by Sara Craven
‘But how could you have thought I still wanted Philip?’ The colour rose in Lucy’s face. ‘When you saw how I—reacted to you—responded to you.’
He stroked her flushed cheek with a gentle hand. ‘Sex is a great deceiver, Lucia. I tried so hard to tell myself you belonged to someone else. That I had no right to confuse you—to seduce you away from your real love.’
He shook his head. ‘I tried desperately, too, to hold back from you—and each time I failed I despised myself more. That’s why I went to Firenze. Because I could no longer trust myself to be near you.’
‘But I never gave Philip any encouragement,’ Lucy protested. ‘In fact I realised almost as soon as he went that our relationship had been going nowhere, and that he’d done us both a favour by pulling out. I admit it was a shock when he first left, but my pride was hurt far more than my heart.’
‘But the girl—Nina—was so sure. She said you were a one-man woman. That you’d been close to a breakdown over him.’
Lucy bit her lip. ‘Nina and I work for the same company but we’ve never been close friends, and I’ve never confided in her. I think she had her own agenda in this.’
Giulio groaned. ‘I should have asked you what your feelings were—but I did not dare.’
Lucy touched the crimson fire of the Falcone ring with a gentle hand. ‘Presumably something happened to change your mind?’
‘Ah, yes.’ The familiar gleam of laughter had returned to the amber eyes. ‘Fiammetta told me something about him being drenched in wine last night. That did not seem like a token of love, columbina. Coupled with the fact that he had allowed you to leave alone, his eagerness to dissociate himself from the supposed theft—and certain ill-judged remarks about your frigidity,’ he added with something like a snarl. ‘He has Sergio to thank that I did not break his jaw. But when I left he and Angela were engaged in mutual recriminations, so I suppose that is punishment enough.’
Her mouth trembled into a smile. ‘Almost certainly.’ She paused. ‘But how did you find out about Claudia?’
‘We have Sergio to thank. He arrived at the villa early this morning, just after your departure, and found the place in uproar. It did not take him long to realise that Emilia was troubled. She’d overheard part of a conversation between Agnese and Claudia, and although she did not completely understand it she told Sergio enough to make him suspicious. He thought it best to send for me, and between us we got the truth from Agnese, and eventually Claudia herself,’ he explained grimly.
‘I ordered her to pack her things and leave immediately. But not before I had told her that all her plotting had failed, and that I would never willingly see her again. Then I left poor Sergio to sort out the mess and came to Pisa to find you. I’ve been here most of the day.’
Lucy sighed. ‘And I was in Firenze looking for you. I couldn’t bear to leave without seeing you again.’
‘Oh, you would have seen me again,’ he told her softly. ‘Even if you had gone with Philip, I would have followed—tried to make you change your mind. You see, cara, I cannot live without you.’
‘Nor I without you.’ Lucy looked at him from under her lashes, suddenly shy. ‘But it’s all happened so fast...’
‘It was the same with my mother and father,’ he said gently, his mouth curving in tender reminiscence. ‘One look—one smile—and they were lost.’ He smoothed a strand of Lucy’s hair back from her forehead. ‘Now, columbina, do you believe in the force of destiny?’
‘I think I must,’ she said softly.
Giulio nodded. ‘By the time we get back to the villa, everyone will have gone. Sergio is taking his own family away, so you will meet him later—when Fiammetta is less distraught,’ he added with a small grimace. ‘So you and I, mia bella, will have some time to ourselves at last to make plans for our marriage.’
He paused. ‘But now you have something to tell me, I think.’
‘Have I?’ Lucy frowned. ‘We seem to have covered everything.’
‘Not quite.’ The amber gaze was steadfast, intent on her face, brilliant with tenderness and need. ‘You have never yet, Lucia mia, told me that you love me.’
Lucy put her arms round his neck and drew him towards her.
‘I think,’ she whispered as her lips touched his, ‘that I shall spend the rest of my life doing exactly that, mi amore.’
ISBN : 978-1-4592-6220-1
ULTIMATE TEMPTATION
First North American Publication 1998.
Copyright © 1997 by Sara Craven.
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