A Scandal Made At Midnight

CHAPTER TWELVE

LIANEFELTASif she were walking through a dream. The plane landed and they emerged into the sun-baked heat of an Umbrian afternoon, an SUV waiting to take them to Villa Rossi, tucked among the rolling green hills, while she existed in a daze of remembered pleasure.

Her body was thrumming, all the secret parts of her twanging to life, uncovered and aching, yet with a pleasurable ache as she thought, with a frisson of thrilled wonder, of how Alessandro had touched her...and how he would touch her still.

He looked unaffected as he chatted to the driver who greeted them, yet Liane caught the slight flush still on the hard planes of his face, remembered the throb of his body against hers, and it made her blood heat and her heart race all over again. There had been no doubting his desire for her, of that she was sure.

And is desire enough?

She ignored that small, panicky voice inside her. It would be, she told herself. She would make sure it was. She’d made her choice and she would enjoy every very pleasurable moment of it.

They drove down winding roads through ancient hill towns and sleepy villages until they came to a pair of impressive stone pillars topped with lions and a long sweeping drive that led to a sprawling whitewashed villa with a red-tiled roof, perched on its own hillside, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves.

‘Alessandro!’ An elegant yet relaxed-looking woman in her fifties with long, curly greying hair came out onto the steps as the car pulled up. ‘I thought you weren’t coming till tomorrow.’

‘Change of plan.’ Alessandro stepped out of the car and then extended a hand to Liane, keeping hold of it as he approached the woman and kissed her on both cheeks. ‘Ciao, Christina. Where’s Sophia?’

‘On her phone as usual, I’m sure,’ Christina answered with a laugh. ‘She’ll be down in a second.’ She glanced in curiosity at Liane. ‘But who is this?’

Alessandro laced his fingers with hers as he drew Liane to his side. ‘This,’ he said firmly, ‘is Liane.’

Liane didn’t miss the note of possessive pride in his voice and she thought Christina didn’t either, as a speculative gleam entered the older woman’s eyes.

‘I’m glad to meet you,’ she said as a teenager tumbled out of the front door.

‘Alessandro!’ she exclaimed, and hurled herself into her half-brother’s arms.

Liane took a step away, watching in poignant bemusement as Alessandro hugged the smiling, dark-haired girl. Here, she thought, was someone who loved him and wasn’t afraid to show it. And he had to love her back, judging by the way he hugged her before he set her on her feet.

If he was capable of that kind of love...

No. She couldn’t let herself think that way. Hope that much. She’d known what she was agreeing to when she’d said yes to Alessandro. Yes to a night, maybe two, perhaps even three, and no more. As long as she kept reminding herself of that, she’d be fine.

‘Come inside,’ Alessandro said, reaching for her hand once again. As he took it, Sophia’s gaze narrowed and she glanced at Liane in unabashed curiosity, although without any hostility. Liane smiled, and Sophia smiled back.

Inside, the villa was an eclectic and tasteful mix of old world antiques and comfortable modern pieces. Christina led the way into a sprawling living room, its louvred doors open to an inner courtyard with orange trees and a tinkling fountain. A staff member brought iced coffees and a selection of Italian pastries.

‘So...we’ve been watching your story unfold on social media,’ Christina told them with a laugh as they sat down. ‘Everyone’s buzzing with it, wondering who your Princess is, Alessandro.’ She gave him a teasing look. ‘And now we know.’ There was a slight questioning lilt to her voice and Liane forced herself to rush in.

‘Oh, no. That was just a...a stunt, for publicity.’

‘A stunt?’ Christina glanced at Alessandro. ‘That’s not like you. You hate publicity.’

He shrugged, reaching for a pastry. ‘The hotels had the publicity, not me.’

‘So you don’t mind that everyone is wondering what lovely young woman has caught your eye?’

‘It was you, wasn’t it,’ Sophia interjected eagerly, ‘running out of the ball last night? I saw it on YouTube this morning!’

She was on YouTube? Liane’s stomach cramped. She wasn’t ready to be famous, not even for fifteen minutes, and she definitely wasn’t ready for her romance with Alessandro to be offered for public consumption. Except of course it wasn’t a romance; it was an arrangement.

She wasn’t having second thoughts, she told herself fiercely. She absolutely wasn’t. She was looking forward to tonight; she was practically counting the minutes. Her body was still humming. And yet despite all that she still felt she had to brace herself for the hurt she knew would come after, no matter how hard she tried to avoid it.

‘We came here to get away from all that,’ Alessandro told his sister and former stepmother. ‘We’d had enough of the speculation.’

‘Our lips are sealed, then,’ Christina replied, her eyes dancing. ‘I’m glad you brought someone to meet me, at least.’ She turned to Liane. ‘He never has before, you know.’

‘Oh...’ Liane couldn’t think of anything to say. She didn’t want another reason to hope. ‘I’m only staying for a day or two.’ She glanced at Alessandro, whose bland gaze gave nothing away. ‘Actually, I should call my sister, let her know where I am. Do you mind...?’

Christina gestured to the hall. ‘Of course not. Please.’

Liane murmured her apologies as she rose from her seat and stepped out into the hall, wondering if Ella would even answer her call, yet feeling a sudden, desperate need to talk to her sister. To hear her advice, even if she’d never been brave enough before to follow it.

‘Liane?’ To her surprise, Ella picked up after the first ring. ‘How are you?’

‘Good. I think.’

‘You think? What’s going on with Alessandro? You guys didn’t fight, did you? I saw the photo of you running out of the ballroom. I posted it this morning. People are going crazy.’

‘You didn’t!’ Liane exclaimed. ‘Has absolutely everyone seen that wretched photo?’

‘About three hundred thousand people, last time I checked. What’s going on?’ Ella sounded surprisingly interested, even avid. ‘Where are you?’

‘I...that is, we...we decided not to go to Rome. I’m in Umbria, at Alessandro’s family’s villa.’

‘Oh, I see.’ Ella sounded delighted, and Liane let out an uncertain little laugh.

‘Yes, I guess you do.’

‘So you are having fun.’