The Italian's Wife

by Lynne Graham

  done so well for yourself-'

  'What are you doing here?' Holly pressed unevenly, for every time she

  looked at him she remembered the shock of

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  that fist coming into her face, the speed with which he had lost his

  head and attacked her.

  'Obviously, I want to see my son,' Jeff informed her.

  What colour remained in Holly's face drained away. 'Why would you

  suddenly want to do that?'

  'A boy ought to know his father.' Jeff gave her a smug and pious smile,

  relishing her bewilderment and dismay.

  Nausea stirred inside Holly. 'You said you'd make me sorry I was ever

  born if I told anyone that Timothy was your child. And when we needed

  you, where were you? You didn't want to know-'

  'Things were awkward that day-'

  'Awkward? Timothy and I ended up on the streets with nowhere to go! You

  didn't give two hoots about either of us. If you want to see the child

  you have the nerve to call your son, when are you planning to start

  paying towards his keep?' Holly demanded, her strained voice rising in

  volume. 'Do you think that you can just walk in here and-?'

  An arm curved round her taut spine from behind, startling her, for she

  had not heard the door open, and then Rio murmured, 'It's OK, cara. I'll

  deal with this.'

  'I'm afraid Holly and I didn't part best friends.' Jeff grimaced, moving

  forward with an insincere smile and extending his hand to Rio. 'I'm

  Jeff, Timothy's father.'

  'Saverio Lombardi...'

  Holly was appalled when Rio shook hands with her ex-boyfriend. It felt

  like a betrayal. She was equally appalled at the threat of being forced

  to trust a man with Jeff's temper around Timothy. She could not even

  bear to have Jeff inside their home. He brought back nothing but bad

  memories and regrets.

  'I've seen a solicitor. Just so that I could check out my

  position,' Jeff hastened to explain. 'I'm going to ask for access visits

  and apply for joint custody of my son.'

  Holly's heart sank right down to her toes.

  'Of course. That's your right,' Rio responded equably.

  'But Rio-' Holly began, not comprehending his failure even to proffer an

  argument or indeed understanding why Jeff, given that easy agreement,

  should look more startled

  than pleased.

  'At the same time, however, any access visits would have to be

  supervised,' Rio continued.

  Jeff frowned at Rio. 'Supervised? Why?'

  'You assaulted Holly.'

  'That was an accident!' Jeff protested vehemently, but even Holly could

  see that that reminder coming from Rio had severely disconcerted the

  younger man.

  'My lawyers already have a statement from the woman whom you were living

  with at the time,' Rio told him with complete cool. 'She's quite

  prepared to testify that she saw you not only attack but also threaten

  Holly with further violence should she ever name you as her child's father.'

  It was now Holly's turn to stare at her husband with shaken eyes, for

  only then did she recall the seemingly idle questions he had asked her

  in the Maldives about where she had found Jeff living when she had

  finally traced him to his girlfriend's apartment.

  'You've got a statement from Liza?' Jeff was flushed with incredulous rage.

  'Naturally you can still apply for access to Timothy and whatever else

  you like,' Rio pointed out. 'But it is only fair to tell you that I hope

  to adopt Timothy and that I will fight to do so, whether you have access

  or not.'

  Jeff gave him a furious look of frustration. 'But I'm quite happy for

  you to adopt the kid! I'm here ready to discuss a friendly arrangement

  with you-'

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  'Any arrangements or agreements required will be reached through the

  usual legal channels,' Rio asserted levelly.

  I've had enough of this!' Jeff stormed off to the door.

  'You're still Timothy's father,' Rio said quietly. 'If you want to get

  to know your son I won't stand in your way.'

  'Forget it!' Jeff yanked open the door, his eagerness to leave

  unconcealed. 'You're welcome to the yappy little brat!'

  As her ex-boyfriend departed Holly was so ashamed of the way he had

  exposed his true nature that she could not meet Rio's gaze. 'Why did you

  keep on telling him he could see Timothy?'

  'I won't let Danby use your son to threaten you or as a bargaining chip

  in some sleazy attempt to profit from the connection. But I needed to be

  sure that Jeff genuinely doesn't have any interest in Timothy.'

  'What you said about Jeff's girlfriend, Liza... was that a bluff?' Holly

  mumbled.

  'No. My lawyers do hold her statement. I felt that it was necessary to

  have proof of Jeff's violence to protect you and Timothy.'

  'Has Liza broken up with Jeff?' Holly was still in shock at what she had

  learnt.

  'Yes. I gather she caught him fooling around with one of her friends and

  she was more than willing to speak up on your behalf.'

  Hell hath no fury, Holly reflected in a daze.

  Level dark golden eyes scanned her pale, strained face and he caught her

  hands in his. 'I have to leave...I'm already running late. You look

  exhausted. You should lie down for a while, cara.'

  'Thanks...for sorting out Jeff,' Holly said jerkily.

  'I'd have liked to do it with my fists,' Rio confided with

  ashamed male regret. 'But that could have put paid to any hope of

  adopting Timothy, and at the end of day Danby's not worth that risk.'

  For a long time after Rio had gone Holly just sat beside Timothy's cot,

  watching over her son while he slept, Rio had spiked Jeff's guns with

  ease and she was very grateful, but she could not help thinking that he

  had not been half so_ successful at quieting her fears about the future.

  She was married to a bloke who truly believed that a rousing bout of sex

  answered all ills. And why did Rio imagine that? She had let him make

  love to her. And a sufficiently angry and alienated woman would have

  said no.

  So why hadn't she said no? What she had learnt about Rio and Christabel

  had filled her with sheer panic. She loved him. She loved him so much.

  Wanting to kill him only went so far when she had felt that her whole

  world was under imminent danger of collapsing round her. She had started

  out all right when she first confronted him but then she had got too

  emotional and lost the plot.

  When Rio came home she would make a more tactful and calm approach, and,

  one way or another, he was going to talk about Christabel whether he

  liked it or not, she swore to herself.

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  Two days later, the limousine in which Holly was travelling drew up

  outside Marchmont Priory. The picturesque house was bathed in afternoon

  sunshine. Climbing out of the car, Holly breathed in deep and

  straightened her shoulders.

  Holly had thought about calling Mrs Lombardi in advance but she had been

  afraid that her offer to visit would somehow be put off. Although Rio

  seemed determined to cheerfully ignore all the signs that his parent was

  anything but happy at
his sudden marriage to a stranger, Holly was not

  that insensitive. Naturally, Alice Lombardi would be concerned, but she

  was hoping that once Rio's mother actually met her she would realise

  that her new daughter-in-law was not as bad as she had feared.

  She was ushered into the sunlit panelled sitting room, where a slim,

  still attractive blonde in her early sixties awaited her in an upright

  armchair. A closer and lengthier appraisal revealed the fine lines on

  Alice Lombardi's worn features and the pained stiffness of her movements.

  'Please excuse me for not standing up to greet you,' she murmured in her

  well-bred voice. 'My arthritis is particularly troublesome today.'

  'I'm sorry. I should have phoned first-'

  'Did Rio send you here?'

  Holly reddened.

  'I thought so,' Alice said ruefully. 'Rio can be very ruthless.'

  'He wanted us to meet and I was glad of the excuse,'

  Holly responded awkwardly, backing down into the seat that was indicated.

  'I may as well admit that Christabel is staying here this week,' the

  older woman replied. 'I shan't apologise for that. I can hardly turn my

  back on her simply because my son changed his mind about marrying her.

  She often visits me.' "That's really none of my business.' But the news

  that Rio's ex-fiancée was on the premises was daunting and made Holly

  feel very much as though she had foolishly strayed into the enemy camp.

  'If you say so...' Alice's gaze was as keen as her son's. 'How honest

  may I be?' 'As honest as you like.' Holly lifted her chin. 'Is your son,

  Timothy, my grandchild?' Holly flushed. 'No.' 'And are you expecting a

  child now?' 'No, I'm not.' Holly supposed that those were fairly obvious

  questions to ask in the circumstances but she felt horribly like a

  little kid being questioned by a stern headmistress for unacceptable

  behaviour.

  'I'm sorry if I've embarrassed you but I had to know.' The older woman

  now looked weary and defeated.

  In the hiatus, a maid knocked and entered with a tray of tea. At a

  leisurely pace, fragile bone-china cups of heirloom quality were filled

  and delicate cakes were offered. Holly could not get a morsel past her

  tight throat and even to moisten her lips was a challenge.

  'I don't know what has got into Rio,' Alice admitted tightly, tears

  glimmering in her strained gaze. 'Perhaps I am better not knowing, but

  if you have somehow contrived to trap him into marriage and your

  motivation was his wealth I will be your enemy and a most bitter one.'

  Holly paled at that unhesitating assurance. 'I-' 'You have no career.

  You're penniless. How could my

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  son even have met you?' Alice made no attempt to conceal her

  bewilderment. 'You're not from our world. Of course I'm suspicious of

  you. Rio won't tell me anything about you.'

  Reminded of how poor she had been before her marriage, Holly was

  mortified. The smart outfit which had helped her confidence suddenly

  felt like finery she had no entitlement to be wearing. 'I really don't

  know why Rio sent me here-'

  'Don't you? You're supposed to be ingratiating yourself. He's a typical

  man and he's planning to stay well out of the way until I've come to

  terms with you,' the older woman informed her drily. 'What age are you,

  for goodness' sake?'

  'Twenty.'

  'So now Rio's cradle-snatching.' Alice Lombardi was openly taken aback

  by the news that Holly was that young. 'I can only assume that my son is

  madly in love with you. There is no other possible explanation for his

  behaviour.'

  Holly remained silent, unable to lie.

  'Have you nothing to say?' Alice demanded in frustration.

  'I love him,' Holly muttered fiercely and, setting down her untouched

  tea, she stood up, truly desperate to escape. 'I don't think there's

  much point me sitting here because I'm only upsetting you and I don't

  have the answers you want.'

  'If Rio loves you, I don't need any answers.' The older woman studied

  Holly's troubled face with belated discomfiture. 'Nor will I interfere.'

  'He doesn't love me,' Holly said bluntly. 'He likes me. He said he

  thought he could get fond of me but I'm not holding my breath.'

  And with that confession, which appeared to startle her

  hostess, Holly slipped back out to the flagstoned hall and heaved a

  huge, craven sigh of relief. Only then did she see another woman poised

  by the massive stone fireplace.

  'So you're Holly,' Christabel drawled with a scornful head-to-toe

  appraisal that would have left Holly squirming had Holly not been so

  intent on staring herself.

  Sheathed in a fake-fur coat, a short dress the colour of cranberry and

  knee-length black leather boots, the blonde was so incredibly tall that

  Holly actually had to step back to receive the full effect. And the full

  effect of Christabel in the flesh was nothing short of spectacular. The

  shining fall of pale blonde hair, the startling green eyes, the

  voluptuous pink mouth. Then the lithe, shapely figure, the hand on the

  hip angled forward, the endless length of gleaming thigh presented by

  her taunting, aggressive stance.

  'You. look even better than your pictures,' Holly conceded helplessly.

  'Are you trying to be funny with me?' Christabel spat, lips drawing back

  from her perfect teeth in a venomous flash. 'You've got some neck,

  coming here to visit Alice. This is my turf. Don't you kid yourself that

  you've stolen my man. You only have him on loan!'

  'Extended loan.' Holly threw her bright head back, bronze ringlets

  tumbling back from her pale heart-shaped face, clear blue eyes as steady

  as she could make them. 'If you were careless enough to lose a bloke

  like Rio that's your problem, not mine. But he's my husband now-'

  'And how long do you think that's going to last?' Christabel loosed a

  shrill derisive laugh.

  'As long as he wants it to. I don't want this bad feeling with you,'

  Holly admitted tautly. 'I'd nothing to do with you and Rio splitting up-'

  'But if you hadn't come along we'd have got back together,'

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  Christabel condemned. 'I'll break up your marriage if it's the last

  thing I do!'

  'Christabel...no!' another voice interrupted, charged with censure.

  Both young women spun. Leaning heavily on a stick, Alice Lombardi was

  several feet away, her thin features rigid with shocked disapproval as

  she stared at her house-guest.

  All the way back to London, Holly thought of Christabel. Beautiful,

  angry, vindictive Christabel. She tried to tell herself that she wasn't

  worried. But a woman so flawless she barely looked human was hard to

  downsize in her memory bank. And if the gorgeous Christabel still hoped

  to get Rio back, even though he was now married, what did that tell her?

  Well, for one thing, it blew a large hole in Holly's dim assumption that

  something very serious had broken up their engagement. Now she was no

  longer so sure. Christabel's declaration of war suggested that although

  Rio and the blonde might have had a major row when they had split up

  there had still been
hope of a reconciliation.

  And that new angle on the situation scared Holly, really scared her. For

  the first time Holly was afraid that Rio might have used her just to

  strike back at Christabel. Not deliberately, but reacting to a

  subconscious very male urge to level the score, might not Rio have

  turned to Holly and their marriage as a weapon? By nature, Rio was

  shockingly stubborn. He was also volatile and deep. What was going to

  happen if Rio woke up one day and realised that he still cared about

  Christabel? Already painfully aware that Rio had married her on the

  rebound, Holly could not see that as a far-fetched fear. Rio didn't love

  her. Their marriage would not survive if he still had feelings for

  another woman, all too willing to take him back. Forcing her thoughts to

  a halt at that point, Holly told herself that she was overreacting. Even

  so, after the afternoon she had endured it was impossible to feel good

  about either herself or her marriage. She needed to find a job, she

  decided in desperation, show some independence. Alice Lombardi thought

  that she might be a gold-digger who'd trapped Rio into marriage. Rio had

  also talked about the need for her to lead her own life. Maybe that was