A Night in the Palace Read online

Dmitri gave a scornful laugh. ‘I did not see any evidence of that earlier at the airport, when you allowed yourself to be put in the back of a car by a complete stranger without even knowing where he was taking you.’

  Considering Lily had realised exactly the same thing on her arrival here, she had to agree with that assessment. Inwardly. Outwardly it was a different matter entirely. ‘Marco behaved like a perfect gentleman on the drive here. In fact, since my arrival in Italy, the only person from whom I seem to need protection is you!’

  Dmitri frowned. ‘You are insulting.’

  ‘I haven’t even started!’ she snapped back. ‘You had me brought here under false pretences, then proceeded to hurl accusations about my brother—and insulted me in the process. And now you expect me to be grateful for your offer of protection and hospitality?’ She gave a disbelieving shake of her head. ‘I may have been a little naïve earlier, but don’t ever think that I’m stupid!’

  No, Dmitri would never make that mistake where this fiery young woman was concerned. He was far too aware of the intelligence in her deep blue eyes and the authority in her tone ever to underestimate her determination of will. ‘It was not merely my suggestion that you stay here, Lily,’ he murmured softly. ‘It was an order.’

  She looked aghast. ‘Sorry?’

  Dmitri moved impatiently. ‘Along with her letter Claudia left her mobile phone—no doubt so that I could not telephone her and order her back home,’ he acknowledged grimly. ‘And unfortunately, after her car was found at the airport and searched, this was found down the side of the passenger seat.’ He produced a second mobile phone from the pocket of his tailored jacket.

  Lily stared at the small black-and-silver phone. ‘It’s Felix’s...’

  The Count’s gaze sharpened. ‘You are absolutely sure?’

  She nodded numbly. ‘I bought it for him three months ago. As a going-away present.’ It had been more a way of ensuring that Felix kept in touch with her while he was in Italy. ‘If you would return it to me—’

  ‘I think not.’ He slipped the mobile phone back into his pocket.

  Lily felt a return of those butterflies in her stomach, those wings beating harder this time. ‘What are you doing?’ Her cheeks had paled a ghostly white.

  ‘It is quite simple, Lily,’ he said harshly. ‘At the present time the only means of communication that Claudia or Felix have with either of us is by landline or your own mobile.’

  ‘Only Felix will try calling me in England. And when he keeps receiving the answer phone message he’ll put two and two together and realise I must have come to Rome, after all.’

  ‘Felix is certainly intelligent enough to eventually work out that his first message must have arrived too late,’ Dmitri agreed. ‘And as I have Claudia’s letter, and no reason to believe she will telephone me until she is ready, we are left only with the possibility of Felix contacting you on your mobile.’ He shrugged. ‘I do not suppose you are prepared to leave your mobile phone with me if you leave here?’

  ‘Certainly not!’ Lily bristled indignantly.

  ‘As I thought,’ he said blandly. ‘Then it would seem that, as my sister is at this moment completely at the mercy of your brother’s “honourable intentions”, I should return the favour in regard to his sister!’

  Lily stared up at him, not sure if she was understanding him correctly. Not sure she wanted to understand him if he was saying what she thought he was! ‘Would you just spit out exactly what you mean?’ she said nervously.

  ‘Of course.’ He bared even white teeth in a hard and humourless smile. ‘Until your brother returns my sister to me, you will stay here, at Palazzo Scarletti, as my personal guest.’

  Exactly what Lily had thought he meant!

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘YOU’RE mad!’

  Quite possibly, Dmitri accepted heavily. It had been a day of shocks and frustrations. And receiving the letter from Claudia, informing him of her elopement had only been the start of the nightmare.

  What had followed had been a desperate search of the palazzo, and then the even more futile questioning of those of Claudia’s friends he was aware of. After that her car had been located at the airport, along with that damn mobile found down the side of the passenger seat—a mobile Lily Barton had just confirmed was indeed her brother’s. Dmitri’s telephone calls to several business acquaintances had revealed that the pair had not booked with any of the airlines flying out of Rome that day, nor did the car hire companies have any record of providing them with a replacement vehicle.

  To all intents and purposes Claudia and Felix had simply disappeared.

  Lily and her mobile were the only glimmers of hope he had. Felix might at least contact his sister again in the next couple of days.

  Which was why Dmitri felt he had no choice but to keep her—and her mobile phone—exactly where he could see and hear them.

  He wasn’t in the least proud of his decision to keep her as an unwilling guest, but he was determined to find his sister and bring her home before she did something even more reckless than she already had. Before—as Lily had suggested so succinctly only minutes ago—the two of them found themselves related through Claudia’s marriage to Felix!

  If Dmitri found her quickly enough then he might be able to avert a complete scandal by hushing up the elopement. But a totally unsuitable marriage would be another matter entirely...

  ‘I assure you I am not mad, Lily,’ he said. ‘Merely desperate.’

  Lily eyed him in disbelief, still shocked by his announcement that he intended her to stay here at the Palazzo Scarletti with him—and even more surprised to hear him admit that the situation was beyond his control. The man was arrogance personified. Which meant Dmitri was either as concerned for his sister’s welfare as he claimed to be or that he was as concerned for his business merger with the Giordanos as Lily had accused him of being. Only time would reveal which of those things was the true reason for his present feelings of frustration.

  ‘I realise that in Italy you’re probably considered a powerful man, but I don’t believe that exonerates you from abiding by the law,’ she announced.

  He quirked one dark brow. ‘Only probably considered?’

  Lily’s fingers tightened on the strap of her shoulder bag. ‘Okay, I know you’re a powerful man. In Italy and elsewhere. But even a man as powerful as you can’t get away with kidnapping an English tourist.’

  He appeared completely unmoved by her accusation. In fact, if anything, he looked amused by it. Lily was certain she could see laughter lurking in those pale green eyes as he answered her.

  ‘You are not a child, Lily. Besides which, I prefer to think of you as a reluctant guest.’

  ‘You can prefer all you like,’ she shot back heatedly. ‘But the truth of the matter is that if I’m forced to stay here it will be completely against my will. Something that I definitely intend to scream at the top of my lungs to the nearest policeman as soon as I get out of here,’ she assured him.

  The amusement faded from the pale green eyes as Dmitri looked down the length of his aristocratic nose at her. ‘That would be ill-advised, Lily.’

  Her eyes narrowed. ‘Are you threatening me?’

  ‘Not in the least,’ he answered smoothly. ‘I am merely advising against your drawing unnecessary attention to this delicate situation. Especially as I would have to countermand your own accusation towards me by levelling a similar one against your brother in regard to Claudia. Tell me, Lily, who do you think the authorities would believe if that were to happen?’

  She became very still. ‘Claudia would deny your accusation,’ she whispered.

  ‘Perhaps,’ he said, unable to completely hide his impatience with his rebellious sister. ‘But you cannot be sure of that, can you?’

  Knowing absolutely nothing about Claudia other than what Felix had chosen to tell her—and today’s events had shown that contained huge omissions—Lily couldn’t be sure of anything. Least of all whether, if it came do
wn to a choice, Claudia’s loyalties would ultimately lie with her brother or with Felix, the man she’d claimed to have fallen in love with.

  Dmitri easily read the dismay and uncertainty on her expressive face. Emotions he deeply regretted causing. But until Claudia was returned to him—hopefully unmarried—he could not afford to allow those feelings to shake his resolve. ‘Cheer up, Lily,’ he said gently. ‘I mean you no personal harm, and I am sure that you will find the Palazzo Scarletti a far more comfortable accommodation than your brother’s apartment.’

  Her eyes flashed deeply blue. ‘A gilded cage is still a cage!’

  Dmitri sighed his frustration with her continued stubbornness. ‘Why do you persist in fighting me like this?’

  She shrugged slender shoulders. ‘Probably because I resent your unbelievable arrogance.’

  He winced at her continued honesty. Nor did he have any defence against the accusation; he was arrogant.

  He had been only twenty-one years of age when he’d inherited the title of Count Scarletti, with all the responsibilities that accompanied it—the Scarletti business empire, the numerous properties and the servants necessary for the upkeep of them—as well as guardianship of his much younger sister.

  Obviously his father had tried to prepare Dmitri for that eventuality, but neither of them had expected that day to come as soon as it had—and a twenty-one-year-old as head of the Scarletti family and its business empire had been an obvious target for business rivals, as well as for criticism from the older members of his own family. At the time, Dmitri’s only means of defence had been to adopt the arrogant hauteur with which his father had previously dealt with such threats. It was a lesson that he had learnt well. Perhaps too well. But that arrogance of purpose was the only way he had known in which to ensure that the Scarletti business empire and its properties would remain firmly in his possession.

  As a consequence he was unused to explaining himself or his actions to anyone—and he certainly never apologised for any of them. Business rivals and family alike would only see that as a sign of weakness on his part. Which left him with no choice now but to allow Lily to go on resenting him.

  He straightened. ‘Perhaps you would care to see your suite of rooms?’

  Lily wanted to tell him exactly what he could do with his suite of rooms! Except it would ultimately make no difference what she said to this man: Dmitri Scarletti had decided she was to remain here at the palazzo as his ‘guest’, and she already knew him well enough to know that was exactly what was going to happen.

  Nevertheless she raised her chin in challenge. ‘I could just open one of the windows in my bedroom once I’m alone and scream bloody murder.’

  ‘You could,’ he drawled. ‘Except all the windows in the palazzo are locked at this time of year, in order to conserve the central heating, and the glass is of a special thickness designed to eliminate the sounds from inside as well as out.’

  Which explained some of that eerie feeling of being completely removed from the rush and bustle that was Rome. ‘And I suppose the door inset into those huge wooden doors at the front of the palazzo is the only way in or out of here, and you need to put in a security number to open it?’ Lily scorned. Her scorn turned to uncertainty as Dmitri made no reply but just continued to look at her with those pale green eyes. ‘It is...?’

  He shrugged. ‘The palazzo was built in the sixteenth century. At the time those fortifications were designed to keep invaders out, but I am sure they will work equally as well in reverse,’ he added unapologetically.

  Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!

  Lily shook head. ‘What about the servants here? Aren’t you going to find it a little difficult explaining my presence to them once I make it perfectly obvious that I’m not staying here by choice?’

  He quirked one dark brow. ‘I am sure I have already mentioned to you that Claudia and I were expected to leave for our home near Venice today.’

  ‘Yes. So?’

  He gave another shrug of those impossibly wide shoulders. ‘It is our custom to leave Rome at this time of year, which frees the staff at Palazzo Scarletti to depart and spend Christmas with their own families. Which they have already done...’

  Which would further account for the silence she had experienced earlier when she’d first stepped inside the palazzo! ‘What about Marco?’

  ‘Marco has also left to be with his family, now that you have been safely delivered to the palazzo.’

  ‘Are you saying we’re completely alone here?’

  He eyed her quizzically. ‘You have a problem with that?’

  Yes, of course she had a problem with it! Being an unwilling guest here was bad enough, but now it transpired that she was completely alone here with the dark and dangerous Dmitri!

  Those earlier butterflies in her stomach began to do a tap dance. ‘It’s not exactly an acceptable arrangement, is it?’ she quavered.

  ‘In what way is it not acceptable?’

  Apart from her own feelings in the matter?

  Had he been quite this close to her a minute ago? Lily wondered nervously as she suddenly found herself gazing up into eyes that were now only inches above her own, allowing her to see the darker green shards of colour that fanned out from the black of the iris, and the incredibly long length of his dark lashes. Being this close to him, she also couldn’t help noticing the sexy five o’clock shadow that darkened the squared strength of his jaw, and smell the light freshness of the cologne that he wore. He possessed an earthy maleness that even now was curling

  insidiously into Lily’s bloodstream, warming her, and at the same time making her totally aware of just how devastatingly attractive he was.

  Lily was unable to look away from his compelling gaze as she moistened suddenly dry lips. ‘Some people might...misinterpret the two of us being here alone together,’ she murmured.

  ‘Like who?’ Dmitri slowly raised one of his hands to lightly cup one of her cheeks.

  ‘Stop being deliberately obtuse, Count Scarletti,’ she snapped, unable to move while at the same time unnerved by his touch.

  ‘I have already invited you to call me Dmitri,’ he said. ‘It would please me if you did so.’

  ‘Strange as it might seem, I’m not particularly interested in pleasing you,’ she said sarcastically. ‘I’m sure there must be some woman in your life who might take exception to you being alone here with me.’

  ‘Some woman?’

  Lily’s mouth tightened at the mockery in his tone. ‘You’re perfectly well aware of what I mean!’

  ‘Yes, I am.’ He gave a slow smile. ‘And there are no women in my life at present, Lily.’ He lifted a silky strand of her hair before slowly allowing it to glide across his fingers. ‘But perhaps there is a man in England who would not approve of you being alone here with me?’

  Lily thought briefly of Danny, and just as instantly dismissed him; despite his belated good wishes for the holidays she knew that relationship was well and truly over. ‘I’m the one who doesn’t approve of being alone with you!’ she said.

  ‘Is this colour natural?’ Dmitri’s gaze followed the path of his fingers as they combed lightly through the hair at her temple.

  It was the very lightest of caresses, and yet it was enough to cause her breath to catch in her throat. ‘What do you mean?’

  He gave a slight shake of his head. ‘I have never seen hair quite this colour before. Like sunlight caught in moonbeams.’

  ‘Very poetic,’ Lily muttered dryly, unnerved in spite of herself. ‘And, yes, of course it’s natural.’

  ‘It is beautiful,’ he breathed softly.

  Lily’s blood pounded hotly through her veins just at the touch of his gentle fingers. She was fully aware of both the heat and power of his body as he stood so close to her, and the aching of her nipples as they hardened against the soft material of her bra.

  ‘Stop this right now.’ Lily backed away from his disturbing touch, the air rushing back into her lungs evi
dence that she had actually stopped breathing for those few brief minutes of physical closeness to him. ‘I have no intention of becoming some sort of—of plaything to help you while away the hours until your sister and Felix return,’ she said shakily, her fingers now gripping the strap of her bag so tightly that her knuckles showed white under her skin.

  To make matters worse, Dmitri appeared completely unaffected by their recent closeness as he allowed the hand that had caressed her temple only seconds ago to drop casually back to his side. ‘Pity,’ he murmured.

  Lily felt colour warm her cheeks. ‘Could you show me to my room now?’

  Dmitri looked down at her admiringly. Possibly only five feet two inches tall, and likely weighing only half as much as he did, she nevertheless had absolutely no qualms whatsoever in challenging him at every opportunity. Telling him more clearly than anything else could have done that, no matter what she might say to the contrary, Lily did not feel in the least physically threatened in his presence. Not in a violent way, at least...

  Dmitri had been involved with far too many women not to recognise her physical response to him; her breath had hitched in her throat, her skin had become flushed and her nipples had become a hard temptation beneath the soft material of her sweater. Oh, yes, on a physical level Lily was certainly aware of him.

  Just as Dmitri was completely aware of her—much to his own surprise.

  His taste had always tended towards tall and dark-haired women, with curvaceous bodies. Lily was none of those things, being petite with silver-blond hair, and possessed of a slenderness that would have tended towards boyishness if not for the firm swell of her breasts.

  And yet her skin had felt like warm velvet beneath his fingertips, and her hair smelled of lemons and cinnamon—no doubt from the shampoo that she used. Her eyes were so deep a blue they were like huge lakes that a man might drown in. As for her mouth...Dmitri had never before seen a mouth quite as sensually full and perfect for kissing, the top lip slightly fuller than the bottom, and both so perfectly curved he’d briefly become lost in thoughts of having the fullness of those lips wrapped hotly about his—