Love and Splendor: The Coltrane Saga, Book 5 (22 page)

“Well, it all seems terribly romantic, and I think you’re very fortunate to enjoy a career that lets you travel and meet such interesting people.”

Cyril beamed, pushed on, pointed toward the painting with relish. “That reminds me of some wonderful times.”

Dani was once more impressed. “You’ve been inside the palace?” she asked, awed.

“Oh, of course.” He laughed, as though it were ludicrous to assume he had not. No harm in stretching the truth. After all, he had been inside the palace, once, to deliver a painting, but she did not have to know it was not a social visit.

“Yes,” he continued. “I remember well the terraces, statutes, gardens, and, inside, the long hallways and the magnificent gold-and-crystal chandeliers.”

Dani yearned to go there one day. “You have a gallery in Russia, don’t you?” she probed thoughtfully.

He explained it was actually only a small office and showroom. “When I have something of particular interest or value to several patrons, I go there to set up and receive their bids, and, eventually, sell the piece. Should you venture to Russia on your own buying excursions, let me know and I’ll gladly make my facilities available to you.”

Dani said she might just take him up on his kind offer. Just then the door opened with a loud, almost rude jangling of the bell. Dani was surprised to see her half-brother striding purposefully toward her. From the tight, set expression on his face, it was obvious he was angry.

He addressed himself to Cyril in a curt, almost rude voice. “I’d like to speak to my sister in private, if you don’t mind.”

Cyril silently cursed the interruption, but on the surface he was the epitome of understanding. “Of course. I was just leaving anyway.” He kissed Dani’s hand and walked out of the shop, all the while thinking how he would find an excuse to return later.

When Colt and Dani were alone, Dani at once worriedly asked, “Whatever is wrong? You seem terribly upset. Has something happened at home?”

“No, no. Nothing like that.” He ran his fingers through thick waves of dark hair, glanced absently about the shop, took a deep breath, let it out slowly.

Dani felt she would surely go mad if he kept her in suspense any longer and was about to tell him so when the words seemed to explode from his lips.

“I’m getting married.”

She stared at him, too shocked to speak.

Colt at once stiffened. “Well? Don’t you have anything to say?”

She was taken aback by his belligerence. Apparently, he was not happy about his announcement, but why take it out on her? Testily, she demanded, “What do you want me to say?”

“You might try ‘Congratulations’.”

“Are congratulations in order?”

“That’s normally what people say when someone tells them they’re going to get married.”

“Of course, when they’re happy about it. You obviously aren’t.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Go look in a mirror. You aren’t exactly the image of a happy groom-to-be.”

Colt allowed the remark to pass. “You haven’t even asked who I’m marrying.”

Dani shrugged. “That’s no mystery. The only woman you’ve been seeing in Paris is Lily.”

“And you don’t like her!” he said accusingly.

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to. It’s obvious you and Mother both don’t like her.”

“What difference does it make whether we do or don’t? We aren’t the ones who’ll have to live with her. But isn’t this all a bit sudden? You’ve only known her a short while, Colt. And have you told our parents?”

“Tonight. I’m telling them tonight. That’s why I came here to see you first.”

Dani raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“So you can find somewhere else to go tonight,” he tersely informed her. “Things will be tense enough without you starting another fight like last night, which, by the way, ruined the whole goddamn evening for everybody. I don’t want a repeat performance tonight.”

Dani felt a wave of fury moving violently from head to toe. How dare he march in to her shop and speak to her this way? What if there had been customers? Obviously, it would not have mattered, the state he was in. “Don’t worry,” she told him stiffly. “I won’t be home for dinner. This is one party I want to be sure and miss.”

His nostrils flared with the intensity of his ire as he met her furious gaze with his own eyes. “Fine! That’s all I wanted.”

He turned on his heel and strode angrily toward the door.

Dani watched him and, despite the way he had made her so angry, could not help but experience a twinge of compassion. What evil spell had that nasty, little Lily Deauneve cast over him to make him want to marry her? It was obvious he was terribly upset. She hurried after him. “Colt…wait, please…”

His hand was on the doorknob, but he hesitated, did not turn around, back stiff, rigid. “What is it? I’m in a hurry.”

Hesitantly, she placed her fingertips on his shoulder in a gesture she hoped he would interpret as one of love, caring, and compassion. “Colt, listen,” she said softly. “I know we’ve had problems in the past, and since you came to Paris we haven’t become close as I would’ve liked. I’ve just been busy with the shop, and Drake, and you’ve had Lily, and there just hasn’t been time for us to really get to know each other. But I want you to know that I do love you and care about you, and I’m worried now, because I just can’t help feeling that this marriage isn’t what
you
want.”

Colt shrugged away her caress but did not turn around, his voice as frigid as his pose. “Mind your own business, Dani. I didn’t ask for your approval or your opinion. I just asked you to stay away tonight and give us all some peace.”

Dani held her anger in check, managed to keep her voice warm, even. “Believe me, I’m not trying to meddle, but please talk with Poppa, or Kitty, before you get too deeply committed to this.”

Suddenly, he whirled around and pointed an accusing finger beneath her nose. “Stay out of it, Dani,” he cried harshly. “If it hadn’t been for you being such a spoiled brat and letting Alaina Barbeau spirit you away from our family, none, of this would’ve happened. You’d have been where you were supposed to be, and I wouldn’t have made a fool of myself and damn near lost the entire family fortune.”

He yanked the door open with a vengeance, started out, then hesitated.

Dani stared after him, eyes misting with stinging tears. How could he blame her for everything? She shook her head slowly from side to side, shocked and hurt.

Then, in a voice choked with his own anguish, Colt spoke over his shoulder. “Besides, it doesn’t make a damn difference what
I
want. I don’t intend to make the same mistake twice.”

Then he hurried out, down the cobbled street, and Dani could only stand in the doorway and stare helplessly after him.

Chapter Sixteen

Dani decided to close the shop earlier than usual. All had been quiet since Colt’s disturbing visit, so she locked the doors at three o’clock and went home, thinking how nice it would be to have some time to herself before Drake arrived. A leisurely bath and a glass of wine would do wonders to dispel the agitation Colt had incited.

At quarter past three, Cyril arrived at the shop. He stared at the
CLOSED
sign in the window, and his eyes at once narrowed with rising anger. So, he fumed, Dani was so excited over her coming tryst with Drakar that she could not wait to get home to start readying herself for it. Well, that was just fine, because he knew where Drakar lived, had made it his business to learn everything he could about the man once he realized they were both after the same things—the painting
and
Dani Coltrane. He had overheard their conversation earlier, knew they were planning a cozy little dinner together at Drakar’s apartment, and he would just arrange to be outside to keep his eye on things. Drakar did not know it yet, he fumed, but he had a fight on his hands. This was one war Cyril did not intend to lose, no matter the cost or consequences.

Dani was relieved to arrive at the mansion and find no one about downstairs. She hurried up to the sanctity of her room, but her peace was short-lived. She had not yet had time to ring for her maid to draw her bath before there was a loud, insistent knock on her door. With a sigh of dread, she opened it—and there stood Lily.

She was grinning triumphantly, head held high. “I know you know. Colt said he was going to your shop to tell you.”

Dani nodded curtly, felt her teeth grinding together instinctively as she fought to quell the resentment bubbling within. She did not like this snitty girl, hated the thought of having her for a sister-in-law, but was damned if she would make a scene. After all, it was Colt’s life, and she could certainly defend his right to live it as he chose.

“Congratulations, Lily,” she finally said in a voice void of emotion or enthusiasm. “I hope you’ll both be very happy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.”

Lily ignored her request and breezed into the room and sat herself down on the divan next to the window and demurely folded her hands in her lap. Then, with a deeply beseeching expression on her face—acquired after too many hours of practice before a mirror—she looked at Dani and said imploringly, “Can you forgive me for my rudeness yesterday? I had no business saying what I said about Drakar.”

Dani had not moved away from the door. She knew, instinctively, that Lily was up to something. But what? And why? Apparently, she had what she wanted—a proposal from Colt. Finally, she responded. “That’s quite all right, Lily, don’t worry about it. Now if you don’t mind, as I said, I do have some things to tend to.”

Lily made no move to get up, merely continued to look at her in that pleading way. “I want us to be friends, Dani. Good friends.”

Unable to hide the tension in her voice, Dani tightly murmured, “We have no problems, Lily…if you will just allow me to get on with what I was doing,” she added pointedly.

Lily flashed a bright smile. “Colt and I want to be married as soon as possible. Since I have no family to speak of, my poor uncle is too ill to travel and all, we thought it best we just go ahead and get married and skip much of the pre-wedding formalities, but we do want a beautiful wedding, and we want you to help us plan it.”

Dani blinked, astonished. Under the circumstances, she did not want to be involved. With a shake of her head, she declined. “That’s out of the question. I’m going to be quite busy with my travel plans, and—”

“You don’t understand!” Lily leaped to her feet and hurried to stand before her. “I must have your help and Kitty’s. Between the two of you, you can put something together almost as lavish as that party you had when you opened your shop. You and she know lots of people. Colt
is
your brother, and whether you truly like me or not, you owe it to him, and—”

“Lily, stop it!” Dani snapped, holding up a hand for silence. No way was she going to be manipulated into helping plan a wedding she quite frankly thought was a terrible mistake. “I don’t have time, and that’s final, now please accept my congratulations and best wishes for your happiness and again I ask you to leave me.”

Lily took a step away from her, felt her cheeks growing warm with humiliation. “I came here to apologize if I angered you last night; I offered my hand to you in friendship, and this is what I get. A slap in the face.”

Dani was not about to be intimidated. “I merely tried to explain that I don’t have time to help with your wedding, Lily. I’m sorry if my refusal offends you.”

Lily’s eyes narrowed ominously. “When I’m Mrs. John Travis Coltrane, you won’t treat me like this. You’ll give me the respect I’m due.”

Dani suppressed a snicker. “I’ll treat you as I treat anyone else, Lily, which is as you deserve to be treated. Now”—she took a deep breath, let it out slowly as she pointed to the door with an unwavering finger—“if you don’t leave, I’m afraid I’m just going to have to help you out, as you leave me no choice.”

At that, Lily exploded, losing all traces of composure. “Why, why…you conceited little bitch,” she sputtered, then cried, “Colt told me how you’ve never thought of anyone but yourself your whole life, never gave a damn how you hurt people as long as you got what you wanted. Well, I’ll tell you one thing, Miss High-and-Mighty Dani Coltrane, you’re going to get what’s coming to you when you find out your precious Russian lover is nothing but a whore-hopping scamp. He’ll bed any woman who spreads her thighs for him, and if I wanted to, I could take him away from you like that…” She snapped her fingers beneath Dani’s nose.

Dani was having an extremely difficult time holding her temper in check. She desperately wanted to slap Lily’s face until her teeth rattled, but she was determined to hang on to her self-control as long as humanly possible. She closed her eyes for an instant, then took a deep breath and reached out and clamped her hands on Lily’s shoulders and shoved her with all her might toward the door.

Lily began to scream and struggle against her, but Dani, though smaller in size, was quicker, and she was able to fling her through the door with a mighty thrust and then leap back to slam the door in her face and lock

Lily promptly yelled, “I’ll get you for this, Dani. I swear I will. You had your chance. I’m going to many your brother whether you like it or not, and I’ll take over this house, and I’ll make your life hell, and you’ll have to get out and go live with your whoremonger Russian as long as he’ll have you…”