all this hype. I never would have touched them otherwise. I didn’t even know they were drugs in the real sense of the word.’
‘Well, guess what? It’s too late for that now. We’ll just have to see how to repair the damage and hope it isn’t too late.’
Victoria got up and left the room, her eyes filled with unshed tears.
She could bear it no longer.
RODOLFO SAW THE HEADLINES at breakfast and, putting down his glass of orange juice, read them, horrified. Was it possible? He read the details, then stared, eyes narrowed, at the picture of Victoria, one hand in mid-air, a bottle of pills in the other, her face a mask of terrified horror.
He experienced a rush of anger. At Victoria for indulging in this deplorable habit. At those around her who hadn’t given her a break and had probably driven her to it. And at the photographers who had hounded her night and day, giving her no privacy. It was scandalous.
Rodolfo rose and paced the salon of his suite, agitated. He knew he must do something for the girl—must help her if he could. Who knew what kind of a time Ed Banes and the others were giving her? Not that that was an excuse for her behaviour, he realised. But still…
Picking up his mobile, he dialled his assistant and told him to find out the number of Victoria’s suite. Minutes later the man called back to tell him she wasn’t taking any calls. He wasn’t surprised. Minutes later, as he entered the lobby, he got a good idea why. The place was abuzz with reporters, vultures agog with curiosity, avid to get a glimpse of their prey. Rodolfo watched them, disgusted. He was certain Victoria was hiding up in her suite.
Suddenly he took a decision. Heading up the stairs, he went to Ed Banes’s suite and knocked. A bodyguard answered.
‘Tell Mr Banes, His Majesty Prince Rodolfo of Malvarina wants to speak to him,’ he announced haughtily.
‘He can’t see you right now,’ the burly shaven-headed man answered in a Southern drawl.
‘He will. Tell him I’m here to help out Victoria.’
The man shrugged and continued chewing gum. ‘Okay. Wait here, sir.’
Rodolfo stepped inside. He could hear raised voices beyond the closed door. His determination to remove her from this place and these people’s company increased tenfold.
When the door opened and Ed Banes appeared he seemed choleric. His shirt was unbuttoned at the neck and he looked like a man who hadn’t slept in a while.
‘Hi,’ he said curtly. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘Actually, it’s what I can do for you,’ Rodolfo replied coldly. ‘I came here to see how I can help you in this tricky situation Victoria’s got herself entangled in,’ he said calmly.
‘Nothing you can do, I’m afraid. The kid’s blown it. Come on in. Might as well, since you’re here.’ He showed Rodolfo into the salon, where Anne was pacing the floor and two other women stood by the window busily talking on cellphones. ‘Trying to do some damage control,’ he said, jerking his head at the two. ‘What a stupid little fool. I can’t believe she didn’t even tell Anne what she was taking. We could’ve kept it all under wraps, gotten her the stuff ourselves, dealt with business.’
Rodolfo sent the man a withering glance.
‘Personally, I think Victoria’s health should be of primary concern,’ he replied coldly. ‘What I propose is that you create a diversion in the lobby—give a press conference or something. In the meantime I’ll spirit her out the back way. Nobody is going to imagine that she would be with me. Perhaps you could provide a disguise?’ he added, turning to Anne. ‘I shall take her on my private jet to Malvarina, where I can assure you she will be looked after. And not badgered by any members of the press, or given any more drugs,’ he added curtly.
Ed hesitated, rubbed his bald head and turned to Anne. ‘What d’ya think?’ he growled.
‘I think it’s a great idea. We were thinking of rehab, but this is a better option. What time do you want to do this, uh, Prince?’
‘Right away,’ Rodolfo snapped, taking the decision. ‘The sooner we get her out of here, the better.’
‘Hey, wait,’ Ed said, eyeing him curiously. ‘What happens if the press get hold of your ass?’
‘I am very well able to cope, Mr Banes. Right now I would advise you to concern yourself with Victoria and containing this awkward set of circumstances. I’m well able to take care of myself—and Victoria, too, for that matter.’
‘Fine by me.’ Ed shrugged and flopped into an oversized armchair. ‘Let’s get through this and move on. I have a movie starting in six weeks’ time. The kid’s under contract. I need her. But I can’t have this kind of crap flying around my set.’
‘Uh, right. Ed, let me deal with this,’ Anne said quickly, taking Rodolfo’s arm and guiding him to the door. ‘I’ll go up to Victoria with you. She’s pretty upset, as you can imagine. This is really nice of you to help out.’
‘Any time,’ Rodolfo murmured, casting a final withering glance at Ed, disgusted at his attitude and his lack of concern for Victoria’s wellbeing. Only dollars and cents seemed to count for Ed Banes.
Slipping into a service lift, Anne and Rodolfo managed to slip into the suite unnoticed.
‘Vic, there’s someone here to see you,’ Anne said, opening the door of the salon, where Victoria sat huddled in the corner of the large sofa, her feet tucked under her.
She looked like a waif, wearing jeans and a tiny white T-shirt, her hair falling straight over her shoulders and her eyes red from crying. Rodolfo’s words of censure died on his lips. There was a reason why she’d resorted to pills to help her through all this. For a moment he wanted to reach out, take her in his arms and offer comfort. But he knew that was impossible. Instead he looked at her hard.
‘I’m very sorry that you are having problems, signorina,’ he said curtly, stepping towards her.
‘What are you doing here?’ Victoria said in a shaky voice. ‘Why did you come? To criticise me? Well, let me tell you something—’ her voice trembled and she balled her fists ‘—I don’t care if it was wrong, and I didn’t know those pills were considered bad. The truth is that at least they helped me get through all those awful interviews and all that hype.’
‘Maybe. That is still no excuse for your behaviour,’ he said, sitting down next to her.
‘And what right do you have to come barging in here, judging me?’ she threw angrily.
‘None,’ he replied, taking one of her hands in his. ‘Except that I realise how hard it has been for you, that you aren’t cut out for this; you aren’t the kind of person who enjoys the sort of publicity you’ve been exposed to. I have come to help you, that’s all.’
His calm, low voice and his caressing hand soothed her. Victoria swallowed. She felt confused by his presence. For a moment she wondered if he’d come with some ulterior motive. Most people around her lately seemed to have one. But his mere presence was so comforting that she just accepted it. ‘What do you think I should do?’ she whispered shakily.
‘If
