The Purest of Diamonds? by Susan Stephens

the past to the present, and now he was fully focused on Leila he couldn’t believe how controlled she was, how calm. But Leila had always been the one fixed point in a turbulent sea of siblings.
    And the child had changed her. It had given her a new inner strength. No more the mouse in the shadow of her siblings, Leila had emerged as a warrior in defence of her child. But if she thought she could keep this baby away from him and disappear out of his life for good, she was wrong, though he would never promise her more than he was capable of giving. ‘I accept full responsibility, of course, but that doesn’t change anything between us.’
    ‘I don’t expect it to, Raffa.’ Leila’s gaze remained unswerving on his face. ‘I’m quite capable of handling this on my own. I have a duty to tell you, and that is all.’
    ‘How sensible of you.’
    ‘And how cold of you,’ she countered, staring at him with concern in her eyes. ‘We’re talking about a child, Raffa, and yet your manner is so distant we might be discussing a deal you may or may not want to buy into. I’m not sorry this happened. However inconvenient a baby might be for you, I can’t wait to hold my first child in my arms. And I will never regret being pregnant.’
    He held up his hand. ‘I promise you that you have nothing to worry about. As far as all the practicalities are concerned I’ll have my lawyers draw up a contract between us.’
    ‘A contract?’ Leila shook her head. ‘That’s your answer to everything, isn’t it, Raffa? Get the lawyers to deal with it—delegate, distance yourself, don’t engage your emotions in any way. The stroke of a pen is far easier and much safer than risking your heart.’
    ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about. I pay lawyers to handle my problems.’
    ‘But this isn’t a problem,’ Leila insisted with a sad laugh in her voice. Embracing her stomach, she added softly, ‘This is a baby, Raffa.’
    ‘I delegate so I can get on with the job of keeping thousands of people employed,’ he informed her with biting calm. And now he needed space and time to plan. Walking around her, he headed for the door.
    ‘That’s right, Raffa—run away!’
    He returned in a stride and stood staring down at her, but instead of recoiling she reached out to him. ‘I wish I could help you, Raffa.’
    ‘Help me?’ He speared a glance at her hands and she lowered them to her sides.
    ‘Perhaps you expected me to be more sophisticated,’ she said, stopping him at the door. ‘Perhaps you expect me to treat this lightly, to smile prettily and move on, accept a large cheque each month in lieu of your attention, as if I’ve scored a double—a baby and a wealthy patron.’
    ‘I expect you to be honest with me. Is that too much to ask? Dios, Leila. You’ve been on the island how long?’
    ‘I swear to you—I was trying to choose the right moment, and I thought I’d found it. I was coming to find you, but then I saw the stall selling baby clothes and I was distracted. I couldn’t resist—’
    She stopped and her eyes filled with tears. He knew then that the tiny clothes were innocent reminders to Leila of the small child who would wear them and as such they were more than baby clothes, they were Leila’s promise of the future. He wanted to embrace her, to tell her it would be all right, but, unlike Leila, the thought of an impending birth filled him with dread. He had the additional concern of being responsible for a child when his own father had ruined so many lives, and, even if he could do better, how could he balance his responsibilities of running a multinational corporation with being a father?
    ‘I’ve handled this badly,’ he admitted. ‘I keep things simple so I don’t end up with children who are farmed out to their grandparents, because their parents have better things to do.’
    ‘Is that what happened to you, Raffa?’
    He could do without the compassion on her face. He didn’t need