Pleasure Island Read Online Free

guard adopted a deferential manner.
    She didn’t have time to give the scene much thought though, as, not looking where she was going, she bumped into Matt. He caught her in his arms. ‘Easy!’
    Nikki pulled away from him.
    ‘Let me guess, the room on the right at the top of the back stairs?’
    She eyed him suspiciously. ‘Are you a lip reader?’
    ‘Let’s just say, when you’ve been employed by Milady for as long as I have, you get to know how her mind works.’
    ‘You mean …?’ Nikki indicated the girl in the green dress.
    Matt nodded.
    ‘Who is she?’
    ‘You didn’t recognise her?’
    ‘No, should I?’
    Matt smiled enigmatically. Nikki tried her best to get him to reveal the girl’s name, but he steadfastly refused. Perhaps he was trustworthy after all. He led her to the bottom of the old servants’ staircase, which was unguarded.
    ‘Good luck,’ he whispered.
    ‘Thanks,’ she replied.
    As she ascended the stairway, Matt smiled and said to himself, ‘I think you may well need it.’

Chapter Three

The Bet
    At the top of the stairs, Nikki took a left turn as instructed, then paused. To her chagrin, there was no corridor to her right. There was another tiny stairway, but that looked as if it led to an attic. The only other option was the main corridor to her left. She bit her lip and deliberated. After a few seconds, she decided to gamble on the corridor rather than the stairway.
    She hadn’t gone more than a few steps when one of the doors to her left eased open. Quickly, she darted into the room opposite it to hide, holding the door slightly ajar so she’d be able to see whoever came out of the room. She didn’t recognise the couple in question, but it was clear, from the dishevelled state of their attire, what they had been up to. Before rejoining the party below, the pair lingered for a moment to share a final embrace.
    As she watched, Nikki felt something brush against her arm; then she heard a woman’s voice ask, ‘Anything interesting going on out there?’
    Nikki spun around. A hand reached out and clicked the lights on in the room, and she found herself face to face with the girl in the green dress. The girl peered through the crack in the door at the couple and nodded understandingly. She clucked her tongue appreciatively. ‘Ah, I see.’ Then she closed the door.
    Nikki felt somewhat annoyed. ‘Have you lured me up here under false pretences?’
    Ignoring the comment, the girl crossed over to the dresser and raised a bottle of champagne. ‘Drink?’
    ‘No, thank you. I won’t be staying.’ Nikki’s hand closed around the door handle.
    ‘You don’t want your scoop, then?’
    ‘Of course I do. I can’t see any sign of Roxanna here, though.’
    ‘Hasn’t a clever girl like you worked out who I am yet?’
    Slowly, comprehension dawned upon Nikki and she took a closer look at her companion. Perhaps it was because the girl’s chestnut hair was drawn back in a short, tight, ponytail, whereas it usually fell to her shoulders. The strong jawline should have been a dead giveaway, though. Reaching around the back of her head, Roxanna May undid her face mask and discarded it.
    Nikki had no idea why she did what she did next, but she bobbed a curtsy. ‘Your Highness.’
    Roxanna laughed. ‘If only I were.’
    Bursting with eagerness to begin the interview, Nikki reached into her handbag and withdrew a small digital Dictaphone.
    ‘What are you going to do with that?’ Roxanna asked.
    ‘Use it to record the interview.’
    The girl shook her head.
    ‘But you promised.’
    ‘No. What I promised was to arrange a meeting with the princess. If you want to interview me, I might be prepared to grant that as well, subject to certain terms.’
    ‘Which are?’
    Roxanna went over to the bed and sat upon the edge of it. ‘You seem a very driven girl, if you don’t mind me saying so.’
    ‘I suppose I am,’ Nikki admitted.
    ‘I’m guessing you’re the dedicated type. You work