As soft as petals it clung to her curves, and there was a hint of daring too.
It was a Kolovsky gown, but not the Kolovsky gown—because Kate didn’t want it either.
‘Do I look like a princess?’ Georgie asked for the hundredth time as the Kolovsky dressers fussed with her mother.
‘You do…’ Kate said through chattering teeth, hardly able to stand the thought of so many eyes on her. It was more soothing to gaze at her daughter.
Her dress was simple yet stunning: silk, a shade pinker than her mother’s. She had flowers on her head and her eyes were shining—clever and gifted, yes, but just a little girl who was dressed up today when, even better, all her little friends would see.
Even the one who had once pinched her!
Georgie’s dress, though simple, was filled with tradition.
A new tradition—a new order.
Aleksi’s gift to his new daughter had been jewels— jewels Georgie did not even know existed. They had been sewn into the hem of her dress. Jewels that would never see the light of day unless they were needed at some point in the future.
His way of saying that, come what might, with the House of Kolovsky, Aleksi’s girls would always be safe.
It was a fairly low-key wedding, but that didn’t stop the press clamouring—just who was Zakahr Belenki? Add to that the news that Nina Kolovsky was resting in a private hospital and might not make the wedding and it had them hanging from the trees.
But she made it.
Kate stood at the entrance to the church and was curiously proud of the woman she loathed.
A woman who stood tiny, shaky but straight, plastered in make-up, leaning a touch on Lavinia and trying very hard to smile.
Kate was proud of Nina’s sons and daughter too.
Of Levander, who had flown his family from the UK…As she walked down the aisle she could see Dimitri smile and turn, and it made Kate smile too.
Of Iosef, who was Aleksi’s best man—just not for today.
And Annika, who had looked out for Georgie in all of this.
She couldn’t look at her husband-to-be as she walked, or she’d have started to cry—which she did when Zakahr turned around and nudged his new brother and smiled.
How did Zakahr do it?
How could he stand to be in the same room as all of them?
How did you start to forgive such betrayal?
And then she saw Aleksi, and nothing else mattered.
He kissed his bride, and then he did the nicest thing: he went over and kissed a very proud Georgie before going back to Kate’s side.
Back to his krasavitsa.
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II BV/S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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First published in Great Britain 2010
Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Carol Marinelli 2010
ISBN: 978-1-408-91918-7
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Excerpt
Title Page
About the Author
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Copyright
The Last Kolovsky Playboy Page 16