A Night In The Palace. Carole Mortimer

swallowed convulsively before dragging her gaze from Dmitri’s to place the mobile to her ear and listen to her messages. ‘The first one is private,’ she informed him resentfully. It was Danny, belatedly wishing her a good time in Rome. No doubt with some idea of the two of them getting together again after Christmas. Some hopes! ‘The second one is...’

      Lily’s voice trailed off as she realised the second message was from Felix, and had been left at nine o’clock this morning, English time. Before Lily had even left home for the airport. Except at the time she had been standing outside on the pavement in front of her apartment building, waiting for the late arrival of her taxi, with no thought of checking to see if she had any voicemail messages...

      She felt herself start to tremble as she heard the urgency in Felix’s tone as she listened to his message. ‘Don’t come to Rome, after all, sis,’ he warned forcefully. ‘I’ll explain everything when I see you again, but just don’t—don’t!—come to Rome!’

      ‘What the—?’ Lily looked up dazedly as the broodingly silent Dmitri, standing close beside her, took the phone from her unprotesting hand and listened to this second message for himself. ‘Why didn’t Felix want me to come to Rome after all?’ she breathed softly, uncertainly, as she saw and recognised the dangerous glitter in those pale green eyes as he glowered at her. ‘Where is he?’

      Dmitri snapped the mobile shut with a resounding click, his jaw tightly clenched. ‘As I said earlier, that is an interesting question...’

      ‘Then I demand that this time you answer it!’ Lily insisted, glaring at him accusingly as she snatched the phone back out of his hand.

      Dmitri couldn’t help noticing—to his own annoyance—that her blue eyes were now the colour of sapphires. There was a slight flush to the pale delicacy of her cheeks, and the perfect bow of her lips was set in a stubborn line.

      ‘You obviously know what’s going on—otherwise you wouldn’t have taken the trouble to upgrade my seat on the plane, or sent your car to collect me from the airport!’

      Intelligent as well as beautiful, Dmitri acknowledged, recalling his relief when he had received the telephone call informing him that Giselle Barton was at the airport in England and was booked onto the flight to Rome. For several hours before that Dmitri had been afraid that Felix might have contacted his sister and warned her not to come here.

      As it was...

      ‘No, I would not,’ he accepted abruptly as he moved to stand beside the fireplace. ‘As to where your brother is at this precise moment— I have absolutely no idea.’ If he knew that then he would not be wasting his time talking to the man’s less than helpful sister. But, as things now stood, unfortunately she was Dmitri’s only possible means of locating Felix. ‘But I assure you that when I do know, I have every intention of ensuring that your brother leaves Italy immediately and is never allowed to return.’

      Lily became suddenly still, her confusion of emotions nothing in comparison to the frightening chill of anger she could feel coming off Dmitri Scarletti in waves. Towards her as well as Felix.

      What on earth had her brother done to incur this man’s cold and no doubt deadly wrath?

      Whatever it was, she had no intention of standing meekly by while this man attacked her brother—

      either verbally or physically. ‘You don’t scare me, Count Scarletti,’ she informed him, grinding her teeth together as amusement glittered briefly in the pale green gaze sweeping over her obvious slenderness and lack of height. ‘Don’t be fooled by appearances. I’m very proficient in kick-boxing—and I’m not afraid to use it!’

      Grudging respect briefly lit his eyes and he nodded. ‘When this is all over I would be happy for you to demonstrate your skill. However,’ he continued ruthlessly when Lily would have spoken, ‘at this moment I am more concerned in locating your brother and returning my sister to her home and family without scandal than I am in any threats you may care to make!’

      Lily was totally confused now. What did Claudia Scarletti have to do with all this?

      ‘Your sister?’

      Dmitri eyed her scathingly. ‘I wish I could be sure you are as innocent in this matter as you sound, Miss Barton,’ he rasped harshly.

      ‘But I am innocent! At least...if you count ignorance as innocence.’ She frowned. ‘I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.’

      ‘I am talking of my sister and your brother’s elopement earlier today!’ he thundered, his patience obviously completely at an end.

      Lily blinked.

      Elopement?

      Felix?

      And Claudia Scarletti?

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,