B004D4Y20I EBOK

by Taylor, Lulu

  ‘Hello, darling!’ she called smoothly. ‘We’re all ready for you.’

  Poppy went over and the three sisters stood together, Jemima in the middle and Poppy and Tara on either side of her, the delicate ice-cream tones of their dresses contrasting beautifully with each other.

  The photographers began to click away, pleased with the harmonious group, the blonde, the brunette and the redhead, matching but not identical. People began to gravitate into the Music Room to see what was happening and who was being photographed. Their name began to be muttered.

  This is working! thought Jemima happily. Despite Tara’s attempts to fuck it up by getting pissed and being so rude. What the hell was she thinking? We may need that man …

  She turned this way and that for the photographers, enjoying the attention and the admiring eyes and envious glances of the other women in the room.

  We’re going to get good press tomorrow, she thought, pleased with her efforts. Tea Rose and Trevellyan will be everywhere.

  She became aware suddenly of someone walking to the front of the press pack, stalking in front of the lenses. It was a woman in a rich, scarlet gown that fell to the floor. Her dark hair was piled high on top of her head and her mouth was a red slash of scarlet. A ruby necklace glittered at her throat. She stood in front of the three sisters, her arms folded and a smirk on her face.

  Oh my God! Jemima gasped with shock. ‘Jecca!’ she said, astonished.

  She felt the other two stiffen with surprise, too shocked to say a word. Before them was the girl, now a woman, on whom they had not laid eyes for years. At sixteen she had left the family home. At eighteen she had vanished without trace. Now she stood before them, unutterably glamorous with her dark, Italian colouring and flashing brown eyes.

  ‘Hello,’ she said, a sardonic smile twisting her mouth.

  Tara had turned dead white. ‘What are you doing here?’ she managed to say.

  ‘That’s a lovely way to greet the sister you haven’t seen in seven years,’ Jecca declared loudly. She obviously wanted everyone in the room to hear. A silence obligingly fell, as journalists scribbled furiously on their notepads and everyone waited to hear what would happen next. Sister? You could almost hear the word reverberating through everyone’s minds. Another Trevellyan sister?

  Jemima felt sick and her legs almost buckled beneath her. She clung on to Poppy for strength. Poppy was staring at Jecca as though she were seeing a ghost.

  ‘If you must know, I came here to see you.’ Jecca moved slowly along the row of photographers and journalists, staring at each sister in turn. ‘It’s been so long, hasn’t it, darling sisters? You’ve all quite grown up. Tara, you really should try and put some weight on, darling. You’re all skin and bone. Is it still the bulimia? Or is that villain you’re married to treating you badly? Poppy, you’ve blossomed into a lovely young woman. You had such promise. But no doubt the other two are doing their best to turn you into a boring, money-loving princess, just like them. As for you, Jemima …’ Jecca sniggered, ‘… from what I’ve heard, you’re still the biggest whore in town. No wonder your husband has thrown you out.’

  There was an audible murmur of interest around the room. The journalists could not get Jecca’s words down fast enough.

  Jemima felt a cold chill of horror in her stomach. This was her worst nightmare. Everything was unravelling. She realised that Ferrera was standing in the doorway, watching everything, his face like thunder. He must be appalled, having his party ruined by the Trevellyan sisters like this. How had Jecca managed to arrange this revenge?

  She wasn’t finished yet.

  ‘I wanted to see the three of you because I have to let you know that I’m not about to let you cheat me out of my inheritance.’ Jecca whirled round to face the journalists. She held out her arm, indicating the Trevellyan women. ‘I grew up with these people. I am their adopted sister. But they have tried to deny me my legal right to share their inheritance. I’m here to tell you all now that I refuse to let that happen. I am entitled to my share and I intend to sue you for a quarter of the percentage you own between you.’ Jecca paused to let this bombshell sink in, then she smiled the most charming, seductive smile she could produce. ‘It will be a hard battle. I’ve no doubt you bitches will do all you can to stop me. I’m sure you’ll use your money to put up the best fight you can. But I don’t care, because I can count on the support and help of my darling partner.’ Jecca spun to face the door and blew a kiss in Ferrera’s direction. Everyone turned to look at him as Jecca cooed, ‘My adorable Richard will be with me every step of the way.’

  41

  FERRERA WAS FURIOUS. Jecca had never seen him so enraged. It was almost dawn but neither of them felt in the least tired, they were too keyed up by the dramas of the evening. Ferrera had managed to keep a lid on his anger until they reached the privacy of the master bedroom in his opulent Kensington apartment. Then he had turned on Jecca, asking her what the hell she thought she was doing. His fury was all the more chilling for the way he remained outwardly calm and in control: only the ice in his eyes, the set of his mouth and the muscle twitching in one cheek betrayed how deeply angry he was.

  ‘You knew I intended to confront them,’ Jecca said haughtily, tossing her head. She wasn’t about to let Richard see how his rage was making her frightened.

  ‘You were going to speak to them privately – not in front of the fucking press! Do you know what’s going to be all over the papers tomorrow? Huh? Not the great success of my ravishing and unbelievably expensive party! Not the superb partnership with de Cristo! No – some bitch fight between rich girls who can’t agree who gets the biggest diamond! Jecca, you’ve gone too far.’

  ‘I don’t see why.’ Jecca was stubborn. ‘I did what I had to do. It won’t damage you in the long run. It means you might get your hands on Trevellyan sooner rather than later.’

  Ferrera snorted in frustration. ‘You don’t get it, do you? I don’t like your methods, Jecca, I don’t like them at all. You hijacked the evening, even though you knew how much it meant to me.’

  ‘You can talk.’ Jecca’s eyes flashed with passion. ‘Your methods can be pretty questionable at times. Besides, I couldn’t bear it any more. I hated the way you’ve been flirting with Jemima! I wanted it finished. Now it is.’

  ‘You know perfectly well there was nothing in that,’ Ferrera said, exasperated. ‘You know exactly why I had to do it.’

  ‘Perhaps – but I’d had enough!’ She rustled her skirts like a flamenco dancer preparing to strike the opening pose.

  ‘Jecca, let’s get something straight. We do this my way, or not at all, do you understand? You are not to blunder in like this again. You might have spoiled everything – we’ll just have to see what the fall-out is tomorrow.’ Ferrera walked over to a small Louis XVI sofa, put his hands on the delicate carved back and sighed. He was a master of control and he wasn’t about to let Jecca see how disgusted he was with her stupid, little-girl tricks. Did this mean his association with the Trevellyan sisters was at an end? Goddamn it, that wasn’t supposed to happen. Not only could it damage his business ambitions but it meant no more intimate business dinners, and while he never intended to take his flirtation with Jemima anywhere, couldn’t he at least enjoy the company of an intelligent, witty woman from time to time – one who didn’t start screaming at him at the smallest provocation? And that older sister, Tara … He almost smiled remembering her indignant tipsiness. What on earth had she been talking about? It didn’t really matter, he’d been too struck by her looks and the curious mixture of strength and vulnerability he could sense in her to pay too much attention.

  Jecca came up behind him. She always knew when it was time to calm down and defer to him. She thought she could read him like a book and bend him to her will with her ripe body and beautiful face. Ferrera turned to look at her, staring into those rich dark eyes. Jecca, you don’t know the first thing about the way I work.

  She smiled, pressing against him se
ductively, displaying her soft breasts in the low-cut gown to their best advantage. She gazed up at him. ‘Come on, Richard. Forgive me. I got carried away, yes. But you know how passionately I feel about this. You know what that family did to me.’

  ‘Yes …’

  ‘All I want is what’s rightfully mine, that’s all. I just don’t want to be cheated. You know how that feels, darling, don’t you?’ She smoothed one hand down his thigh and across his crotch, smiling when she felt a stirring response. ‘Tonight has made me feel very sexy,’ she breathed. ‘I felt so powerful, so in control …’ She unbuttoned his trousers and slipped her hand inside, pulling out his already semi-erect cock. ‘I want you to fuck me now,’ she said and then went down gracefully to her knees and took his cock into her mouth. She sucked for a moment, feeling it swell and harden in her mouth. Sliding her tongue round the tip, she ran her hand down the shaft to the base, smoothing her fingers across the skin and moving it gently.

  Ferrera looked down: the sight of her pulling his cock into her mouth between her scarlet lips and playing softly with his balls was unbearably exciting. He felt himself engorge inside the delicious warmth and grow bigger with the butterfly-wing tickle of her tongue across the top of his penis. No matter how angry Jecca made him, he couldn’t deny her physical attraction. She knew how to arouse him, how to make it impossible for him to resist her.

  She pulled back. ‘You know what I want,’ she said.

  He pulled her up, took her to the bed and bent her over it so that she was lying on her stomach. He gathered her long red skirts and pushed them up to her waist, revealing her soft brown bottom. She was wearing no panties, just a lace suspender belt that held up her stockings. She knew how he liked such things and he breathed in appreciatively at the sight of her long slim legs encased in black nylon, her feet in scarlet heels, and the contrast of her bare skin. His penis reared up even more forcefully.

  Parting her legs, he revealed her inner lips, already damp, swollen and eager to engulf him. Pressing the head of his penis to her, he pushed his way in quickly, relishing the hot tightness within. Jecca gasped.

  ‘Harder,’ she ordered, turning her face on the bed cover, clutching the material in her fist. ‘You know how I want it – as hard as you can.’

  He was eager to oblige. The fierce anger he had felt needed release and now it mutated to a sexual ferocity as he pounded into her, raising her hips and pulling them to him with both hands. Jecca sighed and panted, moaning with each deep inward thrust. He pushed harder and harder, not caring about anything but reaching the powerful climax he could feel stirring in his depths. He could hear Jecca crying out more loudly now. He knew she loved this. She was grinding her pubic mound on the edge of the bed, getting her pleasure from that as much as from his thrusting.

  He wanted her, he couldn’t help that. He loved her Latin passion. It spoke to him, teased him, seduced him. He was furious with her, though, and he would have to think later about how to deal with her. But first …

  He pumped into her with all his strength, keen for the great release. Then it came, boiling up inside him and bursting out with exquisite pleasure.

  Jemima stared at the papers spread out on the desk in front of her. The sight of them and their screaming headlines made her feel sick. ‘SOCIETY SCANDAL,’ yelled one. ‘THE HEIRESSES HAMMERED,’ cried another. Even the broadsheets covered the story, although in slightly more restrained language. The photographs were all of the girls. One or two showed them in their full glamour on the red carpet. Most had them white-faced and shocked as Jecca confronted them.

  This was it. All their efforts, all that expense, for nothing. They may as well consider the whole enterprise over right now. And if Jecca was going to sue them, they’d have a costly legal battle to fight as well. What kind of a case did she have, for God’s sake?

  The telephone rang and she picked it up. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Jemima, it’s Ali. I wanted to let you know I’ve located Jecca Farnese.’

  ‘Oh really?’ snapped Jemima. ‘It’s a bit fucking late for that, darling! Haven’t you seen the papers? We managed to find her ourselves.’ She slammed the phone down and went back to staring at the damage.

  ‘This isn’t all bad,’ declared Donna, striding about the boardroom. The sisters were sitting, slumped and defeated and she was determined to put the fight back into them. ‘I know it feels like it at the moment, but it’s really not. We wanted publicity and we got it, in spades.’

  ‘Yes, but we wanted positive publicity.’

  ‘Ever heard the adage about no such thing as bad publicity? This story is going to fascinate people. They’ll want to find out what this Jecca wants to get her hands on so badly. It makes Trevellyan look good and desirable and glamorous. And you’re in every paper and gossip mag, looking fabulous. Even that cow couldn’t spoil that.’

  ‘But Jecca’s going to sue us,’ Tara said dully.

  ‘So let her. What kind of case has she got anyway?’

  ‘What I don’t understand is why,’ said Poppy. She pulled at her hair, still auburn from the party, twirling it nervously round her finger. ‘Why does she want to hurt us like this? The whole family only tried to help her, to look after her. Even if she felt excluded by the will, all she had to do was talk to us.’

  ‘When was that ever Jecca’s way?’ demanded Jemima. ‘When did she ever take the route of peaceful negotiation when there was an alternative of naked aggression? No. I have a theory about why she’s doing this, why she thinks she’s entitled to so much.’ She paused, and the others waited, staring at her. She took a deep breath. ‘I’ve always suspected … I’ve always thought …’ Her expression changed to one of pain and she stared at the table. ‘I never wanted to say it out loud. It’s too dreadful. But I suspect that Jecca may have been Daddy’s mistress.’

  Poppy gasped with horror.

  Tara clasped her hands together tightly. ‘What makes you think that?’

  ‘Just look at what happened,’ Jemima said. ‘Daddy was always fixated by her. He adored her, we all knew that. He never punished her, never rebuked her. She could do what she wanted with him. Then when she left home at sixteen, he set her up in that flat in London, not far from this very building. I always felt his love for her was too strong. He wanted to be too close to her, and I think she knew it. I’ve always suspected that she seduced him knowingly, very calculatedly, to make him her creature.’

  Poppy shuddered. ‘Could she really do it? He was her father!’

  ‘Her adopted father,’ Jemima pointed out. ‘And you know Jecca. She was capable of anything. And I expect she thought that she’d be able to get a huge juicy inheritance out of Daddy – she probably thought she could get it all. But something must have gone wrong and she ran off before Daddy died. Mother must have suspected, at least.’

  Tara frowned. ‘I don’t know, Mimi. I find that hard to believe. My theory is different.’

  The other two looked at her questioningly.

  She continued, ‘I’ve been trying to locate Mother’s jewellery, you know that. Victor Goldblatt called me yesterday to say that nearly all of it has been located in a bank safe, put there in Mother’s name. No one knows who deposited it there. He’s sent me an inventory and it includes the most personal of Mother’s pieces. But something vital is missing. Do you remember that locket Daddy gave Mother one Christmas? The silver one with the swan engraved on the front?’

  The other two nodded.

  ‘Do you remember what was inside it? Daddy took a lock of each of our hair and had it twisted into a small plait that was curled inside the locket and sealed under the glass, remember?’

  ‘Yes – I always found it rather creepy,’ Jemima said. ‘It gave me goosebumps.’

  ‘But the point is, it had our hair in it. Both of yours, mine – and Jecca’s. And it’s vanished.’

  The other two looked at Tara apprehensively.

  ‘So?’ said Poppy.

  ‘That hair has a sample of Jecca’
s DNA. It could prove whether or not she is Daddy’s natural daughter.’

  ‘His natural daughter?’ Jemima was shocked. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘She’s the child of Luca Farnese, we all know that,’ exclaimed Poppy. ‘And she doesn’t look anything like us. How could she be Daddy’s daughter?’

  ‘I know, it seems crazy. But what if Daddy had an affair with Isabella Farnese and Jecca was the result? It would explain why he loved her so much – because she reminded him of his dead lover and because she was his natural daughter. I think Jecca’s got her hands on that locket so she can use it in whatever legal case she’s planning to show that she’s Cecil’s real daughter and so entitled twice over to a share of the company. If our DNA and hers were close enough, it would prove we had the same father.’

  There was a silence as this sank in. Donna watched them, baffled by the sudden revelation of family secrets.

  ‘So the question is,’ Poppy said slowly, ‘was Jecca Daddy’s daughter – or his mistress?’

  Tara nodded. ‘That’s what we have to find out.’

  Flick Johnson tossed the rival newspaper angrily across the room.

  ‘Where the fuck were you when this happened?’ she demanded.

  ‘Sorry, boss.’ Ben looked shamefaced. ‘No one thought it was going to be anything more than a standard do.’

  ‘Yeah, well … you look like an idiot. Now I want to try and get hold of this sister, see if she’ll give us her side of the story.’

  ‘Yeah, but boss, I did get somewhere. I’ve got a couple of spicy little titbits I think you’ll be very interested in.’ Ben smiled and prepared to tell Flick what he knew.

  42

  THE ONLY SPARK of hope that could be saved from the nightmare of the Ferrera party was Poppy’s meeting with Neave in the loos. She explained to the other two how she had come to the rescue of the supermodel.