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

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СКАЧАТЬ And then he smiled at her.

      And…dear Lord…what a smile. Slow and so full of warmth. The most genuine smile she had ever seen. And it was for her. She had to catch her breath again.

      ‘And I have a horrible feeling I might have contributed to your day not being the one you hoped for,’ Nico continued. ‘I really must apologise again.’

      His voice was as warm as that smile. The Irish lilt was unmistakeable but, if he had been in Ireland, they would hear something else. An Italian inflection that made it unique. An astonishing accent colouring a depth that was as masculine as his size and aura of power.

      How many women had fallen in love with that voice already?

      Not that she was about to join the ranks. Charlotte cleared her throat.

      ‘No…really. Losing my laptop was nothing compared to…’ Oh, help. Had she really been about to break one of her most ironclad rules and share personal information with a professional colleague?

      ‘Compared to what, cara?’

      It was the endearment that did her in. An endearment in a foreign language that somehow made it inoffensive and genuinely caring.

      ‘My…grandmother is here. She’s not well and…and it’s possible she might not have…’ Charlotte’s intake of breath was a small sob. ‘Might not have much time left.’

      ‘Ohhh…’ The sound was a drawn-out note of understanding. Empathy.

      This man was a stranger even if they had met before. She would probably never see him again after today. So it didn’t really count as sharing personal information, did it? Nobody would be giving her meaningful glances at work or gossiping about her in the cafeteria at St Margaret’s. As if it would help with the anonymity, Charlotte fixed her gaze on the canal again. She could be simply talking aloud to herself.

      ‘She’s the most important person in the world to me,’ she said softly. ‘My parents both got killed in a horrible accident when I was eight years old. I was in the accident too and came out as a terrified shell of a child who wouldn’t even speak to anyone for months. Gran never cared how tough it got, she was always so patient and so loving. So proud of any achievements I managed.’

      ‘She would have had a lot to be proud of.’

      Charlotte’s breath came out in a huff of incredulity as she twisted sharply to glare at Nico. He was so used to giving women compliments, wasn’t he? Meaningless compliments that demeaned what she was trying to tell him about her wonderful grandmother.

      ‘What makes you think you know anything about me?’ The words came out tight and accusing. And then Charlotte shook her head and swallowed fresh tears. ‘You know nothing.’

      There was a flash in his eyes but, while he might be startled by the verbal attack, he didn’t look away.

      ‘I know that a few years ago I met a woman who would have made anybody who loved her immensely proud,’ he said calmly. ‘But you’re correct…I know nothing about you on a personal level.’

      His gaze still held hers and there was something else in his eyes now. Respect? Curiosity?

      ‘So tell me,’ he invited. And then he smiled again. ‘I’m listening.’

      She was about to walk away.

      Nico could sense the internal struggle but, dammit, he wanted to hear more. He knew perfectly well he was taking advantage of finding Charlotte in a state that made her vulnerable but he wasn’t about to use the situation to his own advantage. Quite the opposite! His only motivation for coming out to this balcony and interrupting an obviously private moment had been to offer assistance.

      He owed her that, surely?

      Even though she had dismissed any contribution he’d made to her having such a bad day, he knew he hadn’t helped it get off to a good start. And it was frustrating not to be able to think of a way to make up for that. Nico Moretti was an expert in making other people’s lives better, even in the most dire of circumstances. He firmly believed that you could find at least a little patch of joy anywhere if you didn’t take life too seriously.

      Maybe that was why he knew he had the reputation of being a playboy. But play was the key, wasn’t it? Like when he took the time to actually play with one of his smaller patients or do something silly enough to make them smile. And…good grief…he’d never encountered a woman who couldn’t accept a compliment, even if it had been an automatic and possibly less than genuine response.

      Nico had a strong sense that anything Charlotte told him would be completely honest, no matter how badly it reflected on herself. In his experience, this was an unusual trait, particularly for a woman on first acquaintance.

      What really surprised him, however, was how much he wanted to hear more about her. His curiosity about Charlotte Highton was increasing rapidly. He remembered the brilliant young doctor. He’d seen the icy-cool clinician in action. He’d seen a speaker not only cope with facing an international audience having been deprived of her resources but engage them to the point where she’d had them in the palm of her hand.

      And now he’d seen a glimpse of a loving granddaughter. Beneath all the layers he could detect there was an orphan who’d been a desperately unhappy child. A woman who currently looked alone. And lonely.

      Just who was the real Charlotte?

      He tried to send a silent message with his smile. And his eyes.

      Talk to me. Please. You never know, I might be able to help. I’m good at helping.

      It wasn’t working, though. It was as though he was trying to hold a wild creature in his hands and it was struggling to be free. An injured wild creature that wanted to crawl away and lick its wounds somewhere it felt safe.

      He needed something more to keep her here. He needed to tap into something that would give them a bond, however tenuous.

      ‘I’ve met many people at many conferences over the years,’ he told her. ‘They are often accompanied by their husbands or wives. Or their lovers. Sometimes by their children. You are the very first I’ve met who is accompanied by a grandparent. That’s…intriguing. Special.’

      He watched Charlotte take a ragged breath. He heard her sniff and had to hide a smile because it sounded so…unprofessional. Childlike, even. It wasn’t as if he’d never witnessed a grown woman crying, of course. They usually did, when he told them things were over, but this was different. The tears had nothing to do with him and they touched a spot in his heart usually reserved for those younger patients or their families. Something poignant.

      ‘Gran is special,’ Charlotte said, her words a whisper. Then she cleared her throat. ‘But she doesn’t usually accompany me. In fact, I’m not allowed to talk about anything remotely gruesome or medical when I’m around her. She says that you can always find something uplifting to talk about if you try hard enough.’

      ‘A woman after my own heart,’ Nico smiled. ‘A finder of joy who can make people around her feel better.’

      He let out a quiet breath as he sensed Charlotte relaxing. He knew she was almost smiling herself because he was watching so carefully and he could see СКАЧАТЬ