From Venice With Love

by Alison Roberts

  ‘Yes. She seems fine now. She totally refused to consider cancelling the train trip and getting a flight to London. She told me to go away so she could have a bath in peace and get ready for the dinner tonight. She wants to dress up.’

  ‘If there are no obvious signs that it would be detrimental to her condition, then maybe that’s exactly what she should do.’

  Charlotte’s jaw dropped. ‘And the train trip? You think that’s a good idea, too?’

  ‘Another day or two will not make any difference to the course of her illness,’ Nico said. ‘And look at it from her point of view. What would be better? To be lying in a hospital bed waiting for possibly a painful procedure or being able to forget about what lies ahead for a brief time and enjoying a wonderful experience in the company of someone you love?’

  ‘But…’ Charlotte caught her bottom lip between her teeth and tugged on it. It was another childish gesture that caught Nico in that soft spot in his heart. But then she let go with her teeth and soothed her lip with her tongue and suddenly it was quite another, very unexpected spot that Nico could feel waking up. ‘How could I forget enough to help her enjoy it?’

  ‘Because you have that kind of strength.’ This time the compliment was completely sincere. Nico already knew enough about Charlotte to be convinced of it. ‘You can choose the part of you that you want other people to see and the rest you can keep hidden.’

  Something very odd flickered across Charlotte’s face. The kind of expression that suggested…guilt? As though she’d been caught out trying to hide something huge and important?

  No. The expression was gone as fast as it had appeared. And now Charlotte was turning away. Nico wasn’t ready to let her go. Not just yet.

  ‘I think you should make the most of any time you can have together. Be proud that you can help her achieve this bucket-list thing. Maybe you can find out what the other things on her list are too and tick another one off soon.’

  A rueful laugh escaped Charlotte. ‘Oh, I know what’s on the top of that list and it’s not something that’s ever going to be ticked off.’

  ‘Oh?’ Nico tilted his head encouragingly. ‘They say that nothing is impossible.’

  ‘This is.’ Charlotte was looking up at the sky now. Assessing the clouds to see if the forecasted snow might arrive or was she seeking divine inspiration? She flicked Nico the briefest glance. ‘Gran’s greatest wish is to see me get married. Settled down and ready to present her with her first great-grandchild.’

  ‘Ohhh…’ Nico nodded slowly. ‘That could be tricky.’

  ‘Impossible.’ The word was final.

  ‘Hmm.’ He had solved the problem of the train trip. Surely there was a way of at least getting around this one? ‘Would there be any harm in letting her think it might be possible?’

  ‘Gran’s not stupid. She knows perfectly well that I’m not in a relationship. I haven’t been for years. I’m hardly likely to get away with pretending I’ve met “Mr Right” within the next few months, am I?’ She took a step away from him, raising her hand to smooth her already perfect hairstyle. ‘And I really can’t believe I’m having such an astonishingly ridiculous conversation.’

  Nico had been distracted for a split second, wondering again what Charlotte’s hair would look like if it wasn’t so tightly coiled and clipped into place. He wanted to pull out some of those pins. To force her to loosen up a little.

  ‘Because it’s not so ridiculous,’ he said. ‘What if you attended this dinner tonight with…with your new boyfriend? How happy would that make your grandmother?’

  This time it was real laughter that escaped. A delicious, totally unexpected chuckle of real mirth. ‘Is there a “hire a boyfriend” agency in Venice that you know about?’

  ‘There’s no need to hire anybody.’ Nico’s grin stretched his mouth. ‘It’s the least I could do to make up for this morning’s unfortunate happenstance.’

  It was perfect. Here it was on a plate. The opportunity to not only make up for contributing to any distress caused by this morning’s incident but to do it in a manner that would be fun.

  Except that Charlotte was looking at him as if he was totally crazy.

  This was surreal.

  Just having a personal conversation with a professional acquaintance would have been weird enough but this incredibly good-looking stranger seemed to be offering to pretend to be her boyfriend for an evening.

  Imagine that!

  Unfortunately, Charlotte could imagine it. She could imagine herself introducing him to her grandmother as a…as a friend…and Nico turning on his most charming smile and Gran putting two and two together and letting wishful thinking make the impossible a reality.

  Oh…God…how happy would she be?

  The distraction of a train trip to take her mind off what was coming was nothing compared to the joy she would have if she thought Charlotte had finally found ‘the one’.

  It was crazy. Wasn’t it?

  ‘That’s crazy,’ she said aloud, hoping the spoken words would confirm it.

  ‘It’s only for an evening.’ Nico shrugged as if it was no big deal. ‘We could tell her we’ve met before, which is perfectly true. We could say that there’s something about Venice being such a romantic city and we’ve realised we can’t fight the attraction any longer. It was meant to be.’

  Oh…my…If the look he was giving her right now was any indication of the performance he could put on for her grandmother, she would be totally convinced.

  For a skipped heartbeat kind of moment, Charlotte almost believed it herself. She could feel it right down to her bones. How could anyone be so good at looking as if they had just fallen madly in love with someone? It was doing very strange things to something deep inside her. A process that had to be stopped immediately.

  He’s acting, she reminded herself. And he’s only this good at it because he’s clearly had a lot of practice.

  ‘You may be an expert in pretending,’ she snapped, ‘but it’s not something I could carry off. I wouldn’t even want to try.’

  He was still giving her that look.

  ‘I watched you this morning,’ he said softly. ‘I think you can carry off anything that’s important enough to you.’

  There was a glint of mischief in those dark eyes. Good heavens, he was actually enjoying this, wasn’t he? He wanted to do it?

  ‘You might be surprised at how easy it is,’ he continued. ‘You might enjoy it.’

  Charlotte snorted. ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘And wouldn’t you even want to try? For your grandmother’s sake?’

  ‘No. It would be completely dishonest.’

  ‘Completely?’ Nico injected a hurt tone into the word. ‘Could you not summon even a tiny bit of attraction to me to work with?’

  He tilted his head, moving it closer to her own, his gaze dropping from her eyes to her lips.

  And, heaven help her, but Charlotte could actually feel a curl of desire unfolding deep in her belly. It escaped from that place that was locked away. A place she could never enter because, if she did, she would have to remember…Have to face up to what was so wrong with her…

  ‘No.’ The word came out like the slamming of a door. It was time to get away from there.

  Away from this man who was making her think about ridiculous things.

  Feel things she had no desire to feel.

  ‘At least think about it.’ His words followed her as she almost ran to get off the balcony. ‘I’ll see you at dinner.’

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘OH, MY…’

  ‘What’s wrong, Gran? Are you all right?’ The lighting wasn’t so great in this dinner venue. A restaurant within easy walking distance of the conference venue, this ancient stone vault of a room had been transformed into a winter wonderland in honour of the season.

  White church candles with multiple wicks, in a nest of holly leaves and poinsettia flowers, made a centrepiece for each of the small tables set for four. Sheets
of fairy lights in icicle form hung from the high ceiling and, on one roughened stone wall, a slide show of Christmassy scenes was softly fading in and out as the scenes changed.

  It was a beautiful setting for a dinner but the flickering light levels made it impossible to see things as clearly as Charlotte would have liked. She was convinced her grandmother had suddenly gone pale.

  ‘Stop fussing, Charlotte, for goodness’ sake.’ Lady Geraldine gave her a surprisingly sharp poke with her finger. ‘If you weren’t half-blind, you would have noticed what I just noticed.’ Her smile was almost gleeful as she lowered her voice. ‘Eye candy…’

  ‘Gran. Wherever did you learn an expression like that?’

  ‘I blame television,’ Lady Geraldine sighed. But she was still smiling. Still watching a point well beyond Charlotte’s shoulder. The entranceway, most likely, because Charlotte had deliberately chosen a table as far away from the door as possible. A nice, dark corner. With a bit of luck, Nico Moretti would be late and either he wouldn’t be able to spot her or the two unoccupied settings at their table would have been taken by another conference attendee and his or her partner.

  But no. With a sinking heart Charlotte realised that to have grabbed her grandmother’s keen interest, this ‘eye candy’ would have to be spectacularly good looking. And judging by the way her elderly relative was practically fanning herself with her hand now, he was coming in their direction. Slowly, she turned her head.

  Oh, my…was an understatement. Dr Moretti was wearing a beautifully fitting dinner suit, which always made men look good, but so were most of the other male guests here. Maybe the soft lighting had something to do with the way he stood out. Or more likely, it was the man’s sheer presence as he wound his way through the tables, pausing to smile at people he knew or share a few words in greeting.

  He seemed to have a spotlight on him, in any case, and Charlotte knew her gaze was as transfixed as her grandmother’s. As focused as every other woman in this room.

  If Nico was scanning the room, looking for her as he kept moving, he certainly gave no indication of it. Anyone watching would assume he knew exactly what table he was expected at. Charlotte could feel her grandmother’s interest sharpen into astonishment as he finally made a beeline for their corner, his face lighting up in a smile of sheer joy.

  ‘Carlotta. Cara…’ With his gaze locked on hers, Nico reached out and cupped one side of her face with his hand. It was an exquisitely tender touch. Over-whelmingly so. Charlotte had no hope of collecting her thoughts, let alone expressing them. His gaze suggested that if she didn’t want him to play this game she only had to say the word, but how could she when she couldn’t even draw a breath?

  And she saw the moment the question in his gaze turned to delight.

  Game on.

  With a smoothness that suggested Nico was far too good at acting, he turned his charm onto the unsuspecting Lady Geraldine. He gently picked up the hand with its diamond rings flashing in the candlelight. He pressed his lips to it.

  ‘And you have to be Carlotta’s nonna. I’ve heard so much about you. This is…such a pleasure.’

  And then Nico took hold of one of the two spare chairs and moved it so that it was as close to Charlotte’s as possible. He sat down and adjusted the silverware and then nodded at a nearby waiter, who instantly came to fill his champagne glass.

  Lady Geraldine was watching this little show with rapt attention and she seemed as lost for words as Charlotte. Until Nico raised his glass, tilted his head in a silent toast to the women, took a long sip and then…smiled.

  ‘Um…Charlotte?’

  ‘Yes, Gran?’

  ‘Is there something you haven’t told me?’

  This was her chance to pull the plug on this crazy plan that Nico seemed perfectly happy to put into action. To pretend—in public—that they were a couple in love.

  Trouble was, even for the short time it had been happening, it was casting a spell that was unbelievably powerful.

  They said that falling in love was magical. Maybe even pretending to be tapped into some of that incomprehensible power.

  Whatever. Charlotte could feel the waves of envy coming from the other women in this space. She could see the gleam of joyous disbelief in her grandmother’s eyes. Worst of all, she could almost feel what it would be like having someone like Nico head over heels in love with her.

  And, God help her, she wanted more.

  Just for an hour or two.

  Just enough to give her a bubble of whatever this magic was so that she could remember it when times were bleak.

  And there were going to be bleak times ahead.

  Could there possibly be a greater gift she could give her beloved grandmother than to let her die with the peace of believing that the child she had raised was happy at last? That she would be loved and cared for in her absence?

  It was a very strange feeling, this…giving in. Living in the moment without trying to weigh up any consequences or complications. It was incredibly liberating. Fun—like Nico had suggested it could be? Something was certainly lifting the corners of Charlotte’s mouth.

  ‘Gran…this is…Nico.’ Her words sounded hesitant. Breathless. The way they would if someone was about to reveal something secret. Something personal and precious.

  ‘Nico Moretti,’ he expanded. He laid his hand over Charlotte’s on the crisp, white linen tablecloth as he smiled at Lady Geraldine. ‘I am Charlotte’s…’ He hesitated, clearly at a loss for the right word to describe his relationship to her, and she held her breath. Could he really pull this off?

  Nico turned his head and she could swear his sigh was one of pure happiness. ‘I am whatever Carlotta will give me the honour of being,’ he murmured.

  ‘Charlotte?’ The gentle word belied the ‘please explain’ undertone.

  ‘It’s been s-sudden,’ Charlotte stammered. ‘I was going to tell you today, Gran, but…’

  ‘But then you started worrying about me.’ Lady Geraldine clicked her tongue. ‘For heaven’s sake, child. This is far more important. I want to know everything.’

  Oh, help…Charlotte tried to buy some thinking time by picking up her champagne glass. The Italian prosecco being served was astonishingly light. Delicious. She took another long sip.

  ‘We actually met years ago,’ Nico said into the expectant silence. ‘At St Margaret’s in London. It was my bad luck that Carlotta was unavailable at that time.’

  Uh-oh…It took Lady Geraldine less than a split second to work out exactly what time Nico was referring to and that earned Charlotte a glance she would rather have avoided.

  Gran knew there had been far more to the break-up of that relationship—the only one she’d ever known Charlotte to have—than she’d ever been privy to. It was the only aspect of Charlotte’s life she’d ever been shut out of and it was a cloud that had hung over them ever since. Something that was never mentioned but always there.

  Charlotte drank the last of her wine and barely noticed the waiter refilling her glass as she listened to Nico continuing to talk.

  Why hadn’t she thought that this pretence could open that particular can of worms?

  And it was too late to stop it now. She was already in too deep.

  About to drown?

  He knew he’d said the wrong thing.

  Nobody could have missed that electric glance that Lady Geraldine had speared her granddaughter with when he’d said that she had been otherwise attached when he’d first met her.

  What the hell was that about?

  Never mind. He knew he could redeem himself. He’d been quite confident of pulling this off from the moment he’d walked into this exclusive restaurant and spotted the table he needed to aim for.

  The table where the two most beautiful women in the room were sitting.

  Maybe Charlotte often wore an elegant silver dress to such a formal occasion but Nico had a strong sense that it was not usual practice for her to leave her hair loose like that—a tumble o
f soft waves that gleamed an ash blonde in the candlelight. Had she be thinking of him when she’d brushed it out and chosen not to wind it back into its prison of pins?

  And the grandmother! Nico had expected an English dowager of some kind. Tall and forbiddingly aloof. He had smiled the moment he’d set eyes on the old lady sitting beside Charlotte. Even from a distance he had caught the flash of her bejewelled hands and even a small tiara nestled in fiery red hair. He could sense her interest in the people around her and an ability to see beneath the surface of social niceties. This was going to be a much more entertaining evening than he could have hoped for.

  ‘I can’t tell you how often I’ve thought about her since then,’ he told Lady Geraldine with palpable honesty. ‘And then fate brings us together in the most romantic city in the world.’ He shrugged, his smile suggesting he hadn’t made much of an effort to stand firm against the winds of fate.

  Was he overdoing things? Judging by the mistiness in Lady Geraldine’s eyes, she was swallowing this very happily, but from the corner of his eye he could see that Charlotte was simply sitting there, staring at him, her lips slightly parted and her expression dazed.

  He still had his hand covering hers, so he picked it up. Such a soft hand. Such elegant, long fingers and neat nails that were not disguised by any unnatural colours. He touched his lips to her hand and then leaned forward as though drawn irresistibly to kiss her lips next. They looked soft, too, and when Charlotte unconsciously dampened them with the tip of her tongue, Nico realised that he actually did want to kiss her.

  Dio… That wasn’t meant to happen. He closed his eyes for a heartbeat to take control of the unexpected shaft of desire but then he let his breath out in a soft sigh. Did it matter? Charlotte wouldn’t need to know it was anything other than good acting and it would certainly make his performance more believable. He opened his eyes and focused on the owner of the hand he still had imprisoned in his.

  ‘It was meant to be,’ he said softly. ‘I’m lucky enough to have been given a second chance and even luckier that this beautiful woman seems to feel the same way.’ He added a few words in Italian, knowing how limited Charlotte’s grasp on the language was, and hoping that it would add to the impression of sincerity.