Shy Innocent In The Spotlight by Melanie Milburne

CHAPTER ONE

ELSPETHSTAREDATher twin sister in heart-stopping, skin-prickling, I-can’t-believe-what-I’m-hearing alarm. ‘You want me to do what?’

Elodie rolled her eyes as if it were a competitive sport she was trying to win a gold medal in. ‘It’s not like you’ve never been a bridesmaid before. This will be—’

‘The one and only time I was a bridesmaid, the bride didn’t show up,’ Elspeth said with a speaking look. ‘Or have you completely erased jilting Lincoln Lancaster from your memory?’

Elodie gave a dismissive wave of her hand. ‘Oh, that was years and years ago. Everyone’s forgotten about that now.’ She leaned forward on the sofa with a beseeching puppy-dog look in her blue eyes. ‘So, will you do it? Will you stand in for me, just for the wedding rehearsal, in the Highlands of Scotland? You’ve always said you’d like to see where our ancestors came from. I’ll be back in time for the wedding and we’ll do a quick switch and you can leave by a back door and no one will ever know a thing.’

‘But why can’t you be there yourself? What’s so important that you can’t be there for your friend the whole weekend?’

‘Sabine is not actually a close friend as such,’ Elodie said with a side note of cynicism in her tone. ‘I know for a fact I’ve only been invited to be her bridesmaid because of my fame as a lingerie model. She likes to surround herself with influencer types and apparently she sees me as one. I’ve only met her a handful of times, which is why you and I switching places will work so well.’

Elspeth cast her gaze over her twin’s beautifully made-up face, her professionally styled hair and perfectly manicured hands. They might be identical twins but they lived in entirely different worlds. Elodie’s world was exotic and expansive and exciting. Elspeth’s world was small and secure and safe...well, as safe as anyone could be who lived with a life-threatening peanut allergy. Elspeth wanted to help her sister, they were close and had always had each other’s back, but they hadn’t switched places since they were kids. But a society wedding was a big deal. She wasn’t great at mingling, hated small talk and was painfully shy when out of her natural environment.

But then, the chance to visit Scotland, the birthplace of their ancestors, was tempting—especially without her overprotective mother tagging along as she did the last time Elspeth tried to have a weekend away. Talk about embarrassing.

But...

Her life to date had been a series of ‘buts’ and ‘what ifs’. She had missed out on so many activities her peers took for granted. Her world had shrunk while her sister’s had expanded. Their mother’s fear for Elspeth’s survival since infancy had become pathological. But, to be fair, there had been a few horrendous moments during her childhood and adolescence when she had accidentally come into contact with peanuts. Her first proper date being particularly notable. One kiss and she had to be rushed to hospital in a sirens-screaming, lights-flashing ambulance. Not fun. Travelling anywhere outside her safety zone was fraught with potential danger. What if she ran out of EpiPens or couldn’t get to a hospital in time? What if she made a complete and utter fool of herself? ‘I don’t know...’

Elodie bounced off the sofa and placed her hands on her hips, her expression etched in stern lines of reproof only an older sister by ten minutes could pull off. ‘See? You always do that.’

Elspeth looked at her in puzzlement. ‘Do what?’

‘You limit yourself. You say no when deep down you really want to say yes.’ Elodie ran a hand through her long curly mane of red-gold hair. ‘You do it because of Mum always being so overprotective of you. But you need to get out more, Els. You have to prove to Mum you can do stuff on your own and this is a perfect chance to do it. You have no life other than working at the library. You haven’t been on a date since you were eighteen, for God’s sake. And apart from work, you spend most of your time alone. Don’t you want to see how the other half lives for a change? Have some fun? Be daring and spontaneous?’

Elspeth knew there was an element of truth in her twin’s observation—a truth she had been avoiding facing for quite some time. Her world was small, too small, and lately she had been feeling the walls of her tiny world closing in on her even more. But that didn’t mean stepping into her twin’s sky-high party-girl shoes for twenty-four hours in the Highlands of Scotland was a wise or sensible thing to do. ‘But you haven’t answered my question. What’s so important that you can’t be at the wedding rehearsal yourself? Why the need for the crazy subterfuge?’

Elodie lowered her hands from her hips and sat back on the sofa opposite Elspeth. She clasped her hands between her bent knees, her eyes sparkling with barely contained excitement. ‘Because I have a top-secret meeting in London about possible financial backing for my own designs. You know how desperately I want to launch my own label? Well, this could be my big chance to do it.’ Her expression suddenly became as sombre as an undercover operative talking to a fellow agent. ‘My only chance to do it. But I don’t want to compromise my current contract if word got out that I was thinking of leaving. I want the finances done and dusted before I hand in my resignation.’

Elspeth could understand her twin’s desire to leave the world of lingerie modelling behind. She, personally, as an introvert, could not think of anything more terrifying than strutting down a catwalk in just knickers and a bra or a bikini. But her extroverted twin had up until recently seemingly enjoyed the limelight, lapping up the fame and regular travel to exotic locations for photo shoots. When Elodie uploaded a new bikini on her Instagram account, the sales went through the stratosphere. Elspeth, on the other hand, didn’t have any social-media platforms, nor did she have any bikinis. She was a one-piece, keep-her-life-private type of girl.

Would it hurt to step out of her comfort zone for twenty-four hours? To switch places with her twin just long enough to see what life was like on the other side? It wasn’t as if she were going on a photo shoot for her twin. It wasn’t even for the actual wedding, just the rehearsal. ‘Is there anyone else you know who’s going to the wedding? I mean, more intimately than the bride?’

Elodie reached for her drink on the coffee table, her eyes not quite meeting Elspeth’s. ‘One or two casual acquaintances maybe.’

Elspeth sat up a little straighter in her seat, a chill running down her spine as if a blast of cold wind had blown through the window straight off the top of the Cairngorms. ‘But what if someone realises it’s not you?’

‘How will anyone know it’s not me?’ Elodie asked. ‘You were the one who insisted I never mention I had an identical twin when I started modelling. The most I’ve ever said in an interview is I have a younger sister, but I didn’t say how much younger. Your privacy will remain intact because everyone will think it’s me, not you. And because you’re not on social media, and you were home-schooled, there are no photos of us together, no one is likely to make the connection. Our secret will be safe. Trust me.’

‘But what about your wedding?’ Elspeth said. ‘Some photos of the wedding party were leaked online, remember? And everyone at the wedding had a go at me because they thought I must have known you were going to pull the plug on Lincoln. I’m sure I was referred to as your twin in at least a couple of press releases.’

Elodie chewed at her lower lip for a brief moment, her smooth brow furrowing slightly. But then her expression went back to its I’ve-got-this-covered mode. ‘That was so early in my career, no one will remember it. Lincoln was far more famous than me back then.’

‘But that’s exactly my point. What if someone did a little research? Once online, always online, remember?’

‘You’re worrying too much.’

Elspeth had good reasons for not wanting any media exposure as a result of her sister’s career. Elodie had always played on her looks, always loved being the centre of attention, always loved working the room. Elspeth had done the opposite—always downplaying her physical assets so as to avoid the attention her twin craved. Elspeth could not bear the thought of dozens of paparazzi chasing her down the street, thrusting numerous camera lenses in her face, potentially mistaking her for her twin. Could not bear the thought of her private life being made fodder for gossip magazines.

Could not bear to be compared to her vivacious twin and found lacking.

Elspeth wasn’t charming and vivacious, she wasn’t a social butterfly, she was a moth.

But...the prospect of twenty-four hours pretending to be her twin did trigger a strange sense of excitement in her blood. It was a chance to step out of her cocoon of cotton wool. The cocoon their mother had wrapped her in since her first anaphylactic reaction as a two-year-old. She wasn’t two any more. She was twenty-eight and tired of being mollycoddled by her mum. Moving into her own flat a month ago had been the first step towards greater autonomy. Maybe this would be another chance to prove to her mother she could move about in the world without putting herself in mortal danger.

‘Okay...’ Elspeth mentally crossed her fingers. ‘Let’s do it.’

‘Yay!’ Elodie flung her arms around her and almost lifted her off the floor in a bone-crushing hug. ‘Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for doing this.’ She planted a smacking kiss to Elspeth’s cheek. ‘Mwhah.’

Elspeth grimaced and peeled her twin’s octopus-like arms from around her body. ‘You’d better save your thanks until the gig is over. I don’t want you to jinx me.’

‘You’ll be brilliant. Remember that time we switched on one of our access visits to Dad when we were ten? He never guessed the whole weekend.’

‘Yes, well, that says more about Dad than it does our acting ability, even if you did do rather a fantastic job of pretending to be a bookworm.’ It was an amazing feat on her twin’s part, given Elodie had dyslexia and avoided reading whenever she could. Elspeth, on the other hand, had been reading since she was four and, as she’d been home-schooled by her mother due to her allergy, her life had always revolved around books and reading. And now, her work as a library archivist was a dream career, one where she was paid to do what she loved.

Elodie laughed. ‘I was bored out of my brain and I nearly went cross-eyed trying to make sense of the words. Give me a juicy gossip mag any day.’

‘Even when you’re in one?’

Elodie’s eyes sparkled like fairy lights. ‘Especially when I’m in one.’

Now it was Elspeth’s turn to roll her eyes and she suppressed a shudder. ‘Eek. I can think of nothing worse.’

Mack MacDiarmid surveyed the wedding preparations taking place on his country estate, Crannochbrae, with a critical eye. Weddings weren’t his thing but his younger brother, Fraser, wanted to be married at home, so no expense was being spared to make it a wedding to remember. The fact his troubled brother was finally settling down was definitely something to celebrate. Mack had spent way too many years worrying about Fraser’s tendency to act impulsively and irresponsibly, but Fraser’s fiancée, Sabine, had come along at the right time and Mack hoped her stable influence over time would be the making of his brother. It had certainly worked miracles so far, but Mack’s inner cynic was holding its breath.

The garden where the service was to take place had never looked better. The wisteria walk was in full bloom, the sweet fragrance filling the air. The castle had been cleaned from top to bottom—everything sparkled, everything shone, everything glowed. The guests’ rooms had been aired and made up and the kitchen was full of catering staff busily preparing the food for the weekend. Even the notoriously capricious summer weather had decided to cooperate. It was cloudy today, but tomorrow’s forecast looked promising—bright and sunny. There was a storm predicted for later in the evening, but the wedding ceremony would be well and truly over by then.

Sabine was darting here and there, double-checking everything was going according to plan, which was supposed to be the highly paid wedding planner’s job, but Sabine wasn’t the sort of person to relinquish control to someone else. Not that Mack could talk—he had triple-checked everything too. He wanted his brother’s wedding to go smoothly, which meant he was issued with the job of keeping an eye on Elodie Campbell, one of the bridesmaids, in case she caused trouble. Exactly what trouble she might cause was anyone’s guess. Fraser had been a little cagey about his connection with Elodie but Mack had checked her out online and drawn his own conclusions. She was a stunning lingerie model with more followers on social media than had some Hollywood celebrities. She had jilted her fiancé at the altar seven years ago and had developed a reputation as a party girl ever since. He knew from experience party girls were notoriously unpredictable but he was well prepared.

Mack had made it his life’s work to be well prepared. Losing his father to suicide at the age of sixteen had forced him to never leave things to chance, to always be vigilant, to tick all the boxes, to do what needed to be done, to say what needed to be said, when it needed to be said.

To always be in control.

Mack turned to look back at the house and caught sight of a red-gold cloud of hair and a pale oval face looking down at him from one of the guest rooms upstairs. He had never met her in person but he had seen enough photos of her in the press to recognise Elodie Campbell. An understated version, that was. She was wearing a cream silk wrap and, with her wildly curly hair pulled up in a makeshift knot on her head, she had an old-world air that was utterly captivating. She could easily have been one of his ancestors travelling through time to pay a ghostly visit. He lifted a hand in a wave but she darted away from the window so quickly he blinked a couple of times, wondering if he had indeed imagined her standing there. He shrugged and continued on his way. Perhaps the stunningly beautiful Elodie Campbell didn’t like being seen without her make-up on.

Elspeth leaned back against the wall of her bedroom and clutched a hand to her chest where her heart was bouncing up and down like a yo-yo on an elastic string. She was in no doubt the man she had seen just now was Mack MacDiarmid. Elodie had shown her a photo on her phone of Fraser and Sabine, and had briefed her about a number of other guests, but told her zilch about Mack MacDiarmid other than he was wealthy and had a reputation as a love-them-and-leave-them playboy.

She had done her own research and found a couple of articles about Mack online. Named after his father Robert but going by the nickname of Mack, he was a successful businessman and entrepreneur who had made millions in various property developments both in the UK and abroad. Crannochbrae was his ancestral home and he had restored it, managed and developed it since his father’s death when he was a teenager. But the photos of him in the articles hadn’t prepared her for seeing him in the flesh, even if it was from three storeys above. Tall and lean with a rangy build, Mack MacDiarmid had an aura of command and authority that was unmistakable...and a little unnerving to say the least. Would he see through her act? Why had she thought she could pull this off? She wasn’t used to being around men like Mack MacDiarmid. Powerful, dynamic men who had made their fortune from being whip smart and intuitive.

As Fraser MacDiarmid’s older brother, Mack was part of the wedding party, which meant there would be no way of avoiding coming into contact with him. Although, since she would only be in her sister’s shoes for the rehearsal, the contact would hopefully be limited. But had Mack ever met her twin before?

Elspeth grabbed her phone off the bed where she’d left it earlier, and, pointedly ignoring the ten text messages and five missed calls from her mother, quickly fired off a text to her twin.

Have you ever met Mack MacDiarmid in person?

The three little dots appeared to signal Elodie was texting back. And then the message came through.

No.

What about Fraser, the groom?

The phone indicated her message had been read but there was no answer, which either meant Elodie was called away to her important meeting or didn’t want to answer. Elspeth had a feeling it was the latter. She smoothed a hand down over her churning stomach. Why had she agreed to do this? She took a calming breath and pushed away from the wall. She agreed to do this because she wanted her sister to succeed in her new venture. Elodie was tired of modelling and wanted to express her creativity. It was up to Elspeth to pull this off for the next twenty-four hours. She knew her twin almost as well as she knew herself. She stared at her twin’s face every day in the mirror. It was simply a matter of putting on her twin’s make-up and clothes and adopting her twin’s friendly and chatty, outgoing and super-confident personality and no one would be the wiser.

How hard could it be?