Page 22 of Unveiled As The Italian's Bride
‘Because...’ He began to head up the stairs, as light on his feet as a panther, even though he was well over six feet. Kate followed alongside him, guiltily thrilled to be allowed into his thoughts and straining so that she could hang onto his every quietly murmured word. ‘My own parents were very different. Austere, traditional, sights firmly fixed on the bigger picture...’
‘Perhaps that allowed Antonio more wiggle room to take a different path,’ Kate said, standing back as he nudged open Angelina’s door with his shoulder and carried her to her bed. It was a frothy four-poster extravaganza, very much in keeping with the ornate, beautiful room, big enough so that she had her own separate play area and another room for doing her homework and relaxing.
‘You’re probably right. He certainly never had time for convention and so, between us, our bond was very strong. He was expected to pick up the baton within the family empire once he left university, as my father dutifully had, but as soon as that degree was in his grasp he decided that the family interests weren’t sufficiently stimulating. He once confided that sitting behind a desk was no comparison to checking out what was happening in the Amazon. I think he reckoned the bookkeeping could wait—until, of course, it couldn’t wait any longer.’ He chuckled softly, not looking at her.
Kate watched him as he gazed down at Angelina, his expression open and revealing, the simple love of a father for his daughter, quietly murmuring confidences that were hardly confidences really, but which still felt like secrets shared. No wonder that she had been picked out for this strange assignment, she thought. Not only was it about relieving his adored uncle of his anxiety, but she fitted the bill when it came to Angelina. She was probably theonlyone who fitted the bill. He trusted her. He trusted her to look for no more than what was on the table and he trusted her when it came to his daughter.
She made the perfect fake wife.
They exited the room quietly and returned downstairs, although at the back of her mind Kate wondered whether he actually expected her to follow him. Maybe he would veer off in the direction of one of the many rooms to work, but he didn’t. Instead he turned to her to tell her that there would be food in the kitchen, stuff prepared for Antonio, and that they should eat and he would explain about the function he had earlier mentioned.
‘Didn’t your father feel as though he’d been left in the lurch?’ she asked, picking up the conversation they had started.
Dante shrugged and looked at her and she reddened as she stared back at him, their eyes tangling, neither breaking eye contact.
‘I’m being nosy,’ she eventually muttered. ‘Of course your family history is none of my business.’
‘Some might say that it very much is now that we’re travelling down a different road. At any rate, it’s no secret that there was some animosity between the two brothers and, yes, my guess would be as you say.
‘There’s chicken and pasta...but no one to do the honours.’
‘You’re very spoiled.’ Kate smiled and took over. ‘Do you know where anything is kept in this kitchen?’
‘I’m familiar with the location of the wine.’ He grinned back at her, and the room swam for a couple of seconds, but then she busied herself with the food that had been earlier prepared.
But she was so aware of him, alert to his presence in ways she never had been before, and keenly aware of that moment just then when they had stared at one another while an electric charge had built with agonising potency between them. Had he felt the same? she wondered.
‘My theory is that Antonio, having had to take over running the family business after my parents died, is making up for everything he thinks he may have failed to do by wanting everything in place.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Of course, what I say here does not leave this room...’ He waited until she nodded and knew, with irrefutable certainty, that she was utterly trustworthy.
‘Antonio wants me married for many reasons. The first is that he believes I need the stability of a woman because of Angelina and because, in some way, he’s always been like a father to me, despite or perhaps because of his globetrotting ways. He always knew what he felt I lacked, which was the simple business of having fun, and he considered himself essential in bringing that to my life.’
Dante smiled. ‘In whatever devious ways and means possible. But beyond that, this house of D’Agostino, which I’ll now inherit, running along with my ex-wife’s concerns, is a deeply traditional family affair. My uncle wants to ensure an easy transition now that he foolishly considers himself on the way out, and part of that, he feels, would be maintained with a wife by my side. He thinks he’s sparing me the daily discomfort of all those traditionalists clucking their tongues in despair at my daughter’s plight. To do him credit, they’ve probably been whispering for months, if not years.’
‘But not to you...’
‘No one would dare. I’m excellent when it comes to putting down my boundaries and no one has ever challenged them.’
‘And what when the wife bails ship in two years’ time?’
‘Then, at that juncture, all and sundry will have realised that I am my own man and will not question decisions I choose to make. To be frank, if it weren’t for my uncle’s concerns and my desire to abate them, I wouldn’t be considering this option right now.’
‘Because you don’t care what people think?’
‘That and the fact that I’m not on the market for a wife—as I’ve mentioned. You’ll be my partner, Kate, but you’ll never really be my wife.’
It was a casual remark but it still made Kate shiver at the thought of a personality so untouchable, so controlled. She needed to forget about those glimpses of someone else which had given her pause for thought, had offered her an insight into the man beneath the billionaire nobleman, and remember how cold he was.
‘Thank you for sharing that with me,’ she said quietly. ‘This food smells delicious, doesn’t it?’
‘It does. Antonio’s chef is excellent. And as an aside...’ he raised his eyebrows with amusement ‘...I do happen to know my way around a kitchen beyond the location of the wine cellar.’
‘Oh, really?’ Kate warmed to the dark eyes resting on her and flashed him a similarly amused smile, relieved that the ground was no longer shifting underneath her feet. ‘I’ll try to ignore all the staff you have at your house in Milan who are there to cater to your every whim.’
‘Now you’re just making me sound like a spoiled brat.’ But he burst out laughing and, when it settled on her, his gaze held hers for a fraction longer than necessary. ‘I did go to university in your country.’ He sat forward to help himself to some of the food Kate had laid out for him.
