'He's here!' David's shriek of excitement set her nerves jangling. He came pelting into her bedroom, his little face alight with joyous anticipation.
'He came in Pop's car. Can I go and meet him, Mummy? Can I?'
'May I,' she corrected automatically, 'and yes, you may.'
He was off like a rocket. Karen quickly zipped her suitcase shut and carried it out to the entrance hallway where David's bag was already placed. The front door was wide open. David's headlong rush down the front path suddenly faltered to a stop as he took in the tall man who was unlatching the gate.
Hal smiled and Karen's heart gave a queasy lurch.
His striking good looks were immeasurably enhanced by that warmly welcoming smile. She found herself wishing he would smile at her like that.
'Daddy?' David's piping voice held a breathless quaver of uncertainty.
Hal swung the gate open and crouched down to his son's level, his arms outstretched in invitation. 'Yes, David, I'm your daddy, and I'm very, very happy to be with you at last.'
David walked forward shyly, then in a last little rush he flung his arms around Hal's neck. In one fluid action Hal was lifting him, hugging him possessively, claiming his son, loving him.
Karen fought to hold back tears. She had tried to be everything to David, giving him all the love and attention she could, but today he had shown all too clearly how much he wanted a father. And Hal's face was lit with the same happiness that beamed from David's. However hard and bitter he was towards her,it was obvious that his heart was more than open to his son.
He was not the monster she had called him last night. Not to David. Yet even as her mind acknowledged these facts, the acute pain of loss in her heart was excruciating. It was bad enough to see David's love being directed on to Hal; the thought of losing him entirely was unbearable.
It took all Karen's will-power to hide her pain from David as Hal carried him back to her, laughingly answering the questions that David's lively curiosity was firing at him. Owen Chissolm's chauffeur followed them, and Hal waved him forward to collect the suitcases from the hallway. Karen thanked the chauffeur and locked the door after him. Only then did she meet the grey eyes which had chilled her last night. The smile was still on Hal's face, but there was more than happiness in his eyes. There was triumph.
'Daddy said we have to collect you, Mummy,' David crowed at her, and the triumph in Hal's eyes seemed to be reflected in his.
Hal shifted his support of David to one arm and before Karen could evade his intention, he curved his other arm around her shoulders. 'You mustn't hold back, Karen. David and I want you with us, don't we, son?'
He gurgled agreement, and her body was stiff with protest. Hal assumed too much. Yet his touch made her heart catapult around her chest.
'Relax. We're all together now,' said Hal with suggestive warmth as he walked her towards the car.
But she couldn't relax. She was swamped with an awareness of the body brushing against hers, the lean, muscular length of it, the strong masculinity which reminded her all too sharply that she was a woman; a woman who had not been touched by a man for a long time.
It was an enormous relief to her when Hal handed her into the back passenger seat. It was even more of a relief when David was placed between them for the drive to the Chissolm home. But while there was a slight physical separation from Hal during the trip to the Chissolm mansion in Turramurra, there was no emotional one. If David was not including 'Mummy' in the conversation, Hal did, and all the time Hal's eyes seemed to be reminding her that this was what she could share if she made the choice to marry him.
With a sinking heart Karen realised she had made a terrible mistake in making this weekend bargain with Hal. She had thought to buy some necessary time, but Hal was using the time to far better advantage, forming an emotional tie between himself and David. She could not doubt that the love he was showering on David was anything but genuine, and David was basking in it. If she did not marry Hal, and he forced her to a custody case, David was going to be hurt whichever way it was decided.
The driveway up to Owen's home depressed her even further. The huge brick edifice was set in beautifully landscaped grounds which featured a tennis court and a swimming pool as well as magnificent gardens. Hal could give David everything in a material sense, far more than Karen could ever afford. Under the altered legal circumstances a judge would have to take that into consideration.
The front door was opened by the butler before they had even alighted from the car. Karen had noticed on her previous visits with Owen that the housestaff seemed trained to cater for every need with smooth efficiency. Karen clung on to David's hand, hoping to keep him as a buffer between herself and another embrace from Hal.
'Why don't you run ahead and say hello to Pop, David,' Hal suggested brightly. 'Your mother and I will be right behind you.'
The little boy was off in an instant, all too eager to tell Pop about Daddy, and leaving Karen at the mercy of the man, who held all the cards. And who was playing them with daunting skill. She glanced up at him apprehensively, wondering what this move signified. To her surprise, his expression was warm with appreciation.
'I wanted to thank you for the good job you did with David. It meant more to me than I can say.'
A little rush of hope voiced her reply. 'I'm trying to be fair, Hal. Won't you consider a compromise?' Instantly his face hardened.
'No, I want David or both of you. I'll take no less than that.'
'But why? You can't really want me, and David won't be happy if you .. .'
The savage look in his eyes silenced her even before he spoke, and the words cut straight to her soul. 'I sacrificed myself for your sister and my reward... my reward, Karen ... was that she gave my child to you. To keep my child you're going to have to sacrifice yourself to me. I call that fair. Don't you?'
He took her elbow and steered her up the front steps while Karen was too dazed to protest. What did he mean ... he had sacrificed himself for Kirsty? It made no sense, and Hal gave her no time to question. He ushered her into an elegant sitting room where Owen was indulgently listening to David's news.
'And here's your daddy now,' he declared, almost pushing his grandson back to Hal as he came forward to greet Karen. His whole bearing bespoke a deep pleasure as he took Karen's hands. 'How lovely you look tonight! I'm delighted that you accepted Hal's invitation, Karen. I want you to have a happy
weekend with us, and if there's anything I can do to make your stay .. .'
'I think that's my line, Dad,' Hal cut in sardonically.
Owen glanced sharply at him. Despite the slight curve of Hal's mouth there was a cold reserve in the gaze that met his father's. It was instantly apparent that although Hal had come home, there was rio close understanding between father and son. Karen remembered Owen's words that Hal had become unreachable to him and the breach had obviously not been mended.