BOUND BY DUTY CLAIMED BY DESIRE

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Grand Choice

The corridor's seemed endless, like a twisting maze. Numbly,Elena followed behind the bottler.

He said nothing to her , and walked at a pace that was slightly too fast for her, They went upstairs,along more corridor's and more stairs leading upstairs.

Finally,he took her through a set of doors and into one more corridor.

Elena looked around her, A faint sheen of dust was on the floor, the sketching board's, and the air had a musty smell on it.

‘Signorina?’

The bottler,or whoever he was ,had opened a door and was waiting for her to go in .she hesitated a moment,then not knowing what to do,went on.

It was more like a room in a budget hotel than a palace, with a plain bed and furniture, and a small and not very clean window that Elena could see.

Her suitcase was standing on a slightly frayed rug beside the bed.

It was a single bed,she noticed, frowning,she glanced around towards the door into what she presumed must be Ben's bedroom.

But when she opened it, it was only a small windowless shower room, with no further door leading out of it .she turned towards the bottler.

‘where is my son's bedroom?’ she asked. There was anger in her voice.

But it was wasted.

The door to the corridor was closing, and as it did ,she heard a distinct click.

A spurt of alarm went through her, and she hurried to the door, twisting the handle urgently.

It was locked .

The corridor was clearly disused. Emotion stabbed at Rafael and he suppressed it.

There was no time for emotion now, instantly he walked along the length of the corridor, testing each door handle. Each one yielded to an empty room

The fifth door refused to yield,he paused a moment, listening. There was no sound,had she tried to scream? No one would hear her here.

Emotion stabbed through him again, he suppressed it once more. He felt the strength of the lock with his hand, twisting the handle then stepped back.

It hurts,in films it never looked as if it did . But the pain in his shoulder as the door cracked open was irrelevant.

What was not,was the huddled figure on the bed . She had just launched up into a sitting position,he could tell.

Even from the shattered doorway he could see the look of terror on her face.

And the streaks of tears.

Her face contorted into rage and fury .

‘I've got Ben , let's go ‘ He spoke urgently. We have no time now’, His eyes stared at her .‘Trust me’.

He could see the emotion on her face. An emotion that he never,ever wanted to see again on a woman's face.

Then abruptly,she hurled herself forward.

‘Where is he?

‘At the end of the corridor, keeping watch. He thinks it's a game, he's not upset.

‘Ben’, Her cry was almost a scream,but stifled in her throat.

Rafael saw the child run from his position at the end of the corridor.

‘Mummy ,come on’. He beckoned at her furiously,his little face alight with excitement.

The palace was labyrinthine ,but Rafael knew it at the back of his hand. Knew exactly which levels were most likely to be deserted.

He walked rapidly,her suitcase in one hand and Ben's hand in the other.

Ben walked beside him,his mother behind him ,both instructed not to talk ,not to ask questions.

Every corner was a risk, someone could be there. But there was no one.

No one was right up to the service door to his apartments. Urgently,he shoved Ben and his mother inside even as he yanked out his mobile phone and punched a number.

Thank God Govanni was there,in postion. He'd phoned him the moment he'd left his brother out cold on the floor,to give him instructions.

He snapped the phone shut and turned to Ben.

‘Time for the secret passage', he said.

Ben's mouth opened wide in wonder.

‘Here it is’, said Rafael. He'd crossed to the wall into which a fireplace had been set , and felt for the concealed button that operated the door mechanism.

He hadn't used in a while,but it still worked,it creaked, revealing a narrow entrance to an even narrower staircase.

Ben needed no second invitation. He surged forward his expression blissful, and Rafael had to hold him while he flicked on the interior light,got them all inside why he shut the door.

The concealed staircase opened into a side street in the palace. The car was waiting, it's tinted windows closed , even so ,he made his nephew and his mother lie on the floor of the back seat

‘Drive’,he instructed Giovanni.

They made it to the border in under twenty minutes. He'd debated between speed heading for the hills.

As the passed through the unarmed border he spoke.

‘we're out’, he said. He leaned down to haul Ben up , followed by his mother.

‘What now?,she asked. Her voice was expressionless, but Rafael heard the tremor in it. Heard the fear in her voice.

He looked at her. Emotion surged in him , and he clamped it down yet again.

‘we get a priest', he said.

‘it is the only way I can protect and also protect Ben'.

She stared at him,her face a web of fear.

‘It's another trick . A trap’ .her voice was hollow.

‘No, I did not know what they were planning,I swear. If I could, I would get you back, but If you try to return to your home you'll be taken into custody.

I can't even get you into Switzerland,All the Italian borders will be watched.

‘The only way I can keep you safe is by doing what I've just said.

Once we're married, they can't touch you, and they can't touch Ben.

I know my father,he won't risk an open break with me ,He won't cause that kind of scandal’.

She stared at him.

‘Why?’ The question was almost inaudible.‘why do you want to do that?.

It echoed through him.

‘I gave you my word’, he said. ‘Not to let Ben be parted from you. That's why’.

His eyes went to her ,went to her arm so tight around Ben ,his head resting on her side. Mother and child.

His lips pressed together, And so what if she was utterly any woman he would have chosen for his wife? A woman who knew the truth about this marriage.

Gruesome’

That was what she thought a marriage between them would be.

His eyes went to the boy. He wa still asleep, rolling against his mother.

His eyes met hers . They were huge.

‘Thank you’, she said,her voice low.