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‘I was so much more fortunate than Julie was My parents loved ,’ Jemima said tautly ‘It wouldn’t have mattered if I’d been a bit slow at school but Julie’s family—’

‘I’m not interested in Julie’s life story,’ Luciano cut in smoothly

‘She’s Nicky’s mother!’ Jemima condemned

‘And I’e,’ Luciano told her truthfully

‘That’s an appalling thing to say!’ Jes off the bed and yanking violently at the sheet for cover

‘Is it?’ Luciano rebutted griry dark eyes hard as obsidian ‘She was his hts over hi person fit to exercise those rights!’

With a final forceful jerk, Jeed the sheet and wrapped it round her naked body to stalk back through the interconnecting door into her own roo Her first foray into sex had gone badly wrong and made her feel worthless and rejected Her late sister was being abused and there was very little she could say because Julie had done wrong But very few people were all bad Jeh her case to extract her dressing gown and dropped the sheet to walk into the bathroom

She needed to shoash away the memory of Luciano’s touch and the feel of his body on hers Shivering, she switched on the water Her ret filled her because she kept on thinking that if she had only had a little ot closer to her and sos for the better On another, h, she was painfully aware that Julie had never listened to her and had neither respected her opinion nor sought her advice, particularly where Nicky had been concerned

But Nicky had crept into his aunt’s heart the moment she’d met him because he had been a most unhappy baby

‘I don’t kno to be aal and inconsolable ‘You tell me to cuddle hi me feel bad!’

Nicky had suffered from colic and Julie had not been able to cope with hihts Je over She had blaone back to London to work, leaving her baby in Jemima’s care She had blamed herself too when her twin had failed to bond with her child but she had also been aware of Julie’s chequered past history In truth Julie had had many troubled relationships in her life and rarely settled anywhere for any length of ti away from difficult situations had been the norm for Julie

Luciano had no cos but her sister had not set out to be a bad person Tightening the tie on her dressing gown, Jemima walked back to the door that still lay open between the two bedrooms

‘I loved my sisterand I won’t say sorry for that!’ Jemima told Luciano defiantly ‘But I aot too attached to Nicky and I was frightened of losing him but I do appreciate that that doesn’t excuseyou that his mother had passed away’

Luciano’s full sensual mouth twisted ‘It was a power play, wasn’t it?’

Jeazed back at him without comprehension ‘Power didn’t come into it’

Soh-pitched wail and stiffened ‘Nicky’s crying,’ sheto the door

‘Carlotta will take care of him,’ Luciano countered

Wrenching open the door, Je down from the floor above and started down the corridor ‘I can’t leave hi Luciano’s disapproval and refusing to look back at him

She would be gone froh, she reflected wretchedly He was hardly likely to allow her to stay now that he knew she had lied to him and had no real claione to bed with her in spite of that knowledge He had aded Had alcohol made her see in such a way? What did itback fro for him and he had been quick to vacate the bed afterwards He had actually asked her what price she put on her virginity, she recalled painfully She felt ashamed and humiliated and blamed him for it