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‘He has spent over four years in prison in Montavia and on his release he had the good sense siain’

‘P-prison?’ Eyes shattered, Eden stared at the youngerincredulity ‘Damiano’s been in prison? Hohy?’

On the day on which Damiano had disappeared, he had been kidnapped and taken to a military camp in the countryside A military camp? She frowned at that unexpected inforh the tiny republic, rebel forces had attacked the ca battle Da a wounded prisoner in the aftermath, the rebels had quite naturally assumed that he was one of their own

‘Your husband is a fluent Spanish speaker That and his quick thinking saved his life He received treatinning to recover when he was picked up by the govern up the last pockets of resistance He was iuerrilla forces’

Da to put faith in what she was being told although still every sense screa so hard to concentrate but she found that she just couldn’t She felt stupid, nu

‘Naturally you are wondering why your husband didn’t immediately identify himself when he was captured,’ the bland-faced Russell continued ‘He believed that ad his own death warrant He are that he had originally been kidnapped by soldiers loyal to the current dictatorship in Montavia He knew that the kidnapping had been bungled and that, fro hio alive…’

Eden blinked, struggling to focus on the Foreign Office advisor and absorb what she was being told Her blood was chilling in her veins, her tu queasy Das had come true

‘Appreciating that his survival would be a severe eovern his assu the prison term On his release, he headed for the border with Brazil and from there to the home of a businessman called Ramon Alcoverro—’

‘Ra head, lifting her hand to press her fingers against her da powers ‘Dae with someone called Ramon’

‘About an hour froain and he is keen that his ho as possible For that reason, we have been discreet in our approach to you’

Da home Home? To his family, of course, but not to her! In sudden, raw, shaken turony These people had coally Damiano’s wife and next of kin But Eden was painfully aware that her e had virtually been over by the time of her husband’s disappearance Damiano had never loved her He had ret the impulse

When had she forgotten that reality? When had she begun living in her own iination? For Damiano would never return hoht well have coo Hadn’t his own brother suggested that? And now, after the ordeal he had suffered, he would be anxious to get on with his life again Indeed, in all likelihood, after hearing what had happened during his absence, Damiano would make no atteh a divorce lawyer

‘Mrs Braganzi…Eden, may I call you Eden?’ the superintendent enquired

‘His faanzi, his brother and his wife, his sister…’ Eden framed dully ‘They must be overjoyed’

The senior policeman’s face stiffened ‘As far as I understand the somewhat limited information that I have received, your husband’s family received a call from Ramon Alcoverro and immediately flew out to Brazil on their private jet’

Eden froze at that disconcerting nehat colour re away to leave her deathly pale Da to contact her and give her the news of his survival? She dropped her head, sick to the stomach at such cruelty

‘At times such as these, particularly where faed, people can act very ht,’ the older man commented in the taut silence ‘We only became aware of the situation when the en Office They required certain information before they could issue a replacement passport to your husband so that he could travel home’

Eden still said nothing She was studying the carpet with eyes that ached Nuncio had probably already told Daht Eden out to Brazil with him Those dreadful lies that had been printed about her in that newspaper only three ossip and opprobrium that had finally broken her spirit and forced her to leave the Braganzi home for the sake of her own sanity

Rodney Russell took up the explanation in a brisk tone ‘By that stage, your husband was de to knohy you had not been informed, unaware that his own family had failed to keep us up to date on developments’

Eden blinked and looked up very slowly ‘Really?’

The superintendent gave her a soothing sather Damiano made it very clear that he can’t wait to be reunited with his wife—’

Eden studied him with strained eyes of disconcertion ‘Da interruption, certain she must have misheard him

‘He’s flying into Heathrow at noon and then he’s taking a helicopter trip to an airfield just outside town We’ll convey you there Obviously the hope is that it will be possible to evade any media attention’

‘He wishes to see h escaped Eden’s convulsed throat She twisted her head away and lowered it, feeling the hot, stinging rush of tears hitting her eyes

She wanted privacy but instead she had strangers watching her every reaction Strangers who had to be well aware just what a charade herShe ought to be used to that reality now, the knowledge that nothing had been too sacred to commit to an information file somewhere But then the behaviour of Damiano’s family in recent days spoke louder than any volume of words

Nonetheless, after Daation by both

the British and the Italian authorities Financial experts had gone in to check that the Braganzi Bank was still sound They had looked for fraud or evidence of blackmail or secret accounts They had even looked for links between Daanised crime syndicates Then they had turned their attention to his own faht have eet rid of him while he was abroad

No stone had been left unturned No opinion had gone unsought No question had been too personal or too wounding to ask Damiano had been too rich and way too i muddy ripples of suspicion to wash over everybody connected with him And nobody had suffered s had secretly despised, the ho had swiftly becorief and turmoil Nuncio and his sister, Cosetta, had turned on Eden like starving rats on prey She had even been blaone to Montavia in the first place

‘In situations such as this, we nor and a period of protective isolation for the victiorically refused that support’

‘I believe Da,’ the superintendent said ry amusement

A cup of tea was settled on the low coffee-table in front of Eden ‘You’ve had a oing to be reunited with your husband this afternoon’

At that staggering reminder, Eden rose in one jerky motion and walked into her bedroo for some semblance of composure Damiano was alive; Damiano was on his way hohts slide once again in the wrong direction A selfish direction If Damiano wanted her now, she would be there for him Naturally, obviously In fact, if Da would keep her from his side!