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She frowns. I can’t tell if she’s pleased or annoyed that I leapt to her defense.
“It was just a misunderstanding,” Richard says smoothly. “Let’s forget about it. Orson, we have something else to discuss—you kindly offered to send your partner to audit our files for us, and we’ve decided to agree.”
I look at George, who straightens his clothing then glances at Scarlett. He didn’t want an audit, so I guess he was outvoted. I thought he’d be mad, but instead there’s a touch of fear in his eyes. What will an audit uncover that he wants to keep hidden? I’m pretty sure I can guess.
I glance at Scarlett, wishing I could save her from this. If anything is going to remove her rose-tinted glasses, it’s going to be discovering that someone was stealing from the commune. Equally, you can’t go through life blindly believing that everyone you meet is honest and truthful. Innocent until proven guilty is great for the law courts, but in everyday life it’s best to be cautious.
“I’ll talk to Kingi,” I say. “Get him to give you a call. He should be able to do it next week.”
Richard nods. “Thank you.”
“I’ll also get him to draw up the papers for the sale of the Waiora, and to lay out the instructions for the stewardship. We can then meet and go through them. I’d prefer to keep things friendly, but obviously if there are any contested points, we might have to get lawyers involved.”
“I’d rather that wasn’t the case for financial reasons,” Richard says. “They’ll bleed us dry. I’m sure we can work it out ourselves.”
After the way they fleeced me for another two and a half million I’m not so sure, but I nod anyway. “I’ll be in touch.”
Taking Scarlett’s hand, I lead her a little away from the group. I move closer to her, but, conscious of everyone watching, I don’t kiss her, even though I want to.
“You okay?” I murmur.
“You shouldn’t talk to George like that,” she says. “He’s been very good to me.” Her eyes shine—she’s genuinely upset.
I want to tear off her rose-tinted glasses and stomp on them. But instead, I just say, “I thought he was being rude to you.”
She glares at me for a moment. Then, to my surprise, her lips twitch. “I thought you were going to challenge him to a duel for a moment.”
“I considered it,” I reply, relieved she’s not mad. “Kingi would happily have brought my pistols over.”
Her eyes gleam. “Thank you for defending my honor, even if it was misguided.”
“I don’t want what happened between us to become ensnared with the commune and the Waiora,” I tell her firmly. “Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Stop it,” I scold.
“Yes, sir.”
I give up. “So you’ll come to Kingi’s party on Saturday?”
She hesitates. “I don’t know.”
“Please? With a cherry on top?”
“Orson, it’s pointless when this can’t go anywhere.”
I understand her point, and I’m not certain yet how to counter her argument, so I just say, “Well why don’t we take it one date at a time? I’ll probably drive you mad anyway after a few weeks.”
“A few hours, you mean.”
“I acknowledge it’s a possibility.”
“Look, even if I did agree to go, I don’t have anything to wear. The women at the club won’t be wearing things like this.” She gestures at her summer dress.
“You’re probably right about the guests,” I admit. “But this is a party for family and friends, and it’ll be casual, shorts and tees.”
“You’ll be wearing shorts?”