The Salvatore Marriage Deal

by Natalie Rivers

  ‘And this is just the back entrance.’ Vito paused beside her to look up at the bold ornamentation. ‘The side facing the canal is really something to behold.’

  Lily smiled in surprise at his tone. He’d grown up in this grand historic palace, but he didn’t take it for granted, and was obviously very proud of his family’s heritage. She glanced sideways at him, and for a moment he looked like the Vito she used to know. He appeared relaxed and almost happy—as if coming to Ca’ Salvatore was like coming home for him. Suddenly she had the feeling that he was genuinely looking forward to seeing his grandfather and telling him their news.

  He took her hand in his. It was a gesture that could be taken equally as a sign of possession or affection, and once more she was reminded how important it was that she played her part well. He led her into the building and up to the second-floor room where the housekeeper had told them Giovanni was resting in bed.

  The moment they entered the old man’s bedchamber, Lily got a sense that something wasn’t right. Vito stiffened beside her the instant he laid eyes on his grandfather, then he dropped her hand and crossed to the bed in two long strides.

  ‘Nonno?’ Vito bent down to speak close to his grandfather’s ear. ‘Are you feeling all right?’

  Lily stood beside the door, not sure what to do. The housekeeper had said Giovanni was resting, but she hadn’t implied that anything was wrong. And, from Lily’s perspective, she couldn’t identify what had made Vito react so strongly. Giovanni looked old and tired, but maybe Vito had spotted something more worrying in his appearance because he knew him so well.

  ‘Vito?’ The old man’s voice was weak, but he was looking at his grandson’s face with recognition. ‘I’m tired, that’s all.’

  ‘I’m calling the doctor,’ Vito said. ‘I don’t like the way you look.’

  ‘Hmph!’ Giovanni snorted. ‘You don’t have to like the way I look—I’m not one of your women.’

  Lily smiled at the old man’s quick humour. His comment on Vito’s women was unsettling—but he clearly had his wits about him. And it was obvious that, even though he appeared to be bed-bound, he was still a man to be reckoned with.

  Vito was leaning close, talking to his grandfather in a firm but kind voice. It was plain from his body language and tone of voice that the old man meant the world to him.

  Suddenly Lily’s throat felt tight, and a foolish tear sprang to her eye as she remembered Vito talking to her in a gentle and caring way. But he wasn’t like that with her any more. She blinked and turned away, trying not to think about just how different things were between them now.

  She looked around the chamber to distract herself, running her gaze over the impressively frescoed walls with admiration. The ornate decoration in the chamber was truly splendid—fitting for the main bedchamber of an important palazzo on the Grand Canal.

  It was incredible to think that this was Giovanni’s bedroom. The chamber wouldn’t have looked out of place in one of the many magnificent Venetian palaces open to the public. And the fact that she could see no evidence of modern technological living made it even more like stepping back in time to a more elegant age.

  A movement caught her eye, and she turned to see Vito striding towards her. Before she knew what he was doing, he took her arm and hustled her out into the hallway.

  ‘Now is not a good time for you to meet my grandfather,’ he said, guiding her towards the grand staircase.

  ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ Lily said automatically, although she knew Vito well enough to know he’d already have everything covered.

  ‘No,’ he said shortly. ‘Go home now. I’ll see you later.’

  With that he turned on his heel and went back into Giovanni’s room, closing the door in her face.

  Lily stared after him in consternation. She understood Vito was concerned about his grandfather, but she didn’t like the feeling of being so peremptorily dismissed.

  She walked slowly down the stairs, thinking again how much things had changed. The old Vito would never have sent her off to find her own way home without an escort. In fact, when she’d first lived with him, it had taken her a long time to persuade him that no harm would come to her if she strolled around the city on her own. No one else had ever showed so much concern for her welfare, and at the time she’d been deeply touched by it.

  She headed back to Vito’s palazzo, strangely surprised by how familiar everything still felt despite the time she’d spent in London. She was almost on autopilot, weaving her way through the maze of narrow lanes without even thinking about her route.

  Suddenly she stopped in her tracks right outside a busy gelateria. There was no need to go straight back just because Vito had told her to. She should take some time just for herself and try to clear her head.

  She joined the queue to buy an ice cream, and a few minutes later she was sitting beside a canal in the late morning sunshine, pleased that her appetite had returned so she could truly enjoy one of her favourite treats.

  The steps leading down to the canal were a good place to sit, out of the main flow of pedestrians, and it was restful watching the water lapping against the buildings that edged the other side of the canal.

  She ate her ice cream slowly, determined to relish every drop. Then, once she had finished, she let her thoughts return to the predicament she had got herself into with Vito.

  Everything had happened so fast since he’d walked in on her presentation yesterday. His proposal had taken her completely by surprise, but in the end she had agreed to marry him for her baby’s sake. She’d truly thought it would be best for her child to grow up part of a proper family, with two parents.

  Also, deep down inside, she couldn’t forget how wonderful things had been between them before he’d thrown her out. Maybe, once they were living together again, things would return to the way they had once been.

  But there was a massive problem. For some reason Vito believed she had cheated on him, and that the child she was carrying was not his. That was why he was so angry with her and why he was treating her so harshly.

  Lily had no idea what had made him believe this. No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t think of anything she had ever said or done that might have led him to that conclusion. There had been nights when they’d been apart, but that had always been because of his business travel. She had never spent a night away from the palazzo without Vito.

  Suddenly she knew what to do. If she could prove to Vito that she’d never been unfaithful, maybe he would trust her again. Although he’d hurt her feelings with his lack of faith in her, presumably he did have a reason. It would have been better if he’d had the courtesy to tell her, but obviously he was upset by it.

  She’d ask him for a paternity test. Then, once he was convinced of the truth, perhaps things could get back to normal between then. That would be best for everyone—for Lily and Vito. And, most importantly, for the baby.

  Lily stood up with a burst of energy. She’d found the solution to the problem—soon everything would be all right.

  Vito returned to the palazzo in the early afternoon. Lily was waiting for him in the bedroom, knowing the conversation she planned to have with him would be best in private. He’d been so concerned that no one should know there was anything untoward about their marriage plans that she thought he wouldn’t appreciate her talking to him about paternity tests in a room where a member of staff might overhear.

  ‘How is your grandfather?’ she asked, standing up as he walked into the room.

  ‘The doctor thinks he’s fine. Well, as fine as he ever is.’ From the look on his face it was clear that Vito did not agree. ‘I’m not so sure. He doesn’t seem right to me,’ he said. ‘Maybe he’s coming down with something.’

  ‘He’s lucky to have you nearby,’ Lily said. ‘I know you’ll make sure he receives the best possible care.’

  Vito didn’t respond. He appeared to be deep in thought as he opened his wardrobe and took out one o
f his many hand-tailored suits. He must be going straight to the office, Lily thought, realising she’d have to speak fast if she didn’t want to lose her opportunity.

  He looked so worried about his grandfather that she longed to comfort him. But she knew she was the last person he would accept comfort from—not while he still believed the worst of her.

  She hesitated, knowing it might seem insensitive to bring up paternity testing while Vito was preoccupied with his grandfather’s health. But on the other hand, if she could make things right between them, she could be there to help him through his grandfather’s illness.

  ‘Vito.’ Lily took a deep breath and steeled herself to start a conversation that she knew could be difficult. ‘Have you got a few minutes to talk?’

  Vito turned to look at her, holding a dark-grey suit on a hanger in his hand, and frowned. The last thing he wanted right then was to talk.

  ‘Make it quick,’ he said, laying his suit on the bed and going back to the wardrobe to select a shirt. ‘I have a meeting in half an hour.’

  ‘I will be quick,’ she said. ‘But you have to listen to me properly.’

  Vito gritted his teeth and turned to face her. She’d been back in his life less than a day and already she was testing his patience.

  ‘You are upset with me because you think I was unfaithful,’ she said, shaking her sleek curtain of blonde hair back over her shoulders.

  ‘Upset?’ Vito repeated incredulously, watching her hair swing alluringly as it settled into place. Perhaps she was hoping to distract him with her feminine wiles. ‘My God! You English really have mastered the art of understatement.’

  ‘I’m not just going to let your accusation pass,’ Lily said. Her voice was calm, but Vito could see her hands were shaking as she gripped them together in front of her. ‘I was not unfaithful to you. And I don’t know why you think that. I’ve never done anything to give you that idea.’

  Vito stared at her, wondering how she was able to make herself sound so sincere when he knew she was guilty as sin.

  ‘You are right,’ he said. ‘You covered your trail well. But that doesn’t change the fact that I know you betrayed me.’

  ‘I didn’t,’ Lily protested. ‘And the fact that you could even think that about me is just as much of a betrayal. But I don’t want to go on like this. I want a paternity test to prove you are my child’s father.’

  Vito stared at her, feeling tension knot painfully in his stomach. She wanted a paternity test—the one thing he dreaded.

  But he’d known it would come to this sooner or later. Although Lily had obviously been sleeping with two men at once, as far as she was concerned it was possible Vito might be the father.

  For Lily a paternity test was just a game of chance. There would be a delay until it could be carried out, and she was willing to gamble on the outcome being lucky for her. It was a risk worth taking, because from her point of view she had nothing to lose—he already believed she’d been unfaithful.

  But Vito had everything to lose. For him, the test could not produce a good result. There was no way he could win.

  He knew he wasn’t the father—because he could not have children.

  ‘There will be no paternity test.’ Vito clenched his fists at his sides.

  He would not allow himself to be subject to physical, public proof that he was not the father of Lily’s child. If his grandfather ever found out that the baby was not a true Salvatore heir, it would destroy his happiness for ever.

  That was the whole point of marrying Lily. And he had to live with it until the time came when he could discard her and the baby. Even though she continued to show no sign that she had done anything wrong, or take any responsibility for her actions, this was the perfect way for Vito to bring a baby into the family—to make his grandfather happy before he died.

  And then there was the other reason he would not submit to a paternity test. The real, gut-wrenching reason that made his palms start to sweat and his blood run cold. He simply could not bear to think of it—he could not face having his inability to father a child thrust in his face again.

  ‘Why not?’ Lily demanded. ‘Why not have a paternity test and put all this misery behind us?’

  ‘If I turned out to be the father, that does not prove your fidelity,’ Vito grated.

  Only his ex-wife, Capricia, and her fertility expert, knew of his failure as a man. The memory of Capricia’s scornful face as she’d waved the doctors report under his nose was almost as painful as his infertility itself.

  He would never admit his failure to anyone else—especially not to Lily.

  ‘But…’ Lily hesitated, looking up at his troubled face. There was something different in his expression, something she hadn’t seen before. But she couldn’t ponder it for too long. It had been hard enough to make this conversation happen, and it wasn’t over yet. She owed it to herself to keep trying to get through to Vito. And he owed it to her to give a proper explanation.

  ‘Where does that leave us?’ she continued. ‘If we don’t have trust—where can we go from here?’

  ‘This isn’t about us,’ Vito said coldly. ‘This is about saving your baby from a miserable life as an illegitimate child.’

  ‘But you can’t deny me a paternity test then not even tell me why you don’t believe me,’ Lily insisted. ‘How can I defend myself if I don’t know what proof you think you have against me?’

  ‘What you’ve done is indefensible,’ Vito said, picking up his suit and shirt and striding towards the door. ‘I don’t have to give you any more information to weave your web of lies around.’

  In a moment he was gone, and Lily was left alone, staring miserably after him. The last two days had been an overwhelming series of shocks, and now she realised she was shaking with reaction to it all.

  She sat down on the chair, feeling her hand settle on something soft and warm. Without thinking she picked it up. It was Vito’s black cashmere sweater. She lifted it automatically to her face, pressing the luxurious woollen fabric to her skin, and breathed in deeply, inhaling Vito’s aroma.

  Tears suddenly sprung to her eyes as she remembered the last time she had been enfolded in his embrace while he’d been wearing that sweater. She’d come inside from the foggy city, holding a joyful secret inside her. She’d felt so safe and so secure in his arms—thinking that he cared about her and would protect her from anything.

  But it had all been an empty illusion. Five minutes later he had turned on her. And from then on her life had been sucked into a whirlpool of misery, getting increasingly out of her control. And this last argument had been the worst, with Vito not even giving her the information she needed to defend herself.

  But she’d had enough. She wouldn’t put up with it any more. She might not be able to fight Vito over his accusation of infidelity. But there was some control she could take. She wasn’t going to keep looking back at the special relationship she’d mistakenly believed she’d had with Vito. From now on she was going to concentrate on her future and make the best out of her new life.

  She looked down at the black sweater which she was still holding on her lap. It was a harsh reminder of how much her life with Vito had changed—a reminder she did not need.

  She stood up decisively and carried the sweater across the room. She opened the window and tossed it out into the canal below.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ‘WE’LL eat out tonight,’ Vito said. ‘To mark your return to Venice.’

  ‘That would be nice.’ Lily spoke mildly, determined not to let Vito see she was still shaken from their earlier argument.

  It would be good to get out of the palazzo. It was less than twenty-four hours since Vito had brought her back to his home, and so far she’d been a bundle of nerves.

  It wasn’t surprising that she felt on edge after what had happened, nevertheless she’d tried to take her own advice and stop dwelling on it. She’d spent the afternoon pointlessly trying to lose herself in a good book, but even a
favourite pastime like reading hadn’t distracted her from all the unsettling thoughts that were whirling round persistently inside her head.

  ‘We’ll go to Luigi’s,’ Vito said.

  ‘Oh…I…’ Lily drew an anxious breath and stared up at Vito, quickly trying to think of an excuse not to go to Luigi’s. After what had happened on Lily’s last night in Venice, bringing Vito and Luigi into contact could be risky.

  The restaurant had always been one of their favourite places to eat. It was within easy walking distance of the palazzo, served some of the best dishes in Venice, and it had a wonderful ambiance. Luigi, the proprietor, was a true character with an expansive personality and a generous nature.

  The night Vito had thrown Lily out, Luigi’s kindness had been an absolute godsend for her. Trapped in a fogbound city, with every hotel she’d tried full and every mode of transport closed to her, Luigi had literally saved the day. He’d arranged for her to stay in his mother’s guest room—no questions asked—and then he’d seen her safely to the airport himself the following morning.

  ‘Not Luigi’s?’ Vito asked, a vertical crease forming between his brows as he studied her. ‘Why not?’

  ‘It’s up to you, if you’re set on going there.’ Lily stumbled for words. She’d done nothing wrong, but Vito was a proud Venetian man, and she knew instinctively that he would not appreciate the fact that she’d accepted help from another man. ‘But I’d really love to go out to that place on Burano. I’ve got a craving for fish.’

  ‘Very well.’ Turning to leave, Vito suddenly stopped and pinned her with his piercing blue gaze. ‘This meal is a celebration,’ he said. ‘Wear something suitable for such an occasion.’

  Lily stared at his retreating back in irritation, wondering if he’d deliberately meant to provoke her by being so autocratic. It was hard to get used to the way he was treating her now. He’d always been a dominant force, but he’d never blatantly ordered her about before.