LITMIR.BIZ

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that right now, rationally or not, added to the linger of a stupid jealousy of this man. It prompted her to duck down in a curtsey that she hoped conveyed irony. ‘Your Highness,’ she said, with deliberate emphasis.

      His eyebrows rose and his eyes narrowed. ‘Ms Romano,’ he returned.

      His deep voice ran over her skin, and before she could prevent it his hand had clasped hers to pull her up.

      ‘You must have missed what I told Mr Simpson. I prefer not to use my title.’

      Holly would have loved to have thought of a witty retort, but unfortunately her brain seemed unable to put together even a single syllable. Because her central nervous system seemed to have short-circuited as a result of his touch. Which was, of course, insane. Even with Graham this hadn’t happened, so until now she would have pooh-poohed the idea of sparks and electric shocks as ridiculous figments of an overwrought imagination.

      And yet the best her vocal cords could eventually manage was, ‘Okey-dokey.’

       Okey-dokey? For real, Holly?

      With an immense effort she tugged her hand free and hauled herself together. ‘Right. Um... Now introductions are over perhaps we could...?’

      ‘Get down to business,’ James Simpson interpolated. ‘Of course. Please have a seat, both of you.’

      In truth it was a relief to sink onto the surprisingly comfortable straight-backed chair. Focus.

      James Simpson cleared his throat. ‘Thank you for coming. Count Roberto wrote his will with both of you in mind. As you may or may not know, the bulk of his vast estate has gone to a distant Bianchi cousin, who will also inherit the title. However, I wish to speak to you about Count Bianchi’s wishes with regards to Il Boschetto di Sole—the lemon grove he loved so much and where he spent a lot of the later years of his life. Holly’s family, the Romanos, have lived on the grove for many generations, working the land. And Crown Princess Eloise spent many happy times there before her marriage.’

      Next to her Holly felt Stefan’s body tense, almost as if that fact was news to him. She leant forward, her mind racing with curiosity.

      James steepled his fingers together. ‘In a nutshell, the terms of Roberto’s will state that Il Boschetto di Sole will go to either one of you, dependent on which of you marries first and remains married for a year.’

       Say what?

      Holly blinked as her brain attempted to decode the words. Even as blind primitive instinct kicked in an image of the beauty of the land, the touch of the soil, the scent of lemons pervaded her brain. The Romanos had given heart and soul, blood and sweat to the land for generations. Stefan Petrelli had turned his back on Lycander. And yet if he married the grove would go to him, to Eloise’s son. No.

      Before she could speak, the dry voice of the lawyer continued.

      ‘If neither of you has succeeded in meeting the criteria of the will in three years from this date Il Boschetto di Sole will go to the Crown—to Crown Prince Frederick of Lycander or whoever is then ruler.’

      There was a silence, broken eventually by Stefan Petrelli. ‘That is a somewhat unusual provision.’

      Was that all he could say? ‘“Unusual”?’ Holly echoed. ‘It’s ridiculous!’

      The lawyer looked unmoved by her comment. ‘The Count has left you each a letter, wherein I assume he explains his decision. Can I suggest a short break? Mr Petrelli, if you’d care to read your letter in the annexe room to your left. Ms Romano, you can remain here.’

      Reaching into his desk drawer, he pulled out two envelopes sealed with the Bianchi crest.

      Stefan accepted his document and strode towards the door indicated by the lawyer. James Simpson then handed Holly hers and she waited until he left the room before she tugged it open with impatient fingers.

       Dear Holly

       You are no doubt wondering if I have lost my mind. Rest assured I have not. Il Boschetto di Sole is dear to my old-fashioned heart, and I want it to continue as it has for generations as an independent business.

       The Bianchi heir is not a man I approve of, but I have little choice but to leave a vast amount of my estates to him. However, the grove is unentailed, and as he has made it clear to me that he would sell it to a corporation I feel no compunction in leaving Il Boschetto di Sole elsewhere.

       But where? I have no children of my own and it is time to find a new family. I wish for Il Boschetto di Sole to pass from father and mother to son or daughter, for tradition to continue. So of course my mind goes to the Romanos, who have given so much to the land over the years.

       You may be wondering why I have not simply left the grove to your father. Why I have involved Prince Stefan. To be blunt, your father is getting on, and his good health is in question. Once he is no longer on this earth Il Boschetto di Sole would go to you, and I do not know if that is what you wish for.

      You have chosen to live in London and make a life there. Now I need you to look into your heart. If you decide that you wish for ownership of Il Boschetto di Sole then I need some indication that this wish is real—that you are willing to settle down. If you have no wish for this I would not burden you.

       Whatever you decide, I wish you well in life.

       Yours with affection,

       Roberto Bianchi

      The letter was so typical of Count Roberto that Holly could almost hear his baritone voice speaking the words. He wanted the land he loved to go to someone who held his own values and shared his vision. He knew her father did, but he didn’t know if Holly did or not. In truth, she wasn’t sure herself. But she also knew that in this case it didn’t matter. Her father loved Il Boschetto di Sole—it was the land of his heart—and to own it would give him pure, sheer joy. She loved her father, and therefore she would fight for Il Boschetto di Sole with all her might.

      Simple.

      Holly clenched her hands into fists and stared at the door to await the return of the exiled Prince of Lycander.

       CHAPTER TWO

      STEFAN SEATED HIMSELF in the small annexe room and glared down at the letter, distaste already curdling inside him. The whole thing was reminiscent of the manipulative ploys and stratagems his father had favoured. Alphonse had delighted in the pulling of strings and the resultant antics of those whom he controlled.

      During the custody battle he had stripped Eloise of everything—material possessions and every last vestige of dignity—and relished her humiliation. He had smeared her name, branded her a harlot and a tramp, an unfit mother and a gold-digger. All because he had held the trump card at every negotiation. He’d had physical possession of Stefan, and under Lycandrian law, as ruler, he had the final say in court. So, under threat of never seeing her son again, Eloise had accepted whatever terms Alphonse offered, all through her love for Stefan.

      She had given up everything, allowed herself to be vilified simply in order to be granted an occasional visit with her son at Alphonse’s whim.

      In the end even those had been taken from her. Alphonse had decided that the visits ‘weakened’ his son, and that his attachment to his mother was ‘bad’ for him. That he could never be tough enough, princely enough, whilst he still saw his mother. So he had rescinded her visitation rights and cast Eloise from Lycander.

      Once in London Eloise had suffered a breakdown, followed by a mercifully short but terminal illness.

      Guilt twisted his insides anew—he had failed her.

      Enough. He would not walk that bleak memory-lined road now. Because the past could not be

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