Cinderella's Christmas Secret - Sharon Kendrick Page 0,50

up inside her? But she forced herself to push away her fears, determined to count her blessings instead. Tomorrow was the first day of the new year and the man she was going to marry was the father of her baby. Wasn’t that good enough to be going along with?

He took her to the drawing room, which was situated at the very top of the large house, where they sipped glasses of casera—a simple bubbly lemon concoction, which Maximo said was rarely drunk outside Spain and which Hollie found delicious. Afterwards they were driven to the west of the city, to an upmarket area called Pozuelo de Alarcón, where the party was being held. The house was large and modern and surrounded by enormous grounds, with clever lighting focussing on beautiful outdoor statues and surrounding shrubs. Coloured bulbs were looped through the branches of trees, and as the line of luxury cars progressed up the long drive Hollie could see people laughing and drinking through giant plate-glass windows. It looked just like a commercial and Hollie would have defied anyone not to have felt intimidated by it.

Did her shoulders stiffen with tension—was that why Maximo ran a reflective finger over her palm? ‘Everything okay?’ he verified.

‘I’m still nervous,’ she admitted.

‘Don’t be, mia belleza. Your innocence will be like a breath of fresh air.’

‘Not so very innocent any more,’ she reflected ruefully.

‘Everyone has to lose their innocence some time.’ He reached up and touched his fingertip against one of the diamond strands which dangled like a spill of stars from her ear. ‘You know that at midnight we have a big tradition in this country?’

‘Like the siesta, you mean?’

‘In its way, las doce uvas de la suerte is as important as the siesta, sí—because, to the Spanish, all traditions are important.’

Hollie nodded, wondering if that was because he’d grown up without any real traditions of his own.

As had she.

‘Everyone eats grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve,’ he said. ‘One for each stroke of the hour—twelve grapes in all.’

‘Why do you do that?’

‘To bring us luck.’ He smiled. ‘Rare is the Spaniard who will poison his fate for the following year by failing to complete this simple task.’

‘In England, we might be tempted to call that superstition.’

‘Then I shall have to persuade you otherwise, won’t I?’ he said softly as the limousine slid to a silent halt, and she shivered as he whispered his fingertip over her thigh, as if to remind her of what delights lay in store for them later.

Heads turned as they walked into the party—where even the people serving drinks and canapés looked as if they had stepped from the pages of a fashion bible.

Please don’t let me make a fool of myself, Hollie prayed.

There was a split-second pause and then conversation resumed as a tall and very handsome man extricated himself from a group of people and came over to greet them.

‘Maximo,’ he said. ‘I’m glad you made it, though I confess to being a little surprised.’ His black eyes gleamed with curiosity. ‘Since the word is out that there are going to be a lot of very disappointed women here tonight.’

Hollie felt Maximo’s fingertips touch the base of her spine.

‘Javier, I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Hollie Walker. Hollie, this is Javier de Balboa, a very old friend of mine, who will probably do his best to cause mischief.’

‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Hollie, her hand straying to her cheek to push away a dangling strand of hair.

‘So it is true,’ breathed Javier, and Hollie knew she hadn’t imagined the surprise which flickered in his dark eyes as he spotted the large diamond gleaming on her finger. ‘Wow. I am delighted to meet the woman who has tamed this black-hearted rogue after so long. You do realise what you’re taking on, don’t you, Hollie?’

‘I think so.’

Her tentative words made both men smile and suddenly Hollie felt a little more comfortable as she asked for a glass of casera.

‘You won’t have champagne?’ asked Javier.

‘Hollie’s pregnant,’ Maximo cut in.

‘Ah. Of course she is. My congratulations to you both. In that case, I will have someone prepare you a casera.’

After he had gone, Hollie just stood very still for a moment, breathing deeply and trying to compose herself. What had Javier meant—Of course she is? That it was inconceivable the powerful bachelor would be contemplating marriage unless he was being shotgunned into it? And wasn’t that the truth? She could see people watching them and wondered how