Cassandra's Conflict Read Online Free PDF

Cassandra asked.
    Katya's eyes filled with tears – the baron could have told Cassandra that she cried crocodile tears more easily than any woman he'd ever met – and her voice dropped to a whisper. 'They died in an aeroplane crash three years ago,' she confided.
    'How dreadful!' Remembering the death of her own parents, Cassandra's easy compassion was instantly aroused.
    Katya, who'd never known who her father was and whose mother had died from venereal disease shortly after she'd finished educating her twelve-year-old daughter in all the ways it was possible to please a man, let her mouth droop for a moment and then gave a brave smile. 'Well, we mustn't dwell on the past. Everyone has sadnesses in their lives. Let me take you upstairs and show you your room. It's been thoroughly spring-cleaned since Abigail left yesterday and we've changed all the curtains and bed coverings so that it fits your personality better. Dieter didn't think you and Abigail would share the same taste in interior design.'
    'I really didn't expect ...' Cassandra's voice tailed off. She found it hard to imagine a man who was interested enough in his employees to change the decor of his rooms for their convenience.
    'But the bedroom's so important to a woman, isn't it?' Katya said, putting one small hand lightly on Cassandra's elbow as she guided her up the stairs and round to the right along the landing. 'I think it's so important to have the right kind of bedroom. Of course you've got your own little living room and bathroom, but I expect you'll be with us a lot of the time. Abigail was. She was such a success at our little dinner parties. After a few drinks she became very vivacious!'
    Cassandra felt her stomach tighten a little. 'I'm afraid I'm not a dinner-party kind of person. Besides, I'm here for the children. I'm sure the baron won't want me mixing with his friends.'
    'You're one of the family now,' Katya insisted. 'Don't look so nervous, dinner parties are one of the highlights of life here. Dieter knows such interesting people.'
    Cassandra wished that the other woman would take her hand away from her elbow. She realised she was only trying to be friendly but the effect was rather overpowering. She felt relieved when they stopped in front of one of the heavy oak doors and Katya pushed it open. 'Here we are, your bedroom.'
    Cassandra stared about her in astonishment. The bedroom was larger than the whole flat she'd just left, and it was dominated by a huge four-poster bed with apricot-coloured curtains pulled back and fastened to the posts with large oak rings. There was no quilt but instead an embroidered tapestry bedcover in gold and beige shot through with threads of the same apricot colour as the curtains. The floor was covered by a beige wool carpet so deep that you sank into it as you walked and the heavy drapes at the windows, similar in texture to those she'd seen in the drawing room during her interview, picked up the gold thread of the bedspread. The luxurious beauty of it all distracted her from the fact that the windows were covered by heavy vertical iron bars.
    Katya watched the way Cassandra's eyes lit up at the sight of the room, and she remembered that Abigail had been totally disinterested in it the day she'd arrived. Of course the colours had been different, vibrant and more obviously opulent, but her indifference should have told Katya something. As a sensualist herself she knew how important the right surroundings were, how much easier it was to be sensual in a room that pleased the eye. She had a feeling that Cassandra's slim body would also appreciate the pure silk sheets that would be changed every day, and she felt a moment's excitement as she pictured the almost boyishly slender figure sliding into bed, brushing the innocent flesh against the caresses of soft, arousing material.
    'It's really lovely!' Cassandra enthused turning to Katya. She was a little surprised to find her hostess somewhat distracted and breathing