From Venice With Love by Alison Roberts Page B

put into action. To pretend—in public—that they were a couple in love.
    Trouble was, even for the short time it had been happening, it was casting a spell that was unbelievably powerful.
    They said that falling in love was magical. Maybe even pretending to be tapped into some of that incomprehensible power.
    Whatever. Charlotte could feel the waves of envy coming from the other women in this space. She could see the gleam of joyous disbelief in her grandmother’s eyes. Worst of all, she could almost feel what it
would
be like having someone like Nico head over heels in love with her.
    And, God help her, she wanted more.
    Just for an hour or two.
    Just enough to give her a bubble of whatever this magic was so that she could remember it when times were bleak.
    And there
were
going to be bleak times ahead.
    Could there possibly be a greater gift she could give her beloved grandmother than to let her die with the peace of believing that the child she had raised was happy at last? That she would be loved and cared for in her absence?
    It was a very strange feeling, this…giving in. Living in the moment without trying to weigh up any consequences or complications. It was incredibly liberating.
Fun—like
Nico had suggested it could be? Something was certainly lifting the corners of Charlotte’s mouth.
    ‘Gran…this is…Nico.’ Her words sounded hesitant. Breathless. The way they would if someone was about to reveal something secret. Something personal and precious.
    ‘Nico Moretti,’ he expanded. He laid his hand over Charlotte’s on the crisp, white linen tablecloth as he smiled at Lady Geraldine. ‘I am Charlotte’s…’ He hesitated, clearly at a loss for the right word to describe his relationship to her, and she held her breath. Could he really pull this off?
    Nico turned his head and she could swear his sigh was one of pure happiness. ‘I am whatever Carlotta will give me the honour of being,’ he murmured.
    ‘Charlotte?’ The gentle word belied the ‘please explain’ undertone.
    ‘It’s been s-sudden,’ Charlotte stammered. ‘I was going to tell you today, Gran, but…’
    ‘But then you started worrying about me.’ Lady Geraldine clicked her tongue. ‘For heaven’s sake, child. This is
far
more important. I want to know everything.’
    Oh, help…Charlotte tried to buy some thinking time by picking up her champagne glass. The Italian prosecco being served was astonishingly light. Delicious. She took another long sip.
    ‘We actually met years ago,’ Nico said into the expectant silence. ‘At St Margaret’s in London. It was my bad luck that Carlotta was unavailable at that time.’
    Uh-oh…It took Lady Geraldine less than a split second to work out exactly what time Nico was referringto and that earned Charlotte a glance she would rather have avoided.
    Gran knew there had been far more to the break-up of that relationship—the only one she’d ever known Charlotte to have—than she’d ever been privy to. It was the only aspect of Charlotte’s life she’d ever been shut out of and it was a cloud that had hung over them ever since. Something that was never mentioned but always there.
    Charlotte drank the last of her wine and barely noticed the waiter refilling her glass as she listened to Nico continuing to talk.
    Why hadn’t she thought that this pretence could open that particular can of worms?
    And it was too late to stop it now. She was already in too deep.
    About to drown?
    He knew he’d said the wrong thing.
    Nobody could have missed that electric glance that Lady Geraldine had speared her granddaughter with when he’d said that she had been otherwise attached when he’d first met her.
    What the hell was that about?
    Never mind. He knew he could redeem himself. He’d been quite confident of pulling this off from the moment he’d walked into this exclusive restaurant and spotted the table he needed to aim for.
    The table where the two most beautiful women in the room were