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mouth. Had he found a sense of humour? Her rebellious body thrilled at the thought, though she stamped on it quickly.
    â€˜And how do you think you’re going to get to the replacement hotel where all the other guests are staying?’ he demanded, reminding her not to soften.
    â€˜I’ll walk, or catch a taxi—’
    â€˜Don’t be ridiculous.’
    They both turned as the older woman who had been scrubbing the kitchen floor before Carrie’s arrival walked back into the room.
    â€˜Mother!’
    Mother? Carrie could only stare in amazement at the older woman whom she knew now must be Princess Laura of Niroli.
    â€˜You’ll do no such thing. Nico. You will take this young lady to the palace where she is going to be my guest…I insist,’ she said, holding up one beautifully manicured hand. ‘You knew you’d find me here,’ Princess Laura observed fondly to Nico. ‘This hotel was his father’s wedding gift to me,’ she explained to Carrie. ‘To keep me out of mischief,’ she added with a twinkle. And then, touching Nico’s granite cheek with great tenderness, she whispered, ‘Always so thoughtful, my Nico…’
    As Carrie watched the brief exchange she wondered if Nico had a doppelgänger. His mother was certainly referring to a different man from the one she knew.
    Swallowing back her amazement, she faced facts: the kindly woman standing in front of her was the grandmother of her baby. And Princess Laura had just asked her to stay at the palace. It was incredible. Unbelievable.
    Conscious that she was staring rudely at Princess Laura, Carrie turned away, but not before her cheeks had reddened with suppressed emotion.
    â€˜We make a fine pair of cleaning ladies, don’t you agree, Nico?’ Princess Laura said.
    â€˜Without question, Your Royal Highness,’ her son replied stiffly.
    â€˜No titles here, Nico,’ Princess Laura insisted. ‘And you can call me Laura,’ she assured Carrie with the warmest of smiles.
    â€˜And I’m Carrie…Carrie Evans,’ Carrie told her, starting to relax, though she guessed that his mother’s approval didn’t sit well with Nico.
    â€˜I think I saw you earlier, walking across the courtyard,’ the princess observed. ‘Don’t look so worried—you weren’t doing anything wrong. That’s better,’ she exclaimed, patting Carrie’s cheek. ‘I like to see you smile…Nico,’ she added, ‘please arrange for this young lady’s luggage to be sent on to the palace. Carrie will be travelling with me, in my car….’

    Carrie was still reeling from sweeping into the courtyard in an official limousine at the side of Her Royal Highness Princess Laura of Niroli, but she had never seen anything to compare with her suite of rooms at the palace. The main bedroom was like something from a fairy tale. White muslin billowed at the windows, and the vast four-poster bed was draped with ivory silk hangings. The cover on the bed was an exquisite testament of the quilt-maker’s art. Intricately embroidered, it was delicately over-beaded in a ribbon design and the crisp white sheets and pillowcases peeping over the edge were finished with a froth of the finest lace.
    Even the dressing table wore an elaborate skirt, Carrie noticed as the maid showed her round, and if the room wasn’t quite to her taste it made her smile to think that such frivolity dared to raise its head in an increasingly uniform world. But this was the world of Niroli, Carrie reminded herself, where anything was possible, though it was hard to find a natural link between Nico and his mother, Princess Laura. The princess was so kind and warm, while Nico possessed none of his mother’s ease of manner.
    Nico…it always came back to Nico. Carrie’s heart squeezed tight at the thought of seeing him again, something she could hardly avoid now she was