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CHAPTER FIVE
‘HESAIDWHAT?’
Rosie very nearly pulled a face but she didn’t want to irritate her sister any more than she was already. She didn’t want to repeat herself either, because she suspected that Bianca had registered every word she’d said and just wanted to mull them over.
That was the trouble with these video phone calls, she thought gloomily. You couldn’t pretend. Your reaction was there for all to see—no matter how fuzzy the pixilation on the computer screen, or the fact that you were talking to someone in faraway Venice.
‘I told you,’ she said dully. ‘Corso knows about Mum.’
‘Whatdoes he know?’
‘That she owes masses of money.’
‘Does he know why?’
‘It appears not, although that could just be an act. With Corso, you never know.’
‘Tell me again what he said.’
Rosie swallowed. ‘He wants to make full use of the Forrester name—to cash in on Dad’s reputation and the fact that he discovered the jewels. He wants to exploit the fact that I’m Lionel’s daughter and that I’ve got a degree in art history—well, I will have soon, hopefully. Which is presumably why he’s offered me a ridiculous amount of money to go on a tour of the collection with him.’
‘How much money?’ asked her sister quickly.
As Rosie repeated the incredible sum, she was greeted with complete silence—which was rare. On screen she could see Bianca chewing her bottom lip, the way she used to do when she was at boarding school—studying harder than anyone else in her year. The dazzling star student Rosie had spent her life being unfavourably compared to.
‘And you said, what?’ Bianca demanded.
‘What do you think I said? I refused, of course.’ Rosie tried to iron out the defensiveness in her voice and to silence the thought which was telling her she was being unreasonable. ‘I don’t want to go anywhere withhim,’ she added fiercely. ‘Especially not on a whistle-stop tour of three big cities I’ve never been to before.’
‘Why not?’
Because suddenly I’ve started to fancy him. Because he makes me want to do things I’ve never done before and feel stuff I’ve never felt before. Because, because, because...
‘He’s insufferable!’ she breathed. ‘I’d forgotten just how arrogant he can be.’
Bianca gave her a look. ‘Good heavens. How things change! I always thought the sky went dark whenever he sat down. It was always “Corso this” and “Corso that”.’ She huffed out a great big sigh. ‘But that’s all irrelevant.’
Rosie screwed up her face as she looked at the screen, because there was something in Bianca’s tone which she recognised of old, and it was making foreboding creep over her skin. ‘I’m not sure what you’re talking about.’
‘Then let me enlighten you, dear Rosie,’ said Bianca—her studiedly patient tone morphing into the natural bossiness of a big sister. ‘Corso’s wealth can wipe out this debt for us—and that can’t come a moment too soon. I’m fed up with scrimping and saving, just because of the stupid mistake our mother made. I don’t want to be saddled with money worries for the rest of my life and neither should you. So here’s what you do. You ring him and tell him you’ll agree to do what he wants.’ There was a dramatic pause. ‘Only you ask for twice as much money.’
If Rosie had been on a conventional phone call, this would have been the moment when she probably would have dropped the handset and smashed it. ‘Are you out of your mind?’ she breathed. ‘I can’t do that! What he’s offering is more than generous!’
‘Rubbish! It’ll be like small change to him. Think about it. Wouldn’t it be nice to use the extra to get Mum a decent place of her own, near her sister, where she can lick her wounds and find some kind of peace?’ On screen, Bianca swept a glossy handful of black hair away from her face. ‘I don’t see why Corso Andrea da Vignola can’t dig deeper into his pockets—he is one of the richest men in the world, after all.’
‘I know he is.’ Rosie swallowed, but her throat still felt like sandpaper. ‘But I don’t feel comfortable asking for more.’
‘Why not?’
What could she possibly say? That she didn’t want Corso to think she was greedy and grasping? It didn’tmatterwhat he thought of her, did it? Or maybe the truth was more insidious. What would Bianca say if she admitted that her major reservation was far more frightening? How would her worldly sister react if Rosie blurted out this stupid desire which seemed to have come out of nowhere? Which was that she wanted to melt into the King’s powerful arms and offer her virginity to him, despite his arrogance and deep sense of entitlement?
Wouldn’t that be enough of a let-out clause?
But she couldn’t do that. For a start she would never admit that to anyone, not even her sister. And if she forced herself to discount Corso’s physical impact, his offer made nothing but sense. Because Bianca was right. Sometimes Rosie felt as if the regular repayments were chipping away at her soul as well as her bank account. Why shouldherweakness around the Monterossian king prevent her from taking a step which would liberate them both?
She sighed. ‘I suppose I’ll have to do it.’
‘Excellent.’ Bianca flashed a cat-like smile. ‘Keep me posted, little sister.’ Suddenly there was a pinging noise and the screen went blank.
