‘Stop worrying.’ Dismissing her fears, he glanced at his watch. ‘We’ll leave first thing tomorrow so you can pack tonight. I have to talk to Serena about a couple of things.’
Pack what? A red sequin dress that had made her the focus of mockery? A fuchsia bikini?
She knew nothing about dressing for a formal event, but she did know that there wasn’t a thing in her wardrobe that was suitable.
‘What time is our flight?’
He paused on his way out of the door. ‘Whenever I decide it is. It’s my plane.’
And that comment only highlighted the difference between them. ‘I’ve never raised money for anyone. I have no idea what to say or do and I don’t want to mess it up.’ Nor did she want to wear the wrong thing.
Suddenly she wished she’d paid better attention to what the other women were wearing at the engagement party.
She was not going to give anyone reason to gossip or say bad things about her.
Matteo was looking at her in genuine astonishment. ‘It’s just a ball. Enjoy yourself. And afterwards there’s somewhere I want to take you so pack your red sequin dress for later.’ Having issued that instruction he walked out of his office to talk to Serena, and Izzy watched him with a sick feeling in her stomach.
Why would he want her to pack her sequin dress ‘for later’?
Were they going dancing or something?
Or maybe that was his way of tactfully telling her it wasn’t suitable for the main event.
Thinking fast, she pulled her notebook out of her bag and made a list. The moment Matteo went off to take a call she shot in to see Serena. ‘You’re one of those PAs who can do anything, aren’t you?’ Her face scarlet, Izzy slapped a list down on her desk. ‘Any chance you could get me copies of those magazines?’
Serena scanned the list. If she was surprised, she didn’t show it. ‘No problem.’
‘And do you happen to know good places to shop? Nothing too expensive but it has to look as if it costs a fortune and absolutely no one else can be wearing it.’
Serena’s eyes widened in surprise and then she gave a warm smile. ‘I know the perfect place. I’ll ask Matteo’s driver to take you there. But I’m sure if you mentioned it to Matteo, he’d—’
‘No thanks,’ Izzy said fiercely, ‘I can buy it myself but I don’t know what to buy and that’s why I need all those magazines. I have some serious homework to do.’
Serena glanced at the list. ‘Homework? I assumed you were just a lover of women’s fashion magazines.’
‘I need to see how other people look.’ Izzy fumbled in her bag and put some money on the desk. ‘That should cover it. And now I have to go and work. My Goal of the Day is to make myself stylish. I have a feeling it’s going to take some work.’
Twenty-four hours later Matteo paced the length of his private apartment at the palace for the tenth time and glanced impatiently towards the closed door of the master bedroom.
What could be taking her so long?
If she didn’t get a move on, the guests would be greeting themselves.
How long did it take one woman to pull on a dress?
Accustomed to women whose life objective appeared to be gaining access to his credit card, it had come as a surprise when Izzy had refused to let him fund her shopping trip. Even when he’d pointed out that he was the reason she needed to go shopping, she’d shaken her head.
As someone who was rigidly punctual, Matteo was about to stride into the bedroom and dress her himself when the door opened slowly.
‘Sorry I took so long. I’ve never tried to pin my hair up before. It kept falling down and then I couldn’t see what the back looked like. Complete nightmare.’ She reminded him of a doe emerging from the cover of trees, waiting to be eaten.
She looked stunning, but it wasn’t her appearance that knocked him off balance; it was his reaction to her obvious vulnerability. Discovering a powerful protective streak he hadn’t known he possessed, Matteo tensed. ‘We should go. We are extremely late.’
‘You’re telling me I look awful.’ Her face fell and the exasperation he felt towards his own reaction somehow became directed at her.
‘No, I’m telling you we’re going to be late!’
‘But you’re thinking I look awful.’