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

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      ‘I knew we should have offered to let him share our water taxi.’

      ‘It would have been a bit of a squeeze with all your luggage, Gran.’

      It had, in fact, taken an impressive tip to get the water taxi driver to leave his boat tied up and carry Gran’s bags up the daunting flight of stairs leading into the train station from the road beside the canal. ‘You did know you’re only supposed to have one cabin bag and one piece of luggage to be checked in, didn’t you?’

      Her grandmother sniffed. ‘If you’re going to do the Orient Express, it must be done in style. Everybody knows that. Goodness knows how you get away with nothing more than an oversized handbag.’

      Cabin luggage hadn’t been all Charlotte had been carrying on her way to Venice, of course. She’d had her laptop bag to contend with as well. An accessory that was now lying on the bottom of a Venetian canal. She could remember the expression on Nico’s face as he’d realised what had happened. So apologetic, even though it hadn’t exactly been his fault. The willingness to do whatever he could to put things right.

      He was a kind man. And a generous one. The tailored suit jacket Charlotte was wearing again today suddenly felt tight. Scratchy, almost, as her senses replayed the sensation of the silk lining of Nico’s jacket against her bare skin. A sensation that morphed almost seamlessly into remembering that kiss.

      How kind was he? Kind enough not to reveal astonishment…disgust…when he found out what Charlotte was lacking?

      And then there was that very tiny seed of what was definitely hope because that kiss had made her feel things that no other kiss ever had—even Siegfried’s. And if just a kiss felt that different, maybe other things would feel different too and maybe…just maybe…she’d be able to—

      Oh, help… Wasn’t it enough that her memory of that little scene had kept her awake virtually all night? She couldn’t allow it to keep distracting her like this. Charlotte balanced her cabin bag on top of Gran’s biggest suitcase and grabbed the handle of the other with her free hand. With a determined shove she began moving the luggage towards a check-in desk that looked suspiciously like an antique mahogany piece. Lady Geraldine pulled the handle of her smaller bag as she followed.

      ‘You’re going to have to wear the same dress for dinner tonight that you had on last night, aren’t you?’

      ‘What was wrong with my dress?’ It had been the first time Charlotte had worn the slinky, silver number but she’d been delighted with how it had looked when she’d put it on. How good it had made her feel.

      ‘It’s a lovely dress, dear. You just need more than one of them.’

      It was a lovely dress. And if Charlotte was honest, she’d felt way more than simply ‘good’ in it. The way Nico had run his eyes over it more than once, as though the experience was a pleasure all in itself. Yes…that dress had made her feel beautiful. An odd experience for a woman who did virtually nothing to enhance her appearance in order to attract the attention of the opposite sex.

      ‘Nobody’s going to know I’m wearing it two nights in a row.’ Charlotte smiled at the woman behind the desk and handed over the tickets.

      ‘Apart from your fiancé.’

      The woman behind the desk was smiling. ‘You must be Lady Geraldine. We got your message. We’re delighted to be able to welcome Dr Moretti on board to accompany you and your granddaughter.’

      ‘Um…there could be a small problem…’ Charlotte began. But the woman wasn’t listening. She wasn’t even looking at her and the expression on her face suggested that she was looking at something far more interesting.

      A tall and extremely attractive man, perhaps?

      ‘Cara…’ The endearment was a caress. ‘I’m so sorry I’m late.’ Nico pulled Charlotte into his arms and then bent to brush her lips in a perfectly acceptable kiss for a public place. Except it lingered for just a heartbeat too long. And his eyes lingered on hers even longer. Charlotte dragged in a breath. The part of her that wanted to be close to Nico was winning. Doing a happy dance inside her chest that made her heart thump and send extra blood up to warm her cheeks. The wash of relief was unmistakeable and hot on its heels was something she hadn’t felt in years.

      Excitement. The kind a small child would have creeping downstairs too early on Christmas morning and seeing the magic of the gifts under the tree. Gifts for her.

      Did she dare to pick one up and rattle it? Tear off a tiny piece of wrapping paper to see if she could guess what was inside?

      But what if it wasn’t what she wanted? Maybe the anticipation was better than reality.

      ‘I went to the hospital,’ Nico explained. ‘I knew you’d want to know how our man from yesterday was getting on.’

      To her shame, no doubt due to the emotional roller-coaster the day had presented, Charlotte had barely given the man another thought. So much for her heartfelt presentation yesterday about the medicine they practised being about the people. But Nico was right. She could feel her face light up in her eagerness to know the outcome. This was the kind of excitement she was used to. This was what she needed to focus on.

      ‘He’s doing well.’ Nico’s smile was one of pure delight. ‘He had an angioplasty and half a dozen stents put in. His broken leg’s been sorted and he’s sitting up in the coronary care unit and you’d never know he’d been dead for a while. No evidence of any brain damage even.’

      ‘Really? That’s…astonishing. Our CPR must have been up to standard, then.’

      ‘A little more than that, I think.’ Nico put his arm around Charlotte’s shoulders as he turned towards Lady Geraldine. ‘We are an amazing team. And here we are, about to have an adventure. I am The happiest man on earth.’

      Lady Geraldine was beaming at them. The check-in clerk was smiling mistily but then she collected herself. ‘Here are your boarding passes. We’ll take care of the suitcases and you can take your cabin baggage with you. I wish you the happiest of journeys.’

      Lady Geraldine merely nodded. ‘It will be,’ she said softly. She winked at Charlotte. ‘All that remains to be seen is which of us is the happiest woman on earth today.’

      Lady Geraldine needed some assistance to climb up the steps And negotiate the narrow corridor of the train carriage. The first impression was the glow of polished wood and brass. And lights. Lamps casting a soft glow. Fairy lights in honour of the season, looped at ceiling height on the internal wall and twinkling merrily. The doors had small wreaths festooned with artificial cherries and tiny golden bells.

      Even more overwhelming than the warm glow of the wood and lights was a sense of confinement. The cabins were tiny with no more than a richly upholstered double seat and a tiny table beneath the window. A washstand was cleverly incorporated into a corner.

      For most passengers this would have been their total space but with a suite, a door beside the washstand cabinet was open, leading to the adjoining cabin where the seats had already been turned into comfortable-looking bunk beds with crisp white linen and soft-looking towels folded on the ends.

      For one person, it would have been the ultimate in spaciousness aboard the train. СКАЧАТЬ