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Carrie was surprised to see a tug at one corner of Nico’s mouth. Had he found a sense of humour? Her rebellious body thrilled at the thought, though she stamped on it quickly.
‘And how do you think you’re going to get to the replacement hotel where all the other guests are staying?’ he demanded, reminding her not to soften.
‘I’ll walk, or catch a taxi—’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
They both turned as the older woman who had been scrubbing the kitchen floor before Carrie’s arrival walked back into the room.
‘Mother!’
Mother? Carrie could only stare in amazement at the older woman whom she knew now must be Princess Laura of Niroli.
‘You’ll do no such thing. Nico. You will take this young lady to the palace where she is going to be my guest. I insist,’ she said, holding up one beautifully manicured hand. ‘You knew you’d find me here,’ Princess Laura observed fondly to Nico. ‘This hotel was his father’s wedding gift to me,’ she explained to Carrie. ‘To keep me out of mischief,’ she added with a twinkle. And then, touching Nico’s granite cheek with great tenderness, she whispered, ‘Always so thoughtful, my Nico.’
As Carrie watched the brief exchange she wondered if Nico had a doppelgänger. His mother was certainly referring to a different man from the one she knew.
Swallowing back her amazement, she faced facts: the kindly woman standing in front of her was the grandmother of her baby. And Princess Laura had just asked her to stay at the palace. It was incredible. Unbelievable.
Conscious that she was staring rudely at Princess Laura, Carrie turned away, but not before her cheeks had reddened with suppressed emotion.
‘We make a fine pair of cleaning ladies, don’t you agree, Nico?’ Princess Laura said.
‘Without question, Your Royal Highness,’ her son replied stiffly.
‘No titles here, Nico,’ Princess Laura insisted. ‘And you can call me Laura,’ she assured Carrie with the warmest of smiles.
‘And I’m Carrie … Carrie Evans,’ Carrie told her, starting to relax, though she guessed that his mother’s approval didn’t sit well with Nico.
‘I think I saw you earlier, walking across the courtyard,’ the princess observed. ‘Don’t look so worried—you weren’t doing anything wrong. That’s better,’ she exclaimed, patting Carrie’s cheek. ‘I like to see you smile … Nico,’ she added, ‘please arrange for this young lady’s luggage to be sent on to the palace. Carrie will be travelling with me, in my car….’
Carrie was still reeling from sweeping into the courtyard in an official limousine at the side of Her Royal Highness Princess Laura of Niroli, but she had never seen anything to compare with her suite of rooms at the palace. The main bedroom was like something from a fairy tale. White muslin billowed at the windows, and the vast four-poster bed was draped with ivory silk hangings. The cover on the bed was an exquisite testament of the quilt-maker’s art. Intricately embroidered, it was delicately over-beaded in a ribbon design and the crisp white sheets and pillowcases peeping over the edge were finished with a froth of the finest lace.
Even the dressing table wore an elaborate skirt, Carrie noticed as the maid showed her round, and if the room wasn’t quite to her taste it made her smile to think that such frivolity dared to raise its head in an increasingly uniform world. But this was the world of Niroli, Carrie reminded herself, where anything was possible, though it was hard to find a natural link between Nico and his mother, Princess Laura. The princess was so kind and warm, while Nico possessed none of his mother’s ease of manner.
Nico … it always came back to Nico. Carrie’s heart squeezed tight at the thought of seeing him again, something she could hardly avoid now she was staying at the palace. To try and calm herself she began to examine everything in the lovely room. Sunlight spilled through slatted blinds, and a fan whirred lazily overhead spreading the scent of lavender and rose water into the air. It was such a cosy room in spite of its size. It was a room where anyone could feel happy … unless they were looking forward to a confrontation some time later with Nico, of course.
The bathroom was another delight. There was pink Carrera marble on the walls, and a bath as big as a plunge pool. The ceiling was vaulted and lit with stained glass skylights, and there were enough luxury products on the shelves to start a small shop. The princess had insisted she must try everything, and had explained that luxury goods suppliers from all over the world showered the palace with gifts in the hope of gaining the prestigious royal warrant. Apparently Carrie would only be doing her a favour if she sampled them….
When Carrie awoke the following morning she wondered once again how someone as lovely as Princess Laura could have a son like Nico Fierezza. Carrie shook her head as she thought about it, but she would not allow Nico to undermine her confidence. Princess Laura had offered her the run of the palace and it would be churlish to stay in her room when the sun was shining and the gardens were so beautiful….
Surely. this was what the doctor had in mind? Carrie thought, closing the door on her apartment, when he had suggested that plenty of fresh air would be good for her baby …
He couldn’t believe it. Carrie was staying in the palace at his mother’s invitation! Which meant there wasn’t a thing he could do about it; this wasn’t his own home to order as he pleased. Having Carrie Evans out of sight was bad enough, but this, this was insupportable. As it was she played on his mind every minute of the day, distracting him when it was least convenient. Whether he liked it or not, a part of him always responded to her.
Loosening the collar of his shirt, Nico strolled across the room to the window. His apartment overlooked the lawns, and, beyond that, the lake. It was a pleasing vista … under normal circumstances. Grinding his jaw, he had to remind himself that his mother, in her infinite wisdom, had given Carrie the run of the palace. It appeared she was making full use of it now. She was running barefoot across the carefully groomed grass as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Where did she think she was? The municipal park?
Turning away, he tossed his jacket on a chair and, peeling off his shirt, stalked into the bathroom. Carrie Evans was no concern of his. Loosening the waistband of his jeans, he let them drop and, shucking off his boxers, he switched on the shower and adjusted the temperature to ice-cold. Stepping beneath the freezing spray, he soaped down vigorously, then, rinsing off, he stretched to ease the tension in his shoulders. What he needed now was some strenuous exercise. What he needed now was space from Carrie Evans. But before that he had to confront her and find out what she was up to before this little game of hers got out of hand.
She had to be strong … With her head down Carrie ran across the endless stretch of newly mown grass and didn’t stop until she reached the shade of some overhanging trees. She had just been talking to Princess Laura, and the princess had been so kind, which only made the deception harder to bear.
The fact that Nico’s mother was the grandmother of her baby and she couldn’t share the news was like a knife in her heart. Her child had been born into privilege, which carried with it huge responsibility, and a woman like Princess Laura would have been able to guide them both through the pitfalls. Forgetting her baby’s royal connections, any child would be lucky to have Princess Laura for a grandmother.
Sinking down on the mossy bank beneath the trees, Carrie curled up on the soft warm ground and made a silent pledge to her baby that she would make things right before she left Niroli. She stirred restlessly as the breeze ruffled the leafy canopy over her head, and then her eyes drifted shut.
‘Have you any idea how this looks?’
Carrie jumped with alarm to see Nico standing over her. Shading her eyes, she tried to get her thoughts in order. The sun was low in the sky, so she must have been asleep for several hours….
‘You can’t just loll about on the ground here with your skirt round your neck.’
Carrie hurried to straighten her clothes. Nico made her feel so cheap. But she stood up too fast, and as she swayed he reached out to steady her. But the moment she was safe he withdrew his hand.
It told her a lot. It told her he didn’t believe her. ‘How long have I been asleep?’
‘How do you expect me to know?’ he said impatiently.
But he did know. He knew to the second how long she had been lying on the ground with her long hair spread around her. She was becoming an embarrassment. His mother had plied him with questions none of which he had chosen to answer. ‘Did you plan this? Did you sit down before you came to Niroli and work out how to cause me maximum embarrassment?’
‘Embarrassment? I fell asleep. Please don’t think I’m taking advantage of your mother’s kindness—’
‘I don’t think that. But you look so … untidy,’ he said, for want of a better word to express his feelings.
‘I don’t have many clothes with me …’And then, tired of making excuses, she stood up. ‘What is the appropriate outfit for walking in the palace gardens, by the way?’
His eyes narrowed as he studied her face. She had surprised him again with the softly spoken barb, and now his mind was awash with her fresh, sleepy scent. He had to forget how good they were together; he had to ignore the fact that there were leaves in her hair and he wanted to pluck them from the mass of tangled gold.
A greater contrast to the impeccably groomed Princess Anastasia would be impossible to imagine. Carrie’s face was creased and blotchy where she had pressed it against the ground, and she looked.
‘Can I go now?’
His gaze sharpened at her question. Her voice was as gentle as it always was, yet he sensed an edge behind it. She was anything but defeated. ‘You’ve been very clever, worming your way into my mother’s confidence. If one door shuts another opens as far as you’re concerned, doesn’t it, Carrie?’
‘Do you think I started the fire at the hotel, too?’
‘I’m merely suggesting you make the most of every situation.’
‘What situation?’
‘You didn’t know it was my mother’s hotel, of course.’
‘Your mother’s hotel? No, of course I didn’t know. How could I?’
Her surprise appeared genuine. ‘By reading about the family,’ he suggested. ‘You should know the Fierezzas have many interests on the island.’
‘Which you imagine I researched before I got here? Do you really think I targeted your mother’s hotel?’
‘I think you’re bright. I think you came to Niroli on a mission. And from what I know of you from when you worked for me I don’t think you’d be here at all unless you had every loophole sewn up tight.’
‘Well, that’s where you’re wrong, Nico,’ she assured him. ‘Where my personal life is concerned I don’t seem to have much of a hold on it at all. And, for your information, it was the taxi driver who recommended your mother’s hotel. He telephoned ahead as we were driving from the airport to book me in.’
‘A quirk of fate?’
‘If you like,’ she said, ‘but I certainly didn’t engineer it.’
‘And you want me to believe this, along with all your other lies?’
‘I’ve never lied to you, Nico.’
The air between them was charged with tension. Nico was so close she could see the amber flecks in his searing blue gaze, so close they shared the same breath, the same air. But as always he reacted in a way that surprised her. Dipping his head, he brushed her cheek with his lips, stopping just short of her mouth, and to her eternal shame she closed her eyes and swayed towards him.
‘It’s that easy, isn’t it?’ he said gently. ‘You’re that easy.’
When she didn’t reply he put a finger beneath her chin and tilted her face up so she was forced to look at him. ‘You wormed your way in here, and now you think you’re going to have a good, long stay at the palace. Well, let me put you straight, Carrie Evans. You get twenty-four hours to live your dream, and then you’re out of here.’
She closed her eyes against the contempt in his gaze. Nothing she could say would make him believe her, but she couldn’t walk away. ‘Whatever you think of me we have to talk, and I’m not leaving Niroli until we do.’
‘Are you threatening me, Carrie?’
‘I’m stating facts—’
‘So, hell hath no fury?’
‘You think this is about revenge?’
‘What else?’
‘You think I followed you to Niroli because I can’t forget what happened between us?’That was part of the truth, Carrie realised, but she couldn’t throw away her life on a hopeless cause, not with a baby to protect. ‘You don’t know me, Nico. You don’t know me, at all.’
‘Well, perhaps it’s time I found out more,’ he said coldly. ‘Shall we start with how much it would cost me to get rid of you?’
Carrie flinched. ‘Half an hour of your time is all I’m asking.’
‘When?’
‘Tomorrow night after dinner …’ She didn’t want to rush into anything, she had tried spontaneous and knew she wasn’t good at it.
‘I thought I made it clear that your deadline for leaving the palace is tomorrow …’ Nico stopped and his face darkened with anger as he read the situation. ‘Oh, I see,’ he said. ‘My mother has extended an invitation to her new protégée for dinner tomorrow night.’
‘I’m sure you can spare me half an hour—’
‘You’re sure of a lot of things, aren’t you, Carrie?’
‘Until tomorrow, Nico …’
She turned on her heel, burning with shame from what he thought of her, but Nico brought her back. She held herself stiffly in his arms, eyes closed as she fought the urge to respond to him. But he knew she wanted to and with a sound of contempt he let her go and walked away.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘YOU poor child …’ The words had burned themselves into Carrie’s mind. She woke the next morning in her bedroom at the palace in a state of panic. Clutching the sheet to her chest, she gazed around, wondering where she was and who had spoken to her. Her mind was still sleep-drenched and wouldn’t function properly. It took a few moments to accept she was alone and the presence talking to her was a voice in a dream.
Slipping out of bed, she padded barefoot across the room to open the heavy curtains on another soft Nirolian dawn. The view of the silver lake tinged with pink was so beautiful she stood for a moment with her eyes closed inhaling the scent of blossom. It could have been such a happy time if things had been different. If Nico had only cared for her, just a little.
It promised to be another hot day. The sun was already burning off the low-lying mist, and she could see the rowing boats bobbing lazily by the boathouse. It was easy to imagine Nico sitting across from her in one of the tiny vessels, his muscles flexing as he rowed her out on the lake … But as that was unlikely to happen she might as well have a shower, Carrie thought in her usual down-to-earth way; a long, cold shower.
She was becoming good at stretching the truth, Carrie thought, rubbing her hair dry as she walked out of the bathroom, and it wasn’t something she was proud of. To make matters worse Princess Laura appeared to accept everything she said without question. They had struck up a friendship based on a mutual love of the natural world and painting, but it was becoming harder all the time to hide her feelings for Princess Laura’s son. There were no miracles waiting to happen, her dreams were futile, and her baby needed something more tangible than a daydream to secure its future.
Princess Laura had arranged for Carrie’s breakfast to be sent up to her room. Seeing she was already dressed, the young maid insisted on laying everything out for her on the vine-hung balcony outside the small sitting room.
‘Only if it’s no trouble for you,’ Carrie said.
‘No trouble at all,’ the maid assured her with a shy smile.
The princess, with her customary sensitivity, had found Carrie a cosy suite of rooms close to her own. Carrie’s balcony overlooked a pretty walled garden with welcoming proportions more like those of the home of a friend, rather than the vast palace grounds.
‘I prefer this wing,’ the princess had told her, and then Carrie had discovered to her astonishment that they had adjoining apartments. ‘Only special people stay here.’ Princess Laura had said.
Carrie was living a lie she had no stomach for. She wanted nothing more than for the truth to be out in the open, but couldn’t say anything while Nico stood like a roadblock in her way.
A discreet tap on the door of the apartment brought Carrie’s pacing to a halt. But when she opened the door there was no one there. Then she spotted the envelope on the floor. Carrie’s eyes widened as she read the handwritten note. It was from Princess Laura, offering her accommodation at the palace for the duration of her stay in Niroli, which the princess hoped would be for longer than a few days. ‘We have far too many empty rooms here, Carrie, and I did enjoy your company. Please say you’ll stay …’
As Carrie clutched the sheet of paper to her chest she knew that if she could have chosen anyone in the world to be the grandmother of her baby it would be Princess Laura, but Nico would never allow it. Princess Laura was everything a grandmother should be, but the princess was like a golden chalice hanging just outside her baby’s reach.
This was one of the reasons he had left Niroli as a young man of seventeen, Nico reflected dryly as his mother advanced. Having finished his final lap, he checked his time: fifteen hundred metres freestyle in a few seconds over fifteen minutes. Not quite Olympic standard, but close. Planting his hands on the side of the swimming pool, he sprang out, water glistening over his tanned, athletic body.
Snatching up a towel, he buried his face to hide his smile. His mother was in full dragon mode. Behind a deceptively homely face Princess Laura hid a steely determination. He knew that was probably what had saved her when his father had been killed. Tossing his towel into a laundry basket, Nico was thankful for his mother’s strength of character. She had been broken when she had received the news of his father’s death, but had thrown herself into her charity work with renewed vigour, and that had been her salvation.
Straightening up, he wrapped a clean towel around his waist. Raking his hair into some semblance of order, he drew himself up to his full height … all the better to read the invisible banner his mother was waving above her head. It had a single name on it: Carrie Evans.
Carrie was going to stay how long? Grinding his jaw as his mother stalked back the way she had come, Nico vented his silent rage at the sky. He would not tolerate Carrie inveigling her way into the palace and winning over his mother into the bargain. The only reason he’d kept quiet was because he wasn’t ready to reveal Carrie’s state of health, or the lies she kept telling him. Fortunately, his mother didn’t appear to know about the so-called pregnancy, but to be told by her to back off and stop treating Carrie like an underling was insupportable. And to be assured that she was under his mother’s protection.
Right now he could cheerfully throw Carrie Evans over his shoulder and take her to the airport himself and put her on the first flight out of Niroli … But that wouldn’t solve a thing, because, knowing Carrie as he did, she’d get the first flight back again. For now, he would tolerate her presence. He would wait his moment, and then he would expose her for the liar she was.
‘You must have new clothes, my dear …’
Carrie had learned that Princess Laura didn’t do questions, and that statements were more her line. She couldn’t help smiling as she walked back towards the quaint arched doorway that marked the entrance to her apartment. When she had tried to tell Princess Laura that she didn’t need any clothes the princess had silenced her with nothing more than an arched brow. There was a formal dinner that night, she had said, to which Carrie was invited. Carrie hadn’t needed to be told that a market-stall dress wouldn’t do for that.
And now the princess had worked her magic again … Clapping her hands, she had invited dressmakers hovering just outside the open door to join them. And from that moment silks and satins, chiffons and jewelled net had been draped around Carrie, while pins and scissors had flashed in the light. A fabulous ball gown had been created where she stood.
It had been like a dream.
Maybe if it had been a dream she might have thrown herself with more enthusiasm into the pleasure everyone else was getting from her transformation, Carrie thought, but she knew that she would never belong to this life, and that Nico would never accept her. Hearing a tap on the door, she turned. ‘Come in …’
It was the young maid again, who curtsied, making Carrie blush. ‘There’s no need for that,’ Carrie assured her, and now the maid was blushing, too.
‘These are your clothes, signorina.’
As Carrie reached forward to take a few garments from the girl she had to step back as footmen marched past her wheeling a collection of boxes and bags. ‘There must be some mistake,’ Carrie said with concern as she followed the footmen into her sitting room. ‘I didn’t order these.’
