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‘It’s not obvious,’ Leonidas added lazily ‘I think it’s more a trick of expression Your smile reminded me of her’

Maribel kept on bravely sh she feltlike cla her to the bone In ay could she possibly reseen? She scarcely needed to be told that it could only have been a trick of expression After all, I blonde hair and a slender, perfect figure that looked fabulous in even theoutfit When Hermione Stratton had pointed out that Maribel could not cohter in looks or personality, she had only spoken the truth Maribel had always accepted that reality But she was totally devastated when the en Had Leonidas slept with her the night that Elias was conceived, purely because of her elusive similarity to her late cousin? In short, had Leonidas been en than Maribel had ever been prepared to acknowledge? Slowly, she eased her liers out of his

A silence stretched that was heavy and long and when the phone buzzed it sounded incredibly loud Darkness having chasing the gold froaze, Leonidas sat up in an ilish to French ‘Josette?’

Maribel also spoke fluent French and she had no trouble working out who the female caller was Josette Dawnay, the super-ters on the catwalk, she had most recently accompanied Leonidas to the Cannes filhtened by her well-docuarments with the very short skirts that she favoured

‘At your apartment?’ Leonidas murmured sibilantly ‘Why not? I won’t h’

Maribel breathed in so deep, she felt light-headed It did not clear the leaden sensation of nausea coiled in her sensitive tuot her dress, forced her way into it and stood up, wriggling violently to do up the zip All the while, Leonidas talked in idioh she were the floor show put on to entertain him

As she straightened and walked round the side of the bed henow?’

Maribel said nothing She lifted the water decanter from the cabinet and upended it on his lap

With a growl of disbelief, Leonidas sprang out of the bed and finished his call As od, he shook off water and surveyed her with outrage ‘What the hell is this?’

‘You’ve had your deal sweetener and that’s as far as it goes I think you could ter-off period If you decide that you still want ht beforehand,’ Maribel breathed with ringing scorn ‘I will not sleep with you while you are sleeping with other women’

‘Theos mou…you presume to dictate ter bite

‘Don’t be so prejudiced This could well be the best offer you’ve ever had, so think long and hard before you refuse it,’ Maribel advised, violet eyes flashing with angry warning ‘Let our nore your affairs, because I will not consider you to bemore intimate and I atch your every move and make your life hell if you betray me!’

‘Even as my wife, you will not tellassurance of his forceful, arrogant character He stared at her as she reached for the door handle ‘Walk out of this bedroory with you, hara mou’

‘Then you’re going to be angry’ After listening to that dialogue with Josette Dawnay and having her every worst fear fulfilled, Maribel was too indignant and upset to linger beneath his shrewd scrutiny ‘I’ll check on Elias and sleep in one of the other rooht’

‘As you wish’ His lean, darkly handso lines of condemnation, Leonidas

Maribel went in to see her son, as slu a valiant smile with Diane, who had appeared in the doorway of the connecting rooain She chose a bedroom just across the corridor and closed the door behind her She felt dead inside, but her es