A Night In The Palace. Carole Mortimer

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