THE ITALIAN DUKE’S WIFE

by Пенни Джордан

  them I’ve seen you. Where are you staying, just in

  case anyone asks?"

  Reluctantly Jodie told her, and saw how her eyes

  widened a little more in recognition of the exclusivity

  of the hotel.

  "My! You have gone up in the world, Jodie!"

  Jodie could feel her face starting to burn.

  "We must go — but hopefully we shall see you this

  evening," Lorenzo offered politely, quickly steering

  Jodie away before she could give vent to her feelings.

  "That woman is such a snob," she complained angrily

  as Lorenzo unlocked the car and opened the

  door for her. "The moment I mentioned the hotel she

  was all over us like a rash. And she doesn’t even

  know about your title."

  Lorenzo closed the passenger door and walked

  round to get into his own side of the car.

  As soon as he had started the engine, Jodie told

  him fiercely, "Lorenzo, I Don’t want to go tonight.

  When I first said that I wanted to, I wasn’t thinking

  things through properly. I Don’t think we should go."

  "We can hardly not go now," Lorenzo pointed out

  calmly. "We will be expected."

  She ought to be grateful to Lorenzo, Jodie knew.

  He had rearranged his schedule in order to accommodate

  this visit for her, and now here she was, telling

  him that she didn’t want to be here.

  Lorenzo looked at Jodie’s averted profile. He could

  see the effect the thought of seeing her ex-fiance. and

  his bride-to-be was having on her, and how much it

  was upsetting her. So why was he insisting on her

  doing so? What was he trying to prove that was worth

  proving? Why didn’t he put his foot down on the

  accelerator, head for the hotel and take her back to

  Italy before she could change her mind? Once there,

  he would have nearly a whole year…

  A year in which to what? To persuade her to remain

  married to him? That was what he wanted, was

  it?

  What if it was? It didn’t mean anything other than

  that he was beginning to feel that it would be easier

  to remain married to her than not to do so. Marriage

  gave a man a certain sense of purpose and stability.

  Just because previously he had not considered the

  value of an old-fashioned arranged marriage, that did

  not mean he was so inflexible in his thinking that he

  could not recognise it now. He and Jodie were married,

  after all; there was much to be said from a practical

  point of view for them staying married.

  He would still be able to maintain his emotional

  barriers. Once he had assured himself that she accepted

  that this ex-fiance. of hers was now unavailable

  to her, and a part of her past, he felt confident that

  they could develop a working relationship.

  And a sexual relationship? His body tightened in

  betrayal.

  Jodie in turn would have the protection of a husband

  and a life of comfort. There could even be children,

  if she wished. He frowned sharply as this magnanimous

  thought provoked a reaction within his

  body and his emotions that went a whole lot farther

  than any mere sense of self-laudatory approval of his

  generosity. He had never previously considered the

  production of children an essential part of his life

  plan — he had more than enough male relatives to produce

  the next Duce — but with the future of the

  Castillo to be considered it made sense for him to

  have heirs of his own to hand it on to. And Jodie

  would not desert her children.

  He braked sharply to avoid a cyclist, mentally denying

  that his immediate and instinctive belief was a

  rash emotional reaction rather than one based on

  logic.

  He wouldn’t, he decided as he turned into the hotel

  grounds, make any firm decision until after tonight,

  when he had seen how Jodie reacted to the sight of

  her ex-fiance.. If after that, and further careful thought,

  he was convinced that their marriage had a future,

  once they were back in Italy he would tell her so.

  She really wished she hadn’t ever said she wanted to

  do this. Jodie studied her reflection in the bedroom

  mirror and smoothed a nervous hand over her beautifully

  cut cream cre.pe trousers.

  "Ready?"

  Numbly she nodded her head as Lorenzo walked

  into her bedroom. He looked exactly what he was: a

  tall, dark, impossibly handsome and even more impossibly

  arrogant, totally male man — the kind of man

  any woman would be attracted to. The kind of man

  any woman could see would make her emotionally

  vulnerable if she wasn’t careful. What a pity she

  hadn’t been woman enough to recognise that right

  from the start.

  She could see the way he was looking at her, but

  if she had been hoping for a compliment about her

  appearance she was in for a disappointment, she realised.

  As she started to head for the bedroom door he

  reached out and stopped her. For one wild heartbeat

  her head was filled with impossible images and even

  more implausible scenarios — Lorenzo taking her into

  his arms and refusing to let her go; Lorenzo insisting

  that he wanted to keep her here in this room and make

  love to her; Lorenzo telling her passionately that he

  loved her. Weakly she refused to admit how much

  she wished they could actually happen, and tried to

  focus instead on what Lorenzo was saying to her.

  "I think you should wear this tonight."

  She looked down at the familiar emerald ring.

  "It is, after all, your betrothal ring," Lorenzo

  pointed out, "and a symbol of our relationship."

  Wordlessly Jodie reached out to take it from him,

  but he shook his head slightly and took hold of her

  hand, sliding the ring onto her finger himself.

  Tears stung her eyes. Foolish, foolish tears that betrayed

  to her just how badly she had misjudged her

  own vulnerability. Only a woman deeply in love

  could feel the way she felt right now.

  It didn’t take them very long to reach John’s parents"

  home. A marquee had been set up in the garden,

  and the field adjacent to the house already contained

  several rows of neatly parked cars.

  They were greeted at the gate by a young dinner-

  suited cousin of John’s, who recognised Jodie and

  gaped slightly at her, then blushed.

  "I suppose we ought to try and find John’s parents

  first," Jodie told Lorenzo.

  "That sounds a good idea," he agreed.

  "what’s that you’ve got?" Jodie asked curiously,

  noticing the small parcel he was carrying.

  "Hand-made chocolates for our hostess," he informed

  her, adding, "I’ll have a dozen bottles of wine

  sent to our host later."

  Jodie gave him a rueful look and reached into her

  bag, producing an almost identically wrapped box.

  "Snap," she told him, laughing up at him, smiling naturally

  for the first time
since they had arrived in

  England.

  "Jodie! Lucy said that she’d seen you in town this

  afternoon."

  Jodie’s smile vanished as she saw John’s mother

  standing in front of them.

  Instinctively she moved closer to Lorenzo. John’s

  mother was scrutinising them both very sharply, Jodie

  saw, and her chin suddenly lifted as she looked back

  at her.

  "I hope we aren’t gatecrashing?" she said calmly.

  "May I introduce my husband to you, Sheila?"

  "Your husband? Lucy did say, but I wasn’t sure…

  My goodness, this is a surprise." John’s mother gave

  a small tinkling laugh. "And there we were, worrying

  about you being upset and broken-hearted."

  "Jodie recognised very quickly that calf love means

  nothing when one finds the real thing." Lorenzo’s

  smile might have taken some of the sting out of his

  words, but Jodie still gave him a sharp look, and

  wasn’t surprised to see the cold gleam in his eyes.

  "Well, I hope the two of you will be very happy,

  Mr…" Sheila began insincerely.

  "Lorenzo Niccolo d’Este, Duce di Montesavro,"

  Lorenzo introduced himself, with cool, insouciant

  confidence.

  "You’re a duke?" Sheila asked faintly.

  Lorenzo inclined his head in assent, and said

  suavely, "But please do call me Lorenzo."

  Suddenly Jodie was almost beginning to enjoy herself.

  "And how is Councillor Higgins?" she asked

  sweetly, turning to explain to Lorenzo, "John’s father

  is a local councillor."

  John’s mother had, she noticed, begun to turn an

  unflattering shade of pink. It was funny how Jodie

  was beginning to remember all those occasions on

  which John’s parents had let her know that they considered

  her to be just that little bit inferior to them.

  Of course she was behaving very badly, she knew,

  but sometimes behaving badly could be fun!

  "that’s one of the benefits of being married to you

  and not to John," she murmured to Lorenzo as they

  moved away to allow Sheila to greet some new arrivals.

  "What is?"

  "No mother-in-law," she said succinctly.

  By now they had begun to attract rather a lot of

  attention, as people recognised her and did a small

  double take before turning to look more closely and

  curiously.

  Lorenzo had put his hand beneath her elbow in a

  very solicitous manner — probably because he was

  afraid that she might trip in her high heels and end

  up flat on her face and thus disgrace them both, Jodie

  reflected as she managed to negotiate the unlevel

  ground.

  "Jodie…"

  She spun round with a genuine smile as she heard

  the warmth and pleasure in the voice of the local doctor.

  "Dr Philips!"

  He gave her an enthusiastic hug and then smiled

  down at her. "You’re looking well."

  "Italian food, Italian sunshine—"

  "And an Italian husband," Lorenzo cut in, making

  the doctor laugh.

  "I shouldn’t say this," the doctor whispered with a

  grin, "but I always thought you were wasted on young

  John. A nice enough lad, but a bit on the weak side—

  and very much under his mother"s thumb."

  "Poor John — that’s not very kind," Jodie protested,

  but she still laughed.

  Lorenzo lifted two glasses of wine from a passing

  waiter"s tray and handed Jodie one.

  She still hadn’t seen either Louise or John, although

  she thought she had caught sight of Louise’s

  parents. She had always liked Louise’s mother, but

  she had no wish to see her now. Naturally, as a

  mother, she would support her daughter no matter

  what that daughter might have done.

  And besides, honesty compelled Jodie to admit that

  if Louise and John did love one another, then surely

  it was only right and proper that they should be together.

  She no longer cared what they did, because

  her own life and her own feelings had moved on. She

  looked at Lorenzo and allowed herself the pleasure of

  a private fantasy in which she would suggest to him

  that they leave and go back to their hotel. He"d agree

  with satisfying alacrity and an even more satisfyingly

  intimate smile because of the sensual pleasures to

  come. She gave a small sigh as she relinquished this

  unlikely but, oh, so alluring scenario.

  "Your leg?" Lorenzo questioned immediately, misunderstanding

  the reason for her sigh.

  Should she fib and pretend that it was bothering

  her so that they could leave?

  But before she could say anything the vicar and his

  wife had joined them, and Lorenzo had become involved

  in a discussion with them about Florence.

  Jodie took a small sip of her drink, and was looking

  for somewhere to put her glass when she heard Louise

  saying sharply, "I want a word with you!"

  Louise was on her own, and there was no sign of

  John.

  "Don’t think I Don’t know what You’re up to and

  what You’re doing here," her ex-friend whispered angrily.

  Jodie could feel her face starting to burn. She was

  guiltily aware of her original motive in coming here.

  But perhaps there was a chance, instead, to forgive—

  to end the bitterness between them?

  "This is real life, Jodie, not some romantic novel,"

  Louise was saying. "John isn’t going to take one look

  at you and throw me over to come back to you."

  "Good. Because I honestly Don’t want him to,"

  Jodie told her. "Louise, I’m married now, and I—"

  "Married? You?" Louise gave her a contemptuous

  look. "You might have taken everyone else in, but I

  Don’t believe it for one minute. My guess is that you

  aren’t married at all — you certainly Don’t look it—

  and I think your supposed ""husband"" is some actor

  you’ve hired." She glared at Jodie angrily. "No man

  as good-looking as he is would want you, with that

  leg of yours. everyone’s laughing at you. You know

  that, Don’t you? Pretending that you’ve married a

  duke. As if! And that ridiculous ring that You’re wearing,"

  she added, her lip curling. "It’s so obvious that

  It’s fake — just like you and just like your marriage.

  I’ll bet You’re still that same pathetic little virgin you

  were when John dumped you."

  Instinctively Jodie looked towards Lorenzo, a silent

  plea in her eyes. He looked back at her.

  And then he was coming towards them, responding

  to the silent emotional message she had sent him.

  Relief filled her. It was all she could do not to throw

  herself into his arms and beg him to take her away.

  Lorenzo felt Jodie’s pain in his own heart. Fury

  and an instinctive desire to protect her boiled through

  him. He had heard what Louise had said to her, and

  he hadn’t needed the silent plea she had sent him,

  begging for his help, to take him to her side. He


  wanted to snatch her up and take her away from these

  people who did not appreciate her, from the man who

  had not loved her as she so deserved to be loved…as

  he in his stupidity had tried to refuse to love her. But

  now that love was filling him and driving out everything

  else, everyone else. Nothing, no one mattered

  other than Jodie and her happiness.

  He reached her and took hold of her hand, watching

  as relief shone emotionally in her eyes.

  "For your information," he told Louise coldly, "I

  am not an actor. Jodie and I are married, and I worship

  the beauty of her body almost as much as I love

  the sweetness of her nature. And as for the authenticity

  of both my title and my family betrothal ring…"

  The look he gave Louise was so withering that Jodie

  was surprised it didn’t shrivel her to nothing on the

  spot.

  "Since you are engaged to a man who obviously

  cannot tell what is genuine and what is not, I suppose

  one might expect to hear you expressing ill-informed

  and ignorant opinions," he continued levelly. "And so

  far as our reason for being here goes…" Lorenzo now

  raised his voice slightly, as a curious crowd gathered

  around them. "That was my decision. I wanted to see

  where Jodie had grown up, to meet the people she

  had grown up amongst. And I confess I also wanted

  to meet the man who was foolish enough to give her

  up. Jodie merely wanted to offer you both her best

  wishes."

  Lorenzo was still holding her hand, Jodie recognised,

  and what was more he was holding it very

  firmly in his own as he moved protectively closer to

  her. Automatically she leaned in to him, welcoming

  the sensation of his body absorbing the sick, trembling

  shock of her own.

  "What a pitiful creature you are," Lorenzo said to

  Louise in a very quiet voice, inaudible to most of

  those around them. "You steal a friend"s fiance., and

  then, because of your inadequacy and lack of emotional

  depth, you are forced to live in fear of losing

  him back to her."

  Louise turned from red to white as Lorenzo’s cutting

  words hit home, and suddenly the woman Jodie

  had always thought of as such a beauty actually

  looked ugly.

  John had come hurrying over to Louise’s side and

  was looking helplessly back and forth between the

  women. When she looked at him Jodie recognised

  how poorly he compared with Lorenzo, and how

  weak he was as a man. If she hadn’t already realised