Free A High Price to Pay by Sara Craven Page A

complete
    reconciliation, which proves it, doesn't it?'

    The note of appeal in the last question wasn't lost on Alison. She
    smiled at her sister. 'Of course it does,' she said soothingly. 'But then I
    never did believe any of it anyway.'
    'That's good.' Melanie beamed at her. 'Are you wild about him? You
    must be. It's a bit like a fairy tale, isn't it?'
    Alison transferred her star sapphire engagement ring hack to her left
    hand, reluctant to face any more of this eagerly artless interrogation.
    Let Melanie enjoy the romance she had conjured up in her
    imagination. She only hoped disillusionment would not come too
    soon.

    The Ariadne was moored at Rhodes, so Nick had informed her, and
    they were spending the night at a hotel not too far from the airport
    prior to taking an early flight the following day.
    The first hurdle, Alison thought, as she waited in the luxurious foyer
    for Nick to register. He'd been as taciturn as ever on the drive to the
    hotel, merely asking if she was comfortable, and whether she'd like to
    listen to some music. She had let the stately strains of Vivaldi fill the
    space between them. What she would do if there was no piped music
    in the hotel, she had no idea.
    Nick seemed to be taking a long time at the desk, and when he
    rejoined her, he was frowning thunderously.
    'The suite I booked is not available,' he said curtly. 'Apparently some
    damned fool set fire to a waste paper basket, and the whole place has
    to be redecorated. Shall we find another hotel, or do you want to take
    what they have to offer?'
    Alison gave a faint shrug. 'What's that?'

    Nick's mouth curled in a mixture of wryness and derision. 'The bridal
    suite,' he said.
    He saw the embarrassed colour wash into her face, and nodded. 'I
    thought as much. We'll find somewhere else.'
    'No.' Alison caught at his sleeve as he turned away. 'We can make do
    with it, surely. It—it's getting late, and I'm tired.'
    It was his turn to shrug. 'Then we'll take a look at it.'
    When they were ushered into the suite, Alison's first wish was that
    they had gone somewhere else.
    Someone had clearly lavished time and money on turning the suite
    into the perfect love-nest. There were red roses waiting in the small
    sitting room, beside a complimentary bottle of champagne on ice, but
    that was only the start of it. In the bedroom, the huge bed was covered
    in ruched apricot satin, and draped with filmy curtains in the same
    shade. And the sunken bath in the turquoise marble bathroom was
    clearly intended for dual occupation.
    Alison had an overwhelming desire to laugh until she hiccupped.
    Only the certainty that Nick was certainly not sharing her amusement
    kept her silent. But at least there was a couch in the sitting room, she
    thought, and she'd noticed him noticing it too, so they could manage
    for this one night.
    'Charming,' Nick remarked too pleasantly. He tipped the porter. 'Have
    our bags brought up immediately, please.'
    As the door closed behind the man, Alison said defensively, 'Well, it
    will do.'

    'It seems it will have to,' he said acidly. 'Shall we get into the spirit of
    the occasion by having some champagne?'
    'Why not?' Alison moved towards the window, stumbling slightly as
    she did so. 'Goodness, this carpet is thick!'
    'Wall-to-wall mattress,' observed Nick, opening the champagne.
    She felt her face warm, and went on hurriedly, 'There isn't much of a
    view.'
    'Obviously an unnecessary refinement,' he drawled. 'The occupants
    are supposed to have better things to do with their time than stare out
    of the window. Here's your champagne.'
    She took the glass he handed her with a numb word of thanks.
    'So what shall we drink to?' Nick went on. 'The usual matrimonial
    toasts seem a little loaded in content for our situation. Would "To our
    better acquaintance" be going too far, do you suppose, or shall we just
    say, "Cheers"?'
    'Please, don't.' Alison stared unhappily down at the floor.
    There was a silence, then he sighed. 'I'm