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‘Why don’t you let me buy you supper?’ Theo said. ‘Your first night in Rome shouldn’t be spent by yourself.’
‘Oh—I don’t really think… Wouldn’t you rather…? I mean, wouldn’t some of your colleagues be more interesting company than me?’ Lily began.
‘Certainly not,’ he said lightly. He grinned down at her. ‘Let me show you some of the places I’ve been to before, and you can choose which one you like the look of.’
His teeth were almost blindingly white as he smiled, and the face which on first impression had seemed serious and somewhat formidable to Lily now exhibited a heart-throbbingly purposeful image, indicating someone strong, reliable…and utterly captivating. The sort of man she might one day paint riding on a white charger to rescue damsels in distress.
Lily choked back her disbelief in her own thoughts. Rome was a mad place! It was making her mad!
Susanne James has enjoyed creative writing since childhood, completing her first—sadly unpublished—novel by the age of twelve. She has three grown-up children who were, and are, her pride and joy, and who all live happily in Oxfordshire with their families. She was always happy to put the needs of her family before her ambition to write seriously, although along the way some published articles for magazines and newspapers helped to keep the dream alive!
Susanne’s big regret is that her beloved husband is no longer here to share the pleasure of her recent success. She now shares her life with Toffee, her young Cavalier King Charles spaniel, who decides when it’s time to get up (early) and when a walk in the park is overdue!
Recent titles by the same author:
THE MILLIONAIRE’S CHOSEN BRIDE
THE BRITISH BILLIONAIRE AFFAIR
JED HUNTER’S RELUCTANT BRIDE
BY
SUSANNE JAMES
MILLS & BOON
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For all my friends and their lovely dogs who walk with Toffee and me each day in Alice Park
CHAPTER ONE
ON A fine July morning Lily got out of the taxi at Heathrow and, after paying the driver, trundled her overnight case towards the entrance.
Her emotions were a strange mix of regret and relief that her contract with Bella and Rosie’s family had ended. She’d only been nanny to the eight-year-old twins for a year, but it had been long enough for her to know that she’d made a mistake at trying her hand at this particular occupation. Child-minding was not for her—even though, towards the end, she’d begun to establish a much better relationship with the over-indulged children. Had begun to like them and feel sorry for them—their mother, a single parent, had very little time for them, which was hard on the children. But it was not what she wanted to do with her life. She was honest in admitting that her own background was probably responsible for her sense of inadequacy, and sometimes feeling out of her depth.
Fortunately she’d saved up enough money so that she could afford to be unemployed for a short time while she took stock of her situation. She would easily be able to afford the mortgage on her tiny one-bedroom flat in an unremarkable Berkshire town, and knew that with her cookery diploma she could walk into another job within the hour at any of the countless hotels and restaurants in London if she wanted to. But she was restless, feeling the need for a change but not knowing how to bring it about, so she’d decided to have a couple of days in Rome and visit her brother Sam, who part-owned a small hotel there.
She checked in and was delighted at being upgraded to business class as the flight was overbooked. In the queue waiting to board the aircraft, she glanced at her ticket. She’d booked a seat next to the window—not because she enjoyed watching take-off and landing, but because it seemed to offer a greater chance of not being disturbed on the journey by people who were intent on relaying their life story to anyone who would listen.
As they all waited to board, Lily noted that almost everyone—as usual—was casually dressed, mostly in jeans and holiday wear. For some reason she’d chosen her fine grey suit and a white shirt, together with sheer black tights and high heels, for the journey. Perhaps that was why she had been lucky enough to get bumped up to business class.
At last they all filed on board, and Lily edged her way along the aisle, glancing upwards until she located her seat number. The row was still unoccupied, so she didn’t have to ask anyone to get up, and she took her place, glancing idly out of the window at all the activity outside.
After a moment she was suddenly aware of the arrival of the person who would be sitting next to her and, turning her head quickly, found herself gazing up—very far up—into the dark eyes of the most handsome man she’d ever come across in her twenty-six years. He pushed his hand luggage into the overhead compartment and slammed it shut, then sat down and glanced across at her. ‘Morning,’ he said, non-committally.
Lily coloured up to the roots of her hair, and was conscious of her usual feeling of anxiousness. Her heart was gathering pace rapidly, and the feeling of being trapped was threatening to overwhelm her.
‘Oh—hi—’ she said, trying to match his lazy attitude and failing miserably. Why should it matter that she was going to be sitting this close to someone like him for a couple of hours? He didn’t look the sort who would want to make small talk all the way. His powerfully authoritative manner was obvious at once, and his strong profile and determined chin sent a shiver down her spine. He was formally dressed, in a dark well-cut suit, gleaming shirt and plain blue tie, his black hair was immaculately styled. Why couldn’t he have been a portly, elderly, kindly type, instead of this undeniably sexy individual who, Lily was aware, was attracting covetous glances from adjacent females?
He shifted his long legs slightly, trying to make himself more comfortable in the restricted space, then turned to glance at her, noting her stylish appearance, the rather sweet heart-shaped face, the wavy fair hair piled elegantly on top, giving her a brisk, businesslike air. Then he stared past her out of the window, feeling momentarily disturbed inside. And after a second or two, he knew why. It was the first time he had noticed a woman since Elspeth had died.
It had been over a year now—quite long enough for anyone to adjust. But immediately the mental picture of his wife made him think of his three children—his two sons and Freya—who, at nine years old, was so like Elspeth, with her glossy brown hair and hazel eyes. He frowned slightly as he thought of his daughter. She was the difficult one—the one he didn’t seem to have the same rapport with as he had with the boys, he realised. And because of that he’d reluctantly agreed to Freya’s request that she should be a weekly boarder at her school, to be with her best friends. He’d been determined to try and keep them all together, a close family, and this move had seemed to dent that somewhat. But he’d finally agreed, and he had to admit that life had become a bit easier without his daughter’s occasional difficult temperament to deal with. And the weekends, when the family was complete, were usually trouble-free.
Thankfully, soon they were loaded and ready for take-off, and as the aircraft began bumping rapidly along the runway, Lily caught her breath, her knuckles white as she gripped the arms of her seat.
Feeling her tense, he looked across at her. ‘Does this bit bother you?’ he asked mildly, and she was surprised at the question, because it indicated a concern for her. Why should a complete stranger care how she felt? About anything? But those few words sent an unexpected rush of warmth through her, and she smiled up at him quickly.
‘No, of course not,’ she lied. ‘I’m fine.’
He raised one eyebrow briefly, clearly not believing her, but said no more, and in a few minutes they were airborne. People began undoing their seat belts, and Lily’s companion immediately got up to retrieve his briefcase from the locker above them. Good. He was obviously going to be deep in paperwork. There’d be no need for pointless conversation. He took out a folder, then shut the case firmly—giving Lily a brief glimpse of the name on the identity panel.
‘Theodore Montague’, she read. That was all, but it fitted the man exactly. He couldn’t have been called anything else! But what a handle! Would anyone ever dare shorten it? Did his nearest and dearest call him ‘Theo’ or ‘Ted’? Somehow she doubted it.
Leaning forward, she pulled out a magazine from her holdall, flicking the pages idly She was seldom able to read anything worthwhile on journeys. She couldn’t believe how some people could get stuck into a novel, much less concentrate on important matters—as the man next to her was obviously doing…
Presently the chink of cups and spoons announced the arrival of the refreshment trolley, and Lily thought that a cup of coffee would be more than welcome—she’d not eaten any breakfast before she’d left home. A flight attendant came alongside them and gazed down at Theodore Montague, clearly captivated, flickering her false eyelashes at him coquettishly before asking him what he wanted. He turned to Lily.
‘What would you like?’ he asked, his deeply intense eyes looking straight into her smoky-blue ones, and once again she was touched by his consideration. No one had ever bothered to put her first in these circumstances, she thought.
‘Oh—just a black coffee, please,’ she replied quickly. ‘No sugar…thank you.’
‘Snap,’ he said easily, and for the first time she saw the uncompromising lips part in a brief smile, giving a glimpse of strong white teeth. He looked up at the attendant. ‘Then that’s two black coffees, please,’ he said casually.
As they sipped the scalding liquid, he looked across at her. ‘You don’t like in-flight food, either?’ he asked.
‘Oh, I expect it’s quite nice,’ Lily replied, ‘but in these cramped conditions, and with everything shrink-wrapped in plastic, I find my appetite disappears straight away.’
‘My own thinking exactly,’ he said. ‘Anyway, on short flights food is hardly an imperative, is it?’
So…they were beginning to make conversation—and for once Lily felt totally at ease. With no trouble at all he seemed to have completely disarmed her, and she relaxed in her seat.
‘I can’t think that either of us are on holiday,’ he murmured. His eyes ran the length of her body and back again to meet her gaze. ‘We seem to be the only passengers not wearing jeans and T-shirts.’
‘Actually, I’m going to visit my brother in Rome for a few days. He part-owns a hotel there,’ Lily said. ‘And I’ve got some thinking to do,’ she added. Now, why had she said that? she asked herself crossly. It was the sort of thing that would invite him to question her. But he didn’t. He gave her a long, slow look, and she had the awful suspicion that he could read her mind and knew all about her already! Which was silly.
‘And you—you’re not on holiday?’ she asked tentatively.
‘Grief, no—I’ve a seminar to attend. I managed to avoid it last year, but I’m due to give a paper this time, so there’s no getting out of it I’m afraid. Still…’ He smiled that devastating half-smile again. ‘I’m sure I’ll survive. Rome is a good place to spend a few days—for whatever reason.’
There was a companionable silence between them for a while as the aircraft droned on.
‘What’s the seminar about?’ Lily asked curiously, suddenly wanting to know more about the man, what he did. Would it be marketing? Public relations? Something important in the City? She was surprised at his reply.
‘I spend my life thinking about children,’ he said casually. ‘I lecture in paediatrics, which is all very well, but it means that I don’t get to spend much time on the shop floor, so to speak.’ He shrugged. ‘Still, you can’t do everything, and I’m apparently deemed more use on the lecture circuit at the moment.’ He paused. ‘I expect that will change in due course. Life never stays the same for long, I find.’ He pressed his lips together tightly.
Who could ever have imagined the nightmarish situation that had taken his beautiful wife from him so tragically? That an unidentifiable virus would end her life so dramatically, so unexpectedly? It had taught him not to look too far ahead, or to take life for granted.
Lily sensed his change of mood at once, and it made her want to tell him about herself, about things… ‘Well, I’m hoping to change my life in some way,’ she said, ‘but I don’t really know how to.’ She paused. ‘I did a cookery course after I left school, which was OK—but I got sick of cooking for other people all the time, even though it was good experience in London hotels and clubs… Last year I thought I’d have a go at nannying…’ She shuddered. ‘It was not a good move. I think I was unlucky with the family who employed me—very spoiled eight-year old twin girls. They were awful. But so was I,’ she added truthfully. ‘They ran rings round me, and I just didn’t know how to handle the difficult situations that seemed to crop up on a daily basis. I was beginning to get more switched on by the end of the contract, but not enough for me to contemplate pursuing that particular career any further.’ She sighed. ‘You have to live in order to learn, don’t you?’ she said wistfully. ‘I’d have loved to love Bella and Rosie, and I did try. But I don’t think they wanted to love me.’
He had not taken his eyes from her face as she’d been speaking, and he nodded slowly. ‘Everyone hits the buffers at some time in their lives,’ he said. ‘And all experience—even hurtful experience—teaches us something, I suppose.’ He opened the folder on his knees again. ‘I do hope you find what you’re looking for,’ he added quietly.
‘It’s brilliant to see you again, Lily!’
Lily smiled across the table at her brother, feeling a glow of sisterly affection sweep over her. They were sitting in Agata & Romeo, a bottle-lined restaurant near the main station in Rome, and had just dined on delicious broccoli and pasta in skate soup—one of the many delicacies on the menu. As she spooned up the last mouthful, Lily knew that it certainly wouldn’t be the last time she tasted it.
‘That—was—divine—’ she said, sitting back. ‘I was really hungry.’
‘Talking of things divine,’ Sam said, as he topped up Lily’s glass with the rest of the wine. ‘Who was the bloke you came off the plane with? Drop-dead gorgeous, or what? He seemed very…attentive as he helped you with your stuff,’ he added.
Lily looked away, forcing herself to keep the ever-ready blush from her cheeks.
‘Just the man who happened to be sitting in the adjoining seat on the plane,’ she said casually.
‘Really? There was something…something that suggested a certain familiarity, I thought,’ Sam said, looking at Lily curiously. ‘I really thought there was something going on there.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ Lily said, picking up the menu to see what else she’d like. ‘I’ve never met him before. He was just someone…interesting to talk to, that’s all.’
Sam said no more—he knew from his short acquaintance with his sister that when she decided a subject was closed, it was closed.
Thinking about it, Lily admitted to being surprised at how short the flight had seemed. She and her neighbor had managed to make light, undemanding conversation for much of the way—during which he’d mentioned that he had three children. He’d also spent some time absorbed in his papers, and she’d been careful not to interrupt him. She’d been genuinely surprised when their approaching landing had been announced.
After a minute, Sam said, ‘Is there anything else you’d like, Lily? A cappuccino will do me, but choose away. I want to spoil you.’ He paused, thinking how beautiful Lily was. ‘I don’t get the chance to do that very often, do I?’ he went on. ‘We really must make an effort to get together more—twice a year is nothing, and now that we’ve found each other we mustn’t waste it.’ He leaned across and covered her hand with his briefly. ‘Promise that we will manage it somehow, Lily.’
Lily looked back at him, her large eyes warm and moist with almost-tears. Putting down the menu, she turned her palm to hold his fingers tightly. ‘You’re right, Sam,’ she said quietly. ‘We must make some dates and stick to them. It’s not good enough to let work come first all the time—and, speaking of which, how’s the hotel going?’ she asked. ‘You look very affluent.’ She smiled, noting his well-cut trousers and designer open-neck shirt, exhibiting his tanned skin.
‘Work’s good,’ he said. ‘A bit too good. That’s why Federico and I don’t have time to go chasing girls—or sisters,’ he added.
Sitting there with her long-lost brother—two years older than her, attractively open-faced, with his brown hair bleached golden by the Italian sunshine—Lily felt her heart soar, and she felt so ridiculously light-headed she wanted to laugh out loud, to jump up and tell everyone how happy she was. Of course it had to be the wine—or was it simply Rome, with its perfect weather, its magical fountains and warm-hearted people, and the scent of jasmine in the air which had filled her nostrils as they’d wandered along the streets earlier? Or was it because at last she belonged to someone—really belonged to the good-looking man who was holding her hand?
‘Do you realise that two years ago neither of us knew of each other’s existence?’ Sam said. ‘All that wasted time when we could have been together,’ he added quietly.
Of course Lily realised it. And it was thanks to her seeking out her past—with help from the Salvation Army—that she’d eventually discovered she had a sibling. Their now-deceased mother had borne them both before she herself was seventeen years old.
Lily was honest enough to admit that her ignorance of her early life was probably her own fault… She’d been a rebellious, difficult child, passed from one home to another, one foster family to another—and she’d run away twice. It was no wonder everyone had got confused, including the agencies responsible for her welfare. Her personal details had seemed permanently lost somewhere in the system, and by the time she’d reached sixteen and gone on to train at catering college everyone had been glad to be shot of her. But Lily had an instinctive sense of survival, and had worked hard at the course, and at the jobs she’d subsequently got, finally revelling in the purchase of her tiny flat, her first very own private space, where no one could tell her what to do. At last she was in charge of her own life, her own destiny. And that was how it was going to stay. Always.
Sam, apparently, had been different. He’d told Lily how happy he’d been growing up, behaving himself and always doing as he was told by his foster carers. But he hadn’t known, either, that he had any family. When he and Lily had come face to face at last their blood tie had swallowed up those lost years and they’d fallen into each other’s arms with hardly any self-consciousness.
‘I think a coffee is all I can manage, too, Sam,’ Lily said now. ‘I don’t think I’ll be able to eat another thing for the rest of the day.’
‘Oh, you’ll make room for supper later,’ Sam assured her. ‘No one eats here until nine or ten o’clock in any case. There’ll be plenty of time for you to work up an appetite.’
After lunch they sauntered back along the sun-hot pavements, searching out the cool shade of buildings to walk beneath whenever they could.
‘I think I’ll pamper myself and have a siesta this afternoon,’ Lily said.
‘Good idea. And I’ve some paperwork to go through with Federico, so that’ll suit us both,’ Sam replied easily.
The small hotel—with a mere four bedrooms—was situated in a narrow lane just off Piazza Navona, and Lily had been allocated a chic room at the front. It was well-appointed and comfortable, and she flopped down on the bed, kicking off her sandals and laying back languidly. She’d changed out of her suit as soon as she’d arrived, and was wondering whether the small amount of clothes she’d brought was going to see her through her three-night stay. She shrugged happily. If she ran out of clothes she’d buy some more! She’d never been an extravagant shopper—she’d never had the money—but, hey, she was on holiday, and she was in Rome! There were no frontiers, nothing to hold back her glorious sense of freedom.
To her amazement, when she woke up Lily realized that she’d been asleep for nearly three hours! She hadn’t come here to sleep, she thought. She’d come here to enjoy herself, to explore Rome—as well, of course, as meeting up with her brother.
Sliding off the bed, she went into the bathroom to shower. Although Sam’s hotel was air-conditioned, there was a distinct sense of the pervading sultry heat outside, so choosing what to wear would be easy. She’d put on the cream cotton sleeveless sundress with the low neck, she decided. It wouldn’t matter if it was still a bit creased—although she’d hung it up as soon as she’d arrived—because who was going to notice her, anyway?
She dressed and brushed out her hair, tying it back in a ponytail. Then she moisturised her face, adding sunblock but no make-up. She knew she was lucky with her complexion which, although fair-skinned, seemed to have an olive under-layer which saved her from burning or freckling. She added just a touch of blusher and lipstick and went downstairs.
There was no sign of her brother, but Federico was on duty, and he came over at once to greet her with the typical approach of the Italian male when meeting a woman. He took her hand and kissed it gently, looking down at her appreciatively with his dusky, bedroom eyes.
‘Ah…Lileeeee,’ he murmured in his heavily accented English. ‘What a charming pleasure to ’ave you to stay here. You are so…beautiful.’ He paused. ‘You look—wonderful.’
‘Thank you, Federico,’ Lily said lightly. How could you take these people seriously? she thought. He’d be saying the same to every one of his female guests. Yet she automatically smiled back, responding to his compliments. At least he wasn’t pretending to be someone he wasn’t. What you saw was what you got—a red-blooded Latin male, with no nasty surprises in his temperament and a straightforward, lusty appreciation of the female sex. He made Lily feel feminine, and desirable. And because of his openness, he was totally unthreatening.
Still holding her hand to his lips, Federico said, ‘I’m so sorry…Sam is—unwell. He is lying down. Head,’ he added, touching his forehead. ‘He asks you to see him later tonight.’
‘Oh, poor Sam,’ Lily said, remembering that her brother was prone to migraines—as she herself was. ‘Tell him not to worry, Federico. I’m going off to explore, and I’m quite happy being by myself,’ she added, as he went to object. ‘Tell Sam I’ll see him in the morning.’
People were starting to mill about again in the evening sunshine as Lily wandered around. She’d only been here twice before, but it felt surprisingly familiar as she drank in the atmosphere. She stopped idly from time to time, to watch some artists at work, before buying herself a large vanilla ice-cream. She licked at it appreciatively as she sauntered along. It had to be the most delicious confection known to man, she thought, as the creamy substance coated her tongue and slid down, cooling her throat. The Italians certainly knew how to make the stuff.