The From Paris With Love And Regency Season Of Secrets Ultimate Collection. Кэрол Мортимер

make him try and hold that gaze. And convey the message in his smile that he agreed it was well worth remembering. Unforgettable might be closer to the mark.

      ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake…’ lady Geraldine flapped a hand at them. ‘Go and make sheep’s eyes at each other in your own cabin and leave an old lady in peace.’ The tone was authoritative but she was still smiling as she delivered the order.

      Charlotte looked as though she was about to refuse but then shook her head and signalled Nico to go ahead of her. He stepped into their suite and she barrelled in straight after him, closing the door behind her.

      ‘I don’t want to leave her too long,’ she said. ‘I’m pretty sure she’s not feeling nearly as well as she’s trying to make out.’ Biting her lip, Charlotte stared down at her hands. ‘I think she wants me out of the way so she can take another dose of her painkillers.’

      ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’

      ‘I don’t think so.’ Charlotte shook her head. ‘But…thank you…’

      Nico had the distinct impression that the hesitation meant that Charlotte had something else she wanted to say. So he waited. Sure enough, her chin rose as she took a very deep breath.

      ‘I don’t mean just for offering to help with Gran…’ The movement of Charlotte’s facial muscles suggested acute embarrassment. ‘Thank you for…you know…’

      Nico raised an eyebrow. Was this it? So much for fearing that Charlotte might think she’d fallen in love with him! Was last night going to be a polite ‘Thank you’ and ‘You’re most welcome’ kind of exchange?

      He felt distinctly piqued even though he knew he should be relieved. But it deserved something more than that, surely?

      He stepped closer. Close enough for them to be breathing the same air. He bent his head as if he was about to kiss her but stopped halfway there.

      ‘I can assure you it was very much my pleasure.’

      Her eyes widened and he heard her catch her breath but then she stepped back. Only a tiny step, admittedly, but it was enough to send a very clear message. Charlotte didn’t want to be kissed again this morning. And there was enough tension in the air to make Nico wonder if she was trying to get back into her old comfort zone. That might explain the way she was dressed and the hairstyle that defied anyone to try and run their fingers through those long tresses.

      ‘Don’t… .’ The word escaped from him as a whisper. A soft groan almost.

      ‘D-don’t what?’ she stuttered.

      Nico had to close his eyes for a heartbeat. He hadn’t intended saying this but maybe it needed to be said. ‘Don’t dismiss last night as a one-off.’

      Oh…Dio…would she think he was asking to see her again?

      Maybe he was…

      With a mental shake Nico forced a smile to his lips. ‘Don’t ever stop believing that you’re special. That what you have to offer would be more than enough for any man you chose to be with.’ He straightened his spine and tried to keep his smile from faltering. ‘There’s a whole world of men out there, Charlotte. You’ll find someone one day and you’ll know he’s the person you want to share your life with. Don’t let your past hold you back.’

      She was nodding. Blinking hard as though determined not to cry. And when she spoke, her voice was remarkably strong.

      ‘Back at you, Nico Moretti.’ Okay, her smile was a bit wobbly. ‘Don’t be afraid to fall in love in someone or let your past hold you back. You need to trust yourself and find someone who can appreciate all you have to offer because…it’s a lot.’

      Find someone?

      Someone else, she meant.

      It was Nico’s turn to nod. To smile. This extraordinary connection they had was because they’d shared things they’d never shared with others. It was a new experience—much as this train journey was new. Totally unrelated to normal life and it couldn’t be expected to continue. They both knew that. At least, this way, they could part with special memories of their brief time together.

      Charlotte was twisting the ring on her finger. ‘I should give this back,’ she said.

      ‘There’s no rush.’ Nico shrugged. ‘Despite your wise words, I’m not about to go hunting for a wife. And even if I found someone, I don’t really think she’d want to wear such an old-fashioned ring.’

      ‘It’s a beautiful ring,’ Charlotte said immediately. ‘A family heirloom. A symbol of what’s held you back even. I’d wear it.’

      ‘You are wearing it.’ He had to smile. ‘Not that I gave you much choice about that.’

      Charlotte’s breath came out in a huff. ‘I mean, you’d have to make sure that whoever you really give it to understands its significance. The promise. You’d have to tell her everything you told me.’

      As if he was ever going to find someone to share soul-deep secrets with again. Once was enough. Like this train journey.

      They were both staring at the ring.

      ‘I’ll have to take it off as soon as I get back to work,’ Charlotte said. ‘I wouldn’t be able to wear a ring like this even if I was engaged.’

      ‘There’s no rush,’ Nico said again. ‘Just see how things go with your nonna. You know where I work.’

      Charlotte nodded again. ‘At the Hammersmith, yes?’

      ‘Yes. And it doesn’t matter if I’m not there for some reason. You could just leave it with my secretary.’

      ‘But…’ There was a lot not being said here. About how long she might want to keep up the pretence. How long it would take for her grandmother to die. Her lips trembled. ‘But it’s precious…’

      ‘I trust you.’

      It wasn’t hard to sound sincere. He’d trusted Charlotte with far more than a family heirloom, hadn’t he?

      The only sound for a long moment was the clack of the train wheels. Rhythmic and steady. Like a heartbeat. And then Charlotte raised her eyes.

      ‘I trust you, too,’ she whispered.

      That was a lot bigger than the trust he’d placed in her, even by confessing what he knew could be seen as an inadequacy. Being a commitment-phobic male was far more socially acceptable than the stigma of having been labelled a frigid woman. Or having been raped. He was holding a secret that could potentially wreck her carefully ordered world. It was huge.

      A gift that no one else could have given him.

      Like the one he’d given her by showing her that it wasn’t true? Being the man who’d had the privilege of holding her as she’d come apart in someone’s arms for the first time?

      They were even. Equals.

      And, as long as he didn’t do something stupid and make a fool of himself, they could keep this respect for each other. Part as friends. They would get back to reality and their own lives soon enough.

      It was time to lighten the atmosphere.

      ‘I’m hungry,’ Nico announced. ‘Would you care for breakfast in the dining car?’

      ‘Gran’s ordered cabin service. I need to stay with her and see if she actually eats anything. You go.’

      So the separation was to begin already. The countdown was on.

      Fine. Nico knew that was sensible. What they both wanted. There would be plenty to distract them for the rest of the day because it was unlikely that they would be alone again together. They would probably never be alone together again. This was it. The last intimate moment he would have with Charlotte Highton.

      He had