Alleyn, Fredrica by Cassandra's Chateau Read Free Book Online Page B

leather belt, she knew that she looked elegant yet casual. She'd chosen her clothes carefully; they were intended to impress without overwhelming the newcomer. She also wanted to look sophisticated yet friendly.
    'Well?' enquired the baron softly.
    Cassandra ignored the question. 'I think we should go down and welcome her.'
    'Of course. Are all the cameras correctly in position?'
    'I checked them myself. Everything Nicola does will be filmed.'
    'Except in my room,' murmured the baron.
    Cassandra felt a fluttering of fear. She hadn't allowed herself to picture the newcomer alone with the baron, in total privacy. 'Except in your room,' she agreed.
    He smiled to himself, knowing that for once he'd managed to disturb her normally impenetrable facade. 'Let us go then,' he said, brushing her cheek with his lips before gently propelling her out of the room.
    Nicola heard the sound of Cassandra's sandals on the landing above the entrance hall and looked up at the couple as they descended the wide staircase. Her first thought was that the young woman, so carefully groomed and poised, would probably find her just as irritating as Lara had, and she suddenly wished she'd never left London. Then, as the baron crossed the tiled hall and took her hand in his, pressing her fingers warmly as he introduced himself, she immediately changed her mind.
    It seemed impossible that this handsome, smiling, brown-eyed man, who was probably little more than forty, could be a friend of her father's. Tiny butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she gazed at him and felt the full force of his charismatic charm.
    For Cassandra, watching from behind her lover,
    Nicola's feelings were very clear. The gentle pink glow that suffused her cheeks, the awkward shifting of her feet as Dieter held her gaze a fraction longer than was normal, were all clear pointers that the subtle seduction had already begun.
    Suddenly the baron released Nicola's hand and stepped back a pace, his eyes sweeping over her as he made an assessment. 'You look very hot and crumpled,' he said shortly. 'I like the women in my chateau to be well groomed at all times. Cassandra will have to help you; you clearly have a lot to learn about such things.'
    Startled, Nicola glanced at Cassandra, her eyes reflecting her pain at the baron's swift change of mood. Cassandra smiled reassuringly at her and moved to stand next to the girl.
    'Nicola's had a long, tiring journey, Dieter. I'll take her to her room so that she can rest and freshen up,' she said placidly.
    The baron nodded. 'We're delighted to have you here, Nicola,' he remarked, turning away, 'but you will of course be expected to obey my house rules. I'm sure you can understand that, coming from a military family.'
    'I - yes, of course.' Nicola could hardly speak she was so disconcerted and when Cassandra put a friendly arm round her shoulders and led her upstairs, she felt a surge of gratitude.
    'You do look very hot,' said Cassandra sympathetically, leading Nicola into the bedroom which had been so carefully prepared for her. 'There's a bathroom next door, no one will use it but you. I'm sorry there's no connecting door, but with very old buildings like this some changes just can't be made.'
    'It really doesn't matter,' Nicola assured her. 'This room's gorgeous,' she added.
    Cassandra smiled. 'I hoped you'd like it. I chose the colour scheme for you myself.'
    The soft coral wallpaper and the snow-white curtains and bedspread looked wonderfully clean and bright to Nicola, whose bedroom in her father's London home had been badly in need of decorating. She also liked the king -size bed, little realising that beneath the ruffled covers metal rings were already in place.
    'I'll have Monique unpack for you while you bathe,' said Cassandra. 'If you like to take off your dress that can be laundered and returned to you by morning.'
    Nicola hesitated. She suddenly felt awkward, and there was a tension in the air that she couldn't understand. She