Midnight Secrets (Midnight Dynasty Book 4)

by CR Robertson

  Sofia linked her arm through his. “You’re being silly, Papa.”

  She was the only person I knew who could calm him from one of his temper tantrums. I sometimes wondered if it was because Sofia looked so much like Mama. She was a quiet bookworm in school until anyone picked on me or Catarina and then Sofia showed she had claws—sharp ones that could cut deeply and leave scars.

  In the car, I wanted to ask if Ash and the others were coming, but I knew Papa would disapprove. He’d made his views on us having boyfriends very clear.

  We weren’t allowed them.

  Catarina chatted in the background while Papa nodded and indulged her in her idle gossip about the different families we attended school with. She was the socialite of us, invited to every ball or soiree that was available. Nothing happened at our school that Catarina didn’t know about or had her fingers in. I even caught her kissing her security detail last year.

  Our home was empty except for Madison, our housekeeper. She was the mother figure that stuck plasters on knees and mended broken hearts. There was nothing that happened in this house that Madison didn’t see or know about. Two days after I told her about catching Catarina kissing her security patrol, he disappeared and an older, sterner man appeared who glared at us with a tight jaw and a disapproving air.

  “Girls!” Madison gathered us one at a time for a hug, before holding us at arm’s length to fuss over how tall we’d grown or the style of our hair. Catarina showed her the new manicure she’d gotten before flying home and Sofia had brought a box of chocolates home for her. My present for her was in my bag, but I’d wait until there was no one else around to give it to her.

  My room was exactly the way I left it, including my Converse trainers sitting under my dressing table. I flung myself on my bed and closed my eyes, savouring the scent and the ambience of Tuscany.

  The design of my room was white and pink. The main feature wall behind my bed had an elaborate design of interlinked deep pink roses that was echoed on my bed covering. White shelves filled with books and crystals were along the wall opposite the windows that overlooked the gardens at the front of the house.

  My walk-in wardrobe and en suite were on either side of the door into my room, so it had the illusion of a corridor walking into my bedroom. The carpet was deep and fluffy for my toes to sink into and in a deep pink that brought warmth to the room that made it home to me.

  There was little privacy at school as the matron regularly did room checks to ensure we didn’t have any banned items in our rooms. This was the only place in the world that I could be myself, the only place where I could indulge my creative side. Far from the prying eyes of the rest of the world, I had been studying gemstones, their properties, and the art of jewellery making. It started with me buying a few tumble stones on holiday and putting them in a silver cage to wear around my neck, and had evolved into something entirely different. My laptop was filled with spreadsheets crammed with all the different gemstones and crystals, their different formations, and the properties they imbued the wearer.

  Madison had always given me a black tourmaline when I had nightmares and said that it absorbed the bad spirits before they got to me in my sleep. To this day, I slept with one under my pillow.

  Catarina joked that I took art because it allowed me to sit and do nothing in class. Sofia encouraged me and helped with some of my projects for class, but I was terrified to show her my jewellery designs because she was so talented when it came to drawing.

  We’d been on a school trip to New York and I saw the perfect fire opal for Madison. She loved opals and wore a teardrop pendant with an opal in it. I bought it as soon as I saw it, along with a few other beautiful stones in the Natural History Museum.

  There was a safe room behind the wooden panel beside my bed. My last visit home, Madison had helped me create a small studio in the corner. I spent my days watching online tutorials about crafting jewellery and my nights sketching designs. Her opal would be set as the central point in a silver ring with a Celtic knot that symbolised friendship and loyalty. It didn’t need any other stones to enhance or adorn it, as the opal should be celebrated for its beauty.

  “Hey, pumpkin.” Madison opened the door and came in with a tray containing a glass of milk and a cookie. She never did it for my sisters, just me, and it always made me feel special.

  I sat up on the bed cross-legged to watch her. “How’s Papa been while we were away?”

  She gave me that look that only a mother could master that said I was pushing my limits. “Your father is a busy man with lots of important meetings about his breweries.”

  The girls at boarding school had told us years ago that Papa was the boss of an international crime organisation. Mafia. That word still sent shockwaves rippling down my spine. He was the kindest man I knew—there was no way he would even own a gun.

  “Florence says that Papa is involved in the mafia and that his brewery is a ruse.”

  Madison’s eyebrow arched. “Then Florence better watch it, or she’ll be sleeping with the fishes.”

  I giggled and Madison settled herself beside me on the bed. “I got you some stuff for your studio,” she said. “Just a few bits and pieces that I saw another designer use on YouTube.”

  I bit into my cookie and moaned with pleasure. Raspberry with white chocolate was my favourite, with a sprinkling of cinnamon in it and brown sugar on the top. She spoiled me and I loved every minute of it. Madison was the only person in the world who knew about my passion for jewellery.

  My travel bag lay at the bottom of the bed, and I grabbed the handle to pull it toward me. “I got you something.” The opal sat in a satin box to keep it safe. “I thought I would make it into a ring to match your necklace.”

  Her finger traced over the smooth surface of red with amber flashes in it. “It’s beautiful, but you shouldn’t be spending your money on me.”

  I waved her comment off. Papa gave us a generous allowance that I rarely used. Madison gave me more than money could ever pay for. Together, we entered my studio and I looked at the different tools she’d bought me. It made me want to sit down and start work straight away.

  Later that night, Xavier, Jordan, and Ash arrived. The first two men had black hair, but Ash had dark blond hair with blue eyes with the longest eyelashes I’d ever seen on a man. My heart beat frantically in my chest and I could barely string two words together. The men laughed over dinner, but I was acutely aware of every gesture Ash made. They engraved themselves into my mind to join the others. I would be able to read him without any words.

  “You finished your GCSEs this year, didn’t you?” Ash asked, staring directly at me.

  My heart stopped beating for several beats and I wasn’t sure where to look. “Yeah. Last one was two days ago,” I replied in a low tone.

  “You got a plan for the future yet?” he asked.

  “Lucrezia is going to be a socialite who flits through parties until she catches the eyes of a very rich man,” Jordan intervened with a wink. “There’ll be a fight over who gets to claim her as a wife and she can enjoy the rest of her life spending her husband’s fortune.”

  My cheeks burned at his description because that was exactly what some girls at my school planned as their career. Instead, I envisaged myself surrounded by beautiful stones that I helped tell their story in an exquisite piece of jewellery.

  Madison’s fire opal spoke to me of loyalty and love, of sacrifice and devotion. It belonged in a knot because she held this family together in the palm of her hand. Mama died a long time ago, and Papa still mourned her every day, but Madison had taken three scared and lonely little girls and raised us.

  “Maybe I want to get myself a job so that I’m independent,” I replied to Jordan, meeting his grey gaze. “I don’t need a man to support me if I have my own career.”

  Ash watched me intently, his eyes sharp and intent like an eagle scrutinising its prey. “My mother would agree with you. She spends her time helping different charitie
s because she likes to keep busy.”

  “My girls will want for nothing,” Papa said from the head of the table. “They can live their lives in luxury.”

  “Papa!” Sofia snapped. “We are not dolls to be groomed. I will be going to university next year to study for my architecture degree.”

  The scowl on Papa’s face said otherwise. I doubted Sofia would ever be allowed to go to university since there were so many dangers. Many of us at school had security details, but there were too many variables in an open learning environment. The stubborn set of Sofia’s shoulders matched Papa’s. It would be an interesting holiday if the two of them couldn’t control their tempers.

  Ash studied me and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. He was a man of the world and seven years older than me. He never looked uncomfortable in a situation and always appeared to be in control. “So what career would you prefer?”

  I wanted to tell him, to get his advice on my aspirations of designing jewellery, but there were so many people at this table and every one of them would have an opinion. Instead, I tucked my hair behind my ear and shrugged. I wasn’t prepared to expose my dreams.

  His head canted slightly to the side as if he could see directly inside my head, and that excited and terrified me in equal measure. I wanted him to see the real me, not the scared little schoolgirl who was hopelessly devoted to him. At the same time, I never wanted him to see my fantasies I created with him in a central starring role. All I had to go on was my imagination and the books on my Kindle that sparked that imagination. He was my very own Mr. Darcy that I’d evolved in my mind.

  In my version of the classic tale, Ash would come swooping in and steal me away from this life. He would tell Papa that I belonged to him and brand his ownership on me. In my sketchbook, I’d already started the design for my wedding dress and ring. If dreams came true through the power of want and lust, Ash would belong to me.

  Jordan said something that distracted Ash, and I watched more of his reactions, cataloguing them in my mind until the day he would finally realise that I was more than Lucas Black’s daughter. I would wait until he realised that I belonged to him and he was mine.

  Two weeks later, we were visiting Rome as Papa had a business meeting and Sofia wanted to study some of the architecture there for a project she was working on. Xavier had stayed with us as chaperon, acting as our tour guide and carrying our purchases.

  We were heading to the restaurant to meet up with the others. A low, female laugh caught my attention. I would know that dark blond hair anywhere because I had committed it to memory. He pressed the woman into the wall, his face lowering to hers. In my head he belonged to me, but reality was a horrible bitch who punched you in the stomach.

  “Hey there, little one.” Jordan arrived beside me and put his arm around my shoulders. “I know you might not want to hear this, but you are like a baby sister to me and the guys. Staring at Ash with hearts in your eyes is only going to end in heartbreak.”

  My gaze moved back to the scene unfolding in front of me. The woman wrapped her arms around his neck and her leg came up to snake around his thighs. Nausea burned a trail up the back of my throat while humiliation thrummed deep in my chest.

  All my hopes and dreams curled up and died in that moment. The visions of our future faded to dust in my head. They say your first love cuts the deepest. One kiss hadn’t cut me, it had killed me.

  ***

  Chapter Three

  Lucrezia (Present Time)

  “Look at this stunning design. The intertwined leaves around the necklace are beautiful.” Catarina stood staring at a necklace laid out on a red velvet display to accentuate the stones.

  She was selecting a present for a friend’s birthday and had dragged me to this exclusive jewellery shop in Covent Garden in London. The owner flashed an amused glance in my direction as I feigned disinterest.

  “The artist designs unique pieces and never replicates them,” he started his sales pitch. “Every piece has the hallmark of the studio so that the owner knows the value of it.”

  In other words, it was an incredibly expensive piece that would cause a dent in her allowance. The pink tourmalines had been carved into delicate roses and inset into the necklace to make it appear that they were growing there.

  “What do you think, Lucrezia?” She waved me over from where I was studying some of the newest designs of other artists.

  “It’s lovely, but will it suit Harmony?”

  “It’s more than lovely,” the owner intervened, giving me a reproachful stare. “It is unique and more importantly a talking point for the owner. Each of these roses are handcrafted to suit the piece. The skill of the artist is very much in demand. Her pieces sell as soon as they come in.”

  “How much?” Catarina asked, flicking her long black hair over her shoulder.

  His lips tipped up in a knowing smile. “Twenty thousand pounds.” My sister’s eyes widened in shock at the price. “You are not buying a piece of jewellery, but a piece of art.”

  My pieces were expensive, and when I first approached Sebastian to sell them in his store, he was the one who advised me on the price. It had been a learning curve, but he knew how to sell to his customers and make them want what he sold. That necklace had taken me hours to create and the delicate roses reminded me of the roses that used to be on the wall in my bedroom back in Tuscany.

  Papa had been right about one thing; our trust funds meant we didn’t have to work if we didn’t want to. However, I never considered my creations work—they were an extension of me. Every single one of the collections told a story of my life. All the other tourmaline rose pieces had sold and they reminded me of lying daydreaming on my bed and plotting the future.

  “I’ll take it.” Catarina sighed as if she was bored, but the light in her eyes said she was plotting. “And I’ll take the charm bracelet over there with all the faeries dancing around it.”

  In fairness, the bracelet was more Harmony’s style so it left me wondering why she needed the necklace as well.

  “We’re meeting Papa for lunch,” Catarina said, sliding her arm through mine as she tugged me outside after paying for her purchases.

  “I take it the necklace is for you?” I asked.

  Her scary grin answered without the need for words. Catarina was a collector of things to fill her life. She lived her life to the extreme and pushed every rule until it was ready to break in her hands.

  I only agreed to this trip to London to source materials for my next collection, but Catarina had hijacked it and seemed determined to drag me around behind her on her shopping spree.

  The restaurant was filling up with customers, but we were shown directly to Papa’s table. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest when I saw who was at the table. For five years, I avoided this man like the plague because he left me confused and tongue-tied. He’d been my first and only crush and I always felt like an idiot in front of him.

  Xavier turned and smiled at us. “There you two are! We were going to have to send out a search party.”

  Five years had taught me a lot, more than anyone would ever know. I learnt how to sculpt my face the same way I did gold or silver. No one ever knew what I was thinking.

  My lips curved up in my professional smile. “Don’t be silly. What do you think happens when two women are let loose on the streets of London with a credit card? Papa.” I kissed his cheek and sat beside him without acknowledging anyone else.

  “Did you two buy anything nice?” he asked, waving a waiter to the table. “We’ll be ready to order in two minutes.” That was mine and Catarina’s cue to decide what we wanted since we kept them waiting.

  “Can I take a drink order for the ladies?” The waiter hovered close, his stylus poised over his order device.

  “I’ll have a white wine,” I replied. “Catarina?”

  “Same here. Bring us a bottle of your house special.”

  I tended not to drink at lunchtime, but this was an exception since I did
n’t realise Ash would be here. I had a meeting with a diamond distributer at three this afternoon, so I discreetly checked the time on my phone and popped it back in my bag. My security detail Francis knew my schedule. He was Madison’s brother who kept my secret safe and helped organise my appointments with clients and suppliers.

  “How are you two ladies of leisure coping without your sister? You were always like the three musketeers,” Jordan said, lifting his glass of amber liquid to his lips.

  It had taken Sofia a year to convince Papa to let her go to university. Her four-year course was coming to an end later this year and she would be a fully qualified architect. It was unfortunate everyone thought I did nothing all day but paint my nails.

  Catarina smiled at him. “She’s coming back to us after her course. Her degree will hang in Papa’s library and we’ll return to being a trio.”

  I didn’t comment because I knew Sofia would fight to keep her independence. She had managed to escape and carve a life for herself. One day, I hoped to do the same.

  To avoid conversation, I lifted the menu and ran my eye over it, selecting a main course as I tended to avoid a starter in preference for a dessert. My stomach slowly began to tie itself in a knot, Ash’s presence boring into me from across the table. In my head, I had it all planned how he would see me after all this time. The past few summers, I had organised trips away for me and my sisters to avoid having to see the guys. If that didn’t work, I tended to stay in my room and work on my crafting skills.

  Xavier waved his hand in front of me to get my attention. I blinked a few times and my professional smile appeared on my lips. “Sorry?”

  “I asked what else you are planning while in London?” Xavier repeated.

  “Catarina has our stay planned. I have a few personal appointments this afternoon.”

  My sister’s attention snapped to me as I hadn’t included it on our itinerary on purpose because she would ask too many questions. My plan had been to leave her with Papa after lunch.