The Queen's Nine-Month Scandal by Abby Green Page A

even
less private than it already was.
    Analia turned back into the room feeling restless and a little
wild. She saw a black strapless evening gown hanging up. It had been put out for
a masquerade ball she’d been invited to that evening—until her chief advisors
had decided that the event wouldn’t really be appropriate. Analia spied the
gilt-edged invitation on a table and went over to pick it up.

    You are cordially invited to indulge yourself
and your senses in the company of Andreas Xenakis , in the spirit of the famous Venice Carnival.

    The rest of the words blurred as something dark settled in
Analia’s belly. Resolve. Andreas Xenakis was one of the world’s most renowned
playboys and hoteliers, hence her advisors’ lack of enthusiasm that she attend.
Earlier, she’d agreed not to go because a party had been the last thing she’d
felt like...but now something was surging in her blood and making her feel
reckless. Rebellious.
    * * *
    Daniel Sasha Petrovsky felt restless. His mouth thinned,
this was nothing new, he’d been born restless. But for once, he found himself
craving...peace. He’d thought that by leaving his career as a celebrated war
photographer and reporter behind, he might have gained some. When an estranged
Russian oligarch uncle had died leaving his vast fortune to Daniel, he’d taken
the opportunity to do something more worthwhile, using his knowledge of where
money was needed most in the world to become a philanthropist.
    But no matter where he went, no matter how his wealth increased
exponentially or how much of it he consequently gave away, it felt as if a void
was growing inside him and there was nothing he could do to fill it.
    And yet he knew he couldn’t go back into that chaotic world of
war, carnage and destruction. He’d seen too much, had witnessed too much
horror.
    He shook his head as if that could shake off this very
uncharacteristic introspection and took in his glittering surroundings: a
centuries old palazzo , which showcased Venice’s
crumbling splendour. It could have been medieval times. Candles flickered
everywhere, dancing on acres of seductively bared female flesh. Daniel’s mouth
twisted. Despite the skin on show, this was no debauched carnival party. This
was at the top end of the scale, the most exclusive invite of the carnival.
    Daniel gave thanks for his own mask and the beard which further
disguised him. He wasn’t in the mood to be recognized tonight. The cloak of
anonymity suited him and this strange mood he was in.
    A movement to his right caught his peripheral vision and he
turned to look as a woman stepped into the room just a few feet away. Instantly
everything within him seemed to slow down to one long heartbeat. She was
exquisite. Dark lustrous hair fell in loose waves behind her shoulders. Pale
olive skin glowed like a pearl and looked as soft as silk.
    The curve of her jaw was graceful and delicate, hinting at the
true beauty which lay hidden under a piece of black lace covering her face from
forehead to nose. Her simple mask made the surrounding, more elaborate ones seem
garish.
    She had soft, voluptuous, infinitely kissable lips. She
intrigued him and aroused him all at once, standing so alone. A simple diamond
bracelet glinted at that moment from her wrist as she moved forward with a
hesitation that made him frown slightly. Women in this milieu weren’t
hesitant.
    There was something about that hesitance and her isolation that
instantly resonated within him, as if a chord of recognition had been struck.
Welcoming the distraction from his inner tumult, and unable to stop himself, he
moved towards her.
    * * *
    Analia was still giddy with the knowledge that she’d
managed to escape the confines of her hotel suite, thanks to observing a maid
use a staff entrance earlier in the day. For the first time in her life she
wasn’t surrounded by staff and bodyguards.
    The feeling of freedom was heady. Waiters were passing through
the crowd dressed in