The Salvatore Marriage Deal

by Natalie Rivers

  This wasn’t how it had been supposed to go. The wily old man had completely wrong-footed him—and if he didn’t pull himself together quickly it would all be for nothing. If he couldn’t convince his grandfather that his relationship with Lily was genuine, he might not accept her child as his heir. It wouldn’t make him content.

  And that was what this was all about—fulfilling Giovanni’s dying wish to see his name continued. What kind of grandson was he if he couldn’t do the one thing that would make his beloved grandfather happy in his dying days? After everything his grandfather had done for him, this was the one thing that any man ought to be able to do in return.

  His shame at his failure bore into him, burning a hole in his chest, making it hard to think, impossible to speak.

  ‘It’s true we arrived from London the day before you got sick,’ Lily suddenly spoke up, her voice quiet but clear in the high-ceilinged chamber. ‘But we didn’t just meet.’

  ‘Tell me more.’ Giovanni leant forward, as if it would help him catch everything she said.

  ‘We first met nearly a year ago,’ Lily said, stepping closer to the bed. ‘After several months of travelling between London and Venice for weekends and holidays, Vito asked me to move in with him here. I’ve been living in Venice with him since Novem…’

  Vito looked at her sharply as her words petered out. He’d been amazed, and very relieved, that she’d spoken up. But now she was blushing and looking down at the floor, letting her blonde hair swing forward to conceal her face.

  ‘What is it?’ Giovanni barked. ‘Why did you stop talking?’

  ‘I…it just occurred to me that you might be Catholic.’ Lily looked up and continued hesitantly. ‘That you might not approve of us living together. I’m sorry—that’s probably why Vito never brought me here before.’

  Giovanni’s bark of laughter broke the sudden tension in the room.

  ‘Now I see.’ The old man spoke between chuckles. ‘You were taking your time, making sure it was right. After Capricia, I can understand your caution.’

  ‘It seemed wise to be sure,’ Vito said, turning to look at Lily. He didn’t know why she had said what she’d said—whether she was defending him, or simply acting out the role she had agreed to. Or maybe she was just naively speaking her mind.

  Whatever the explanation, relief flooded through him, and he hugged her to him in an embrace that was entirely natural. Her guileless chatter had utterly won over his grandfather, and for that he was thankful.

  Suddenly he found himself thinking how different Lily was from his ex-wife Capricia. In fact, she was different from all the other women he had ever been involved with.

  Capricia’s heart was as hard and impenetrable as a diamond. Her scornful face flashed unpleasantly through his mind, and he knew he could never have employed the same tactics of persuasion on her that he had used on Lily.

  For some reason the thought made him uncomfortable, but he pushed it ruthlessly to the back of his mind. Just because Lily had her weaknesses did not mean she didn’t deserve everything she got. He couldn’t forget she had betrayed him by sleeping with another man.

  ‘But now something has changed.’ Vito turned back to his grandfather and continued speaking. ‘Something that has made us look to the future.’

  ‘What’s that?’ Giovanni sat up straighter, and from the sharp expression on his face Vito thought he had guessed what was coming next.

  ‘Lily is pregnant,’ he said. ‘You are the first one to share our wonderful news.’

  For a moment Giovanni looked stunned. It was as if the news, which he’d waited so many years to hear, was suddenly too much to take in. Then a massive smile spread across his old face.

  Lily watched as his eyes started to sparkle with unshed tears and, even though she had only just met Vito’s grandfather, she understood how important this was to him. Impulsively, she leant over the bed and kissed his cheek.

  ‘You’ve made me very happy,’ he said. ‘My name will continue. There will be Salvatores living at Ca’Salvatore.’

  Lily smiled at him, thinking how different life was for Vito’s family. After her upbringing, it was hard to imagine living in a palace that had been in the family for hundreds of years.

  ‘What do you think of Venice?’ Giovanni suddenly asked. ‘People say it’s old and crumbling—like me.’ There was a merry twinkle in his eyes that made him look years younger, but Lily knew that the question was important to him. ‘But I say there’s life in the old dog yet. What do you think, Lily?’

  ‘Oh, definitely.’ Lily smiled warmly and leant forward to take his hand. She could feel a slight tremor, and despite the fact she had only just met him she knew that he was tiring. ‘It couldn’t be more different from the green and open countryside where I grew up—but I absolutely love it. It’s beautiful, fascinating, and there is always more to see.’

  ‘Not too crowded for you?’ he pressed. ‘After the quiet of the countryside?’

  ‘I love the hustle and bustle,’ Lily said truthfully. ‘And if I want some space around me I can walk beside the water, or take a boat out onto the lagoon.’

  Giovanni leant back against his pillows. His body looked frail, but there was a light in his faded blue eyes.

  ‘You’re tired, Nonno,’ Vito said. ‘We should leave you to rest.’

  ‘No, wait a moment,’ Giovanni suddenly said. ‘Look in the top drawer—a wooden box.’

  ‘Is this what you mean?’ Vito asked, holding up a highly polished, flat wooden box that he’d found in the old chest-of-drawers across the room.

  ‘Give it to Lily,’ Giovanni said.

  Vito frowned, but did as his grandfather bid. Lily took the box hesitantly, caught between the displeasure on Vito’s face and Giovanni’s wishes.

  ‘Oh!’ she gasped as she opened the box to reveal a stunningly beautiful necklace. ‘It’s exquisite!’

  ‘Antique Venetian glass,’ Giovanni said. ‘It was my great-grandmother’s. Until now I didn’t have anyone to pass it on to. It’s for you, my dear. Welcome to my family.’

  Lily stared at the antique jewellery in awe. She’d never seen anything so gorgeous—and knowing that the glass beads were hundreds of years old, that the necklace had been treasured for generations, made it even more special.

  ‘We can’t accept that, Nonno,’ Vito said.

  ‘I’m not giving it to you.’ Giovanni looked sternly at his grandson, then his watery gaze moved on to Lily. ‘Your wife appreciates it. From her expression, I can see that she knows the true value of the necklace.’

  ‘Vito’s right,’ Lily said, reluctantly closing the lid of the box. ‘This is too much. You’ve only just met me.’

  ‘That doesn’t matter. You are my granddaughter now,’ Giovanni said. He leant back against his plump pillows and closed his eyes. ‘You may leave now. I am tired.’

  Lily clutched the box tightly as Vito steered her out of the palazzo. It had been a morning full of surprises.

  They walked home quietly. Lily had a lot on her mind. There were still so many questions—but at least some things were starting to come clear. Vito’s grandfather was a wonderful old man, and she understood completely why Vito wanted to make his last days happy. But he wasn’t being honest with anyone.

  It wasn’t long before they were back in their bedroom.

  ‘I wish you had told me.’ Lily spoke without preamble. ‘That the only reason you wanted to marry me is to make your grandfather’s final days happier.’

  ‘There was no need to complicate our arrangement.’ Vito spoke shortly, not bothering to deny her accusation. ‘It was not your concern.’

  ‘Of course it was,’ Lily said. ‘I’m involved! I’m the one carrying your child—Giovanni’s great-grandchild. And I’m the one who is going to spend time with him during his last months.’

  ‘Save that for the rest of the world,’ Vito snapped. ‘Endless repetition won’t make it true, so stop trying to convince me that the child is mine.’<
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  ‘But it is,’ Lily protested. ‘Whatever you say, I’m not going to stop believing it—or saying it—because it is true.’

  ‘My grandfather is old and frail. He doesn’t have long to live.’ Vito brutally brought the subject back around. ‘It is the thought that his family line will continue that he needs. Not to socialise with you.’

  Lily stared at him bitterly. Despite the circumstances, she had enjoyed meeting Giovanni. He was a wonderful old man, and she was sure spending time with him would enrich her life.

  ‘Oh my God!’ she gasped suddenly, sitting down on the edge of the bed as her legs felt weak with shock. ‘As far as you’re concerned, this is a temporary arrangement. As soon as Giovanni passes away, you’re planning to throw me and the baby out again!’

  She looked up at Vito in a silent appeal, desperate for him to tell her that she was wrong. But he just stared down at her, a hard, unfeeling expression on his face.

  ‘Your grandfather will have died happy.’ At last Lily spoke her awful train of thought aloud. ‘And you will have no further use for me. Or for the baby. No wonder you were able to suggest this, even though you are adamant that the baby isn’t yours!’

  ‘It was a practical solution,’ Vito said coldly. ‘And now you’ll finally understand that it is pointless for you to continually try to persuade me of your innocence. Or to build a relationship with my grandfather. Or to put down roots in Venice. As soon as his time comes, you’ll be history.’

  Lily stared at him in horror as the cold brutality of his words sunk in.

  ‘You are a despicable human being!’ she cried, suddenly flying to her feet and squaring up to him. ‘You don’t deserve a grandfather who loves you so much!’

  ‘I didn’t deserve a lover who cheated on me.’ The angry blue fire sparking in his eyes was the only sign of emotion on his face.

  Lily glared at him, struggling for words. She couldn’t believe Vito would really do something like this.

  All the time she’d lived with him she’d thought him to be a fair and generous man. That had changed the day he’d thrown her out for getting pregnant. Then, when he’d asked her to marry him, she’d been forced to rethink her opinion for a second time.

  She knew he was angry and upset because he believed she had betrayed him but after this latest, awful revelation her opinion of him had sunk to the lowest depths—into a confusing emotional mass of disbelief and disillusionment.

  ‘Give that to me,’ Vito said, lifting the antique-necklace box from her hands. ‘You can’t wear that.’

  Lily stared at the box as he carried it away, her temper suddenly sparking again.

  ‘No wonder you didn’t want Giovanni to give it to me,’ she said bitterly. ‘Don’t worry. I’m not going to steal a priceless family heirloom from you.’

  ‘It’s very old and fragile,’ Vito said curtly. ‘The high humidity in Venice makes things deteriorate quickly. It needs expert attention to ensure it won’t fall apart when you wear it.’

  ‘I won’t be wearing it,’ Lily said. ‘It was a wonderful gift—but you’ve tainted it.’

  She looked up at Vito, and she could see his shoulders were rigid with tension, and a muscle was throbbing insistently on his angular jawbone. Although his eyes were cast into shadow by black brows that were drawn heavily downwards, she could see that powerful emotion glittered within them.

  Perhaps he wasn’t as cold and unmoved by this discussion as he would like her to think, but that didn’t change his intentions.

  ‘Once and for all, it’s time to make things crystal clear between us.’ His voice cut through her shattered nerves like steel wire. ‘Nothing you have discovered today makes any difference to our arrangement. You did very well with my grandfather this morning—and now you will continue to play your part as my adoring wife. Until I am finished with you.’

  Lily glared at him angrily, unable to find words to express the horror she was feeling.

  Was he really saying that she must put up with whatever unjust accusations and hostility he chose to throw her way? That she wasn’t allowed to speak up in her own defence, or express her opinion about anything?

  And then, when he was done with her, that he would toss her out as callously as he’d done before—except this time she’d have a baby with her?

  ‘You lied to me,’ Lily said. ‘You lied to me about making a future for our baby.’

  ‘You lied to me first,’ Vito fired back at her. ‘When you tried to pass that baby off as mine.’

  ‘You really don’t care at all,’ Lily said hollowly. ‘You said it would be better for my baby. But how can this be better? You deceived me and manipulated me into marrying you—when all the time you were planning to dump us like last week’s trash.’

  ‘I’m not lying now,’ Vito said. ‘And I will not go over this again. I have made the situation plain, and I will not tolerate your defiance, or your continued assertions that I am the father of your baby.’

  With that he turned and walked out of the bedroom, taking the necklace with him.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  LILY stared after him in stunned silence.

  All she could think was how foolish she’d been to trust Vito. She’d seen his true nature the night he’d heartlessly thrown her out onto the streets of Venice. Why, even after he’d treated her so appallingly, had she let him drag her back into his life?

  Because she had once thought she was falling in love with him. And then he had lied to her. And manipulated her. He’d made her believe it was the best thing for her and her baby, when all along he couldn’t have cared less about them. All he cared about was taking revenge against her for something she’d never even done. And at the same time finding a way to please his grandfather.

  Lily exhaled heavily, put her hands on her hips and shook her head decisively. She wouldn’t stand for it. He couldn’t keep her here against her wishes. She’d leave him. Take her life back. Ruin his plans.

  She grabbed her suitcase out of the wardrobe and started throwing clothes into it. Everything—all the designer clothes, the jewellery. Everything he’d ever bought her. He’d told her they were hers, and this time she’d take the lot.

  Suddenly she stopped. She didn’t want things he’d paid for. She’d never cared about his money. She’d only ever cared about him. And now about her baby.

  If she left, her baby would get nothing. But it wasn’t about money. It was about recognition.

  Her own childhood had been blighted by her father’s complete refusal to have anything to do with her. It had hurt her so deeply that she’d even married a man who didn’t love her to spare her baby that same heartache. Staying with Vito was the best way for her to try to get through to him. He was her baby’s father—and there must be some way she could prove it to him.

  ‘Good bye, Mum.’ Lily leant forward to kiss her mother’s cheek as they reached the front of the queue to go through security at Marco Polo Airport.

  ‘Passport…boarding pass…’ Ellen double-checked she was holding the crucial documents, then turned to give Lily a final hug. ‘Congratulations again, darling. And thank you for having me.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’ Lily smiled as warmly as she could and returned her hug.

  ‘Oh, I’d better go!’ Ellen gasped, realising she was holding up the queue. She clutched the roll of Venetian marbled paper that she hadn’t wanted to crush in her suitcase and grabbed the handle of her wheelie carry-on bag.

  ‘Thanks for coming!’ Lily called.

  As she stood watching her mother disappear into the departure lounge, an unpleasant feeling of emptiness crept over her. She loved her mum, but under the circumstances Ellen’s visit to Venice had been tough on Lily.

  Living with Vito after she had discovered the truth about his plans had been difficult. And her mother’s presence hadn’t made it any easier.

  After their horrible row, when he’d admitted he considered their marriage temporary, things had slipped back into their previou
s routine disconcertingly fast. Vito had kept his distance, and Lily had not wanted to rock the boat. She instinctively knew that it would be better for her to bide her time. Starting fresh arguments with Vito was not the way to prove her innocence to him, so that he would eventually accept that he was the father of her baby.

  In the end Lily had invited her mother for a few days, knowing that it was a hurdle she still had to get over. It had turned out easier than expected to convince Ellen that everything was as it should be. But, although she should have been relieved, the fact that her mother had accepted her situation so readily bothered her.

  They’d never been particularly close. Ellen was nervous and highly strung—difficult to really get to know properly. When she was a child Lily had been upset by the time and effort her mother had always put into her craft projects with the patients at the hospice—while she’d forgotten to attend school events or even to buy groceries for dinner.

  As she grew up Lily had told herself it was just the way her mother coped. She was disappointed with her life, and felt vulnerable being in a position of dependence on a man who was ashamed of her and wanted to keep her existence a secret.

  But now Lily was feeling vulnerable. Although she knew she could not confide in Ellen, the fact that her own mother had had no inkling that anything was wrong hurt her feelings.

  At first she’d mentally made excuses for her. Having stayed firmly in the countryside for years, it was natural that Ellen had been overcome by Venice. She’d wanted to spend the whole time doing touristy things. In particular she’d been fascinated by the traditional Venetian masks that were on sale all over the place.

  She’d talked non-stop about new ideas for her crafting projects, and it hadn’t been hard for Lily to remain virtually unnoticed. There’d been no need for her to fend off questions about why she’d married so suddenly, or about why Vito was never around. Despite the fact that it was her life that had suddenly changed so dramatically—and she was the one her mother had come to visit—she’d started to feel like the invisible woman.