A Touch of Notoriety - By Carole Mortimer Page 0,58

with her.

Just looking at him now, and knowing how much she loved him, made Beth’s heart ache. Almost enough to take her mind off the nagging, insistent ache in her side!

A nagging and insistent ache that made her feel physically sick, and which she knew owed nothing, absolutely nothing, to the pain of the unrequited love she felt for Raphael.

She kept her arm about Esther’s waist as she pulled back slightly.

‘Would anyone mind if I went to my room to lie down for a while? This past couple of days have been a bit...emotional, and I’m feeling a little tired,’ she added ruefully.

‘I’ll come with you,’ Grace offered huskily.

‘I would like that.’ Beth turned to smile at her sister as she joined them, a quick glance behind Grace showing her that Raphael was nowhere in sight. ‘Has Raphael gone?’ she prompted with as much lightness as she could muster—and instantly knowing she hadn’t fooled Grace for a moment as her sister’s gaze narrowed on her speculatively. Beth never had been able to hide anything from Grace for very long!

Including the way she now felt about Raphael, apparently.

‘He said there were a couple of things he had to do,’ Grace answered her slowly.

Of course he did. Raphael might have transferred her personal security to Rodney, but he was still Head of Security worldwide for Cesar, with all of the responsibilities that went along with that job description.

‘You go and rest now and we’ll see you later, honey.’ Esther touched Beth’s cheek gently as she smiled at her.

‘Querida.’ Carlos kissed her warmly on her other cheek.

‘Brela.’ Cesar lifted her hand and kissed the back of it.

Making the emotion catch in the back of Beth’s throat all over again. Not only would she always have Grace as her sister, but she now had this wonderful family as her own, too. Her cup wasn’t just half full, it was overflowing.

Apart, of course, from the fact that she was in love with a man who was never going to fall in love with her...

* * *

‘Okay, what’s going on?’ Grace prompted shrewdly once the two sisters were alone together in the same bedroom they had shared the last time Beth had visited Buenos Aires and stayed at Cesar’s apartment.

Just days ago, and yet those days had been life changing for Beth. In more ways than one! ‘Going on?’ she prompted with that same attempt at lightness as earlier as she lay down on one of the single beds in the room—and with just as much success if the look of scepticism on Grace’s face was any indication!

‘Between you and Raphael.’ Grace nodded as she dropped down onto the other bed. ‘He’s walking around with a face like thunder and trying not to look at you too often, and you have a permanent false smile fixed on your face—while also trying to give the appearance of not looking at him, either!’

Beth grimaced. ‘You’re imagining things.’

‘Don’t try that with me, Beth,’ her sister warned ruefully. ‘I know you far too well for you to get away with it. And, for some reason, you and Raphael are both trying to give the appearance that neither one of you believes the other exists.’

As usual, her sister had gone straight to the heart of the problem! ‘I think you have that slightly wrong, Grace. I’m only too well aware that Raphael exists—he’s the one trying to ignore me.’

‘Why?’

Beth gave a grimace as the twinge of pain in her side gave a particularly vicious twist. ‘Because he doesn’t like or approve of me any more now than he did four days ago?’

Grace gave her a reproving look. ‘We both know that isn’t it.’

‘Do we?’

Her sister sighed. ‘Okay, you obviously don’t want to talk about this right now. But when you do,’ she continued before Beth could relax her guard too much, ‘know that I’m here for you.’

‘Always,’ Beth acknowledged huskily.

Grace nodded. ‘And that I don’t judge.’

She felt the tears well up in her eyes. For what had to be the hundredth time today. ‘I’m just so emotionally exhausted at the moment, Grace, that I can barely see straight, let alone talk coherently,’ she admitted gruffly.

‘I can see that.’ Her sister stood up to pat one of her hands sympathetically. ‘You’re looking a little pale?’

‘Don’t you start!’ She grimaced. ‘Raphael has done nothing else today but tell me how awful I look!’

‘I’m sure he didn’t mean it in the way you’ve obviously taken it.’ Grace still studied her worriedly.

‘I admire your optimism!’

‘We’ll