 'Mark Calloway-Mint, for the use of.'"

"That maybe all our marriage is to you," she cried, "but not to me. I want to love you as any wife wants to love her husband. But if you do this horrible thing, I won't be able to endure the sight of you."

He stared at her in total silence for a long moment. Then he went to the telephone by the bed. He dialed a number, and after a few moments he barked, "I shall need you tomorrow. You're taking Mrs. Calloway to Mint. Be ready to leave at ten a.m."

He put down the receiver and regarded her with hard eyes of a stranger. "Now you won't have to endure the sight of me," he said, and walked out.