One-Click Buy: November Harlequin Presents (6 page)

Carrie waited until she was sure the coast was clear and then hurried in the same direction as Nico and Anastasia. Before she reached the grand staircase she slipped through the doorway that led to the back stairs used by the servants.

The cool stone soothed her sore feet, but did nothing to help her aching heart. Nico didn't believe her. Nico thought she was lying. Nico thought she'd been with another man. She didn't know what else she could say to him. And in a horrible reminder of just how low she'd sunk every part of her was still throbbing from his heated possession. Once again he'd been hungry for sex, and once again she'd been willing. They were tinder and fire, verbally, physically…She might be strong in many areas of her life, but where Nico was concerned she could never find the strength to resist him.

The moment the sun hit her face Carrie looked for cover. If she was stopped now it would be hard to explain what she was doing in the palace—impossible if she wanted to avoid speculation and gossip. She could see a stone-roofed walkway that offered some protection, but if she took that route there was a point where she would be in full view of anyone standing on the balcony….

It was a risk she would have to take.

Hurrying along the passage, she fought the impulse to look up. But she had to, and then she saw Nico sipping champagne with the royal family.

It only emphasised his elevated status, and reminded her of the distance between them. And yet he stood apart from the rest, Carrie noticed.

She was deeply conscious of her bedraggled state and her bare feet as she reached the end of the walkway and stepped into the light, but she did so with her head held high. It was then Carrie noticed Princess Anastasia, and the princess noticed her. Walking up to Nico, Anastasia threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth.

She couldn't bear to see Nico's reaction, but the pain of not knowing if she would ever see him again made her look up in time to see him wiping his mouth discreetly on the back of his hand. It was a small triumph, but inwardly she smiled.

Filled with renewed purpose, Carrie hurried to the gate. She could feel Nico's gaze burning into her back every step of the way, but she didn't notice the shadow of an older woman watching her from an upstairs window.

S
O MUCH
had gone wrong that day Carrie couldn't wait to get back to the hotel, rest, relax and think about how to make it right. She had been sitting on a wall gazing out to sea for well over an hour mulling over the mess she'd made of things. She had given in to Nico, she'd had a row with him and she'd even managed to antagonise Princess Anastasia. What more could possibly go wrong?

Carrie knew the answer the moment she saw the smoke. Her hotel was on fire. Forgetting how sore her feet were, she began to run. Pushing through the small crowd, she captured the attention of an elderly man staring up at the firefighters. ‘Is everyone safe?'

‘Everyone's safe now,' he reassured her. ‘The fire was confined to the kitchen, but it knocked out the electricity and so all the guests have been evacuated. They're just checking the upstairs rooms now as a precaution.'

‘Thank you.' Carrie's first impulse had been to offer help, and now she knew there was no smoke or excessive heat to endanger her baby there was nothing to stop her.

‘There's a lot of mess inside,' the man called after her. ‘One of the firemen told me the kitchen won't be fit for use for some time…'

All the more reason for her to hurry, Carrie thought. She could only imagine how the owners of the hotel must feel. It would be hard enough trying to make a profit out of such a small concern without a disaster like this making things harder.

The first thing she saw was her small suitcase standing on its own in the hallway. Of course, all the other guests had gone, though there were plenty of people hurrying about trying to salvage what they could.

She followed the unpleasant stench of smothered fire to the rear of the building where she found more members of staff busily cleaning up, and there was an older woman on her hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor.

‘Please, let me do that,' Carrie insisted. ‘You've got enough to worry about.' Her heart went out to the older woman, whom she guessed had probably lost her livelihood that day. Her sleeves were rolled up, and her hands and arms were covered to the elbows in grime. ‘If there's anything I can do for you…'

As the woman glanced up and smiled a weary smile Carrie knew kind words weren't enough, and with her permission she took the bucket of filthy water and emptied it in the yard. Swilling the bucket, she filled it with clean water and returned inside.

‘Thank you,' the woman said, struggling to her feet.

‘Please don't thank me. I'm happy to help…' Searching under the sink, Carrie found some detergent, but by the time she turned around the woman had gone. There was a lot to do, she reasoned.

Kneeling on a towel, she concentrated on finishing the job. The hotel fell silent as she worked, and the more she thought about it, the more certain Carrie became that the woman she had taken over from must own the hotel. She had worn the wounded expression of someone who had just seen her dream go up in smoke, which was probably why she felt a certain kinship with her, Carrie thought wryly, redoubling her efforts.

Straightening up at last, she clutched her back, knowing the effort had been worthwhile. The kitchen floor was sparkling again and it smelt fresh and clean.

‘What on earth are you doing here?'

She nearly jumped out of her skin ‘Nico?' Nico, angry? Nico, furious? But why? What was he doing here?

‘I was assured that all the guests had been evacuated.'

‘All, except one,' Carrie pointed out, refusing to be intimidated. ‘What are you doing here, Nico?' she added, thinking him the last man on earth she had been expecting to walk into the hotel kitchen.

‘You shouldn't be cleaning floors,' he said, shocked to see her…concerned for her safety, but he couldn't tell her that without putting ideas in her head.

‘Thank you would be enough,' she assured him mildly. ‘I don't know why you are so angry.'

‘Did someone tell you to do that?'

‘I'm quite capable of working on my own initiative.'

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?'