Читать книгу Latin Lovers: Italian Playboys - India Grey, Kate Hardy - Страница 12

ONCE Nina was confident there was no trace of Georgia’s bruises remaining she arranged to return to work. However, when she made to leave the childcare centre the following day, her tiny niece howled miserably, her little arms reaching out to her from the carer’s hold.

‘Don’t worry, Miss Selbourne,’ the childcare worker reassured her. ‘She’ll settle down once you leave. They all do.’

Nina bit her lip in an agony of indecision. Georgia’s little face was bright red, her eyes spilling tears and her desperate wails increasing in volume.

‘Maybe I should call work and tell them I can’t make it.’

‘Of course you shouldn’t,’ the woman said. ‘She’ll be fine. I’ll take her to look at the toys while you leave. Feel free to phone as soon as you get to work but I am sure you’ve got nothing to worry about. Come on, Georgia,’ she told the child with a smile. ‘Let’s go and look at the nice teddy bears over here.’

Nina could still hear Georgia’s cries as she made her way outside the building, her heart squeezing painfully at the thought of her niece being so upset at the prospect of being abandoned. It made her realise anew how important it was to protect her, for it was obvious the baby considered her to be her primary carer. If Marc were to find out who she really was now, Georgia would be the one to suffer, for Nina felt sure he would evict her from the child’s life as soon as he possibly could.

The library was a few blocks away and she walked there with dragging steps, wondering how mothers across the globe dealt with leaving their children in someone else’s care.

She loved her job but she loved her niece more. If push came to shove she would have to quit work, swallow her pride and accept the allowance from Marc that his lawyer had arranged in the pre-nuptial agreement.

‘Hi, Nina,’ Elizabeth Loughton, one of the other librarians, greeted her as soon as she arrived at work. ‘Hey, where have you been the last few days? Sheila said you called in sick. Are you OK now?’

Nina placed her bag in the staffroom locker in order to avoid her friend’s probing look. ‘I’m fine, just a bit tired. It’s been one of those weeks.’

‘Don’t tell me your sister has been giving you trouble again,’ Elizabeth said. ‘I don’t know why you don’t tell her where to get off, really I don’t. She takes advantage of you so much, no wonder you’re not well.’ She pursed her lips for a moment, then, moving over to close the staffroom door, turned back and handed Nina a recent edition of a popular gossip magazine. ‘I suppose you’ve already seen this?’

Nina disguised a gulp as she looked down at the magazine article Elizabeth had shown her. There was a photograph of her twin outside one of Sydney’s best known hotels, dressed in a revealing dress that left little to the imagination, her arms flung around the necks of two well known football personalities who both had dubious reputations with regard to their treatment of women. The caption hinted that, according to hotel staff sources, last Friday night Nadia and her male escorts had engaged in a drunken noisy threesome upstairs.

‘Oh, God.’ She shut the magazine and handed it back as they sat down together. ‘This is just what I don’t need right now.’

‘Are you all right?’ Elizabeth peered at her in concern.

Nina met her friend’s hazel gaze. ‘I have to tell you something but you have to promise not to tell anyone else.’

Elizabeth used a finger to zip her lips. ‘Mum’s the word.’

Nina’s mouth twisted wryly. ‘That’s exactly right. Mum is the word you now have to use when referring to me.’

Elizabeth’s eyes went out on stalks. ‘Oh, my God! You’re pregnant?’

Nina rolled her eyes. ‘Of course not! No, but I am now acting as Georgia’s mother.’

As Nina filled her in on previous events, Elizabeth’s face fell in horror.

‘Are you completely nuts?’ Elizabeth had got to her feet in agitation. ‘What the hell are you thinking? This Marc Marcello will eat you alive when he finds out! You could go to prison or something!’

‘What else can I do?’ Nina asked. ‘Georgia needs me. Nadia was going to give her up for adoption but this way I can keep her and give her the love she deserves. It’s a small price to pay.’

‘A small price?’ Elizabeth gaped at her. ‘What do you know about this guy?’

Nina couldn’t help a tiny smile. ‘I know he adores Georgia and she adores him.’

‘And what about you?’ Elizabeth gave her another probing look. ‘What does he feel about you? Does he adore you too?’

‘No.’ Nina lowered her gaze.

There was a short silence and Nina looked up to see her friend’s contemplative gaze trained on her.

‘I think I’m starting to get the picture,’ Elizabeth said. ‘You’re in love with him, aren’t you?’

‘How could I possibly be in love with him?’ Nina’s eyes darted away once more. ‘I hardly know him.’

‘You must feel something for him because, knowing you as I do, you would never agree to marry someone if you didn’t respect and admire them at the very least.’

Nina thought about it for a moment. Yes, she did respect Marc. In fact, if circumstances were different, he was exactly the sort of man she could come to love. He had qualities she couldn’t help admiring. He was fiercely loyal and protective and his sense of family was strong.

‘Come on, Nina,’ Elizabeth continued. ‘I can see it in your eyes. You’re halfway there already.’

‘You’re imagining things.’

‘Maybe I am, but I’d watch it if I were you,’ Elizabeth cautioned. ‘You’re not the hard-nosed bitch your sister is. You are going to get yourself seriously hurt if you don’t take care.’

‘I know what I’m doing,’ Nina said. ‘Anyway, I don’t have a choice. I love Georgia and would do anything to protect her.’

‘Sounds like you and that future husband of yours have rather a lot in common, don’t you think?’ Elizabeth mused as she opened the staffroom door. ‘You both want the same thing and are prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to get it.’

Nina didn’t answer. She was starting to think it might have been a mistake to tell Elizabeth the truth about her situation. Her friend was seeing things Nina herself had pointedly refused to examine too closely.

She turned to the phone on the wall and quickly called the childcare centre to check on her niece, relieved to hear that Georgia had finally fallen asleep. She hung up the phone and made her way out to the front desk, glad she had something to do other than think about Marc Marcello and how she really felt about him.

Nina had not long returned home with Georgia later that day when the phone rang.

‘Nina?’ Her sister’s voice sounded in her ear. ‘Is that you?’

‘Who else would it be?’ Nina said tersely.

Nadia laughed. ‘Well, for a minute there I thought you sounded just like me.’

Nina ground her teeth. ‘That is so not funny. You do realise that all because of your stupid actions I will be marrying Andre’s brother in a matter of days, don’t you?’

‘Lucky you,’ Nadia said. ‘I’m sure you’ll be more than adequately compensated. A billionaire to call your own.’

‘His money means nothing to me,’ she bit out.

‘Good,’ Nadia said. ‘Then you won’t mind sending it to me.’

‘What?’ Nina stiffened.

‘Come on, Nina. You’ll be loaded. We talked about this the other day, remember? I expect you to share your good fortune with me. Besides, we’re sisters, twin sisters.’

Nina drew in a breath. ‘I am not taking his money.’

‘Don’t be stupid; he’s giving it to you in exchange for marriage. You have to take it.’

‘I have no intention of doing so.’

‘Listen.’ Nadia’s voice hardened. ‘If you don’t take it I’ll tell him who you really are.’

Nina swallowed, her hand on the receiver growing white-knuckled. ‘You can’t do that. He’ll take Georgia off me.’

‘Do you think I care?’ Nadia said.

‘How can you be so callous?’ Nina cried. ‘You’re her mother, for God’s sake!’

‘If you don’t take the money and give it to me I will tell him how you’ve deceived him. Somehow I don’t think he’ll take all that kindly to the news.’

Nina could well believe it, but this wasn’t about her at all. It was about Georgia. She loved her niece and couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing her again.

She considered going to Marc and telling him the truth before Nadia got the chance but knew in the end it would be pointless. He would simply remove Georgia from her custody, would no doubt be relieved that he didn’t have to bind himself to her after all. He would have no regard for her feelings as the child’s aunt even if she was to plead with him to allow her a place in Georgia’s life.

‘I haven’t got any money yet,’ Nina said. ‘The marriage doesn’t take place for another few days. Marc told me I won’t get the allowance until the ink dries on the marriage certificate.’

‘Well, when it does I want you to send me it. All of it. I’ll give you my bank details.’

Nina put the phone down a few minutes later, the numbers on the piece of paper in her hand making her feel sick to her stomach.

Her sister had just sold her child.