Spanish Vengeance by Diana Hamilton

Author:Diana Hamilton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2003-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

EVERYTHING had changed; she knew it had. The smallest shake of the kaleidoscope and a new pattern emerged. Pausing at the head of the wide stone staircase, wearing the ice-blue chiffon slip dress Diego had picked out for her, Lisa pinned down the defining moment.

It had come when she’d explained exactly why she’d agreed to his blackmail, back in Marbella that morning, when Buck’s Fizz rapidly hitting an empty stomach had loosened her tongue.

To an onlooker the change in him might have been too subtle to cause comment. But to her, finely attuned to everything about Diego Raffacani, it had hit her like a ton of bricks.

Autocratic didn’t come near to describing the way he’d stalked the pavements as if he owned the whole town and everyone and everything in it. His dark head high, his handsome face wearing the slightly contemptuous, highly assured expression of a man who knew his smallest whim would be immediately and fawningly catered to, he had ushered her through the plate glass doors of a high fashion boutique, the exclusive sort that had made Lisa feel immediately awe-struck and very out of place in her worn jeans and bright pink top.

And she had simply, weakly, let it all happen. Attended by a tall, pin-thin gushing thirty-something with a permanent soulless smile, Diego had lounged back in a silk-covered baroque-style chair while garments of unbelievable style and quality had been paraded for his lordly nod of approval.

Two hours later a fresh faced youth, wearing a formal light grey suit and an aura of his own importance, had carried an armload of classy carriers and boxes to Diego’s car. Lisa had thought let him waste his money if he wants to, and almost had hysterics.

After a late lunch during which little was said and even less eaten they had begun the long drive back to the old monastery. Gripped with a strange foreboding, due to the new cold-edged authority she detected in him, the sense that he saw her as a mere puppet, bought and paid for and designed to perform whenever he pulled the strings, she couldn’t regret having opened up to him, not only about her relationships with her father and Ben but her reason for agreeing to his demands in the first place.

It had been a release of sorts, she decided as she began the lonely journey down to the main dining hall. And it was high time Diego opened up too. Ever since they’d met up again they had both been skirting around too many secret thoughts. Condemnatory thoughts coming from both directions, she supposed. Whatever, it would be better if they were spoken.

Manuel had carried the mountain of carriers up to her rooms on their return and Diego had broken his silence to tell her, ‘Wear something beautiful. Tonight we eat in the formal dining hall and I like my possessions to be easy on the eye.’

His possession!

Earlier today that would have made her shudder; now she was able to take it in her stride.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.