Page 23 of The Italian's Marriage Bargain

‘Did Anna choose your ring?’ Black eyes were testing her now, watching her every move. ‘Of course she didn’t. You know it and so do I. Anna’s performance before was just part of the charade—the charade we all live by. But Luca is a good man, Felicity, he will never dishonour you, never cause you shame. You are his wife after all.’

Ricardo was smiling, trying to comfort her, to reassure her, but there was no comfort to be had. She felt like putting her hands up to her ears, to block out the fateful words he was uttering, to shield herself from a truth she couldn’t bear to admit.

‘You will have to learn to look the other way.’

‘There you are.’ Luca was back, only this time the sight of him did nothing to soothe her. She desperately wanted some space to think things through. ‘You look tired.’

She could see the snowflakes dusting his hair, and the cool of the night air he had brought in with him made her shiver slightly. His eyes were loaded with concern, and one tender hand brushed a stray curl from her face, capturing her chin and holding it there for all the world as if he truly cared.

‘I am.’ Her voice was high, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure he must be able to hear it. ‘Where were you?’

‘Talking to my mother.’ He shot her a quizzical look. ‘Where did you think I was?’

‘You left your drink on the balcony, darling.’ Anna joined them, her deep throbbing voice grating now, and even if she had wanted to Felicity couldn’t ignore the snowflakes on Anna’s hair, the intimate way she handed Luca his drink and worse, far worse, the compassion in Ricardo’s eyes as he flashed a wry, sympathetic smile at her.

The merry-go-round was slowing now, the colours and the lights separating. the world was coming back into sharp focus and Felicity didn’t like what she saw. ‘Take me home, Luca.’ Her voice was a mere croak, and if the floor hadn’t still been spinning under her she’d have refused the arm Luca offered her, refused the shred of support he offered and walked out of the room unaided.

‘Ricardo says that you and Anna need to be more discreet.’ They were driving up and up. The winding roads were carved into the mountainside, the precarious drop visible in the pale moonlight. But even driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road at a seemingly alarming speed didn’t faze her. Her mind was still reeling from the little gem Ricardo had so readily imparted, wondering how best to play this. Stealing a look sideways, she drank in the haughty profile that still made her catch her breath, the straight roman nose, the sculpted cheekbones accentuating his almond-shaped eyes, and wished, now more than ever, that his beauty didn’t touch her so.

‘Ricardo doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’ Shifting gear, he fiddled with the radio, obviously not remotely bothered by the conversation. But Felicity badly wanted answers.

‘He seems pretty sure. Look, Luca, I know this isn’t a conventional marriage, and I know this isn’t going to last for ever, but I will not be made a fool. I can’t bear the thought of you leaving her bed and coming to mine.’

The idle drumming of his fingers on the steering wheel only incensed her further.

‘Luca, will you damn well listen to me?’

‘When you have something relevant to say, then I will listen,’ he responded haughtily.

‘Oh, this is extremely relevant. ‘ Her hand shot to the radio, flicking off the opera. She was determined to force his attention. ‘Do you intend to carry on as before with Anna?’

‘Before what?’ he asked rudely.

‘Before we were married,’ Felicity said through gritted teeth. ‘Do you intend to have her as your mistress?’

‘Why would I need a mistress?’ His hands flew off the wheel, his outstretched palms gesticulating wildly in the air, and Felicity’s hands gripped tighter on the seat as she debated the wisdom of confronting him as the car hugged the mountainside. ‘As long as I’m with you there is no need.’

‘Is that a threat?’

A long hiss of breath was the only answer forthcoming.

‘Do you mean that as long as I keep coming up with the goods you’ll stay away from Anna? That the second I don’t toe the line and fall into your arms you’ll find solace in Anna’s?’

‘You are twisting my words.’

‘Oh, I don’t think so, Luca. You told me you were talking to your mother.’ She could hear a needy note creeping into her voice and fought quickly to check it. ‘Instead you were out on the balcony in the freezing snow doing heaven knows what with Anna.’

He didn’t answer, just carried on driving, his face set in a grim line.

‘I will not be made a fool of, Luca. If something is going on between you two then I want to hear it from you. Anna said—’

“‘Anna said!’” He spat the words out “‘Ricardo said!’” The car swerved momentarily but he quickly controlled it, the lapse in concentration doing nothing to improve his temper. ‘I am your husband, for God’s sake,’ Luca shouted. ‘Doesn’t whatIsay surely count for more? Why do you listen to them? Why do you believe them and not me?’

‘Because…’ She tore her eyes away. The sheer drop outside her window was preferable to the torture of looking at him, seeing his charitable smile if she dared tell him the truth. That this was not nor had it ever been a mere solution. That this marriage wasn’t one of convenience, in fact it was a terrible inconvenience. It had turned her world upside down. She’d follow him to the other side of the earth just to be near him. All that sustained her was the blissful thought of being made love to by him, held by him, cherished by him.

The car was crunching along gravel now, then screeching to a halt outside a massive stone building. Lights flicked on as Luca pulled on the handbrake, his ragged breaths growing more angry now.

‘My father smokes; my mother does not like him to do it indoors.’ His voice had a patronising ring to it, as if she were suffering from some sort of delusional paranoia that he refused to go along with. ‘That is why we were outside; there is nothing more sinister to it than that. And,’ he added nastily, ‘if you’d bothered to come out and join your husband, instead of sulking inside and hanging onto Ricardo’s every word, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion.’

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