Sins (24 page)

It was plain to Emerald what her mother-in-law was trying to do, but she wasn’t going to succeed. Whilst Alessandro was still trying to formulate his response, she stepped in–literally as well as figuratively–getting up from her chair to go to stand at her husband’s side, one hand resting on his shoulder.

Emerald responded for him, ‘Of course he doesn’t. He thinks you are the most wonderful mother in the world. I confess that already I’m feeling rather jealous and hoping that my son will love me as much as Alessandro does you. I shall certainly do everything I can to make sure that he does.’

Now the cold gaze was measuring her and the smooth forehead was marred by a small frown. Emerald smiled, enjoying her triumph.

‘We mustn’t take up too much of your time, Mama-in-law. I know how difficult it must have been for you to leave your cousin’s side when she is so unwell.’

‘You are a very thoughtful girl, Emerald. I can see already how things will be between us.’

Indeed she could, Emerald suspected. Well, so much the better; she certainly wasn’t going to be intimidated.

‘Now, Alessandro and I have certain matters of state that we need to discuss, which will only bore you. You stay here and finish your tea. I shall make sure to send Alessandro back to you when we are finished.’

Emerald could only applaud her mother-in-law’s briskly confident tone. However, she was more than ready for her, as she smiled sweetly through every poison-tipped word.

‘Oh, no, Mama-in-law, please don’t say that.’ She leaned across and slipped her arm through Alessandro’s, looking up at him adoringly. ‘You see, we just can’t bear to be apart even for the shortest time, can we, Alessandro, darling? I know I don’t know anything about affairs of state, but I do so want to learn. I want to be the best wife Alessandro could ever have, so that you will both be proud of me. I know you will understand what I mean, Mama-in-law. After all, you must have felt the same when you married Alessandro’s father. Alessandro, darling, do tell your mother how important it is to me that we do everything together. Not that we shall be able to stay long, I’m afraid, because we’ve been invited out for dinner tonight.’

The gauntlet had well and truly been thrown down, and Emerald was feeling very pleased with herself when, ten minutes later, she and Alessandro left the Savoy.

So much for motherly love; when it came to choosing one’s weapons, sex won out every time, Emerald decided happily.

‘Of course, I am delighted to hear that you have found a house you like, Emerald, dear.’ A pained expression crossed the princess’s face. ‘Personally, I would have chosen the more substantial house we looked at. That, I thought, was better suited to becoming a royal residence as it would have had room for darling Alessandro’s personal staff, but then it is perhaps rather too much for me to expect a young woman, and newly married too, to be able to think of such things, especially one so very much in love.

‘Tell me, my dear, are you feeling better now? These headaches you suffer from must be such a burden to you. I have always been fortunate in having the strongest constitution, as has Alessandro. Poor health can be such a dismal thing, especially when one is expected to perform so many public duties, but then as you know I shall always be on hand to step in for you should you not be up to things.’

Emerald smiled through her mother-in-law’s vengeful monologue, despite the fact that her face felt as though it was cracking.

‘I wish I had taken your advice with regard to the house, Mama-in-law, but as it is Mr Melrose who will be organising the lease, I felt obliged to listen to him.’

There, let the old witch choke on that! Emerald had been furious when Alessandro had told her uncomfortably that his mother did not think the Laurantian Exchequer would authorise the expense of a London house for its newly married prince, since he would hardly be spending much time in London. Emerald fully intended that they would be spending a great deal of time there indeed, but she hadn’t as yet informed Alessandro of this. Instead, she had quickly turned the situation to her own advantage, insisting that she did not want to be a burden on her darling Alessandro’s little state’s treasury and that she would ask dear Mr Melrose to sanction the money from her inheritance from her father.

‘Well, yes, my dear, I am sure that the house is perfectly suitable in its way, and as we don’t maintain an embassy here in London, you will not be burdened with the worry of having to organise official receptions and dinners. At home, of course, it is different. There we do entertain the heads of other royal families, but you need not worry: naturally I shall continue to deal with all of that, whilst you enjoy yourself.’

Emerald’s smile widened. ‘Oh, no, Mama-in-law, we couldn’t expect that of you. Alessandro was only saying the other day, how much he was looking forward to giving you the chance to retire from your official duties so that you can spend more time with your friends, and how much he worries that at your age it isn’t really wise
for you to be doing so much. I’m looking forward to it.’ Now Emerald’s smile was genuine.

Alessandro’s mother, though, was not giving way. Instead she gave Emerald an indulgent smile.

‘Well, we shall see, I’m afraid that being the consort of a royal prince isn’t always as easy as it seems…

‘Now the reason I asked you both to come and have tea here in my suite with me–so sweet of you to suggest that I come to you, Emerald, but as one ages one does tend to prefer one’s own servants around–is that I have a favour to ask you.’

Emerald smiled again, benignly this time, but her eyes were hard. She and Alessandro might have been married only just over a month but it was long enough for her to have realised that her mother-in-law was not going to give up easily her right to control her son’s life.

‘Alessandro, you know that this is the time of year when the finance minister presents his budget to us before it goes before the council. Normally, with you being so newly married and so busy here in London ensuring that Emerald has the house she wants, I would return to Lauranto to deal with this formality myself in my official capacity as regent in your absence, but with my cousin in such very poor health still, I feel I cannot leave her, so…’

The old witch was trying to force them to leave London and go to Alessandro’s wretchedly dull little country where Emerald would have to live under the same roof as her–because she would find an excuse to follow them back there, Emerald was convinced of it. Well, it was not going to happen. They were
not
going to leave London.

Assuming an agonised and distressed expression, Emerald turned to Alessandro, and exclaimed, ‘Oh dear, I feel so dreadful, darling, but we can’t possibly go.’ She turned back to Alessandro’s mother. ‘Mama-in-law, we hate to disappoint you but it is just impossible for us to leave London right now. I have so much to do here. There are matters relating to my own affairs that have to be dealt with, what with the lease of the new house being in my name and everything, and then I have to go to Paris for fittings for my new clothes, and Mummy is coming up to London and will expect to see me and the new house.’

‘Emerald, my dear, I quite understand.’ The princess’s voice was soothing. ‘You must not worry. You see, there is no need for you both to go, no need at all. Alessandro can go by himself, can’t you, darling? After all, one of us has to be there. You know I would go, but I just couldn’t bear it if my poor cousin was to pass away when I wasn’t there.’ The dowager had produced a lace-edged handkerchief and was dabbing at her eyes.

Alessandro went down on his knees and took hold of his mother’s free hand, imploring her, ‘Mama, please do not distress yourself. Of course I shall go.’

Damn, damn, damn! Emerald was furious, but she managed to conceal her real feelings as she pleaded, ‘Alessandro, you know that I can’t bear the thought of us being apart.’

But for once the blandishment and the promise behind it failed to work its magic. In fact, Alessandro barely seemed to have heard her as he concentrated on his mother, who was uttering, ‘I can hardly bear to think
what your father would have had to say if he thought I was neglecting my duty.’

‘Papa would never have thought that of you, Mama, never,’ Alessandro was quick to assure her.

‘You are such a good son, Alessandro. Indeed, I am blessed in having such a good son and a truly understanding daughter-in-law. You will have to leave tomorrow, I’m afraid. I should have told you earlier but I was hoping not to have to do so.’

Liar, liar, liar, Emerald wanted to scream. She had been outmanoeuvred, tricked and, like a fool, she had fallen into her mother-in-law’s carefully baited trap. Emerald was furious with herself but there was nothing she could do now.

Still, at least her mother-in-law was going to have to stay in London instead of going to Lauranto with Alessandro, as Emerald was sure she really wanted to do, the old cat. What she would have to do now was make sure that Alessandro missed her so much that when he came back she would be able to flaunt his devotion in front of his mother, and Emerald knew
exactly
how to do that.

‘Rose, is something wrong? You haven’t been home to see us for such a long time.’

‘Nothing’s wrong, Aunt Amber. It’s just that I’ve been so busy.’

They were in the sitting room of the Chelsea house, drinking the tea that Amber had insisted on making, though Rose would have preferred to have escaped to her bedroom rather than talk to her aunt.

Amber wasn’t reassured. It was selfish of her, she felt, to long for the closeness she and Rose had always shared in the past. She had ached to hold her niece in her arms and breathe in the familiar scent of her, a special bond that linked them and which had always meant so much to her. In Rose she had always thought she had found the daughter in spirit that Emerald had never been.

But Amber could sense something had changed. She wanted desperately to beg Rose to confide in her, but at the same time she was determined not to pry. It was hard, though, when Rose looked pale and quite definitely thinner, but her much-loved niece was a young woman now, and was bound to have the kind of private hopes and dreams that all young women had. Such things were not easily discussed with members of an older generation, however much loved, as Amber well knew from her own youth.

Why, Amber wondered wryly, had Nature made it so hard for the young to accept that those who had gone before them had experienced what they were experiencing? In a fairer world it would be possible to pass on to one’s young the benefit of the pain one had gone through to spare them going through it themselves, instead of each generation having to undergo it in turn.

‘We never seem to get time just for the two of us any more.’

Amber wished she hadn’t said anything when she saw Rose’s almost visible withdrawal from her, as she responded, ‘The shop’s very busy, and so are you, what with Emerald newly married and buying a house, and needing you to help her.’

The last thing Emerald would want was her help, Amber knew, and she had thought that Rose would know that too.

Rose couldn’t bring herself to look directly at her aunt. She wished desperately that Amber wasn’t here. She felt so uncomfortable with her–uncomfortable and angry–as though she was in danger of exploding with all the accusations burning inside her. What was the point, though, in saying anything? Her aunt would pretend that it was all a misunderstanding–she was bound to–and Rose knew she would end up feeling even worse than ever. A part of her longed for the days of her childhood when she had been able to run to Amber and know that her aunt would make whatever pain she felt go away with the warmth of her arms and a kiss on the top of her head. How she yearned to go back to those days, before she had been told the horrible truth that now haunted her.

‘Dan, what is it, what’s wrong?’ Janey asked anxiously as she tried to cuddle up to him for the third time, only to have him shrug away from her, his shoulders hunched.

‘I’m just not in the mood.’ His voice was dull and empty. ‘It’s not your fault,’ he assured her, ‘it’s mine, for being such a damn fool. Oh God, Janey, I could kick myself, I really could. Not that it would do any good, and besides, I’m all too likely to be getting a good kicking off someone else if—’ He broke off and turned away from her again, to stare morosely out of the dingy window of his down-at-heel flat.

‘Someone’s been threatening you.’ Immediately Janey was alarmed.

‘Oh, damn it, I didn’t mean to tell you. The last thing I want is to burden you with my problems.’

‘Don’t be silly. Your problems are my problems,’ Janey told him lovingly.

She was so proud of him and his acting talent. Everyone in their crowd said that he was bound to go far, but Dan himself wasn’t so confident. He often complained that he never seemed to have the luck to get the breaks that others got.

Janey knew from little things he’d let slip that he hadn’t had the easiest childhood. His mother had died when he was very young, and his father had remarried. He’d tried to get on well with his stepmother, but she’d never had much time for him, especially when her own children had come along.

‘It wouldn’t be so bad if I hadn’t given Dad that twenty quid I’d got put to one side. I couldn’t not help out when he’s been laid off. He is my dad, after all.’

Janey squeezed back her tears. Dan hated seeing her cry, but he was so very good and noble, and she just couldn’t help it.

‘I’d no idea that the chap who had this place before me had scarpered without paying the rent, but the landlord won’t believe me and he’s threatening to send round his heavies unless I pay up.’

‘I can lend you the money.’

‘No! I’m not having my girl lending me money. It wouldn’t be right.’

‘Oh, Dan. That’s so typical of you, but you must let me help you, darling, please. I can’t bear to see you like this. When did you last have something to eat?’

‘Eat? That’s the last thing I feel like doing. Not that I could afford to buy any food, even if I wanted to. That advert I was promised by that ruddy agent hasn’t come through.’