Page 12 of Under A Sicilian Sky
‘No, you can’t do that.’ Valerie’s tone was firm and decisive, brooking no argument.
Ruby scowled. ‘Why? They’re my family.Theyknow I’m innocent.’
Valerie held out her hands. ‘Because it’s too obvious, Ruby. The press will find you, hound you, and as for your family… Up to now they’ve been able to stay out of the limelight. Do you want to push them forward? Have their names dragged through the mud too?’
Ruby huffed like a sulking teen. ‘Obviously not.’
‘Look, I have a location in Canada. It’s a cabin in the mountains. I think you’ll be fine there so—’
‘Valerie, if I’m being forced to hide, can I at least choose my destination?’
‘That depends on—’
‘I’ve been offered a place in Sicily by Veronica Lucas. I’ve checked on the internet and it looks like a pretty island with good weather, even at this time of year. I’ve never been, so it’s less likely anyone will know me there.’
‘Veronica Lucas has offered to help again, huh? I suppose it’s the least she can do under the circumstances. Although I hope it’s not the same kind of help she served up last time. Okay, give me the details asap. This needs to be happening sooner rather than later.’
Ruby sighed in defeat. ‘One second.’ She grabbed her phone from her pocket and fired off a quick text to Veronica to confirm that she would like to take up her offer after all and included Valerie’s contact information. ‘There. Veronica has your details, so she’ll be in touch to work it out with you.’ Valerie was a control freak when it came to her clients and it was better that she dealt with the finer details. The less Ruby knew, the less chance there was of her accidentally putting her foot in it again.
* * *
Thirty minutes after Valerie left Ruby, she called her. ‘It’s done. You fly out on Friday. The flight is over eleven hours and there’s a stopover in Rome. When you arrive in Sicily, there will be a car waiting for you. There will be security at the perimeter of the estate and the owner… well, he won’t bother you. According to Veronica Lucas, he’s Scottish and he lives between Edinburgh and the Isle of Skye. There are local builders working on the house for him, but they’ve all been vetted. I mean, this guy is a millionaire, so he likes to have tip-top security.’ That was a relief for Ruby. ‘But you need to stay out of sight, Ruby. This is no joke. We don’t need more reasons for people to hate you right now. There have been threats sent for you here at my office, an unpleasant new addition to things, and there has been some rather vile hate mail sent to your apartment. You don’t need to read it but we don’t want that to escalate. And the mysteriousHhas sent more flowers, each bouquet larger than the last. Only now he’s taken to telling you that Tyler never deserved you and he can make you happy. It’s creepy.’
Ruby’s stomach roiled at the thought of it all. ‘Oh God, it’s really that bad?’
Valerie sighed. ‘I’m afraid so. This trip to Sicily isn’t a holiday, it’s a necessity, and you’re extremely well known so even though the property is secure you’re only safe when you’re there, okay?’
Choosing to ignore Valerie’s rather scary monologue, Ruby asked, ‘What about rent? Who do we pay?’
‘Don’t worry about that. It’s all in hand. Oh, and I’ll be speaking to the producers ofThe Girl and The Roseto find out when you’re needed, so depending on how long you’re there, we may have to arrange for you to be collected from Sicily and taken to the set. As you know, it’s filming in Greece, so not too far away. Take your script, learn your lines. Oh, and… Shelby says she gave you the hair dye.’
Feeling rather bombarded, Ruby scrunched her brow. ‘Yes, I forgot to mention the dye when you were here, she left it by mistake. Do you want to send her back for it?’
There was a pregnant pause. ‘Erm… not exactly. It’s… it’s foryou.’
Ruby stood quickly. ‘What! Nononononono! I amnotdyeing my hair, Valerie. I draw the bloody line there. Absolutely not. It’s my signature. It makes me who I am.’
Valerie sighed deeply. ‘Exactly.’
* * *
Brienne and Bayleigh stood by as their mother finished blow-drying Ruby’s hair.
‘It looks really cool, Ruby. I swear,’ Bayleigh insisted, her hands clasped in a prayer-like hold. After her initial encounter with the lively girls, Ruby had quickly grown incredibly fond of the twins and had enjoyed spending time with them. She had appreciated their discretion so much, considering she had been a gossipy fifteen-year-old once. Philippe had certainly done a great job of instilling in them the importance of his clients’ privacy.
‘She’s right, honey. It gives you an air of mystery,’ Jessica told her with a wave of her hand to exaggerate her point.
Ruby harrumphed. ‘I can’t see how it will help. If someone knows me, my hair won’t make a difference.’
‘You do look completely different, though. Like a whole other person. I wouldn’t recognise you,’ Brienne said as she nudged Bayleigh and nodded, wide-eyed, willing her to agree.
Dutifully, Bayleigh said, ‘Yeah, totally. A wholeentireother person.’
Ruby appreciated what they were trying to do but was still struggling to accept the changes she was having to go through when she had done absolutely nothing wrong. ‘Doesn’t it make me look pale and sickly?’ she asked, smoothing down the sleek, unfamiliar locks.
Jessica smiled down at her. ‘You look beautiful, Ruby.’
Looking beautiful was actually the last thing on her mind. What she wanted was to be able to look in a mirror and seeherself, not some complete stranger. In all of her thirty years, the fiery, natural curls had been the epitome of hertrue self. It was one thing to don a wig for a part in a film, but to make something so permanent was anathema to her. She had never shied away from being who she truly was and wasn’t happy to have this dramatic change thrust upon her.
