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‘No, there are several Louis Vuitton trunks next door,’ she said sarcastically

He picked them up as easily as if they were full of feathers, rather than the entire contents of her world ‘Co’

She took the keys downstairs to the shop, where Bridget was showing the new assistant all the different cupcakes The Strawberry Shortcake and the Le Cherry Whirl It was farewell to a sireat leap into a sophisticated unknown, and Ellie’s chest felt tight with e her off in the shiny car

The car roof was down and the noise of the traffic made conversation difficult but that was a relief because Ellie had no desire to talk and, besides, ould she say? How did you start a conversation with aout of the , she watched as trees and fields gave way to tall buildings which shimmered in the summer sunshine like distant citadels

Their journey took theton, a place she’d once visited on a school trip Thirty-five boisterous children had spent thein the Natural History Museum and afterwards had been allowed to descend on the museum shop Ellie had used all her pocket money to buy her mother an expensive little bar of soap in the shape of a dinosaur But the gift had failed to please Apparently, it had re in her life Ellie re at the tiny bar as if it had been contaminated Her voice had been bitter, her face contorted with a rage which was never far from the surface If your father hadwhich was bigger than a walnut!

And wasn’t thathis hands of his responsibilities? Despite his authoritarian attitude, he was stepping up to thehis share of the life they had inadvertently created He wasn’t planning to never pay a penny towards his baby’s upkeep, or never bother keeping in touch, was he? She stole a glance at his rugged profile He wasn’t all bad And following on from that wave of appreciation came another, which was rather h tensed over the accelerator He was so unbelievably hot and she hadn’t really stopped to think about what the reality of that ether with him in his apartment Could desire be switched off, like a tap? Or would close contact only increase her awareness of just how gorgeous the father of her unborn child was?

Alek lived in Knightsbridge and his aparth nothing could have prepared her for its sheer size and opulence Even the relative luxury of The Hog paled into insignificance when coed room which seemed to flow effortlessly into the next Squashy velvet sofas stood on faded silken rugs and everywhere you looked were beautiful objects On a silded egg studded with stones of ehtly in the sunshine Surely those stones weren’t real? She wanted to ask, but it see to work out its worth But it wasn’t the value so much as the beauty which took her breath away Everywhere she looked were paintings of places she’d longed to visit—up in her room at the hostel Leafy streets in Paris and iconic churches in Rome, as well as the unbelievable architecture of Venice reflected in the dappled water of the canals

She looked at the’

‘Thank you’ He inclined his head—the tone of his voice altering slightly, as if her co of a hobby of mine You are fond of art?’

She bit back the defensive remark which hovered on her lips Did he think someone orked in the service industry was incapable of appreciating art, or that you had to be wealthy to enjoy it? ‘I enjoy visiting galleries when I get the chance,’ she said stiffly ‘Though I’ve never seen stuff like this in someone’s home’

But then she’d never been in a home like this She walked over to one of the hich fra view of the park and when she turned round it was to find hi away

‘I take it you approve?’

‘How could I not?’ She shrugged, trying not to be affected by the intensity of that sapphire gaze ‘It’s ren it yourself?’