from the Middle Ages, so I think we can safely skip his opinion on this topic.’
‘I forgot you studied not only art , but the history of literature, as well.’ He laughed openly. ‘But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re an awfully quiet passenger, Kate. No questions, no prying about the things I want to tell you?’
‘ It wouldn’t help anyway.’ She shrugged, her hand going to her temple and massaging it absentmindedly as she felt a migraine starting to build in her tense head. ‘You will tell me things when you want to, and no amount of asking will change it.’
‘Very perceptive, Kate.’ He was still smiling, but there was certain hardness in his eyes as he surveyed her face. ‘ It’s too bad that patience hasn’t always been one of your virtues.’
‘I thought we were going to talk about the future.’ She eyed him rebelliously, aware of the heat creeping up her cheeks. He was implying she hadn’t been patient enough to wait for his explanations in the past—that she should have waited meekly for his choice of the time and circumstances that would be perfect to enlighten her about his true commitments.
‘True .’ He nodded, his mouth tightening into a straight line. ‘I will try to remember that. However hard it might be at times.’
The rest of their trip went by in total silence after her snappy answer. The driver wove through the midtown traffic, and a rainbow of colors from signs, shop windows, and traffic lights assaulted her eyes with a constant bombardment of color as she stared out the window. People were walking along the pavement, and the sight of cheerful couples embracing in the warm June night filled her with bitterness. She wanted to be like them, to erase her memories and be as hopeful and expectant as they seemed. She wished she could love and trust the man at her side while safely cradled in his arms. Instead, she was trapped with someone who had trampled all her dreams, destroying her belief in love and happy endings.
The car slowed down , and she looked up at the lit façade of the hotel. Her lips twisted into a cynical smile as she realized their destination. She shouldn’t have been surprised, not after Marc’s hints at Raoul’s wealth. Still, arriving at Lanesborough Hotel in the middle of the exclusive Knightsbridge district surprised her. Everyone knew that the masterfully renovated, centuries-old hotel was the hottest destination in town, its superb suites offering unobstructed views of the manicured grounds of Buckingham Palace and the Constitutional Arch. Obviously, Raoul de Santos y Lorrena was nothing at all like the man she’d called her own under the heat of the Spanish sun. The efficient and polite service they received made it apparent that he was respected and welcome in the place, where bookings ran well into the next year.
Feeling a bit like Cinderella arriving at the ball, Kate bit her lip . The large ornate mirrors placed strategically along the long hallway reflected her slim frame, and she caught the butler’s approval of her evening gown as he took them to the suite. She wondered what he would think if he knew that she had borrowed this dress, along with the jewelry, from her cousin. It had taken a fight to make her accept the generous offer instead of splurging for a once-a-year event.
Marc had hinted that he hoped she would look impeccable, and his total lack of understanding of her financial situation had been the cause of their first fight. He came from a family where having money and spending it to prove status came as easily as breathing. His careless remark that she should have something special for the evening had proved to her how far apart their worlds really were. In the end, her pride had taken a backseat to her desire to please him, and she had accepted her cousin’s offer.
Feeling a bit like a cheat, she walked along with Raoul, her dark-blue, strappy sandals providing her with an extra three inches of height, which still
‘I forgot you studied not only art , but the history of literature, as well.’ He laughed openly. ‘But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re an awfully quiet passenger, Kate. No questions, no prying about the things I want to tell you?’
‘ It wouldn’t help anyway.’ She shrugged, her hand going to her temple and massaging it absentmindedly as she felt a migraine starting to build in her tense head. ‘You will tell me things when you want to, and no amount of asking will change it.’
‘Very perceptive, Kate.’ He was still smiling, but there was certain hardness in his eyes as he surveyed her face. ‘ It’s too bad that patience hasn’t always been one of your virtues.’
‘I thought we were going to talk about the future.’ She eyed him rebelliously, aware of the heat creeping up her cheeks. He was implying she hadn’t been patient enough to wait for his explanations in the past—that she should have waited meekly for his choice of the time and circumstances that would be perfect to enlighten her about his true commitments.
‘True .’ He nodded, his mouth tightening into a straight line. ‘I will try to remember that. However hard it might be at times.’
The rest of their trip went by in total silence after her snappy answer. The driver wove through the midtown traffic, and a rainbow of colors from signs, shop windows, and traffic lights assaulted her eyes with a constant bombardment of color as she stared out the window. People were walking along the pavement, and the sight of cheerful couples embracing in the warm June night filled her with bitterness. She wanted to be like them, to erase her memories and be as hopeful and expectant as they seemed. She wished she could love and trust the man at her side while safely cradled in his arms. Instead, she was trapped with someone who had trampled all her dreams, destroying her belief in love and happy endings.
The car slowed down , and she looked up at the lit façade of the hotel. Her lips twisted into a cynical smile as she realized their destination. She shouldn’t have been surprised, not after Marc’s hints at Raoul’s wealth. Still, arriving at Lanesborough Hotel in the middle of the exclusive Knightsbridge district surprised her. Everyone knew that the masterfully renovated, centuries-old hotel was the hottest destination in town, its superb suites offering unobstructed views of the manicured grounds of Buckingham Palace and the Constitutional Arch. Obviously, Raoul de Santos y Lorrena was nothing at all like the man she’d called her own under the heat of the Spanish sun. The efficient and polite service they received made it apparent that he was respected and welcome in the place, where bookings ran well into the next year.
Feeling a bit like Cinderella arriving at the ball, Kate bit her lip . The large ornate mirrors placed strategically along the long hallway reflected her slim frame, and she caught the butler’s approval of her evening gown as he took them to the suite. She wondered what he would think if he knew that she had borrowed this dress, along with the jewelry, from her cousin. It had taken a fight to make her accept the generous offer instead of splurging for a once-a-year event.
Marc had hinted that he hoped she would look impeccable, and his total lack of understanding of her financial situation had been the cause of their first fight. He came from a family where having money and spending it to prove status came as easily as breathing. His careless remark that she should have something special for the evening had proved to her how far apart their worlds really were. In the end, her pride had taken a backseat to her desire to please him, and she had accepted her cousin’s offer.
Feeling a bit like a cheat, she walked along with Raoul, her dark-blue, strappy sandals providing her with an extra three inches of height, which still
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