Bought: Destitute Yet Defiant

‘We’re very proud of it.’ Romana introduced her to a woman wearing a crisp white uniform. ‘This is Viola. She will be in charge of your treatments. If there is anything at all you need, just ask her.’

Jessie followed Viola to a treatment room overlooking a private stretch of beach and proceeded to spend the next few hours in a state of pampe

red bliss.

She was massaged with scented oils, given a manicure and a pedicure and then guided through to the hotel’s exclusive salon where an expert stylist shaped her hair and applied her make-up.

Stunned by the change in her appearance, Jessie stared at her reflection in the mirror and wondered if all those glamorous women who had attended the champagne reception spent this long getting ready every day.

It was a full-time job, she thought, being beautiful.

It was hours later that she finally made her way back to the suite. The band members had been friendly and talented, but the nerves were a tight knot in her stomach and she knew she wasn’t singing as well as she could. She expected to find Silvio pacing impatiently, wondering how long it took for one woman to get ready to sing a few songs.

Instead, she saw two boxes on the bed, together with a note.

Curious, she opened the note first, frowning as she read:

To give you courage. S.

Wondering what he could possibly have bought her that would give her courage, Jessie opened the first box, delved through layers of fine tissue paper and gasped.

It was a gold dress.

But this was nothing like the cheap version she’d had to mend so many times. It was a work of art. Exquisite and unique.

Almost afraid to touch it, Jessie wiped her fingers on her towelling robe to make sure they were clean and lifted it carefully from the box. It flowed over her fingers like a liquid, the fabric so fine that it draped lovingly over everything it touched.

It shimmered and gleamed in the evening sunlight and Jessie quickly stripped off her dressing gown and stepped into the dress. It dipped low over her breasts, curved in at the waist and pooled on the floor in a river of gold.

‘I knew it would look fantastic on you.’ Silvio’s hands were at her back, sliding up the zip, and she gave a soft gasp and turned to face him.

‘You chose this for me?’

‘I thought if you were wearing gold, you could imagine you were back in the bar.’ He gave a faint smile. ‘Not that I would have thought you wanted to be there, but you didn’t appear nervous when you sang there.’

‘It’s really weird,’ she confessed in a soft voice, her fingers sliding into the lapels of his dinner jacket. ‘Whenever I sang there I pretended I was somewhere else—somewhere like this. And now that I’m here, I’m so nervous I’ll have to pretend I’m back there.’

‘Once you start singing, you’ll be fine.’

Jessie looked down at herself. ‘The dress is truly stunning. It wasn’t one of the ones I tried on, was it?’

‘I had it made for you. Everything you touch will be gold once people have heard you sing.’

Jessie tried to dismiss the thought that he hadn’t trusted her to choose her own dress for the evening—that he’d been afraid she might make a fashion faux pas.

Cross with herself for even thinking that, she reached for the other gift. ‘What’s this?’

‘No more battered cardboard boxes,’ Silvio said softly, sliding his hands over her shoulders and watching while she opened it.

Jessie removed the packaging and revealed a box the same size and dimensions as hers—only this one was gold, inlaid with an intricate pattern, and she knew instantly that was extremely valuable.

‘Open it,’ Silvio urged, and she did so cautiously, wondering why she felt so numb.

Was he afraid that one of his staff might come across her battered cardboard box?

But if the box had surprised her it was nothing compared to the contents. Inside was a glittering diamond pendant on a bed of scarlet silk. Nestled in a setting of gold, it was a more expensive replica of the one he’d bought her years before and Jessie stood in stunned silence as he fastened it round her neck.

‘Time to throw the cheap version away,’ he purred, standing back and looking at her with a satisfied expression. ‘It looks good on you.’