by Primula Bond
She touches her favourite nude gloss to my lips.
‘Why have you got that funny look?’ My voice is hoarse with nerves. ‘Is it because you’ve seen Pierre? Did he see you? He’s the best man. Has he got the rings?’
‘Yes to all of the above. But the poor guy. He doesn’t look great.’ Polly puts her finger on my lips to hush me, blinks and fiddles with her little vanity case. I realise she can’t say any more because tears are sparkling like diamonds in her eyes.
‘He’s in a lot of pain still,’ I remark thoughtfully. ‘You know, he gave Gustav back their father’s watch as a surprise gift the other night? G didn’t have a stag night. Just the two of them spent the night at the house while you and I were being pampered at Champneys. Maybe that accident has changed him, after all.’
‘Maybe you’ve changed him.’ Polly sweeps one more coat of mascara on to my eyelashes. ‘Babes, he’s your brother-in-law. He’s part of your life. I get it. I’ll cope. It’s fine.’
‘What about Gustav?’
She does the other eye and frowns, holding the wand up like a conductor’s baton. ‘What about him?’
I nearly stamp my foot, except that I’m wearing very high white satin mules and I’ll snap the heels.
‘I asked you before. Is he here?’
She just smiles and opens the door wider. The church is shadowy and cool, but a shaft of sunlight is arrowing in from the high stained-glass windows in the side aisles, shining a spotlight directly at the tall, straight-shouldered back of my bridegroom. Pierre is standing beside him, slightly shorter, and listing sideways on one of his crutches. The brothers are wearing identical black morning coats, and their black hair shines in the sunlight.
I stare at the back of Gustav’s head, willing him to turn round and watch me walk up the aisle towards him. I take one step forward, and the organist plays the opening bars of Schubert’s Ave Maria.
The hairs on the back of my neck rise as the music pierces me. Polly and I take another step into the nave. Pause.
‘They’re all here. A small but perfectly formed collection of well-wishers.’
I hold back a moment, staring at the back of Gustav’s head. Polly presses close to me, running her hand over the just visible swell of my belly under the swish of ivory chiffon.
‘Time to marry your prince.’
She falls behind me and I walk up the flower-decked aisle. As soon as he hears my first footstep, Gustav turns round. His black eyes are the brightest thing in this sunlit church, drawing me towards him. All around us are the people who have done something to shape our lives in the last year. In no particular order. Crystal and Dickson, side by side in matching Lincoln green like Robin Hood and Maid Marion. The Weinmeyers, big and blonde in blue. Maria and Angelique in peach and tangerine.
Up in the choir stalls, Chloe and her henchwomen are singing like angels.
Polly is slipping into the pew next to Pierre.
The two little ones are tucked inside.
But all I can see is him. Gustav Levi.
My prince.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To all at Avon Books and Lightbrigade for the expert advice, encouragement and enthusiasm which helped me complete this trilogy. To the team at Writers Workshop for giving me the opportunity to run an erotica workshop at their writing festival, which, as well as forcing me to assess and analyse my own work, gave me the rewarding experience of being treated by other writers and readers as a serious author. To the bloggers who have invited me on to their websites to talk about myself and my characters. And finally to all the readers who continue to buy my books and take the trouble to befriend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter to tell me their thoughts!
About the Author
Primula Bond is an Oxford-educated mother of three boys and has lived in London and Cairo. She currently lives in Hampshire with her husband and younger sons and works part-time as a legal secretary for criminal defence lawyers as well as writing freelance ‘human interest’ features for the national press. She has written erotic short stories and novels for various publishers and magazines for twenty years and this is her fourth erotic novel.
Primula also offers a critique service for aspiring erotic and romantic writers through the online Writers Workshop.
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Copyright
AVON
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
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Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpercollins.co.uk
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2014
Copyright © Primula Bond 2014
Cover design © Kate Gaughran 2014
Primula Bond asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780007524136
Ebook Edition © July 2013 ISBN: 9780007550906
Version: 2014-04-30
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