style="font-size:15px;"> In her room, she quickly shed shorts and top and selected a smart straight skirt in ivory linen, added a silk print shirt and matching jacket, slid her feet into slim-heeled pumps, tended to her hair and make-up, and was downstairs waiting when Carlo’s Mercedes slid to a halt outside the front door.
Aysha drew a calming breath, then she walked out to the car and slipped into the passenger seat. ‘There was no need for you to collect me,’ she assured him, conscious of the look of him, the faint aroma of his cologne.
‘There was every need,’ he drawled silkily as he sent the car forward.
‘I don’t want to fight with you,’ she said ingenuously, and he spared her a swift glance.
‘Then don’t.’
A disbelieving laugh escaped her throat. ‘Suddenly it doesn’t seem that easy.’
‘Nina is a woman who thrives on intrigue and innuendo.’ Carlo’s voice was hard, his expression an inscrutable mask.
Oh, yes, Aysha silently agreed. And she’s so very good at it. ‘She wants you.’
‘I’m already spoken for, remember?’
‘Ah, now there’s the thing. Nina abides by the credo of all being fair in love and war.’
‘And this is shaping up as war?’
You’d better believe it! ‘You’re the prize, darling,’ she mocked, and incurred his dark glance.
‘Yours.’
‘You have no idea how gratifying it is to hear you say that.’
‘Cynicism doesn’t suit you.’ Carlo slanted her a slight smile, and she raised one eyebrow in mocking acquiescence.
‘Shall we change the subject?’
He negotiated an intersection, then turned into Rose Bay.
‘I’ve booked a table for dinner tonight. I’ll collect you at six.’
They’d had tickets for tonight’s première performance by the Russian corps de ballet for a month. How could she not have remembered?
The remainder of the short drive was achieved in silence, and Carlo deposited her beside her car, then left as she slid in behind the wheel of the Porsche.
City traffic was horrific at this hour of the morning, and it was after nine when Aysha emerged onto the inner city street.
First stop was a major department store two blocks distant, and she’d walked less than half a block when her mobile phone rang.
She automatically retrieved the unit from her bag and heard Teresa’s voice, pitched high in distress.
‘Aysha? I’ve just had a call from the bridal boutique. Your headpiece has arrived from Paris, but it’s the wrong one!’
She closed her eyes, then opened them again. It had taken a day of deliberation before making the final choice... How long ago? A month? Now the order had been mixed up. Great. ‘OK, Mamma. Let’s not panic.’
Her mother’s voice escalated. ‘It was perfect, just perfect. There wasn’t another to compare with it.’
‘I’ll go sort it out.’ A phone call from the boutique to the manufacturer in Paris, and the use of a courier service should see a successful result.
Aysha should have known it couldn’t be that simple.
‘I’ve already done that,’ the boutique owner relayed. ‘No joy, unfortunately. They don’t have another in stock. The design is intricate, the seed pearls needed are held up heaven knows where, and the gist of it is, we need to choose something else.’
‘OK, let’s do it.’ It took an hour to select, ascertain the order could be filled and couriered within the week.
‘That’s definite,’ the vendeuse promised.
Now why didn’t that reassure her? Possibly because she’d heard the same words before.
An hour later she had to concede there were diverse gremlins at work, for the white embroidered stockings ordered hadn’t arrived. The lace suspender belt had, but it didn’t match the garter belt, as it was supposed to do.
Teresa would consider it a catastrophe. Aysha merely drew in a deep breath, ascertained the order might be correctly filled in time, decided might wasn’t good enough, and opted to select something else with a guaranteed delivery.
It was after midday when she collected the last carry-bag and added it to the collection she held in each hand. Shoes? Did she have time if she was to meet Teresa and Gianna at Double Bay for lunch at one? She could always phone and say she’d be ten or fifteen minutes late.
With that thought in mind she entered the Queen Victoria building and made her way towards the shoe shop.
It was a beautiful old building, historically preserved, and undoubtedly heritage-listed. Aysha loved the ambience, the blend of old and modern, and she admired a shop display as she rode the escalator to the first floor.
She’d only walked a few steps when an exquisite bracelet showcased in a jeweller’s window caught her eye, and she paused to admire it. The gold links were of an unusual design, and each link held a half-carat diamond.
‘I’m sure you’ll only have to purr prettily in Carlo’s ear, and he’ll buy it for you.’
Aysha recognised the voice and turned slowly to face the young woman at her side. ‘Nina,’ she acknowledged with a polite smile, and watched as Nina’s expression became positively feline.
She took in the numerous carry-bags and their various emblazoned logos. ‘Been shopping?’
Aysha effected a faint shrug. ‘A few things I needed to collect.’
‘I was going to ring and invite you to share a coffee with me. Can you manage a few minutes now?’
The last thing she wanted was a tête-à-tête with Nina... with or without the coffee. ‘I really don’t have time. I’m meeting Teresa and Gianna for lunch.’
‘In that case...’ She slid open her attaché case, extracted a large square envelope and slipped it into one of Aysha’s carry-bags. ‘Have fun with these. I’m sure you’ll find them enlightening.’ Closing the case, she proffered a distinctly feline smile. ‘Ciao. See you tomorrow night at the sculpture exhibition.’
Given the social circle in which they both moved, their attendance at the same functions was inevitable. Aysha entertained the fleeting desire to give the evening exhibition a miss, then dismissed the idea. Bruno would never forgive their absence.
Aysha caught the time on one of the clocks featured in the jeweller’s window, and hurriedly made for the bank of escalators.
Five minutes later she joined the flow of traffic and negotiated a series of one-way streets before hitting the main arterial one that would join with another leading
