Carole Mortimer - Flame Of Desire

Oh yes, he would, he would be providing a perfectly respectable reason for her stepmother and himself to keep in contact, to occasionally be seen together. Well, not if she could help it!

‘I don’t want to be painted by him.’

‘You’ll do as you’re told.’ Rosemary had obviously run out of patience with her. ‘And I don’t want any more rudeness to him. Your father would be very shocked if he knew about your behaviour.’

Not if he knew the real reason behind it! ’Yes, Mummy.’

Rosemary gave her a sharp look, suspecting sarcasm and finding none. ‘I’ll see you in the morning,’ and she slammed out of the room.

Sophie kept a watchful eye on her stepmother and Luke Vittorio all the next day, although there was really nothing to witness today. Perhaps Luke Vittorio had learnt by his folly of yesterday, but he seemed to keep a polite distance between himself and the other guests, Eve Jeffers being the only person he appeared to talk to.

Helen duly arrived for tea, blushing profusely after Sophie had introduced her to the artist. ‘Gosh, he’s lovely!’ She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Sophie gave her a disgusted look. ‘He’s arrogant and conceited.’

Helen’s eyes widened before her gaze wandered back to Luke Vittorio as he stood talking to Sophie’s father on the other side of the room. She couldn’t seem to see anything but the handsome Luke Vittorio, loving the way the cream trousers and shirt clung to his muscular body and accentuated his swarthy colouring.

‘Surely not?’ she said breathlessly.

‘Believe me, he is.’ And he had no right to be talking so casually to her father, not when he was having an affair with his wife. But a man like that wouldn’t give a damn.

‘Ooh, look!’ squealed Helen. ‘They’re coming over!’

And they were too, the two men talking amicably together. Her poor father, it wouldn’t occur to him to suspect this man of being interested in his wife.

Her father smiled at the two girls. ‘Mr Vittorio—Luke, has just been telling me that he would very much like to paint you, Sophie,’ he told her triumphantly.

She raised shocked eyes to that dark satanic face, flinching at the cold disdain for her in his eyes. ‘I don’t—–’

‘Of course I will not be able to travel down here for your sittings,’ Luke Vittorio spoke for the first time. ‘You will have to visit me at my apartment in London for that.’

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