He really didn’t. Meg could see the truth of his words in the way his shoulders sagged momentarily as he absorbed the body blow she had delivered.
‘Oh—no—this isn’t how it’s supposed to be!’ she wailed. ‘I’ve hurt you, and I never meant to! I didn’t ever expect to see you again, so I thought I’d never need to tell you—that’s why it happened like this! I should have taken more time to explain—oh, no, this is horrible—’ Meg was gabbling, perspiring, gesticulating and crying but Gianni’s response froze her instantly.
‘No…no, it isn’t,’ he said slowly. ‘Don’t blame yourself, Meg. It takes two to make a baby. Although when it can have happened I have no idea…’ He let her go and reached for one of the dining chairs. Pulling it away from the table, he lowered her gently into it.
‘You shouldn’t be standing—not in your condition,’ he murmured. Planting his hands on either side of her, he looked deep into her eyes. She waited in awestruck silence.
‘I’ve been fooling myself for too long. Deep down, all the parties, the girls, the excesses—it was all a hopeless search for love. When you walked into my life I started seeing things differently, Meg, but not clearly enough. On the night of the banquet my body spoke, not my mind. It cried out for you in the only way it knew you could never resist. A long-term commitment was something I didn’t want to get mixed up with. At the time.’ There was total certainty in his voice now. As he gazed into her eyes all Meg’s doubts disappeared.
‘Then…you don’t mind about the baby?’
Leaning forward, he rested his brow against hers.
‘My love, it is what I’ve always wanted—although it took you to make me realise it. I want to give my child all the love I never experienced when I was growing up. If you walk away from me now, we’ll all lose out. All three of us.’
‘I wouldn’t…I couldn’t…no, what I mean is—I want you, and this baby, more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life, Gianni. But I can’t be your mistress any more. I would have kept the baby a secret if we hadn’t met up again today—and what will your fiancée say?’ Meg flustered.
‘I don’t know. What do you say, Meg?’ Gianni smiled, silencing her with a feather-light kiss. There was no resisting him, and Meg didn’t want to. For a long time they were suspended in delicious silence. ‘I want you now more than ever. I owe all the happiness that these past weeks have brought me to you. You warmed my heart as beautifully as you warmed my bed.’ His voice became a low murmur as he buried his face in her hair, but Meg couldn’t relinquish her last finger hold on respectability without a fight.
‘I can’t do this, Gianni. Really, I can’t. My skin isn’t thick enough. I can’t go on being your mistress, and I can’t bear to think of you marrying another woman. Imagine how much more painful it will be for me to become nothing more than a bystander in your life. I’ll be sidelined in favour of your wife, and over the years as your legitimate children are born and grow, my baby and I will be pushed further and further away from you. We’ll be abandoned and forgotten—’
‘It isn’t going to be like that.’ His voice resonated through her entire body.
‘But it will be! It will!’ In a sudden panic Meg tried to pull away from him.
In the stillness of the dining room her priceless antique jewellery tinkled, the candlelight sending brightly coloured stars dancing in a halo around her head.
‘No, it won’t. I won’t let it. Listen to me, Meg!’
‘I’ve listened to you too often in the past, Gianni. This is hopeless! I can’t be your mistress any longer!’
‘I know!’ he barked, silencing her instantly. Once her full attention was riveted on him he spoke with a quiet authority that almost stopped her heart.
‘I want you to become my wife, Meg,’ he explained slowly. ‘I want you as my contessa as well as my lover. My partner. My companion. My friend,’ he finished softly.
It took Meg several seconds to realise what she was hearing.
‘But what about—’ She looked across at the table set for two, crowned by the beautiful flower she had brought for presentation to Gianni’s fiancée.
‘Bellini men don’t beg,’ he said succinctly. ‘The moment I saw you again today I knew I had to have you, and you alone, Meg. Now and for ever. I had the Bellini hoard wrapped and flown over especially, in time for your arrival tonight. I love you, Meg, and without you I’m only one half of the spectacular whole our family will be.’
There were no fanfares and no fireworks. Gianni simply spoke all the words she had longed to hear. It felt like coming home, without ever having been away. Slowly, delicately she leaned forward until her head was resting against his chest. She expected to feel the slow, steady beat of his heart. It would have been perfectly in accord with the indulgent way he silently stroked her hair and patted her shoulders. Instead, she got a surprise. A rapid pulse thrummed through his body in feverish excitement.
‘Can I trust you, Gianni?’ she whispered.
‘With our baby’s life,’ he assured her, kissing the crown of her head with its sparkle of diamonds. Meg melted as he pressed the side of his face against hers. For a long time she sheltered in his arms, trying to catch her breath as she thought back over the pain of the last days. All she had ever wanted was to feel safe and secure in Gianni’s love. Now she had a promise, and trinkets beyond her wildest dreams, but none of it meant anything at all without integrity. A single tear beaded her lashes and rolled down her cheek. His face pressed tightly against hers, Gianni felt it the moment it fell. Alarmed, he straightened up and held her at arm’s length, studying her intently.
‘You’re crying!’ He could hardly believe it. ‘What’s the matter? I only wanted to make you happy!’
‘D-did you?’ Blinded with tears, Meg gazed at him in hopeless doubt. ‘If that’s the case, w-why did you spend all that time keeping me at arm’s length? Y-you never even put my details on your phone!’ she sobbed, almost inaudibly. Chuckling, Gianni drew her towards him again.
‘That’s because I never needed to. They’re here,’ he said softly, lifting her hand and pressing her palm against his chest. ‘Every word you have ever spoken to me is carved in my heart, Meg.’
She felt it beating more slowly and steadily beneath her fingers. Gianni closed his fingers around hers and took them to his lips for a gentle kiss.
‘Really?’ she whispered.
‘Really.’ He nodded. ‘Meg, my love, you are the only woman for me, now and for ever. I’m going to take you as my wife, my mistress and my soulmate. From the moment we met no woman has matched up to you in any way. I spent my whole life looking for love, but in all the wrong places. And when we found each other, I almost let you slip through my fingers. That’s never going to happen again. I can promise you that.’
She leaned against him. He gathered her in to his body. Once upon a time Meg would have been terrified to admit she wanted someone she could depend on. Now she was safe in Gianni’s arms, she could see things so much more clearly. He needed her every bit as much as she needed him. They were a team now. It didn’t matter which one of them dealt with the little niggles and worries of day-to-day life, as long as they were solved.
As though reading her mind he held her close and whispered: ‘I never thought I would find a woman I could rely on. You are all I need, my love. You—and our family,’ he said simply, before his kisses swept her away to a place where nothing else mattered any more.
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
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First published in Great Britain 2009
Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Christina Hollis 2009
E-ISBN: 978-1-4089-1303-1
01-1109-50800
Table of Contents
Cover page
Excerpt
About the Author
Other Books By
Title Page
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Copyright
The Count of Castelfino Page 16
