‘So,’ Natalia said, ‘is that it? You lasted one day with me?’
‘Not a chance, Princess. I never lose a bet.’
‘Just your temper.’
He glanced down at the papers again, felt a stirring of regret. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have become so angry.’
‘You must be used to this kind of thing,’ Natalia said, gesturing to the paper. ‘Your family is always featured in the tabloids back in England.’ He knew it all too well. ‘I’ve worked very hard to make sure I’m not featured in—’
‘Which is exactly why you’re so annoyed that you got dragged in this time,’ she finished curtly. ‘Shall I shed a tear? Now you know how it feels.’
He’d been dragged in before, and he hated it, but he wasn’t about to tell Natalia that. ‘Are you saying you don’t go after that kind of publicity? That you’re innocent?’
‘Is that so hard to believe?’
‘You know your own history—’
‘Better than you do.’
‘You’re saying none of what the tabloids print is true?’ Ben demanded. He watched her flush, and with a jolt of regret he realised he’d hurt her.
‘Not all of it is true,’ she said stiffly. ‘And in this instance, no, I didn’t plan it all. Really, you give me far too much credit. I took everyone out to lunch yesterday to be nice. End of story. And when we were coming out of the wine bar I tripped. You saw my broken heel yourself. The press jumped all over it as they always do, and they made it look as naughty as they could.’ Her lush lips curved in a brittle smile. ‘Really, I wouldn’t expect anything less.’
Ben stared at her. Even though she was effecting a careless, relaxed pose, he suspected that’s all it was. A pose. He sensed a deeper, darker sea of emotions churning underneath. Disappointment. Hurt. Fear. Anger too—and he didn’t know if it was directed at him, the press or maybe even the whole world. If she hated the tabloid coverage, he wondered, why on earth did she go out of her way to get it? Granting interviews. Posing for photos. Waving at the cameras. He’d assumed she enjoyed the notoriety.
Now he wondered. Was Natalia just pretending—and why? It was a question he didn’t really feel like examining … or answering.
He straightened, raking his hands through his hair before dropping them to his sides. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said quietly. ‘I see now that I overreacted a bit because I hate the press.’
‘You hate the press?’ She widened her eyes in mocking astonishment. ‘What a surprise.’
‘Shocking, I know—’
‘Did something happen,’ Natalia asked abruptly, ‘to make you hate it so much? Something specific?’
Ben pressed his lips together. He had no desire to trot out his little sob stories, his mother’s distress at having her private heartache made into public shame, how the press had pounced on his own weaknesses again and again to milk a story. ‘I simply find the entire practice of making money off people’s anguish completely reprehensible.’ He stopped himself from saying anything more, for he knew he’d already revealed too much. Anguish. Yes, that’s what his mother had felt. What he had felt. Yet he didn’t want Natalia to know. ‘I suspect having you volunteer here has challenged me as much as it has you.’
‘As long as we’re both getting something out of it.’
‘When I asked you to volunteer,’ he continued steadily, ‘I didn’t foresee this kind of press coverage.’ That wasn’t, he knew, quite true. He had anticipated something like it, but he’d willfully ignored it, told himself he could handle it. And right now it felt like he couldn’t. ‘That was foolish on my part, I realise.’
Natalia’s eyes flashed, this time with sudden humour. ‘Wait a minute. You asked me?’
Ben felt a flicker of admiration for the way she adjusted, always matching him. And a flicker of something else. He watched her chest rise and fall under that crisp white blouse and he wanted to undo its buttons. ‘Didn’t I ask?’ he said, feigning confused innocence. ‘And you so politely agreed?’ A wry smile tugged at his mouth, and she smiled back, the moment spinning on and turning into something else—something that reminded Ben of how slender and lithe her body had felt last night, how close his lips had been to hers. How much he’d wanted to kiss her.
‘I think you’re rewriting history as much as the press do,’ she said.
Which brought them back to their current situation with an unwelcome thud. Ben jerked his gaze away from her blouse and those tempting little buttons. ‘I’m sorry for losing my temper and accusing you unfairly,’ Ben said. ‘I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. But we can’t have this,’ he continued, glancing down at the newspapers. ‘If the camp receives negative local press before it even starts, it could affect parents’ decisions to send their children, not to mention some of the camp’s endorsements.’ He glanced up, saw she looked serious now too, and maybe even a little sad. ‘I know you think I’m doing this as some sort of PR stunt—’
‘I don’t really,’ she said quietly.
‘The truth is,’ Ben said, the words sounding and feeling awkward, ‘I’m doing it for the children. Well, myself and the children. I—I used to love playing sport. It gave me a great sense of confidence and—and control when I needed it most, and I want to share that with others, with children who might never have an opportunity to kick a football or run around the pitch.’ He gave a small laugh, feeling oddly vulnerable at having shared so much. He knew to her it must sound like a small thing, but it felt like his very soul.
‘I understand,’ Natalia assured him with one of her lightning smiles. ‘The next time you ask me out for a drink, I’ll say no.’
He let out a little laugh. Natalia never let up, never admitted defeat. He liked that, he realised. Once again he wondered about the woman underneath the party-princess, publicity-seeking facade. Was she there? Was she real? And did he want her to be? ‘All right,’ he said at last. ‘Fair enough. Now we really ought to do some proper work. I’m sure Francesca has some more photocopying or filing for you to do.’
‘Right,’ Natalia said. Her tone had turned brittle again, all traces of that odd moment of intimacy vanished. ‘I’m on the job,’ she said, giving him a mock salute, and left the room with Ben still staring after her, wondering if he’d ever understand her … and why he wanted to.
Frowning, he glanced at the papers again, and saw a few inches of print he hadn’t noticed before. Jackson’s Prodigal Daughter Parties with the Earl?
His frown deepened as he pulled the papers towards him and scanned the few lines. Apparently his stepsister Angel Tilson had left the engagement party last weekend with the Earl of Pemberton. Ben didn’t know him, but from the blurry photograph he looked dark, menacing, and rich. What could Angel possibly be up to this time?
Still frowning, he reached for his mobile and punched in his sister’s number. Although he wasn’t related by blood to Angel, his father’s second wife’s daughter from a previous relationship, he still felt responsible for her. Ben knew Angel had never really felt part of the boisterous Jackson clan. Tough and street-wise, she’d always been determined to make it on her own.
She answered the phone after several rings. ‘Big brother,’ she greeted him in a drawl, ‘what new worry has you ringing me?’
Ben smiled in spite of his concern. Angel knew him well. So did Natalia. Pushing that uncomfortable thought aside, he glanced at the paper in front of him. ‘What are you doing with the Earl of Pemberton, Angel?’
‘Having a blast,’ she told him, ‘of course. Had your daily dose of the tabloids, Ben? Why don’t you just stop reading those rags?’