by Lulu Taylor
‘Not exactly. I know who she is. But until very recently I thought she was dead. My aunt – who brought me and my sister up – has just told me that she believes my mother is still alive. If she is, I want to find her.’
Nick nodded, an understanding expression on his face. ‘Sure. Sure you do.’ He put down the paper, pushed his chair back from the desk and put his feet up on it, crossing them at the ankle. Then he pressed the tips of his fingers together and stared at the ceiling. ‘Okay, so you maybe want to trace your mother. That should be straightforward enough, if you can give me the necessary information. But first I have to ask you to think through whether you really want to find her … I gotta tell you that there are plenty of people I’ve worked with who end up wishing like hell that they’d never started looking for a long-lost parent. They have a wonderful dream of this person who’s going to welcome them with open arms, cry all over them, then listen to and solve all their problems.’ Nick shook his head. ‘I’ve never seen that happen. Not even once. I’ve seen some tears and some hugs – but I’ve never seen anyone find what they really want, which is perfection. So before I tell you that I can make your dreams come true, you ought to know that.’
Flora stared at him, biting her lip. ‘M-m-maybe you’re right,’ she said, suddenly unsure.
‘Let me guess.’ Nick put his feet down and leant towards her. His eyes, she noticed, were extraordinarily intense, almost black in colour. Was he Italian? Spanish? ‘Your aunt was like a mother to you, but she didn’t always understand you, maybe didn’t give you much attention. But when you find your mom, she’s gonna be all over you and make everything better, right? Maybe, just maybe, that will happen. But why did she go away in the first place? Now, I’m not making judgments. I’m just saying – ask yourself the question first before you start all this.’
There was a pause. Flora stared down at her hands. I need to think about this. He’s right. What am I going to gain? Is it right to dig it all up? Maybe I need to be like Octavia and forget all about it. Maybe I need to move on …
‘Hey, it’s okay,’ Nick said kindly. He smiled at her. ‘I don’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Just that you should go into it with your eyes open.’
Flora smiled back weakly. ‘You’re right. But … I’m getting married. I feel like I want to know the truth about my past before I can move on with my future. Maybe that’s just stupid … My sister and I were involved in a big court case, you see, because our family has a lot of money. My mother mysteriously gave up custody of us, and I just want to know why … why she left us. Why she’s never been in contact … Why she won’t be at my wedding day …’ She stopped, feeling her eyes filling with tears.
‘Hey, I understand. It’s only natural. Hell, I love my mother to bits, can’t imagine life without her in it. Why should you have to live without yours? And I guarantee I can find her for you, that’s not the issue.’ Nick smiled again. ‘Listen, did you bring any information with you today?’
Flora pulled a file out of her bag. ‘I printed off everything I could find on the internet, and I wrote down everything I could remember about my parents and what my aunt said.’
He reached for the file. ‘That’s great. You leave this with me, go away and think about it. If you want to proceed, just give me the word. Meanwhile, I’ll send you details of my fees and the likely costs of the operation once I’ve had time to assess it. Does that sound okay?’
She smiled and nodded, feeling comforted.
He stared at her again, as if seeing her for the first time. ‘So you’re getting married, huh? If you come from as much money as you look like you do, then you’d better be sure you’re getting a pre-nup.’
‘Oh, I am,’ Flora said earnestly. ‘Otto insists on it.’
‘Otto? Your husband-to-be a Brit?’
She shook her head. ‘He’s German.’
Nick smiled at her. ‘That’s lucky. Make sure you get your pre-nup done in Germany, okay? It’ll hold weight there. A British pre-nup is about as effective as writing to Santa Claus. Means nothing.’
Flora laughed. ‘Thanks for the advice.’
‘You’re very welcome.’ He put the file down on his desk and patted it. ‘Leave this with me. And I’ll be in touch.’
40
Octavia put down the phone and sighed, shivering delightedly. That sexy Australian voice … she only had to hear Ethan’s low drawl and she started to turn to jelly. He’s delicious, she thought.
And keen to see her, from the sounds of it. He’d arranged to come round to the house the following evening, to talk through the Noble’s scheme.
Octavia heard the front door slam and went out into the hallway. Flora was there, taking off her coat, her face flushed from the cold outside.
‘Hi,’ Octavia said, grinning, ‘I’m glad to see you’re up and about. Vicky said she’d had a talk with you and you’re feeling much better.’
‘Yes … yes …’ Flora’s flush deepened. ‘I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. We’ve been missing each other.’
‘Come and talk to me now then,’ Octavia said. ‘I’m all yours.’ They sat down in the drawing room. It was already almost dark outside and the streetlights were beginning to glow orange against the inky sky.
Flora sat down opposite her. Something in her eyes made Octavia apprehensive. ‘What is it?’ she said, trying not to sound worried.
Her sister ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. ‘I’m … I’m back with Otto.’
Octavia frowned, absorbing the news. ‘Right …’
‘And we’re engaged. Properly engaged. He wants us to get married as soon as possible.’
Octavia opened her mouth to say something but she was speechless. She could only blink dumbly at her sister, trying to come to terms with this surprise.
Flora rushed in to fill the gap. ‘I know what you’re going to say, honestly I do.’
‘I was going to say – that was fast work. You’ve only just broken up with him,’ Octavia said, trying to sound jokey. She couldn’t maintain it. Her smile faded. ‘But Flora – why would you get back with him when he dumped you like that?’
‘It was a misunderstanding,’ she said firmly. ‘We’ve sorted it out.’
Octavia summoned an image of Otto to mind. He was nice enough, but was he really the man Flora should spend the rest of her life with? There was something so ordinary about him. He didn’t have the pin-up pretty-boy looks of Ferdy, or the crackling charisma of Ethan Brody. But Flora must see something in him. Octavia said tentatively, ‘Have you … have you slept together?’
Flora’s face went crimson. She gazed at the floor and then said quietly, ‘No – but almost. Otto wants us to take things slowly.’
‘Jesus, Flora! He wants to take sex slowly, but he thinks you should get married right away! That sounds completely arse about face to me. How can you even consider marrying someone you haven’t slept with? You’re still a virgin! You haven’t had any experience of the world.’
‘We’re engaged, we’ve got all the time we need to discover each other.’ Flora’s expression changed and she looked sad. ‘Oh, Tavy … I thought you’d be happy for me.’
‘I am, I am … but … oh, it’s all so sudden, so fast!’ Seeing her sister’s expression, Octavia tried to make a joke. ‘You weren’t supposed to get married before me!’ Then her smile faltered and she buried her face in her hands.
Flora rushed over to her twin, kneeling at her feet and reaching up to clasp her hands, pulling them away from her sister’s face. Octavia found herself looking into those dear, familiar violet-blue eyes that were now so desperate and pleading.
‘What are you worried about, Tavy?’ she asked. ‘I’m so sure, and so is Otto. He says he’s my destiny, and I believe him.’
‘But this is the guy who wanted to dump you! Break your heart and dump you. How can you marry him now?’
‘Because I love him,’ Flora said simply.
Octavia gazed at her siste
r, stricken. ‘But, Flora …’ She looked imploringly at her. ‘You’re going to leave me. I can’t bear it. Why do you need to get married?’
‘What else do you do when you fall in love?’ asked Flora. The happiness in her eyes was so great that Octavia couldn’t bring herself to keep arguing against her obvious bliss. ‘I’ll always be here for you, nothing will change that, even if we live apart sometimes. Please be happy for me, Octavia,’ she said quietly.
‘Well …’ Octavia managed to summon a smile. She could see how much it meant to Flora. She loves Otto. I can’t make her choose between us. And I can’t risk losing her completely. ‘I’ll try, sis. And … if I do … will you promise me something?’
‘You know I will – what?’
‘Promise me you’ll leave all this stuff about our mother alone?’
Flora went very still for a moment and then she said in a small voice, ‘All right.’
Octavia smiled. ‘Then I’ll be behind you all the way.’
‘Thank you, thank you!’ Flora smiled broadly and gave her a hug. ‘And you’ll be my bridesmaid, won’t you? I couldn’t dream of asking anyone else …’
‘I’m glad to hear it! Of course I will, darling!’ Octavia hugged her sister back hard, hoping Flora would think that the tears pouring down her face were ones of joy.
When Flora told Vicky about the engagement, her cousin seemed delighted though there was a slight shadow of reserve in her eyes, and she added the caveat ‘As long as you’re sure’ after her congratulations.
‘I am sure,’ Flora said with determination. She had come into Vicky’s office, from where she ran everything to do with the twins’ lives, and now sat down on the chair opposite her cousin’s desk.
Vicky spun round in her swivel seat so that she faced Flora, and smiled. ‘Good for you. I know it’s what you wanted. So when is the wedding?’
‘I don’t know. We’ve not even discussed dates yet, it’s all been so fast. Otto’s left again today to go the States but he’ll be back in a few days. I know he wants it to be soon, and so do I. But there’ll be plenty to organise. I’m going to rely on you a bit there, Vicky.’
A shadow passed over Vicky’s face.
‘What is it? Is something bothering you?’ asked Flora, concerned.
‘It’s nothing, nothing … I’ve just been so happy here, working for you and Octavia, I’ve loved the last few months. I didn’t want anything to change, I suppose. And now your hero has arrived to carry you off.’ Vicky played self-consciously with her fountain pen and stared at the floor.
‘You mustn’t worry about that,’ Flora said earnestly. ‘We’re still going to need you – probably more than ever. We’ll have this home to run no matter what, and I’m going to suggest to Otto that we keep our main base here. After all, this house is so enormous, I’m sure with a bit of jiggling about, we can more than accommodate us all. And he’s already spoken about expanding his property portfolio and buying a place in New York and perhaps in Hong Kong as well. There’s no question about it, Vicky, you’ll always have a place here. I’d never be able to cope without you, if I’m honest.’
Vicky’s face cleared. ‘That’s a relief. I can’t pretend you haven’t set my mind at rest. I was selfishly thinking of myself.’
‘Don’t be silly. I understand.’ Flora smiled.
‘There’s one more thing,’ Vicky said, and looked worried again. ‘I don’t want you to think I’m prying but … you are going to get a pre-nup, aren’t you?’
Flora laughed. ‘You think he might be after my money? Please, you don’t have to worry about that. Believe me, we’re going to have a pre-nup. And do you know why? Because Otto wants one! He says he loves me, but he has to guard the von Schwetten inheritance against any possibility of divorce.’
Vicky couldn’t prevent a look of disbelief from crossing her face. ‘He wants to stop you getting any of his money?’
‘Yes! You see – he’s not after my fortune. He has his own.’
There was a pause while Vicky absorbed this. ‘Well … that’s good then. I’m glad you’re being sensible,’ she said at last.
‘And we’d better start planning the wedding right away,’ Flora added, ‘because if I know Otto, he’s going to want to do it the day after tomorrow. You will help me, won’t you?’
‘You don’t have to ask,’ said Vicky, looking instantly alert and ready for business. ‘Whatever happens, you can count on me.’
41
Octavia picked what she was going to wear for her next meeting with Ethan Brody very carefully. She wanted to look drop-dead sexy, so she rifled through her extensive wardrobe, looking for exactly the right thing. I shouldn’t be doing this, she told herself, as she scoured the packed rails of her dressing room. I have a boyfriend after all.
But she’d always known that what she had with Ferdy wasn’t love. It was, she realised, nothing like it. It wasn’t even physical infatuation, she could see that now. It was a sweet, fulfilling liaison that had been exactly what she had needed: Ferdy had given her the beginning steps, taught her the first things about sex, but she wanted to move on now, get to the next level. Her initiation had been just right, helping her to explore the sensual world without fear or pain, and she was grateful for that, but she sensed something more earth-shattering waiting out there and she was hungry for it.
If her physical reaction to Ethan Brody were anything to go by, she might have found the man who could take her to the next stage. Being with him was like being mesmerised; she could hardly take her eyes off him and it took all her strength to fight the impulse to reach out and touch him. The sound of his voice, deep and gravelly, sent shivers down her spine and aroused her all on its own.
Octavia selected a scarlet Giorgio Armani dress and studded black stilettos that had a slight air of bondage about them. If this didn’t say sexy then she had no idea what did. She gazed into the mirror. The dewy look that she’d had all her life was perhaps a tiny bit faded … a legacy of her recent late nights and the fact that she was learning how to tolerate her drink better. She had begun to notice that the whites of her eyes were often bloodshot, and that her skin was dry and flaky in places as a consequence of dehydration. I must book myself in for some decent treatments, she thought, a little aghast to see the effects of her partying lifestyle. But, as she stroked mascara on to her long lashes, she knew that she was still a knockout. Nothing could diminish the magnetic quality of her violet-blue eyes, or the shimmering curtain of golden hair, or the delicate cheekbones that she highlighted with a light dusting of glittering bronzing powder.
She stood back and assessed herself: Not too bad. She spun on her toes so that she could inspect her back view – the neat bottom and long slim legs. I only hope Ethan notices, that’s all …
The house telephone went: it was Molly, announcing Ethan’s arrival. She had put him the library, as Octavia had instructed. It was intimate and cosy in there, a panelled room with bookshelves, pictures, sofas and an open fire, and much less formal than the drawing room.
He’s here, Octavia thought, excited. Her eyes sparkled. Go get him, girl.
Ethan was standing by the bookcase examining the volumes, a crystal glass of fine single malt whisky in his hand which Molly had obviously supplied.
Octavia wanted to gasp at the sight of him: he was even more broad-shouldered than she remembered, with a rugby player’s physique. Instead she stood in the doorway, dropped one shoulder seductively and said in a low voice, ‘Well, hello.’
Ethan turned round, and smiled at the sight of her, obviously impressed by what he saw. ‘Hello. I’m just admiring your collection of books.’
‘Thank you.’
He came towards her and Octavia’s heart raced with excitement. Leaning forward, he kissed her on each cheek and she smelt the warm vanilla scent of his cologne. She hoped he didn’t notice that she was shaking slightly, and that her knees were decidedly weak when he came close to her.
‘Do you live here with your
parents?’ he asked, as they walked round to the sofas. Octavia had asked Vicky to redesign this room not long after they’d moved in. It contrasted with the cool modernism of the rest of the house with its snug air. The sofas were covered in a muted tartan with big soft cushions all over them, and a thick pale grey sheepskin rug covered the floor.
She shook her head as she sat down, her very short skirt riding up even higher. ‘No. With my sister. So what did Giles Burlington tell you about me?’
Ethan sat down on the sofa opposite her. ‘He said you’re a friend of his sister’s and you’ve got some money you want to invest. I assumed it was a birthday present or a legacy or something. Maybe fifty grand, maybe less … and you’re interested in buying a stake in your favourite shop.’
Octavia laughed. ‘It’s not quite like that.’ She got up, went to the drinks table and poured herself a measure of vodka, added a shot of fresh lime juice and topped it up with soda water and ice. Then she looked Ethan right in the face. ‘I don’t have fifty grand to invest. I’ve got more like … fifty million.’
His mouth dropped open and he gaped at her. She couldn’t help laughing again at the astonishment written all over his face.
‘Fifty … million?’ he spluttered.
‘Yes. My sister and I are orphans, and we’ve inherited our father’s fortune.’
‘Hang on. Octavia …?’
‘Beaufort,’ she supplied helpfully.
‘Those Beauforts? The steel dynasty?’
She nodded. Surprise transformed his face, making him look adorably boyish.
‘But …’ He swallowed, and took a quick sip of his drink. ‘That means you’ve got …’
‘As I said, millions.’
He gazed at her. ‘You could buy the whole thing, lock, stock and barrel,’ he said frankly.
‘Could I?’
‘Well, I’m exaggerating a little. The premises are worth a pretty penny as you can imagine. And I wouldn’t advise it anyway … But …’ He shook his head, trying to take it in.