Free The Crown Affair by Lucy King Page B

in his chair so she couldn’t see him. ‘Nor can I rip it up,’ he added, his voice now dropping so low she had to strain to listen.
    Rip it up? Who the hell was that on the other end of the line, and why did they not want her to have the job? What had she done to cause such offence? Had there been some sort of mistake and the job already been given to someone else? Laura’s chest squeezed at the thought that she might have had her dream snatched from her at the very last minute.
    â€˜No, sir… Yes, sir… I’ll see to it immediately.’
    Signore Ragazzi swivelled back and gave her a smile too bright to be genuine.
    Laura clasped her hands together in her lap to stop them from flapping. ‘Is there a problem?’ she asked, bracing herself for the answer to be yes and for him to laugh and tell her it was all just one big joke.
    â€˜No, no,’ he said, gathering up the contract she’d justsigned in an effort, she suspected, to avoid eye contact. ‘Just one more tiny formality.’
    â€˜Oh.’
    He smoothed his hair, pushed his chair back and got up and indicated that she should do the same. ‘If you wouldn’t mind coming with me…’
    â€˜Of course,’ Laura murmured, her heart beginning to thud. What on earth was going on?
    The feeling of trepidation as she followed Signore Ragazzi didn’t abate. In fact it swelled to such proportions that she barely noticed the busts on pedestals lining the corridor. Or the old masters hanging on the walls. The only thing hammering at her brain was that something didn’t feel right.
    Signore Ragazzi stopped in front of a pair of huge gilded doors and knocked. Laura’s heart banged with consternation.
    â€˜Come in.’
    At the sound of the voice from deep within, all the hairs at the back of her neck leapt up and her stomach clenched.
    Something wasn’t right.
    Because if it hadn’t been utterly impossible, she’d have sworn that that was Matt’s voice coming from the room.
    But it couldn’t be Matt because that would be crazy. What would he be doing here?
    No, Laura told herself, pulling her shoulders back, going through the doors that Signore Ragazzi held open and entering the room. First she’d thought she’d seen him in that restaurant in London. Now she imagined he was here? Hah. This was precisely why she’d vowed to have nothing whatsoever to do with men. They messed up your head. She was far better off sticking to inanimateobjects like the crumbling cornice and the chipped reliefs that adorned this room.
    Wow, she thought, her alarm momentarily vanishing as she looked up at the ceiling. Faded and dilapidated it might be, but it was still a magnificent room. And, she noted, letting her gaze drop and scan the space, an empty one. She hadn’t noticed Signore Ragazzi melt away. Perhaps she’d imagined that ‘come in’, too.
    â€˜Hello, Laura.’
    The deep lazy voice behind her nearly made her jump a foot in the air. Her heart lurched. She swung round and at the sight of the man leaning against the bookcase, his gaze pinned to her, the breath shot from her lungs. Shock and disbelief slammed through her.
    Oh, good Lord. It was Matt.
    Bewilderment clamoured at her brain. Her head went fuzzy, her blood zoomed to her feet and her vision blurred. Laura flung her arm out and grabbed on to the nearest thing to stop herself swooning.
    The nearest thing happened to be Matt. For a second she clutched at his arm. But the feel of his muscles brought the memory of that afternoon careering back and she went dizzy all over again.
    Jerking back, Laura dragged in a breath and willed the room to right itself.
    No need to panic. There was bound to be some rational explanation for Matt being here. At this particular moment she couldn’t imagine what it could possibly be, but she’d figure it out somehow.
    Just as soon as her heart rate slowed and her breathing