The Count's Christmas Baby

by Rebecca Winters

  And if he didn’t marry her?

  It still wouldn’t be right. In everyone’s eyes Sami would be a kept woman. But in Reno, she’d be the head of her own home. He’d be a father who came on visitation, like other divorced fathers. They wouldn’t be sleeping together. She’d made her mind up about that, too. Sami hadn’t lived her life this long to end up being a man’s lover and nothing else, even if that man was the most wonderful man on earth.

  She had no illusions where he was concerned. He’d told her he thought he’d loved every woman with whom he’d ever had an intimate relationship, but he’d never wanted to marry any of them. Whatever reason had caused him to propose to Eliana had its underpinnings based on other things he hadn’t chosen to reveal.

  Sami believed Eliana would break down and agree to anything to be married to Ric. She just needed more convincing, and was waiting for Ric to come to her. Well, her plan had succeeded because he was cutting this vacation short to be with her again. Six o’clock would be here before they knew it.

  A loud burp resonated in the room. She grinned. “I heard that. Why don’t you put him back down in the crib so you can get some sleep before we leave?”

  “Did you hear that, figlio mio? Your mamma wants to get rid of us.”

  “I do,” she lied.

  She felt the side of the bed dip. “Then we’ll let you get your beauty sleep. In case you were wondering, you don’t need it.”

  Keep that up and I’m yours forever.

  * * *

  At nine the next morning, Ric’s jet landed in Genoa. During the flight Sami had got better acquainted with Claudia, who was a lovely person in her own right. They talked about her miscarriage and Ric’s birth. Sami felt that in other circumstances they could be close friends.

  A limousine was waiting at the airport to transport them. As Sami glanced around before getting in, she noticed the hood. The special ornament was missing!

  Like Pharoah, who’d had the name of Moses erased from every pillar and historical record, Ric had wiped his life clean of its former title. His bodyguards no longer called him Excellency. If all of this pleased him, he didn’t mention it. Naturally his thoughts were on the meeting he was about to have with Eliana which accounted for his deep preoccupation.

  “We’ll take you home first, Claudia.”

  They passed many of the city’s architectural wonders and eventually reached Claudia’s stately villa, one of the Degenoli properties. Sami could tell it was by the gold crest of the ancient seaman on the grillwork of the gate.

  Claudia embraced her brother with the promise to get together later. Then she gave Sami a hug. “I can’t wait for Marco to meet you and the baby.”

  Sami grasped her hand. “I’ll call you,” she whispered out of Ric’s hearing. His sister pressed Sami’s fingers, as if to say message received. She was a quick study and understood it wasn’t an idle remark. After another kiss to little Ric’s cheeks, Claudia got out of the limo and ran inside the villa.

  Ric told the driver to head to the palazzo. He must have asked him to take the scenic route. They drove slowly through an area Ric pointed out the market of Saint Porphyrius. Local craftsmen displayed their Christmas products along the streets, and squares of the old town were dotted with huge nativity scenes.

  Sami loved him desperately for always putting her pleasure and comfort first. She was no longer the same person who’d arrived in Italy fearing a bad reaction from Ric’s father, even if she were able to find him. Since discovering Ric was alive, she’d come alive. Ric had become her life.

  The limousine rounded a corner and climbed toward a beautiful medium-sized palace on the hill. “How beautiful!” she exclaimed to him. “What’s its history?”

  “Genovans call it the Palazzo Vermiglio. It was built in the seventeenth century. In English it means vermillion, so named because of its orangish-red exterior.”

  “I noticed the unique color right off. The interior must be incredible, too.”

  “Would you like to see it?”

  “Not today, Ric. Remembering your reason for returning to Genoa, don’t you know the last thing on my mind is sightseeing?”

  “I’ll make this the one exception.” His playful tone threw her. He could be a tease. She’d seen evidence of it before, but this time she wasn’t amused.

  “Ric—I’m serious.”

  “So am I.”

  The limousine passed through a gate and wound around to the side. When it stopped, several of Ric’s bodyguards opened the doors. He got out to help her with the baby.

  “We’ll go to your room first,” he said in an aside before he spoke Italian with the others.

  Your room?

  Sami moaned. She had to be all kinds of a fool not to have realized this was his home. But the grandeur of it astounded her. How many men born in such circumstances would consider doing away with their title? Seeing where he lived gave her new insight into Eliana’s pain.

  She looked down at the baby asleep in his carrycot. When she’d told Ric their little boy reminded him of a prince in a fairy tale, she hadn’t realized she was only speaking the truth.

  “If you’ve caught up with your thoughts, we’ll go in.” His low voice curled beneath her skin to resonate through her nervous system.

  The men took their things so he could cup her elbow. Bemused, she walked through the doors of the side entrance with him. He introduced her to an older-looking staff member named Mario who spoke in rapid Italian to Ric calling him Excellency. Uh-oh.

  Ric guided her to an ornate staircase, not giving her a chance to ask questions. They started up the white marble steps to the next floor lined with paintings and tapestries. Halfway down the hall Mario opened the double doors to a sumptuous suite.

  “This is your room, Sami,” Ric explained, “and next door is the nursery.”

  She was so staggered by the opulence, she forgot to walk, and then had to hurry to catch up with him as he strode to another set of open doors. A female staff member he introduced as Sofia was waiting for them.

  A cry escaped her throat when she saw the lavish nursery. Her eyes went to the exquisite crib that must have been in their family for years. “This just couldn’t be real!”

  One of the only grins she’d seen come from him unexpectedly appeared, making her heart leap. “I assure you it’s as real as we are. It was made for the firstborn son of the fifth Count Degenoli. Shall we see how our son likes his new room?”

  Before she could respond, a disturbance on the other side of the door had her turning around to see a man who was questioning Sofia in Italian. Sami might not understand the language, but she knew an interrogation when she heard one.

  “Vito?” Ric called out. “Speak English, per favore, and come in.”

  Another drop-dead-handsome Italian with black hair entered the room. He was the same height as Ric with certain Degenoli traits that were unmistakable. Sami winced when she noticed a scar on the side of his neck. It came up a little above his jawline, no doubt a burn injury from his military experience.

  “Vito? I’d like you to meet Sami, born Christine Argyle from Reno, Nevada. Sami, as you know, Vito’s my only brother. He and Donata live in the other wing of the palace.”

  His brother nodded to her, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

  “Sami’s the mother of my son, Ric, who so far hasn’t awakened since we got off the plane.”

  She could tell the other man was in shock. He stared at the baby, then at Ric. “So it’s true what Claudia told me on the phone last night?”

  “Every last word.” Ric kissed his son’s little cheeks again, then picked him up from the cot and put him on his shoulder. “Come take a good look at him and there’ll be no doubt.”

  Vito walked over to inspect the baby. Pretty soon a smile lit up his dark brown eyes. “With that shape of his hairline, he’s yours all right. Donata will have a heart attack when she sees him. She’s not feeling well this morning, but she’ll be up later.”
/>   “Would you like to hold him?” Sami asked.

  “It’s permitted?” He could be a tease like Ric.

  “With my blessing. You and Claudia’s husband are his only Italian uncles. His American uncle is married to my only sibling, Pat.”

  He stared at her a moment longer, digesting her words. Then he took the baby and put him against his shoulder the way Ric had done. “What’s his name?”

  “Ric Argyle Degenoli.”

  Vito shook his head. “Who would have thought? Monsignor Tibaldi would say when God took one away in the avalanche, he provided another.”

  “I believe he would say that.” Ric responded to the dark humor before his gaze slid to Sami’s. “I have to say we were the most surprised parents on the planet.”

  His brother’s features sobered. “There’s only one person more surprised.”

  “You’re talking about Eliana, of course.”

  “Who else but your fiancée?”

  “I’m going over there at noon to talk to her.”

  His brother handed the baby back to Sami before he looked at Ric. “Answer me one more question. Is it true you got rid of the title?”

  “Yes. We’re all on the same playing field now. No more firstborns. After centuries, the Degenoli line is free of its nemesis.” Sami heard the fierceness in his voice.

  Vito must have heard it, too. He looked stunned. “When did you start proceedings?”

  “Soon after Father’s funeral, but I had to go through a lot of red tape to make it official.”

  A nerve throbbed at Vito’s temple. “Does Eliana know about it?”

  “Yes.”

  He whistled. “Mamma always said you played with fire.”

  Sami’s eyes went to the scar at the side of Vito’s neck. Both men had them, though Ric’s had been hidden.

  “She played with it herself by marrying Papa, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Silence filled the nursery while the two men communicated in silence. Whatever was going on between them was private. Sami and Pat had shared similar moments throughout their lives. Neither of them had to say a word to get what the other was thinking.

  There was still a whole part of Ric she knew nothing about. Though it was none of her business, she wanted to know all his secrets and felt deprived.

  Vito broke the silence. “I’ll be seeing you later, Signorina Argyle.” He touched the baby’s cheek with the back of his hand before leaving the room.She went over to the crib and laid Ric down. His lids had closed again. “He looks so cute in there. I do believe he’s even made your brother baby-hungry.”

  “For several reasons, the Degenoli family will never be the same again.”

  Sami heaved a sigh, dreading what was coming. “Are you going to leave now?”

  “Not until you’re properly settled.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “I’ve never known a woman so easy to please. In case you do need anything later, just use the house phone and press zero. One of the staff will help you.”

  “Thank you. Now please stop worrying about me. You go on and meet with your fiancée. I have a feeling it will mean everything that you decided to surprise her,” Sami’s voice shook.

  “Not until you and I have another talk first.”

  She frowned. “Another talk?”

  “I saw your face before Vito left. It’s time you knew certain facts about my life I hadn’t chosen to reveal yet, but the event facing me today has dictated the moment.” She had a sudden foreboding she wasn’t going to like it. “Let’s go in your room so we won’t disturb the baby. What I have to tell you will take a while.”

  Alarmed by his words, she walked out of the nursery first. Ric followed, but he left the door ajar so they could hear the baby if he cried. Whatever he had to say had made her nervous and she sought refuge in the first available upholstered chair.

  He remained standing while he leveled his gaze on her. “Eliana’s father is from Milan and one of the wealthiest industrialists in our country. He married a Genovan princess, which makes Eliana one, too. For years I’ve known of her and many other eligible prospects my parents had in mind for me one day. When I turned twenty-one I told them I wasn’t the marrying type so they could stop hoping for something that wasn’t going to happen.

  “They despaired of me, but didn’t take me seriously. Before my mother died, she begged me to stop being foolish and marry Eliana Fortulezza who would make me a wonderful wife and a beautiful one. It surprised me she had a preference. Because she was so ill, I told her I’d think seriously about it in order to bring her peace of mind. But I had no intention of following through. After Mother’s funeral, I put it out of my mind.

  “Less than half a year after her death, Father and I traveled to Imst for the wedding of my cousin to an Austrian of nobility. I didn’t want to go because I knew Father would harp on me about my bachelor status, but he’d had a bad case of the flu and needed help, so I accompanied him. We stayed at the hotel that brought you and me together. The wedding was held in the Maria Himmelfahrt Church.”

  “I remember seeing it as I was coming in on the train. You couldn’t miss it.”

  He nodded. “Before we went back to Innsbruck for the flight home, Papa wanted to relax in town for a few more days to get back his strength. On the night before the avalanche hit, he broke down and told me he was in financial trouble. That didn’t surprise me. Years earlier Vito and I had learned through our uncle in Paphos that our father was an inveterate gambler.”

  Sami moaned. “That must have come as a terrible shock.”

  “At the time, you could have no idea. Considering how much money our father had the ability to lay his hands on, it raised terror in our hearts. The family wealth earned over hundreds of years could be like a gift that kept on giving. But squandered long enough if no one stopped him, one day it would come to an end and be the downfall of the family.

  “Vito and I confronted him. He laughed and told us to mind our own business. He told me I had no right to question him because I didn’t hold the title yet. In the same breath he told Vito he would never have the right to question what he did because he wasn’t the firstborn. I’m convinced that rebuke was the reason my brother signed up for the military.

  “He was fed up with Father. Already disillusioned by Father’s womanizing, Vito didn’t want any part of watching our father gamble away his legacy. Unfortunately Donata thought he’d lost interest in her. Vito was so ashamed of our revered father, who had to be the laughingstock of Genoa, he couldn’t talk to her about it. The silence on his end did serious damage to their marriage, yet Donata has held on. Vito’s luckier than he knows.”

  “I’m so sorry, Ric.”

  He threw his head back. “This gets worse. When I asked Father just how deep his problems were, he told me Eliana’s father had covered some big debts for him. The mere mention of her father hit me like a bomb blast because it meant he’d needed help from someone like her father who had the kind of money necessary.

  “Father had been living in denial for years and now his problems were horrific. He didn’t need to spell it out. The implication was painfully clear. If I married Eliana, those debts would be forgotten.”

  Sami shot to her feet. “But that’s monstrous!”

  “Perhaps now you understand my aversion to the title and all it represented. Evidently my mother had known about my father’s gambling problem. It suddenly made sense why on her deathbed she’d pushed me in Eliana’s direction as hard as she could. She was always loyal to my father, so she wouldn’t have come right out to tell me the truth.”

  “Oh, Ric...”

  “I was sickened by his confession, disgusted. Wounded. And still he wouldn’t discuss amounts of money with me. He was too cowardly. For him to force me to marry Eliana meant the stakes were astronomical. Nothing less than her father obtaining the title and possession of the existing Degenoli family assets through his daughter Eliana would satisfy the debt.

  �
�Father must have seen the distaste in my eyes because he actually broke down and cried like a baby. I’d never seen him do that before and I realized he was a broken man cursed by two vices that got a stranglehold on him early in life. When he begged me to marry Eliana to save him, I had to get out of the room.”

  Sami put a hand to her mouth, too horrified to speak.

  “As I opened the door to go downstairs, he screamed at me to make that promise to him. He was on his hands and knees and looked so frail he could have been a hundred years old. I finally told him that in time there would be a marriage in the future, but I would do it for the family’s sake, not his. That was the last time I ever saw him alive.”

  What he’d told her was too awful. She loved him so much and felt so helpless in the face of what she knew. “Does Eliana know all this?”

  “No. Her father never worries about stooping to criminal behavior to get his own way. He rules her life in what I consider a criminal way and has shielded her because he’s been so sure of the final outcome. For a truly greedy man, money isn’t enough. He wanted the title to legitimize him once and for all. I’m the target he’s been after all this time, which is why he enabled Father to get in deeper and deeper till he had him completely sewn up with no squirming room.”

  Sami couldn’t stop her shivering. “What will he do when he finds out the title’s gone?”

  “I have a good idea. Rest assured I’m ready for him.”

  Ric’s life was in danger. Sami could feel it.

  “But what about Eliana?” she cried.

  He sucked in his breath. “Sadly she’s a victim of the same system as her father, whose god is money. She’s ruled by him. Since June I’ve done my best to be good to her in order to save my own sanity and make our forthcoming marriage work. But my father’s unexpected death put certain dynamics into motion that forced me to act sooner on my promise to him. In the process I hadn’t counted on seeing you again in this life.”

  Another tremor passed through her body. If anything happened to Ric...

  “Our emotional connection created a complication that’s had a ripple effect. Instead of immediately getting to know Eliana with the goal of marrying her, I spent time looking for you first. Even though Father had died, I knew at one point I had to honor my commitment. But there’s another truth to all this. If it weren’t for the promise I made to him, I’d still be looking for you.”