CHAPTER EIGHT

      ELISE revelled in her independence, and chose to take the Mercedes out each day.

      On one occasion she visited the ward where she had worked at the Royal Children’s Hospital, after which she drove by the old brick house she had shared for years with her father.

      It looked different, she reflected with a tinge of sadness. The small front garden no longer existed, the curtains had been changed, and the door was now painted a brilliant green.

      Was it only nine months since her world had been turned upside-down? In some ways it seemed much longer than that.

      It was impossible not to ponder what her future might hold, and that of her unborn child. She wanted…What did she want? Alejandro’s love? Was it such an impossible dream?

      The blast of a car horn interrupted her thoughts, and she set the Mercedes moving away from a street that no longer held a place in her life.

      Lunch, she decided, feeling suddenly hungry, after which she would head towards Double Bay to browse among the many boutiques. She might even visit a beauty salon and indulge in a facial. Then she could look for a suitable gown to wear to an important end-of-year function to be held the following evening in an inner-city hotel.

      After an extensive search she discovered exactly what she wanted, added matching evening shoes and bag, and tried not to blench as she signed the credit slip.

      Alejandro’s appreciation of her choice was plainly evident as she bore his appraisal mere minutes before they were due to leave the house the next evening.

      ‘I won’t be able to let you out of my sight,’ he drawled, and she proffered a teasing smile.

      ‘Likewise.’

      ‘Indeed?’

      His eyes held latent passion, and something she dared not define. A tiny flame flared deep within and flowed through her body. ‘Shall we leave?’

      ‘So many beautiful women,’ Elise murmured as they entered the hotel ballroom some thirty minutes later. ‘Wearing a fortune in clothes and jewellery in a personal quest to outshine one another.’

      Alejandro cast her an amused glance as one of several hostesses hurried forward to check their tickets and indicate their table position.

      ‘Careful, querida,’ he drawled. ‘Your claws are showing.’

      She offered him a winsome smile. ‘It’s one thing to show them, and quite another to use them.’ Unlike Savannah, who didn’t hesitate to do both, she added silently as she paused at Alejandro’s side while he exchanged pleasantries with an acquaintance.

      The ballroom had the capacity to seat eight hundred patrons, with ten guests assigned to each circular table. An impressive annual event, it was a draw for the city’s social élite who came primarily to be seen. The promoted charity, the reason for such a gathering, was Incidental.

      Perhaps that was being a little unkind, Elise decided as she took her seat a short while later. Committee members affiliated to any charity organisation worked tirelessly to put something like this evening’s soiree together, and deserved an accolade for their efforts.

      Two seats at their table remained empty, and Elise’s fingers tightened on the stem of her glass as she overheard who was due to join them.

      ‘Savannah is always late, darling. She likes to make a grand entrance.’

      Savannah’s presence tonight was a foregone conclusion, but only someone with a twisted sense of humour would have placed the glamorous model at the same table as Alejandro and Elise Santanas. It was too contrived to be coincidental, and Elise could only conclude that Savannah herself had engineered the seating arrangements.

      The lights dimmed, a spotlight hit the podium, and the charity’s president extolled the amount raised and its purpose. Tonight’s guest speaker was a well-known dignitary who would begin his speech at the dinner’s conclusion, after which music would be provided for guests to dance.

      The spotlight faded, the lights returned, and there was Savannah, looking absolutely stunning in jade silk that clung lovingly to every curve. The man at her side wasn’t someone Elise had previously met, and she pinned a smile firmly in place as Savannah performed an introduction.

      Was it her imagination that their table was the cynosure of all eyes? Perhaps not, she conceded, although there could be no doubt Savannah’s presence would be viewed with interest.

      ‘Elise. How are you? Quite recovered from your accident, I hope?’ The slightly bored tone was offset by a seemingly sincere smile which did not reach her eyes as Elise made a polite rejoinder. ‘Alejandro missed you dreadfully at last week’s dinner.’ The smile deepened and became deliberately secretive as she switched attention. ‘Didn’t you, darling? Quite the devoted husband. If he hadn’t been a featured guest speaker, I doubt if he would have come.’

      Elise was saved from having to respond by the arrival of a waiter bearing a basket of bread rolls, and when the first course was served she dutifully spooned the delectable potato and leek soup until it was finished.

      Faced with a choice of fish or chicken, she opted for the former, and forked each mouthful with studied care. Every so often she paused to sip iced water from her glass, acutely conscious of Savannah’s presence directly opposite.

      Incredibly beautiful: there was no visible flaw in any one of her perfect features. Nature had bestowed with a bountiful hand, while good fortune had ensured that she’d been born into wealth. A modelling opportunity had landed in her lap at a tender age, and the rest, as they said, was history.

      Elise had viewed her with extreme caution the moment they had first met, and nothing had occurred in the interim to change her mind. The model was an ensnarer of men, making it very plain that Alejandro Santanas was her prime target. His marriage was dismissed as of little account, merely a mild irritation soon to be dispensed with.

      ‘Some wine, my dear?’

      Elise turned towards the man seated on her left, and shook her head. ‘It’s kind of you to offer, but no.’

      ‘You’re getting by with water, darling?’ Savannah queried, effecting a faint moue. ‘Are you driving?’

      Alejandro shifted slightly in his chair and caught hold of Elise’s hand, lifting it to his lips. His eyes gleamed with warmth as he gently kissed each fingertip in turn before enfolding her hand in his.

      She wanted to wrench her hand free, but even as the thought occurred, his own hand tightened measurably in silent warning, and she had no recourse but to smile. Damn him, he was little more than an elegant savage behind that sophisticated façade. Ruthless, she added, suppressing a slight shiver as she caught sight of Savannah’s fixed stare.

      ‘You’re not pregnant, are you, darling?’

      Only