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Quite how two days vanished, Tilly didn’t know. They rode Trevor first thing, then swam at the deep cove. After a lazy brunch they went to his office. Alex worked while she developed a new exhibit plan for the museum—seeing the fortress at Zaffira had given her an idea. He’d rearranged that wall calendar, moving the appearances he’d missed this week to a month’s time. A month didn’t feel long enough. She refused to think about Domenico or the online horror she had no control over. The days had been bliss. The nights even better. Alex was shockingly easy to get along with—to laugh with.

But when he walked towards her with his unreadable, walls-up expression of old she set down her pencil. ‘What’s happened?’

He placed several items on the table in a row. ‘Passport. Cash. Bank account. Yours.’

She froze. The clip of money was high denomination. The bank letter with card attached had the opening balance in bold. Did he want her to leave now? Was this done already? Just like that? A week ago this would have been the escape she’d wanted, but now?

‘You shouldn’t have done this.’ Her breathing quickened. ‘I don’t want a pity pay-out.’

‘I worked out the average wage for a museum curator, multiplied it by six and gave you a bonus.’

‘Some bonus.’

‘Consider it all the interest you’ve missed out on accruing in that time. It’s only what you’re owed, Tilly. Give it away if you don’t want it. I don’t want it back.’

She stared at the impenetrable thunderstorm that was Alex—he could put up such barriers but he was slightly pale as he watched her almost warily.

‘Is it impossible for you to do nice things while smiling?’ she murmured.

‘What?’

‘You smirk when you’re being mean. You’re serious when you’re being kind.’

‘Maybe it goes against my nature to be kind.’

‘Please.’ She shook her head. ‘Maybe you don’t like letting me truly see you.’

He dragged in a breath. ‘Maybe you have a habit of rejecting my attempts to do nice things, so I’m bracing for impact.’

‘I—what?’

‘You’re as prickly as I am.’ He ruffled his hair. ‘You just hide it more.’

She slowly nodded. ‘I always told myself I wasn’t going to be like my mother and depend on a man—series of men—for security. I got educated, thought I’d built a career, but I was still dependent not just on his favour, but also my feeling that I owed him—’

‘You don’t owe me anything. You can leave here any time you want.’

‘Right now?’ She stood and reached for the passport, flipped through it—a full citizen of Montaurella, it named her with her title still even though she didn’t deserve it.

‘Just ask and I’ll arrange it.’

‘You’re not smiling again—what are you bracing for this time?’

‘You asking to leave right now.’

Oh. So he didn’t want that? Thank goodness. She licked her lips. ‘I said I’d stay for two months max. Long enough for this marriage to accomplish whatever it is you wanted from it.’

‘I’m not going to hold you to that. I shouldn’t have pushed you into it.’ He swallowed. ‘Having said that, while there’s this trouble online, it might be good to maintain our united front.’

‘Then maybe a few more weeks.’

‘You’re sure?’

‘Yes.’

Something fragile unfurled between them before he turned, his gaze sliding to Montaurella. He coughed. ‘Any thoughts on where you might want to go after?’

She followed his gaze to the beautiful city. ‘Not yet.’