A Scandal Made At Midnight

CHAPTER FIVE

‘ISN’TTHISAMAZING?’

Ella held her arms out as she twirled around the centre of their hotel suite, her hair flying out all around her. ‘I’ve never, ever seen a room like this before.’

‘Well, Rossi Hotels are meant to be the epitome in elegance and luxury,’ Liane reminded her with a laugh. Even though she wasn’t twirling around the room like a ballerina, she was similarly impressed, even stunned, by the sumptuous suite they’d been given—a living room with a wraparound terrace, a dining room and kitchen and two enormous bedrooms with en suite bathrooms that were the most luxurious Liane had ever seen—sunken tubs, waterfall showers and more marble and crystal than she’d ever seen outside of Versailles.

‘I feel like I’m living in a dream.’ Ella flung out one lithe golden arm. ‘Pinch me.’

‘Very well,’ Liane replied with a laugh and gave her sister a light pinch that had her squealing melodramatically.

‘Ouch!’

‘You know that didn’t hurt.’ Liane moved past her to the French windows overlooking the terrace, the palm tree-lined boulevards of Los Angeles spread out before them, the Pacific Ocean a blue crescent in the distance. She stepped outside, resting her hands on the wrought iron railing of the balcony as she breathed in the hot, dry air, so different from New York’s summer mugginess.

‘You aren’t angry with me, are you?’ Ella asked as she joined her on the terrace.

‘Angry?’ Liane repeated in surprise. ‘No, of course not. Why would you think such a thing?’ She was never angry with Ella; it would be like being angry with a kitten. Still, she could see her sister looked worried as she studied her face.

‘I don’t know,’ Ella told her. ‘You’ve seemed a bit distant since we got off the plane.’

Had she? Liane forced a reassuring smile. ‘I’m just tired. This has all happened so fast, my head is spinning.’ Which was true enough, even if there were other reasons for her quiet. That conversation with Alessandro on the plane had left her feeling unsettled, as if someone had, very gently, pushed her off balance and she was struggling to right herself again.

She didn’t know why he’d spent so much time talking to her, or if she’d been imagining the sensual currents she’d felt flowing between them. When he’d put his hand on the small of her back all her senses had sprung to life, her whole body twanging with awareness and need. It had been shocking, to feel so much from one little touch. To yearn so much.

But there was no way, she told herself, that he could feel the same. If he was flirting with her at all, and she wasn’t even sure he was, then that was all it had been—just for fun, a light amusement to while away the journey. Except he didn’t seem that sort of man, to amuse himself with other people’s emotions. By his own admission, he was restrained, even a recluse, someone who eschewed parties and socialising for hard work and solitude. Why would he tease her like that?

Or had she really been imagining all of it, and his gestures had been born of nothing but mere solicitude? But why seek her out, why ask her about herself, her family? It had almost been as if he wanted to get to know her, even to care. Her ever circling thoughts were making her head ache. She had to stop thinking about him, second-guessing every look, every remark...

‘Yes, I know what you mean,’ Ella agreed, bringing Liane back to the present. ‘But it’s an adventure, isn’t it?’ Her smile was playful but her eyes were still full of worry. ‘You’re not sorry I asked you along, are you, Liane? You know I couldn’t do this without you.’

‘I’m not sorry, but are you?’ Liane asked, managing to bring another smile to her lips. ‘I don’t want to cramp your style with Alessandro.’

‘Oh, yes, Alessandro.’ Ella rolled her eyes. ‘He’s almost too handsome, isn’t he? So dark and brooding.’ She gave a little shiver. ‘I don’t know whether he scares me or bores me, to tell you the truth. A little of both, I think. The two of you were gone for quite a long time on the journey.’ Her eyes narrowed speculatively. ‘What was that about?’

‘He was just showing me the plane.’ Liane heard how nervous she sounded. How silly she was, to think it meant anything. ‘Being a gracious host, I suppose.’

‘A gracious host,’ Ella mused. ‘Or something.’ She slid her phone from her pocket. ‘I thought for today’s post I’d do a little video story of our trip—I took a photo on the plane, looking out the window, and then I’ll do another one getting ready for the party. And then a shot of the ballroom at its most elegant, with Alessandro brooding away in the background—I don’t want to give away too much at the start, keep everyone guessing. What do you think?’

Liane glanced down at the artful shot of the blue sky from the plane window, sunlight on clouds, and then another of Alessandro, gazing down at his pile of papers. Brooding indeed. ‘I think it looks wonderful,’ she managed, doing her best to squash that absurd pang of jealousy—and over what? ‘But it’s what Alessandro thinks that matters.’

‘Unfortunately.’ Ella sighed. ‘I can’t believe he doesn’t even have any social media accounts.’

‘I don’t have any social media accounts,’ Liane reminded her. As a teacher, it had been advised for her not to have any, and she wasn’t interested in what seemed like a rather shallow world anyway.

‘You guys are actually perfect for each other,’ Ella told her with a speculative little look. ‘Both of you old-fashioned stick-in-the-muds.’

‘So that’s how you see me.’ Liane tried to sound laughingly wry, but she feared a little hurt came through. Did Ella really think she was that boring, that old? Was she? As for her and Alessandro being perfect for each other... Ella had clearly meant that as a joke.

‘Oh, you know it isn’t, not really,’ Ella assured her. ‘Come on, let’s pick out our dresses for tonight. Alonso has a designer friend who lives in LA and he’s sent half a dozen dresses for us to choose from. We’re both going to look stunning, I promise. Alessandro won’t take his eyes off either of us.’

Forcing a smile, Liane let herself be carried away on her sister’s enthusiasm and forced the pinpricks of hurt she’d felt at her offhand comments from her mind.

The dresses had been delivered to Ella’s bedroom and she unzipped them from their garment bags one after the other, oohing and ahhing over each creation. ‘Aren’t they stunning?’ she exclaimed. ‘You’d look amazing in the emerald, Liane. Try it on.’

‘I don’t think so.’ Ella could carry off a gown that was slashed down to the navel and up to the thigh, but she certainly couldn’t and she had no intention of trying.

‘Come on,’ Ella pleaded. ‘You’ll look amazing, Liane. You have a lovely figure when you choose to highlight it. Don’t be such a fuddy-duddy all the time.’

So she was a fuddy-duddy as well as an old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud, Liane thought wryly. Well, what did it matter? She could never be like Ella—fun and carefree, traipsing happily through life, drawing people to her like bees to honey. She’d always known that, and so why should she even try?

‘I’ll stick with the dress I brought with me, thank you very much,’ she told her sister firmly. ‘It’s perfectly suitable.’

‘You don’t mean that blue monstrosity of your mother’s?’ Ella exclaimed in horror. ‘Liane, you can’t. You’d look like...like my maiden aunt or something. We’re at a party in LA, for heaven’s sake—’

‘So?’ She hadn’t really wanted to wear that old dress—she’d only brought it as a desperate backup—but some stubborn streak made Liane tilt her chin, decided now. She was a stick-in-the-mud after all. ‘It’s the only one I have.’

‘What about the purple dress that I lent you—?’

‘It had to be returned, as you know.’ None of these fabulous gowns were theirs to keep. All of this life, she thought, was a mirage, disappearing in mere days. It would be good for her to remember that. ‘I’ll be fine in that dress, Ella. I’m not the one here for the publicity photos, remember. I don’t really need to go to the ball at all.’

‘Not go?’ Ella’s jaw dropped and she snapped it shut. ‘Of course you’re going. I need you there.’

‘You didn’t need me last time,’ Liane reminded her. ‘I barely saw you the whole evening.’

‘Still, this is different,’ Ella insisted. ‘People will be taking photos...they’ll be watching more now. I might do something stupid. You know how I can be.’ She reached for her hand. ‘I need you, Liane. Please.’

Liane couldn’t help but soften. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll go,’ she promised, squeezing her sister’s hand. She’d go even if she didn’t want to, not any more, and she wasn’t even sure why. Was it just because of how Ella’s thoughtless remarks had rankled, or because she was tired of her supporting role? Ella would naturally be by Alessandro’s side, chatting and laughing, flirting and making him fall in love with her, and where would she be? Standing in the corner as usual, but at least it wouldn’t be in one of these fabulous dresses that would surely make her seem as if she were trying to be the belle of the ball who absolutely wasn’t. The last thing she wanted was anyone’s pity, the ugly stepsister who tried too hard. If she had to be a wallflower, Liane thought resolutely, then she might as well look the part.