A Night In The Palace

CHAPTER THREE

‘NO!’ Lily protested. ‘You have it all wrong,’ she continued confidently. ‘If your sister has gone missing then I’m sure it must be very worrying for you. But I assure you Felix has nothing to do with her disappearance. I know for a fact that he’s in love with a young lady named Dee. In fact, he’s done nothing but sing her praises this past two months.’

In all of Felix’s text messages and telephone calls during that time he had talked of nothing but the young lady he had met and fallen in love with since coming to Italy.

‘Perhaps he had trouble getting his tongue around the name Claudia too?’ Dmitri muttered morosely.

Lily blanched. ‘I’m sorry?’

Those chiselled lips twisted scornfully. ‘Dee is, apparently, what he calls my sister.’

Lily gasped even as she fell back a step, her hand moving up disbelievingly to her throat. What Dmitri was saying couldn’t be right. Could it? Felix would surely have told her if he had fallen in love with his boss’s sister. Wouldn’t he?

Or would he?

If Felix had once mentioned the full name of the woman he was seeing then he and Lily both knew she would have warned him against getting involved. Told him it was insane!

Claudia Scarletti! The young and beautiful sister of one of the most powerful and wealthy men in Italy. It was insane. Utterly and completely. Yet, while Felix might have done some less than sensible things in his life, surely he wasn’t stupid enough to have eloped with Count Dmitri Scarletti’s little sister?

Only Dmitri certainly seemed to think that he was...

Lily felt her face turn deathly pale. ‘Are you absolutely sure about this?’

‘Positive,’ Dmitri said tersely, reaching into the breast pocket of his dark tailored jacket to bring out a folded piece of paper. ‘My sister left this for me.’ His mouth compressed into an angry line. ‘In the mistaken hope, perhaps, that I would not attempt to look for her if I knew that she was with her lover.’

Lily’s hand visibly shook as she took the sheet of paper he held out to her, before unfolding it awkwardly to look blankly down at it for several seconds before handing it back to him with a grimace. ‘I’m afraid I don’t read Italian.’ She had, however, clearly recognised the name ‘Felix’ written several times in the text. Oh, God!

She took a step back to sit down heavily in the armchair, her pleasure at the thought of spending Christmas in Rome with Felix now replaced by feelings of apprehension as she accepted that Dmitri Scarletti might just be right about Felix’s involvement with his sister, after all.

Which was no doubt the reason the Count had more or less had her watched and herded from the airport in England to his palazzo here in Rome. Simply out of his desire to know if she’d had any idea of her brother’s plans? Or for some other reason?

Dmitri saw to the second the moment when Lily realised that his motive for having her brought to the Palazzo Scarletti might not, after all, be out of consideration for the sister of an employee, but something else entirely. As far as he was concerned, an entirely necessary something else!

He grimly recalled the frantic knocking on the door of his suite of rooms early that morning, waking him from the deep slumber he had fallen into after returning only hours earlier from a less than satisfactory evening spent with the woman who until six weeks ago had been his mistress. She still, unfortunately, had hopes of reviving his interest in her.

It had been an unpleasant as well as difficult evening. Dmitri had tried hard not to be cruel in his rejection, but ultimately had had no choice when Lucia had all but tried to seduce him at the dinner table. Very undignified. Very messy. And Dmitri was not a man who enjoyed having situations like that one in his life.

Learning that Claudia had eloped during the night with his English PA had put all thoughts of Lucia out of his mind as he’d begun a thorough, if necessarily discreet search for his young sister. The note she had left for him, explaining her reasons for leaving and with whom, had filled him with cold dread, and it had been after several hours of fruitless questioning of Claudia’s friends when his sister’s car had been located, parked at Leonardo da Vinci airport.

The location of Claudia’s abandoned car had at least allowed Dmitri to remember that Felix had requested the afternoon off work today, in order to meet his own sister when she arrived at the airport later...

Several phone calls later, and Dmitri had not only ascertained the woman’s flight number but had also arranged things so that when—if—she arrived at the airport in England, she would effectively be completely under his protection until safely delivered to the Palazzo Scarletti.

His mouth thinned now as he looked at her from between narrowed lids. ‘It would appear that the pair have been secretly seeing each other for some months, and have now decided to run away together,’ he bit out.

Lily was still trying to absorb everything this man had just told her. Even Lily could see the relationship was totally unsuitable—so heaven only knew what Dmitri Scarletti thought about it! Although that wasn’t too difficult to guess, when he was glowering down at her with such cold and brooding intensity.

Felix was certainly handsome enough to have attracted Claudia Scarletti’s interest, and there was no doubting that he was fun too, but everything else about him was totally wrong for such a wealthy, aristocratic girl.

Felix had no money to speak of—except the wage he earned working for the Count. He hadn’t attempted to buy a house or apartment when he’d lived in England, but had rented one instead. He had even sold his old wreck of a car before moving to Italy three months ago, and used public transport in Rome to get anywhere he needed to go. His family connections consisted of Lily. Admittedly she was a teacher, but at the same time she was struggling financially just as he was.

In short, Felix was totally unsuitable for Claudia—and that was obviously an opinion her older brother shared!

A frown suddenly creased the pallor of Lily’s brow. ‘Why secretly?’

A nerve pulsed in his tightly clenched jaw. ‘What?’

This time Lily managed to suppress the cold shiver that threatened to run down the length of her spine. ‘Why did Felix and Claudia feel the need to meet in secret these past two months?’

Those dark brows once again rose to his midnight black hairline. ‘Perhaps because Claudia knew I would never approve of her dating my English PA?’ he suggested.

Perhaps... ‘Is that the only reason?’

‘Is that not reason enough?’ he asked coldly.

Maybe. But then again, maybe not... ‘I don’t know. Is it?’ Lily looked up at him challengingly. ‘I accept that Felix wouldn’t be your first choice as a boyfriend for your sister—’

‘Or my last.’ His top lip curled back disdainfully.

‘There’s no need to be insulting!’ Lily felt a flush of resentment warm her cheeks.

‘No?’

‘At least he isn’t a criminal or a drug addict!’

‘Your argument no doubt being that I should thank God for that small mercy?’ He began a restless pacing of the room. Much like a big cat confined to a cage. A big cat who might lash out with lethal claws at any moment.

And at the moment Lily was the only one within striking distance...

She tried to remember the things Felix had told her about the young woman he had met and fallen in love with—apart, that was, from how ‘wonderful, fantastic and innocent’ she was! By innocent, had Felix meant in the physical sense or—? Good Lord! ‘How old is Claudia?’

Dmitri stopped his pacing long enough to look down at her. ‘As it happens, my sister will be twenty-one tomorrow.’

‘Twenty-one?’ Lily repeated incredulously as she stood up. ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake. I thought from the way you were behaving that she must be about sixteen or so instead of a grown woman!’ At twenty-one Lily had already worked to support herself through her university degree and had been embarking on a course for her teaching certificate. ‘Obviously she has a mind of her own.’ Not surprising, if she was anything like her arrogant older brother! ‘And she’s definitely old enough to have decided for herself whether or not she’s in love. With Felix or anyone else.’

Dmitri looked at her disdainfully. ‘She has merely become...infatuated with his Englishness.’ He scowled darkly. ‘Felix is blond haired and blue-eyed, and—’

‘My twin.’

‘What?’ Dmitri stared at her uncomprehendingly.

Lily gave a rueful smile. ‘Felix and I are twins. Born only five minutes apart.’

Dmitri closed his eyes briefly. ‘Which of you is the elder?’

‘I am,’ she announced.

Obviously, the two could not be identical, but Dmitri could see certain similarities in their colouring and the shape of their faces. And he had to acknowledge that at twenty-six years old Lily Barton was as beautiful as her brother was handsome...

He turned away from that fragile beauty to stare out of the window, searching for the soothing calm he always felt when looking at the majestic skyline of his beloved Roma. It was a calm that completely eluded him today, though, and he knew he would know no peace again until Claudia had been returned safely to him.

Dmitri had been fifteen years old when his mother had died giving birth to Claudia, but he had always adored his much younger sister—so much so that when their father had died of a heart attack, six years later, Dmitri had gladly accepted guardianship of her. It had not always been easy, and much of his time had been spent ensuring that her childhood was a happy and contented one—to the extent that he had put aside any ideas of marriage or a family of his own until Claudia’s own future was settled.

He realised now that perhaps he should not have done so. That a wife might perhaps have helped guard him against spoiling Claudia, of indulging her as much as he obviously had.

None of which was in the least helpful in this present situation!

‘Count Scarletti...er...Dmitri?’

His shoulders tensed at the husky softness of Lily’s voice before he slowly turned to look at her bleakly.

She took a deep breath before speaking. ‘If, as you claim, Felix has eloped with your sister, then I am sure that his intentions are honourable.’

At least Lily sincerely hoped that they were! Certainly Felix had never done anything as stupid as this before...

Crashed his motorbike when he was eighteen, yes. Dropped out of university during his first year to backpack around the world instead, yes. Telephoned Lily from Australia only three months later to ask for the fare home, yes. He had paid her back as soon as he had saved enough money from his winter season as a ski-instructor in France, though. Felix might be many things, but he was not a sponger.

Nevertheless, she had breathed a sigh of relief when, three years ago, Felix had finally seemed to shake the wanderlust from his system and settled down to take a business course before working his way up the corporate ladder to become PA to the managing director of a company in England. In turn, that had led to him coming to Rome three months ago to be PA to Count Scarletti.

Lily had always been the responsible twin—the sensible one. Always there to pick up the pieces from whatever scrape Felix had got himself into.

From the murderous expression now on Dmitri’s face, just at the mention of her brother’s honourable intentions, Lily realised there might not be any pieces of Felix left for her to pick up this time!

His mouth thinned ominously. ‘Your brother’s intentions are irrelevant when my sister is already promised in marriage to someone else.’

‘What?’ Lily felt a sinking sensation in her stomach.

He nodded. ‘Or at least she will be. Her betrothal to Francesco Giordano was to be announced at Claudia’s birthday celebrations tomorrow, at our home in Venice.’

Instead of which, she’d run off with another man! ‘Could that possibly be the reason she and Felix chose to elope today?’

Dmitri drew in a sharp breath. ‘Possibly.’

‘Which seems to imply that Claudia isn’t in love with this Francesco Giordano,’ Lily pointed out.

Those pale green eyes narrowed to glittering slits. ‘The betrothal has been arranged since Claudia’s sixteenth birthday.’

Lily shrugged. ‘Obviously she’s changed her mind since meeting Felix. And as the betrothal hasn’t yet been announced there’s no real harm done.’

‘The Giordanos and the Scarlettis have neighbouring vineyards in the hills above Venice,’ he grated harshly.

Lily’s brow cleared and she eyed him scathingly. ‘How romantic—a marriage made in the boardroom!’ She pursed her lips. ‘I simply can’t imagine why Claudia would prefer to elope with a handsome Englishman who’s in love with her rather than agree to an arranged marriage with your next door neighbour,’ she said sarcastically.

Dmitri looked annoyed. ‘You do not understand these things.’

‘I understand enough!’ There was no mistaking the disgust in her expression; those blue eyes glittered, her cheeks flushed and her top lip curled back in a slight sneer.

‘Obviously the vineyard is not Francesco’s only interest in her.’ He found himself defending the arrangement—much to his own annoyance.

‘I don’t see anything “obvious” about it,’ she challenged. ‘In fact, I find it pretty obscene that you intend marrying your only sister off to some man who’s probably old enough to be her father.’

‘Francesco is the only son of Franco Giordano, and is twenty-five years of age. He and Claudia have been friends since childhood!’ Dmitri’s patience—what little he had left after the shocking events of this morning—was fading fast in the face of this young woman’s insults.

‘Doesn’t he have an older or younger sister that you could marry to cement the business merger instead of Claudia?’ she asked pertly.

Dmitri’s nostrils flared at the obvious derision in her tone. Never, in all of his thirty-six years, had anyone ever spoken to him in the way she now did. ‘Francesco is an only child,’ he ground out through clenched teeth.

‘Pity,’ she said dryly.

‘Claudia gave no indication that she was unhappy with the betrothal,’ he insisted.

‘I think eloping with another man the day before her engagement is to be announced might be a hint in that direction, don’t you?’ She arched a mocking brow.

Dmitri clenched his hands together behind his back, knowing that if he didn’t he was seriously in danger of putting his hands about this outspoken young lady’s throat and throttling her!

‘Just out of interest, how have you explained Claudia’s present...absence to Francesco and his family?’ she now asked curiously.

Yes, perhaps a good shake was in order—even if he couldn’t strangle her! ‘Not that it is any of your business, but I have cancelled both the party and the announcement of the betrothal tomorrow evening with the excuse that Claudia has contracted...I believe in England you call it the mumps?’

‘Very clever.’ Lily eyed him admiringly. ‘Not only would that make Claudia highly contagious, and so prevent Francesco from visiting, but her swollen glands would also mean she won’t be able to speak to him on the telephone for several days.’

‘I am pleased it meets with your approval.’

Lily looked thoughtful. ‘You realise that excuse is only going to work for a limited time?’

‘By which time I will have ensured my sister’s safe return to her home and family.’

Lily quirked a mocking brow. ‘Ever heard the saying “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink”, Dmitri? My implication being—’

‘I am well aware of your implication, Miss Barton—’

‘Oh, Lily, please,’ she cut in pointedly. ‘After all, we’re almost related.’

Almost being the relevant part of that statement, she acknowledged. His anger was now such that he looked in danger of blowing smoke out of his ears. Or rather icy vapour, of course. Dmitri was too cold, too controlled, ever to really lose his temper in the way most people did and end up shouting at her.

Which made Lily’s baiting him like this dangerous in the extreme. Except she couldn’t seem to help herself. There was just something so—so arrogantly superior about this man—such an air of certainty that he was right—that she couldn’t seem to prevent herself from antagonising him even further.

Sculptured lips tightened in annoyance. ‘Claudia will see the error of her actions once she has returned and we have had a chance to speak together.’

‘I can see it now—big, scary and dominating older brother bullying his much younger and sweetly innocent sister,’ she mused naughtily.

Dark brows shot up. ‘I am not sure that I appreciate being described as scary and dominating.’

‘Too late,’ Lily quipped, knowing she found his cold determination completely intimidating!

Dmitri’s mouth thinned at the insult. ‘I also believe that minutes ago you described Claudia as being a grown woman, old enough to make her own decisions?’

‘Which doesn’t preclude her from being sweetly innocent.’

‘You obviously have not met my sister!’ He eyed her with mocking amusement.

She frowned. ‘Felix assured me that Dee is very sweet and innocent.’

‘Innocent, certainly,’ Dmitri agreed—hoping fervently that was still true. ‘Sweet may be something of an exaggeration, however.’

‘Claudia isn’t sweet?’

He gave a hard smile. ‘As syrup—until she does not get her own way.’

‘Oh, dear.’ Somehow Lily doubted that even-tempered and fun-loving Felix was aware of that side of the young woman he had supposedly eloped with.

‘Indeed.’ Dmitri gave a humourless smile. ‘I should also inform you that until Claudia reaches the age of twenty-five it is perfectly within my power to disinherit her,’ he explained.

Lily looked at him searchingly, realising from the coldness in those pale green eyes, and the sharp, uncompromising angles of his harshly handsome face, that Dmitri Scarletti was capable of doing exactly that. It was unlikely that there was ever an occasion on which this arrogant man didn’t mean exactly what he said.

His gaze was mocking. ‘Is your brother in a position to keep Claudia in the life of wealth and indulgence which she has so far enjoyed?’

Lily’s cheeks felt warm. ‘You know he isn’t.’

‘Yes,’ he confirmed, without apology for his obvious insult. ‘And once that becomes apparent to Claudia I have no doubt she will become disenchanted with her Englishman.’

If Claudia Scarletti really was the spoilt little rich girl that her brother described, then Lily thought that would be the case too. If Claudia and Felix were already married, it would be disastrous!

‘And he will likely become disenchanted with her once he realises that she is no longer an heiress,’ Dmitiri continued softly.

‘I believe I’ve listened to your insults for long enough.’ Lily picked up her shoulder bag from where she had dropped it earlier. ‘If you will excuse me, I believe it’s time I got in a taxi and found myself a hotel for the night.’

‘No.’

She stilled and once again eyed him warily, not in the least reassured by the expression of implacability on his face. She moistened suddenly dry lips. ‘What do you mean, no?’

He shrugged broad shoulders. ‘You are a young lady, alone in Italy for the first time, and in the absence of your brother I feel, as Felix’s employer, that it is my duty to offer you both my protection and the hospitality of the Palazzo Scarletti.’

Lily felt a nervous fluttering of butterfly wings in the pit of her stomach. ‘And I assure you that at twenty-six years of age I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.’

Dmitri gave a scornful laugh. ‘I did not see any evidence of that earlier at the airport, when you allowed yourself to be put in the back of a car by a complete stranger without even knowing where he was taking you.’

Considering Lily had realised exactly the same thing on her arrival here, she had to agree with that assessment. Inwardly. Outwardly it was a different matter entirely. ‘Marco behaved like a perfect gentleman on the drive here. In fact, since my arrival in Italy, the only person from whom I seem to need protection is you!’

Dmitri frowned. ‘You are insulting.’

‘I haven’t even started!’ she snapped back. ‘You had me brought here under false pretences, then proceeded to hurl accusations about my brother—and insulted me in the process. And now you expect me to be grateful for your offer of protection and hospitality?’ She gave a disbelieving shake of her head. ‘I may have been a little naïve earlier, but don’t ever think that I’m stupid!’

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