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‘No,’ I said softly. ‘She did not hurt me. She used me because she was lonely. The same way you do.’
His hand left my body. ‘She took what did not belong to her. I take what is mine,’ he snarled. ‘And if you were not such a fucking child you would know that.’ He stood suddenly over me. I knew he was looking at me with those irresistibly magnetic eyes of his.
‘I’m not a child,’ I said.
He sighed. The sound came from deep within him. ‘Promises are meant to be kept,’ he said, but he was not talking to me. He was talking to himself.
‘What promises?’ I asked, but he didn’t want to tell me. They were his secrets. Would the day ever come when he would trust me enough to bring me into his world?
‘Open your legs,’ he ordered.
I did and the sex was undeniably good. As it always was. Then he got up and left. That night I found it hard to sleep. I kept remembering Nikolai’s face when I said goodbye to him. I had to find a way to keep my promise to him.
Chapter 18
‘Some boxes arrived for you,’ Misty said, when I got back for lunch.
‘For me?’ I asked, surprised.
‘Yeah, dresses I think Guy ordered them from London. You are to choose one and wear it tonight. You are having dinner with him.’
I stared at her. ‘He bought me dresses?’
‘Well, come look,’ Misty encouraged.
We opened the boxes together. There were five dresses. A long white one with thin spaghetti straps, a green mini dress with round cut-outs at the hem and waist, a slinky oyster-colored knee-length dress, a long black dress with a daringly cut low back and high slits along the side, and a pretty red dress with a little box jacket. There were shoes to match with every dress.
Misty stroked the dresses longingly. ‘How beautiful. Each one of these must have cost what I make in a whole year.’
I was shocked. ‘Really?’
‘Absolutely. This one with the metal cut-outs is the latest Versace design. I saw it in a fashion video.’
I took the green dress and held it up against her body. ‘It looks really well with your auburn hair.’
She looked at me wistfully. ‘Yeah, green is my color.’
‘Why don’t you have it?’
‘What?’
I grinned at her. ‘It suits you, so why not?’
She looked incredulous. ‘You’re giving this dress to me?’
‘That’s what it looks like.’
She laughed. ‘Are you sure about this?’
‘Yes.’ I laughed. It felt good to be able to make someone happy.
‘Oh my God! I can’t believe I am now the owner of a genuine Versace! Thank you, Lena. Thank you. It’s so generous of you.’
I touched her. ‘No, thank you. You’ve always been so kind to me.’
She looked embarrassed. ‘Which one will you wear tonight?’
I didn’t have to look at the selection. ‘The black one. I’ve never worn black in my life.’
‘Goodness! Really?’
I nodded. ‘Yeah. All I ever had was hand-me-downs.’
‘Well, the black one is very beautiful. With your blonde hair it will look stunning.’
‘Do you have some lipstick that I can borrow?’
She hugged her green dress close to her chest and grinned happily. ‘Lipstick? Yes, I have lipstick you can have.’
‘Do you have red lipstick?’
She frowned. ‘Yes, but a softer color might be better for you since you have a complexion like double cream.’
I smiled. ‘No, today I want to wear red.’
‘Red it is.’
*****
That evening I poured some of the scented oils I found in the bathroom cabinet into the bath and soaked in the deliciously silky water until it got cold. Then I quickly washed my hair and climbed out. I switched on that amazing invention called the hair dryer and soon my hair was lying in soft waves down my back. Then, wearing no underwear, I slipped into the black dress. Misty had brought the lipstick up for me earlier and I very carefully, taking my time, colored my lips. The transformation was shocking. I marveled at it. My lips looked so big and full and out of proportion to the rest of my face. My mouth seemed to jump out of my face. I wondered if Misty had been right with her advice of keeping it soft. I smiled at myself. No, I didn’t want to be soft and sweet, I wanted to look daring and sexy.
I chose the red shoes in favor of the black. They were very high, but I found that I had no trouble walking in them. While going down the stairs, though, I did have to clutch at the banister until the last step.
When I went into the dining room I was surprised to see the table set with vases of blood red roses and lighted candelabras. Mr. Fellowes turned toward me, and his eyebrows shot into his receding hairline.
‘Do I look all right?’ I asked nervously.
‘You’re a sight for sore eyes, lass,’ he said warmly.
‘Is the red lipstick too red?’
‘No. It’s perfect.’
‘I hope Guy thinks so.’
‘He’d be bonkers not to.’
I laughed, my laughter dying in my throat at the sound of footsteps outside the door. I turned toward the door and Guy was standing there. He stood motionless. We stared at each other. Something leapt in his eyes and then it was gone so quickly I could not be sure I had really seen it. I smiled shakily. His sensual lips twitched. Candlelight reflected on his mask.
‘Thank you for the dress and the shoes.’
He walked into the room and came to stand a foot away. He reached out a hand and touched my lips. ‘Lipstick,’ he said wonderingly.
‘Misty lent—’
He stilled my words by putting his finger across my lips. ‘You look beautiful.’
The longer he stared at me, the more my skin prickled and small vibrations of heat rippled the surface of my body and pooled at my center. I swallowed hard and he put his hand on the small of my back and guided me to my seat. I sat then watched him take his with easy grace. He was wearing a gray silk shirt, a white dinner jacket and black trousers. He looked very confident and sophisticated. Mr. Fellowes poured wine into my glass and then his. He lifted his glass. ‘To lipstick.’
I lifted mine. ‘To lipstick.’
We drank. For some strange reason I felt nervous. I put my glass down. Mr. Fellowes had left the room to bring out the first course.
‘Misty says that you told her you think you’ve seen a ghost.’
‘Mmm.’
‘What sort of a ghost?’ he asked curiously.
‘A lady. I can never see her face.’
‘Does she frighten you?’
‘No, it feels as if I belong to her… A little.’
‘What does she do when she appears?’
‘She cries for her child.’
He stiffened; his eyes became suddenly bleak and out of all proportion to what we were talking about.
I rushed into speech. ‘Mr. Fellowes told me that it might be the Countess Isabella. Her baby died, and even though she left instructions that her heart must be cut out and buried with her child, her husband did not do it so she roams restlessly.’
He seemed to control himself. ‘That sounds a bit like a Gothic myth.’
‘No, it’s on her gravestone. She requested it. We should dig up the baby’s bones and bury it with hers.’
He looked at me as if I was mad. ‘I will not be doing any such thing.’
