Revelations Of A Secret Princess

Jake was torn between annoyance and admiration.

‘Shall I sit by the desk again?’ She gestured to where she’d faced him across the expanse of glossy wood.

‘No, Ms Rivage.’ That deep voice rippled across her skin. ‘The interview is over.’

Just like that dismay slammed into her. Her belly knotted with nausea. Caro flexed her fingers then linked them behind her back rather than press them to her roiling abdomen.

He couldn’t dismiss her so quickly! They’d barely begun to talk when they’d been interrupted.

‘I believe you should reconsider, Mr Maynard.’ There. Her voice was even, though a little hoarse. Amazing what desperation could do.

‘Reconsider? You haven’t heard what I have in mind.’

Amusement sparked in his cool, grey eyes as if delighting in her discomfort.

Outrage filled her. She’d been the butt of her family’s amusement so often as a child that it grated. Because she was shy. Because she looked different. Because she didn’t fit with the rest of them.

Okay, it was mainly her stepmother rather than her half-brothers who’d made her feel an outsider, but the wounds carved deep. Especially as her father had merely raised his eyebrows and told her not to be sensitive.

Caro planted her feet more firmly and met Jake Maynard’s sparkling gaze with one of her own. ‘Perhaps you’d like to inform me what you do have in mind?’

Her tone would have done her father proud. Cool, composed and superior. She saw Jake Maynard’s eyes widen then narrow suspiciously but she refused to back down. This was too important. This meant everything.

‘I had in mind to invite you to stay overnight. To give you a trial period with my niece.’

Caro felt the air whoosh from her lungs, leaving her gasping for breath. Only years of training at projecting the right image kept her on her feet, for her knees trembled like leaves in a gale. Her heart jammed up in her throat and there was a roaring in her ears, blocking out the rest of his words. She saw him speak, tried to focus and heard something about this not being a promise of employment.

‘Well, Ms Rivage? You haven’t said anything. Does that mean you’re not prepared to stay?’

Caro shook her head, buying time while she found her voice. ‘No, Mr Maynard, it doesn’t mean that at all. I’ll happily stay tonight and get to know Ariane.’

‘Good.’ He nodded but didn’t smile. In fact he didn’t look happy at all, though he was getting his own way.

Perhaps he was so used to everyone jumping to do his bidding he didn’t consider how inconvenient it might be for a job applicant to make an unscheduled overnight stay. Fortunately Caro had the suitcase she’d brought to Switzerland in the car downstairs.

‘Very well. I’ll have my secretary draw up a simple agreement to cover us both in the event of any accident or liability during your stay.’

He really was a businessman through and through. Caro wouldn’t have thought of that. But then she was in such a whirl she was barely capable of digesting what he’d said.

She watched him walk out of the door, heard the murmur of male voices in the outer room and reached out a hand to anchor herself. Her fingers clutched fabric and she blinked. She was grabbing the thick curtain as if it were all that kept her upright.

Caro sank onto the window seat, reeling. She felt hot and cold, anxious yet ecstatic.

She had a chance.

A chance to be with Ariane.

Her long-lost daughter.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.