“Henri is dull as dishwater. Byron won’t let me have female guards. She thinks I’ll either seduce them, or if they’re not my type, have too much fun partying with them. So I get Henri the reliably dull.”

Amelia laughed. Sera was like a breath of fresh air. She was easy-going, open, funny—not intense and controlled like her sister—and she and Sera had a love of fashion in common.

“Is Bhal around? She’s usually helping guard me, and making sure I don’t get up to any mischief,” Sera said with annoyance in her voice.

“No, I haven’t seen her for a few days. She’s not quite as intense and gruff as Alexis,” Amelia said.

“Hmm. Maybe not to you. I’ve had a lifetime of her trying to mould me into a Byron, Mark 2, but I’m not.”

Amelia laughed. “So I see. You are quite different from your sister.”

“I love my sister, and she is the perfect heir to lead the Debrek dynasty. I, on the other hand, like to have fun.” Sera stopped for a second and took in the scenery around them. “It’s so good to be back. I miss the old place when I go away. Tell me, what exciting things has my sister shown you while you’ve been here?”

“We’ve had some beautiful, romantic dinners on the beach, and we took an amazing cruise on her yacht.”

“What about in the town? Surely, she must have taken you to her favourite restaurants, gone dancing—there’s so much to see and do in Monte Carlo.”

Amelia let out a breath, and kicked a shell at her foot. “No, I’m not sure why, but Byron hasn’t wanted to be around other people with me. She just wants us to be alone.”

Sera put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “She’s doing her I shall be all noble and protect you from every foe, young Amelia thing, is she?”

What did Sera mean? She followed Sera down to the water’s edge, and they paddled in the shallow waves. “I don’t understand. What foes?”

Sera turned around and had a mischievous smile on her face. “How would you like to have some real fun?”

* * *

A few hours later, Sera zoomed along the costal roads in her Ferrari at a high speed. Amelia clutched her handbag with a death grip, a huge knot of worry turning inside her.

“Sera, maybe I should call and let Byron know where I am. She’ll be worried.”

Sera glanced at her quickly before turning her eyes back on the road. “Don’t worry. She can do without you for one evening. Katie is going to tell her that we’ve gone for a drive and will be back for supper. Relax.”

But Amelia couldn’t relax. Byron had been so emotionally fragile for some reason this afternoon, and she didn’t want to do anything to cause distrust in their relationship. At the same time, it was important to get to know the Debrek family if Amelia wanted to became a permanent fixture in Byron’s life. So she kept quiet and followed Sera’s lead.