The Rumba. Georgia Hill

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      Say it with Sequins

      The Rumba

      Georgia Hill

      A division of HarperCollinsPublishers

      www.harpercollins.co.uk

      HarperImpulse an imprint of

      HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

      www.harpercollins.co.uk

      First published in Great Britain by HarperImpulse 2013

      Copyright © Georgia Hill

      Cover images © Shutterstock.com

      Georgia Hill asserts the moral right

      to be identified as the author of this work.

      A catalogue record for this book is

      available from the British Library

      This novel is entirely a work of fiction.

      The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are

      the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to

      actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is

      entirely coincidental.

      All rights reserved under International

      and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

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      the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access

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      No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted,

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      stored in or introduced into any information storage and

      retrieval system, in any form or by any means,

      whether electronic or mechanical, now known or

      hereinafter invented, without the express

      written permission of HarperCollins.

      Ebook Edition © December 2013

      ISBN: 9780007562176

      Version 2018-05-03

      Digital eFirst: Automatically produced by Atomik ePublisher from Easypress.

      Contents

       Copyright

       Georgia Hill

       Dedication

       Say it with Sequins. The Rumba: a dance full of passion.

      Step One.

      Step Two.

      Step Three.

      Step Four.

      Step Five.

      Step Six.

      Step Seven.

      Step Eight.

      Step Nine.

      Step Ten.

      Step Eleven.

      Step Twelve.

      Step Thirteen.

      Step Fourteen.

      Step Fifteen.

       Love Romance?

       About HarperImpulse

       About the Publisher

       Georgia Hill

      I used to live in London, where I worked in the theatre. Then I got the bizarre job of teaching road safety to the U.S. navy – in Marble Arch!

      A few years ago, I did an ‘Escape to the Country’. I now live in a tiny Herefordshire village, where I scandalise the neighbours by not keeping ‘country hours’ and being unable to make a decent pot of plum jam. Home is a converted oast house, which I share with my two beloved spaniels, husband (also beloved) and a ghost called Zoe.

      I’ve been lucky enough to travel widely, though prefer to set my novels closer to home. Perhaps more research is needed? I’ve always wanted to base a book in the Caribbean!

      I am addicted to Belgian chocolate, Jane Austen and, most of all, Strictly Come Dancing.

      Keep dancing, everyone!

      For mum, who loved to jitterbug.

       Say it with Sequins. The Rumba: a dance full of passion.

       “The rumba is my favourite dance; it’s really sexy. It gives you a great excuse to get up close and personal with your partner!” Bob Dandry, Executive Producer and Director, Who Dares, Dances.

      Step One.

      “You can do this!” she said in her head.

      Julia Cooper, not yet star of stage and screen, bit her lip and tried to follow her own advice – and her partner’s lead. Trouble was, when you were a novice and dancing with a monosyllabic and bad-tempered hulk of a Russian, it wasn’t easy to pick up the steps. Or should that be steppes? Julia giggled and muttered her mantra again, “Concentrate, you can do this!”

      “What?” said the Russian hulk from somewhere above her. “What you say? No, Julia. Have told you. Like this!”

      For the umpteenth time that day, Julia wondered just what she had got herself into. Who Dares Dances was supposed to be a fun dance competition come reality show, wasn’t it? She was supposed to be having fun!

      “We’d better raise a barrel load of money to make this worth it,” she mumbled, as she was swung round so hard her neck ricked. She’d never worked so hard in her life. The charity, Pennies for Pencils, for which the show raised money, had better be grateful.

      “Julia! Have told you. Like this. Concentrate!”

      “That’s just what I’ve been telling myself, Jan.” Julia looked up at her partner with a bright smile. “But it doesn’t seem to be working. Can we stop now? Don’t we need to get ready for the launch party?” She made a hopeful face, which was completely lost on the Russian.

      “Pah! Party!” he spat. “We must work, work, work. Have much to learn. Stand up. Chin to left. More. More! Count in head.”

      “One, two, buckle my shoe,” Julia began and it sounded facetious, even to herself. But she really was exhausted. They’d been practising since eight that morning.

      “One, two, three, one.