think people your age were so shy talking about sex.”
“Enough. You’re really making me uncomfortable here.”
“Okay. Okay. I’ll stop.”
“Thank you.”
Ding. Dong.
Elena looked at her mother. “Are you expecting anyone?”
“Not that I recall.”
“I’ll get it.” Elena made a move toward the door, immensely grateful for the interruption.
Her mother held up a hand. “You stay and finish getting ready. I’ll entertain your date.”
“I thought you didn’t know who was at the door?”
“I, ah, just remembered.” Her mother’s gaze avoided hers.
“Really? That’s interesting, because I don’t recall making a date.”
“I know, dear. That’s why I arranged for one. After all, you don’t want to show up at the palace all alone.”
Stunned by her mother’s matchmaking, Elena stood slack jawed as her mother used her crutches to maneuver out of Elena’s bedroom. She even pulled the door shut behind her.
Elena didn’t know what shocked her more—her mother’s agility or the fact Elena had a date that evening and her mother hadn’t even told her the man’s name. At least with her mother doing the matchmaking, Elena knew the man would be honest and a gentleman.
The only problem was Elena didn’t want a date. She was perfectly happy going to the palace alone. This wasn’t the good old days when it was unseemly for a twenty-five-year-old woman to be seen in public without an escort.
She had to put a stop to her mother’s meddling. After all, she’d returned to Mirraccino to take care of her mother, not the other way around.
Elena glanced back at the mirror. She turned, giving a side view. Would anyone be able to tell she was pregnant? She didn’t think so. She wasn’t far along. And so far she’d been able to avoid the dreaded morning sickness. A little nausea now and then and being a bit more emotional than normal were her only symptoms.
She turned away from the mirror and slipped on a pair of platform stiletto heels adorned with crystals. The added height to her five-foot-ten stature always gave her a boost of confidence. The peekaboo toes would give a glimpse of her pedicure. Thankfully, she’d had a nail appointment just before she left Paris. She’d hoped it would lift her spirits. It hadn’t.
She pulled open the bedroom door and headed downstairs. “Mother, I—”
The words died in her throat. There, making chitchat with her mother, was Luca. Her heart lurched into her throat. How could this be? Luca never visited Mirraccino. And yet here he was, smiling and laughing with her mother.
He looked incredibly handsome with his dark hair cropped short on the sides and back while the top was a bit longer. He wore a charcoal suit that amplified his already broad shoulders—shoulders where not so long ago she’d rested her head. She squelched the thought as fast as it came to her.
Sans a tie, the top two buttons of his white dress shirt were unbuttoned, revealing a glimpse of his tanned chest and the gold chain that held his St. Christopher medal. He’d been wearing that necklace—a gift from his mother—almost as long as Elena had known him. She knew it meant a great deal to him.
He looked like he was ready to step onto a runway in Paris or Milan. He was certainly photogenic enough. He had it all—the looks, a title and money. He wanted for nothing. Even though he’d settled down with a job in the financial sector, she knew he traveled routinely. With his home base in Milan, he often traveled throughout Europe to the States and then to Australia before he started the expedition once again. And he certainly never lacked for companionship.
She should have known that Luca would be her mother’s idea of an appropriate date. Her mother would like nothing better than to have her marry into the royal family. But Elena had made it clear that would never happen. She’d had enough of men. They only wanted one thing. Once they got it, it was game over and they were on to their next conquest.
Not so long ago, Luca had been the love ’em and leave ’em type. And the aftermath of their night together hadn’t convinced her that this particular leopard had changed his spots. It was best that she trod carefully where he was concerned.
“Hello, Elena.” Luca placed a practiced smile on his face, but there was a flicker of something dark in his eyes. In a blink it was gone, leaving her to wonder if she’d imagined it.
“Hi. I... I didn’t know you were back on the island.”
“I was told by my sister that if I didn’t make an appearance for her engagement celebration, she would track me down and it wouldn’t be pretty when she found me.”
“I can imagine your sister following through on that threat.”
“Me, too. So here I am.”
“And since your appearance was last minute,” her mother interjected, “Luca kindly agreed to be your escort. Isn’t that right, Luca?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes, that’s right. It looks like we’re both without dates this evening.”
“But that doesn’t mean my mother should have imposed on you.” Elena sent her mother a pointed look.
“I didn’t.” Her mother feigned innocence.
Elena’s gaze narrowed on her mother, not believing her. “And I suppose Luca is now psychic and knew I’d be here this evening without a date?”
Elena could feel Luca’s gaze on her, but she refused to face him. She was already embarrassed enough. How could her mother do this to her?
“I was just trying to help,” her mother said. “Luca came round the other day to check on me. He’d heard about my accident, and he wanted to make sure I was okay.”
It sounded innocent enough, but how that translated into a date was another story. “And that’s when you hatched this scheme to impose on his kindness.”
“Young lady—” her mother’s voice took on a sharp edge of indignation “—I don’t now, nor have I ever, hatched a scheme. I merely mentioned that you were flying in to town.”
“And I suggested that we go to the dinner this evening—together.” Luca was no longer smiling.
He was mad at her? She was only trying to undo her mother’s meddling. She was certain her mother had more to do with this arrangement than she was letting on. Wait. Had he just said he was the one who’d wanted to go to the dinner with her?
Elena’s gaze shifted to Luca. But it was like he had built a wall between them, and she wasn’t able to read his thoughts. Drat! She felt as though she was standing on shifting sand and she just couldn’t get her footing. The best thing to do was let him off the hook, gently.
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but you don’t have to bother,” she
