Fortune

by Megan Cole

  Instantly, she knew she’d said the wrong thing. Dark storm clouds rolled into Raphael’s eyes and his jaw clenched like granite.

  ‘No.’

  From the tone of his voice, Sapphire knew not to push it any further. She wondered what had happened. Had he fallen for some Italian beauty like Simonetta and had his heart smashed to pieces?

  ‘I should go,’ Raphael said. He jumped up.

  ‘Raphael, wait!’ Sapphire got to her feet and faced him. He was head and shoulders above her, his pale face and body at odds with the golden sunlight and sand.

  ‘Can’t we just be friends?’ she said awkwardly. ‘We seem to argue every time we meet and it’s getting stupid.’

  ‘Stupid?’ he repeated, in a not-unfriendly tone.

  Sapphire bit her lip. ‘Yeah, you know what I mean. It’s just that…’ She trailed off, feeling uncomfortable.

  ‘Just that what?’ he asked.

  Sapphire laughed. ‘Are you going to repeat everything I say?’

  A faint smile tugged at the corner of Raphael’s mouth. Sapphire shook her head self-consciously, not knowing where to start.

  ‘This is going to sound really cheesy,’ she said, ‘but you’ve really inspired me. I thought I had fallen out of love with music, but you’ve made me believe in myself again.’ She swallowed, working up the courage. ‘If you don’t mind, I’d really like to carry on our sessions.’

  He was silent.

  Cringe, thought Sapphire. He’s going to tell me to get lost.

  His golden eyes looked down at her. ‘Come and see me tomorrow. Five o’clock.’

  ‘Really?’ Sapphire broke into a huge smile. ‘That’s great! I have loads of new ideas to show you already.’ She stuck out a tentative hand. ‘Are we friends then?’

  For a moment she didn’t think he was going to take it, but then Raphael reached out and took her hand in his. His hand was cool and firm, like shaking hands with a marble statue.

  ‘Until tomorrow.’ He started to walk away across the sand.

  ‘Bye!’ Sapphire called after him. Without turning back, Raphael lifted his hand briefly and then dropped it again.

  Well, she thought, I can’t say we’re best buddies yet, but it’s a start.

  Chapter thirty-two

  Sapphire was in the kitchen of the huge villa. Even though Casa Eleganza was beautiful, she somehow preferred the back rooms of the mansion, where staff worked and lived together. The enormous kitchen, with freshly baked bread sitting on the counter and cooks bustling around, reminded Sapphire a bit of home. It made her feel warm and comforted.

  Today she and Maggie were perched at the big wooden table in the middle of the room, drinking tea and eating delicious homemade biscuits. Maggie looked across the table at her.

  ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t rather be out in the sun with Madison and Simonetta? Us oldies aren’t very interesting, you know.’

  Sapphire smiled. ‘I’d much rather be in here with you.’

  Maggie gave her a perceptive look. ‘How are you all getting along? I know what girls can be like!’

  Sapphire shrugged. ‘To be honest, I don’t think we’re each other’s kind of people.’ That’s putting it mildly.

  ‘It’s going to take some getting used to, my dear. Don’t expect it to come overnight.’

  ‘What, the fact that we’re sisters?’ Sapphire still felt funny saying the word; she’d spent most of her life assuming she was an only child. ‘How long have you known, Maggie?’ she asked. ‘About us, I mean.’

  Just then, one of the cooks came over, frowning. ‘Maggie, that tiramisu I made tonight for dinner has disappeared!’

  Maggie frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

  The cook shrugged helplessly. ‘I left it in the fridge overnight, and now it has gone. Someone must have taken it!’

  Maggie looked cross. ‘I bet it’s the gardeners — they’ve got the devil of a sweet tooth. I’ll be having a word with them.’ The cook nodded and scurried back to the stove.

  ‘We’ve got a food thief round here,’ Maggie told Sapphire. ‘Things keep going missing — the other day it was a whole lump of cheese Cook was going to use for the lasagne.’ She took a sip of tea. ‘Anyway, I digress. Where were we?’

  ‘You were about to say how long you’d known about Brad being my father,’ Sapphire told her.

  Maggie sighed. ‘A long time, my love. Too long, probably.’

  ‘Why didn’t he tell us before?’ Sapphire asked.

  Maggie smiled. ‘I think he wanted to wait until you were a bit older, so you could cope with it better. Turning fifty was a big milestone for him. At that age in life you start to reassess things.’

  Sapphire looked thoughtful. ‘Does he talk to you, Maggie? About emotional stuff and things?’

  ‘Brad tells me what he wants to.’ She smiled again. ‘He’s very private, always has been. I know enough though.’

  Sapphire wondered if they’d had any discussions about her. The thought made her feel a bit sick. Maggie would definitely not approve of the Charlotte Island drama. She dunked her biscuit in her tea, waiting until it got really soggy.

  ‘I haven’t seen much of Brad lately,’ Sapphire said hesitantly. ‘I thought we were getting on really well at the start, but now I don’t really know.’

  Maggie’s eyes were sharp and intelligent. ‘He’s a very busy man, Sapphire.’

  ‘I know that,’ she sighed. ‘It’s just that…’ She shook her head. ‘Forget it.’

  ‘Is money important to you?’ Maggie asked suddenly.

  Sapphire was a bit taken aback by the question. ‘Um, not really. As long as I’ve got enough to get by, I suppose.’

  Maggie took another sip of tea. ‘It’ll be a big responsibility, Sapphire, taking on all that money. Would you be ready for it?’

  Sapphire decided to be straight with her. ‘Honestly, Maggie? I just don’t know. I know that’s probably not the right thing to say, but that’s how I feel.’ She gave a small smile. ‘Don’t tell Brad, will you?’

  The housekeeper smiled back. ‘My lips are sealed. And for what it’s worth, I think you’re a very sensible young woman.’

  Sapphire didn’t feel very sensible, though. Her longing to see Cam was growing by the day. She’d started the journey to the guesthouse so many times, only to bottle out halfway there. She was sure there had been chemistry between them last time, but what if she had imagined it? What if she was making a total fool of herself going round there again?

  Finally, her brain could take no more. She had to go and see Cam otherwise she would drive herself crazy thinking about it. If it was obvious she was interrupting, she would say she’d just been passing. Passing on the way to what, she didn’t want to think about.

  There were a few clouds in the sky now, giving a brief respite from the scorching sun. Sapphire had to admit she was looking pretty healthy. Her skin was tanned to a light caramel, while her hair had little blonde streaks round her face. She had far too many freckles, in her opinion — but hey, Cam had said he liked them. She’d even taken the plunge — literally — and was wearing a pretty little sundress with a low-cut front. As she approached Cam’s, Sapphire thought she would have never have had the confidence to wear something like this in London. The thought made her feel good.

  To her disappointment the house appeared quiet and lifeless. Sapphire tried the doorbell anyway and heard it clang into silence. She turned to go and noticed Cam had left one of his tops lying on the terrace. Sapphire went over and picked it up. Without really thinking, she brought it up to her nose to smell it. Her tummy did a funny little flip as Cam’s aftershave filled her nostrils. She breathed in again, this time more deeply. Just smelling it was doing strange things to her…

  ‘Hello there! Who are you then?’

  The voice made her jump a mile in the air. Sapphire swung round guiltily and dropped the top. A thirty-something man was walking towards her, a smile on his face. Sapphire noticed he had a high-tech camera
hanging round his neck.

  ‘I’m Sapphire.’

  ‘Sapphire who?’ said the man, grinning. He had an English accent.

  ‘Sapphire Ste—’ She bit her tongue. Not that she had much experience of them, but Sapphire thought the man looked like a paparazzi.

  ‘Er, I’m just staying here. I’m a guest.’

  ‘Madison about, is she?’ the man said, his eyes darting all over the place.

  Sapphire started to feel uncomfortable, like she was doing something wrong. ‘Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t really think you should be here. It’s private property.’

  Flash! The bright light took her by surprise. When it faded from her eyes Sapphire blinked. ‘Oi, you can’t take my picture!’

  ‘I just did,’ grinned the man. Flash! ’Just a few more,’ he called.

  ‘I said STOP!’ she shouted.

  The man held his hand up. ‘All right! Didn’t mean to upset you.’ He fumbled in his pocket and brought out a card. ‘If you see Madison, give her this, will you? Tell her I’ll be expecting her call.’

  Sapphire looked at the business card he’d handed her. It had the words Terry Blake, freelance photographer across the middle, and a mobile number in the corner.

  ‘I think you’d better go,’ she said.

  Brad sighed irritably. ‘Where did you say this guy was again?’

  ‘By Cam’s house. I was just passing,’ Sapphire added hastily.

  Brad stared at her for a good five seconds before turning away. ‘And you say this guy was looking for Madison?’

  ‘Yeah, he gave me that business card. But I didn’t give it to her. I came straight to you.’

  Brad glanced up from the card. ‘I suppose that’s one good thing. At least we know who we’re dealing with.’

  They were in Brad’s private living-room, which Sapphire hadn’t been in before. To her surprise it was quite small and cosy, very different from the rest of the house. A black-and-white photograph of a young woman hung on the wall. It looked very old-fashioned and Sapphire guessed it must be Brad’s mother. She had been very beautiful, with the same dark hair and refined face as Brad.

  Brad noticed her looking. ‘My mother, Charlotte,’ he said abruptly.

  Of course. Charlotte as in Charlotte Island.

  ‘She’s beautiful,’ Sapphire said. ‘She looks very happy too.’ That’s my grandmother, she thought. It was a weird idea.

  ‘Hmm,’ said Brad. It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about his mother, and Sapphire fell quiet.

  Not wanting to meet Brad’s eyes, she continued to scan the walls. There was another picture of a young woman, standing by a huge sunflower. This one was in colour but, by the style of the clothes, Sapphire reckoned it must have been taken in the late seventies or early eighties. The woman was throwing back her head and laughing, long brown hair tumbling down her back. There was something vaguely familiar about her — was she an actress or something? I know I’ve seen that woman before…

  But just then, Sapphire felt Brad’s eyes on her and quickly looked away.

  ‘I’ll get straight on to my lawyers and make sure no pictures of you get out. And then I’ll get him to give Mr Blake here a phone call.’ Brad looked at her, scrutinising her face. ‘Sapphire, are you sure you didn’t tell him anything? It just seems strange that he got through the perimeter fence. We made sure that thing was impossible to climb.’

  Did he think she’d let the photographer in? ’Of course not!’ she replied hotly. ‘I told you I was just out taking a walk. I don’t know where he came from.’

  There was an awkward silence. ‘OK,’ Brad said. ‘Well, thanks for letting me know. You can go now.’

  As Sapphire left the room, Brad stared after her for a few moments, before reaching for the phone. Before he phoned his lawyer, his head of security was going to get a right bollocking.

  Chapter thirty-three

  The next morning at breakfast, Maggie came to tell the girls that Brad was holding a special dinner party. They were to meet in the drawing-room at seven o’ clock, dress code formal.

  Madison’s ears were up, twitching like a rabbit’s. ‘What’s the special occasion?’

  ‘You’ll have to ask Mr Masters that,’ came the housekeeper’s enigmatic reply. Madison could burst with excitement; she had been dying to wear her new Hervé Léger bandage dress.

  Shortly before seven, Sapphire was making her way downstairs. As she passed a full-length mirror in the hallway, she did a double-take. The person looking back at her was a million miles away from the girl she’d been in London. Her hair was sun-kissed and tousled, tumbling round her tanned shoulders. She was wearing a sparkly black dress from H&M, which she normally wore with leggings to tone down the look. Tonight, however, her legs were bare, the dress stopping midway down her tanned thigh. In a sudden fit of self-consciousness, Sapphire tugged it down.

  Maybe you should go and change…

  A low wolf whistle sounded from downstairs. She turned to see Cam standing in the hallway, hands in his pockets. He was wearing a dinner jacket, bow tie casually undone around his neck. Sapphire’s stomach turned upside-down. He looked utterly gorgeous.

  ‘Hi, Cam!’ Her voice did a really embarrassing wobble on his name. ‘Er, I was just wondering if I should go and change.’ She blushed. ‘Do you really think I look all right? I was thinking it was a… bit much.’

  ‘Don’t you dare go and change! You look really hot.’ He grinned up at her and Sapphire almost burst with happiness. Cam said I look hot! Concentrating hard to make sure she didn’t ruin the effect and trip in her heels, she made her way down the staircase holding on to the banister for balance. She got to the bottom and Cam looked her up and down appreciatively. ‘You look even better up close.’

  He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek and Sapphire caught a waft of his aftershave. Just his smell did peculiar things to her. Cam held out his arm and gave a little bow. ‘Shall we?’ Sapphire smiled and took it. They made their way down the wide hallway, Cam like a broad-shouldered, muscled protector at her side. They passed another mirror and Sapphire caught sight of their reflection, walking along together like a regular couple. She did a little inward jump of joy — if only her mates at college could see her now!

  They stopped outside the drawing-room. ‘After you,’ Cam said. He pushed the door open and gently steered her in, one hand lightly on her back. Sapphire’s whole body tingled at his touch. The occupants of the room turned to face them. Brad, in black tie, stood with Simonetta, who looked tall and sleek in a long, black evening dress. To Sapphire’s surprise, Raphael was there too. Even though his jacket didn’t have the obvious luxury of Brad and Simonetta’s clothes, he still looked cool in an offbeat way.

  ‘Sapphire, you look beautiful,’ Brad said approvingly. She felt her cheeks burn again as everyone looked at her. ‘Oh, this old thing,’ she mumbled jokingly.

  ‘Moschino?’ asked Simonetta, giving her an expert once-over.

  ‘Something like that,’ Sapphire replied, thinking Simonetta would probably collapse and die of horror if she told her the dress had cost all of £19.99.

  ‘Now all we’re waiting for is Madison,’ Brad said.

  As if on cue, the door burst open and Madison made her usual dramatic entrance. ‘Hi, guys!’ she said breathlessly. ‘Sorry I’m a bit late. I had a complete nightmare; I couldn’t get my hair straighteners to work.’ She tossed her ice-blonde hair anyway, clearly fishing for a compliment.

  ‘You look lovely,’ Brad told her dutifully. He looked round at everyone. ‘Shall we?’

  The dining-room looked even more exquisite than usual, with chandeliers twinkling above and a huge display of exotic lilies on the table, their scent filling the air. There were little place cards at each setting and Sapphire realised with a stab of disappointment that she would be sitting between Brad and Raphael, not next to Cam. The R&B star took his place opposite, with Madison and Simonetta either side of him. Madison was quick
to lean in, giving him the full benefit of her cleavage, while she pretended to brush something off his lapel. Sapphire felt a burn of jealousy. She turned to her right, where Raphael was sitting upright and still. His face was paler than ever, green eyes penetrating the low light of the room.

  ‘So, how come you’re here tonight, Raphael?’ she asked.

  His lips curled sarcastically. ‘What, do you think the hired help shouldn’t attend such events?’

  Sapphire frowned at him. ‘That’s not what I meant and you know it,’ she told him.

  He raised an eyebrow. ‘Do I?’

  Frustrated, Sapphire shook her head. Why did he always have to do this? Two of the waiting staff entered the room, carrying bottles of champagne in thick white linen napkins. They moved round the table discreetly, filling each of their glasses. As they finished and left the room, Brad spoke.

  ‘I want to make a toast to you all tonight. You’re all great kids and I’m thoroughly enjoying having you stay with me at Casa Eleganza.’ He raised his glass. ‘Here’s to you all.’

  They all followed suit and raised their glasses. ‘To us!’ As Sapphire took a sip, she saw Cam looking directly at her. He gave a little grin. Sapphire’s heart quickened and she smiled back. She realised Madison was eyeing her beadily from across the table. Sapphire took another sip of champagne and looked away, the fizzing liquid running down her throat.

  Despite the underlying tensions in the room, the evening passed well. Brad was a great host and made sure none of them were left out. But despite his best efforts, Raphael remained virtually silent, only saying the odd word or sentence when he really had to. It’s almost as if he thinks he’s above us, Sapphire thought.

  By ten o’clock the meal was finished. ‘I have a headache coming on,’ Simonetta announced suddenly. ‘Would you please excuse me?’ She stood up.