Cinderella's Christmas Secret - Sharon Kendrick Page 0,51

they saw her. As an upstart who had managed to get her claws into one of Spain’s most eligible bachelors? One who was clearly out of her depth, despite her designer dress and the jewels which hung from her finger and her ears?

Maximo turned to talk to someone and, although a nearby couple were eager to chat to her, Hollie felt strangely isolated. She watched as Maximo seemed to command the attention of everyone in the room. People were trying to get near him and she felt as though she were melting into the shadows and gradually becoming invisible. She realised that for him this was truly home, and always would be.

She did her best to join in with the lively party but couldn’t quite contain the nerves which were growing inside her. She saw a huge dish of purple grapes gleaming rather menacingly in a corner and prayed she would be able to match everyone else in the room—although eating twelve grapes in such a short space of time did seem a big ask, particularly of someone who was pregnant.

She glanced around the room, thinking that she’d never seen so many stunning women congregated in one place, and found herself remembering what Maximo had once said. He’d told her that if ever he met a woman he desired more than her he would tell her immediately and their relationship would end. Looking around at the model-perfect array of females, she failed to see how that could not happen. Surely once the allure of their brand-new sex life wore off, wasn’t it inevitable he would be tempted?

She wasn’t much of a drinker but right then she would have given anything for a small glass of wine to help quell her spiralling nervousness, but of course she couldn’t do that because she was expecting a baby.

And that was the only reason she was here.

All of a sudden Hollie felt as if she were adrift on a life raft, floating on a wide sea. Lost and all alone—despite the proud-featured man at her side who drew the gaze of every woman in the room.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

HER NIGHT WAS RESTLESS—her sleep broken by ill-defined dreams which somehow scared her—and when Hollie awoke it was to find that Maximo had gone. She sat up in bed and blinked, glancing around at the unfamiliar space of his vast Madrid bedroom. Gone where?

As if in answer to her thoughts he walked into the room, dressed in his habitual black and talking on the phone on what was clearly a work call. He palmed her a wave but continued talking in Spanish, obviously distracted—and when Hollie emerged from the bathroom he was still speaking. She walked over to the window and stared out but, despite the beautiful Retiro Park being so close, all she noticed were the buildings and busy roads. She kept telling herself the problem lay with her and not the famously beautiful city of Madrid, but that didn’t alter her fundamental fear about whether she’d ever get used to living here after the quiet of Trescombe.

Maximo cut the call and walked over to the window to stand beside her. ‘You’re awake,’ he murmured, snaking his arm around her waist, his thumb stroking a slow circle. ‘I thought I’d let you sleep. It was a late night. Did you enjoy the party?’

‘It was certainly very lively.’

‘Who was that woman I saw you talking to?’ he enquired, his fingers reaching up to comb through the tangle of her hair.

‘Which one? I was talking to lots of people.’

‘The one in the green dress. She had blonde hair, I think.’

‘Oh. You mean Cristina.’ Hollie smiled. It had been one of the highlights of a very challenging evening. An elegant woman had walked across the crowded room and given her a warm and friendly smile. More than that, she had seemed instantly understanding, telling Hollie that she had once been the newcomer at a similar, glittering party. ‘It can be a little overwhelming at the beginning,’ she had said softly. ‘They are a wonderful but rather intimidating crowd. Just give them a chance.’

‘Who is Cristina?’ prompted Maximo, breaking into her thoughts.

‘She owns a shop on the...’ she frowned as she tried to remember ‘...the Calle de Serrano, and wants me to have lunch with her some time, so I gave her my number. I explained I was going back to England tomorrow to work out my notice, but said I could meet her at the end of the month.’

‘Good, good,’