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A princess, she thought. Princess Harry? Not sure about that.
Even she, self-critical though she was, could see how the expert make-up emphasised the size of her blue eyes, which seemed to have acquired a new sparkle, and the width of her shapely mouth.
From nowhere came the memory of her husband, whose work in tourism had often taken him away on trips.
‘I could get jealous of all those expensively dressed women you meet,’ she’d teased him once.
‘Forget it,’ he’d told her. ‘You don’t need that fancy stuff. You’re better as you are.’
‘A country bumpkin?’ she’d chuckled.
‘My country bumpkin,’ he’d insisted, silencing her in the traditional way, making her so happy that she’d believed him and wasn’t jealous. Only to discover at last that she should have been.
And if he’d ever seen her looking like this? Would anything have been different?
Suddenly she wanted very badly to find Darius, see the expression in his eyes when he first glimpsed her. Then she would know—
Know what?
If she only knew that, she would know everything. And it was time to find out.
A few moments later, she was knocking on Darius’s door. As soon as he opened it he grew still. Then he nodded slowly.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Yes.’
‘Will I do?’
‘You cheeky little devil; I’ve already given you the answer to that.’
He drew her into the room and stood back to look at her, then made a twirling movement with his hand. She turned slowly, giving him time to appreciate every detail, then back again, displaying herself to full advantage. After all, she reasoned, he was entitled to know that his money had been well spent.
‘As long as I do you credit.’
‘I’ll be the envy of every man there.’
And that, she thought, was what he chiefly cared about, apart from his children. She was there to be useful, and it would be wise to remember that. But it was hard when the excitement was growing in her.
Darius put his hands on her shoulders, holding her just a few inches away, his eyes fixed on her face.
‘Beautiful,’ he said. ‘Just as I hoped. Just as I imagined. Just as—’
‘Am I interrupting anything?’ said a voice from the doorway.
Darius beamed at the young man standing there. ‘Marcel!’ he exclaimed.
Next moment, he was embracing the newcomer, thumping him on the back and being thumped in return.
Marcel, Harriet thought. The half brother from Paris.
‘I’m sorry to come in without knocking,’ he said, ‘but the door was open.’
His eyes fell on Harriet, and the pleasurable shock in them was very satisfying.
‘You’ve been keeping this lady a big secret,’ he said, speaking with the barest trace of a French accent. ‘And I understand why. If she were mine I would also hide her away from the world. Introduce me. I insist.’
‘This is Harriet,’ Darius replied, moving beside her.
‘Harriet,’ Marcel echoed. ‘Harriet. It is a beautiful name.’
She couldn’t resist saying cheekily, ‘Actually, my friends call me Harry.’
‘Harry?’ He seemed aghast, muttering something in French that might have been a curse. ‘That is a monstrosity, to give a man’s name to such a beautiful lady. And this fellow allows them to treat you like this? You should be rid of him at once.’
‘Cut it out!’ Darius said, grinning, which seemed to amuse Marcel even more.
‘Just thought I’d get in the mood now the circus has come to town,’ he said.
‘Circus is right,’ Darius agreed. ‘I’ve warned Harriet.’
‘Harriet? You mean you don’t call her Harry? But of course, you’re not a friend; you are—’ He made a vague but significant gesture.
‘Hey,’ she said and he turned his merry gaze on her. ‘Don’t jump to conclusions,’ she told him impishly.
‘Ah, yes, I see. How wise.’
‘Can we drop this?’ Darius asked.
‘Certainly. So, Harriet, Darius has warned you, and you know we’re a load of oddities.’
‘I’ll bet you’re no odder than me,’ she riposted.
‘I’ll take you up on that. Promise me a dance tonight.’
‘She declines,’ Darius said firmly.
‘Oh, do I?’
‘Definitely.’
Marcel chuckled and murmured in Harriet’s ear, ‘We’ll meet again later.’
‘Are any of the others here?’ Darius asked.
‘Jackson. Travis isn’t coming. He can’t leave America—some television series he’s working on. Leonid tried to get here but an urgent meeting came up at the last minute. And our honourable father arrived an hour ago, but I expect you already know that.’
‘No, he hasn’t been in touch. I’m in his black books at the moment. Anyone with him?’
‘Janine and Freya.’
Harriet’s teasing impulse got the better of her again and made her say, ‘Ah, yes, she’s the one you’re supposed to be marrying, isn’t she?’
‘You can stop that kind of talk,’ Darius said, while Marcel grinned.
‘A lady with a sense of humour,’ he said. ‘That’s what I like. Believe me, you’re going to need it. I said before that it was a circus, and Papa is the ringmaster. He cracks the whip and we jump through hoops—or at least we pretend to.’
‘Yes,’ Darius growled.
‘I gather you’re not playing his game,’ Marcel said, his eyes on Harriet again.
‘Right, and so I’ve told him. Let’s hope he believes me.’
‘You realise that means he’ll set his sights on Jackson or me next,’ Marcel complained. ‘Luckily, Freya finds me irritating.’
Darius grinned. ‘I can’t think why.’
‘Neither can I. Right, I’ll be off. I’ll see you at the reception.’
He blew Harriet a kiss and hurried away.
‘I like your brother,’ she said when the door had closed.
‘Most women do,’ Darius observed wryly.
‘No, I mean he looks fun.’
‘Most women say that too.’
‘Which is why you find him irritating?’
‘He’s a good fellow. We get on most of the time. It may have crossed my mind that he sometimes has it too easy in certain areas. Mary used to accuse me of being jealous of his charm, and perhaps she was right. Charm isn’t one of my virtues.’ He gave her a wry look. ‘As you’ve found out.’
As he spoke he reached for her hand, and some impulse made her enfold his in both of hers, squeezing comfortingly.
‘Charm isn’t always a virtue,’ she said. ‘A man can have too much of it.’
‘Well, nobody’s ever accused me of that.’
‘Good. Just honesty—’
‘I hope so.’
‘And upright virtue.’
‘Nobody’s ever accused me of that either,’ he said with an air of alarm that made her chuckle. ‘You teasing little shrew. What are you trying to do to me?’
‘Cheer you up,’ she said. ‘You really need it.’
‘Yes, I do. And I might have guessed you’d be the one to see it. Come on. Let’s face them together.’
On the way down in the elevator he said, ‘Mary’s here. I saw her this afternoon.’
‘And the children?’
‘Briefly. None of us knew what to say, but that was because he was there.’
‘He?’
‘Ken, the guy who thinks he’s going to replace me as their father. They’re all in the same suite, a “family”, Mary says.’
‘How do they get on with Ken?’
‘They seem to like him,’ Darius sighed. ‘Good.’
For a moment he scowled, but then sighed and said, ‘All right, say it.’
‘If they get on with their stepfather they’ll be happier. And I know you won’t spoil that because you love them too much.’
A faint ironic smile touched his lips. ‘All right, teacher. I’ve taken the lesson on board.’
‘Just make sure that you pay attention,’ she commanded him severely.
His eyes swept over her glamorous appearance. ‘I am paying attention,’ he assured her. ‘But that wasn’t what you meant, was it?’
‘No, it wasn’t. Bad boy. Go to the back of the class.’
‘Fine, I’ll get an even better view of you from there.’
‘Behave!’
‘Aren’t I allowed to say that you’re beautiful and gorgeous and—?’
‘No, you are not allowed to say it.’
‘All right. I’ll just think it.’
She’d done what she’d set out to do, put him in a cheerful mood for the evening. And nothing else mattered. She had to remember that!
As they emerged from the elevator downstairs they could see people already streaming towards the great room where the reception was to be held.
As soon as they entered Harriet saw their hosts on a slightly raised dais at the far end. There was Mary, smiling, greeting her guests. Beside her stood Ken, the man she was about to marry, and on the other side were the children, dressed up in formal clothes and looking uncomfortable.
Harriet was alive with curiosity to meet the woman Darius had loved and married, who had borne him two children, then preferred another man. An incredible decision, whispered the voice that she tried vainly to silence.
‘Ready?’ Darius murmured in her ear.
‘Ready for anything.’
‘Then forward into battle,’
