Di Marcello's Secret Son (Di Marcello?s Secret Son) Page 14

  ‘You miss him, I can tell.’ Monika’s intuition was uncanny. Was she so easy to read? If so, did that mean they all knew that not only was her marriage a total sham, but that last night she’d succumbed to Antonio’s seduction?

  ‘I do, yes,’ she admitted as she took her place at the breakfast table just as Calli entered, looking so stunningly beautiful Sadie wondered how on earth they’d ever have anything in common. She was sure a woman as glamorous as Calli wouldn’t want to talk about children, unlike Monika. Despite these misgivings, she greeted her warmly, keeping up the pretence of a happy newlywed bride.

  They were soon joined by Cecily, her stunning blonde hair gleaming in the morning sunshine which streamed in through the tall windows. Her smile was bright and her eyes alive with the spark of love, which was to be expected of a newly engaged woman.

  Calli began talking of Stavros’s midnight swim in the pool and Sadie blushed as she recalled what she and Antonio had been doing at that precise time.

  ‘That’s the sort of thing they do.’ Monika laughed softly, giving Sadie something else to focus on. ‘They thrive on challenging each other. Of course, this most recent challenge takes the cake.’

  Sadie looked at Monika, who seemed to be suggesting that Antonio’s challenge of living a normal life for two weeks had a much deeper meaning.

  ‘This is something they do a lot?’ she asked, remembering Sebastien’s words as he’d toasted them on their wedding day.

  ‘What were the stakes in the bet?’ Cecily asked Monika.

  ‘If Sebastien won, the men would give up one of their most prized possessions. Alejandro’s private island, for instance. If Sebastien lost, he promised to donate half his fortune to charity.’

  ‘And all three men completed their challenges?’

  Monika nodded. ‘Sebastien will be making the announcement of the donation in a few weeks’ time. He plans to set up a global search and rescue team with it, something that’s close to his heart given his near-miss last year.’

  Sadie put down her morning coffee as her stomach somersaulted. She’d accused Antonio of going undercover to spy on her. Her insecurities and guilt at keeping Leo from him had made her jump to conclusions. It had just been part of a dare, a silly challenge.

  ‘Will you ride today?’ she asked a clearly blindsided Cecily, who still looked as if she was absorbing it all.

  Cecily shook her head. ‘I’m taking a break from showjumping until after the wedding. But I will go and cheer Natalia on.’

  Sadie got the impression from the wistful look on Cecily’s face as she turned to stare out of the window at the course that she’d rather be doing the opposite.

  ‘I promised Stavros’s sister I would take some photos of the grounds,’ Calli added, ‘but I imagine we’ll wind up joining the crowd watching the show. Will you go?’

  ‘Yes.’ Sadie smiled, recalling Antonio’s apparent disinterest in the tame sport of horse trials, and now she knew what sort of challenges he’d risen to in the past, it was hardly surprising. ‘We’ll be there, so maybe I will see you later.’

  * * *

  The afternoon sun was warm as Antonio walked with Sadie around the part of the extensive grounds where the showjumping was to be held. Spectators gathered at the various show rings as horses thundered past, hurtling over massive jumps to their applause, but Sadie seemed distracted. Wherever her thoughts were they weren’t here, putting on the act of newlyweds in love he’d insisted upon.

  He took her hand, realising some effort from him was also needed if he was to convince Stavros and Alejandro he’d found what Sebastien had wanted him to find—love. From what he’d seen of them with their new partners at the cocktail party last night, they certainly seemed to have achieved that. Was he the only one among them who hadn’t truly completed his challenge?

  Sadie stopped walking, forcing him to a stop. ‘What is this weekend all about, Antonio?’

  ‘Beyond enjoying a weekend away with a beautiful woman who happens to be my wife?’ he teased her, recalling the passion of last night, his gaze holding hers, daring her to look away.

  ‘The challenge thing you all do...and the latest one—to supposedly live without your wealth for two weeks?’ The accusation in her voice was clear and he knew he couldn’t keep it all from her any longer. Whatever else happened this weekend, he had to clear things up with Sadie.

  ‘That’s what it was meant to be. A chance to prove we could survive without our wealth and all the privileges that go with it.’ Antonio evaded the truth of it all once more.

  Sadie was looking up at him, her eyes as green as the leaves of the trees surrounding them, only more beautiful. As he looked into their depths something tightened deep inside him, pressing around his chest in a way he’d never known. It made him want to tell her everything, to wipe the slate clean and begin again—properly. He wanted what Sebastien himself had found. He wanted love—and he wanted it with Sadie.

  Annoyance filled him as he watched her, questions and doubt in her eyes. How could they ever wipe out their past? He’d hurt her and she’d denied him his son. Hell, despite last night’s surrender, she’d maintained a steady distance from him since returning from their honeymoon.

  ‘And,’ she demanded, quickly focusing his thoughts once more, ‘there is much more to this, isn’t there, Antonio?’

  ‘Sì. Sebastien is a self-made man. One who dragged himself from the stigma of being raised by a single mother in poverty. He made something of himself.’ As soon as he’d said the words he knew what she was thinking, knew she thought he was drawing some sort of comparison to her and Leo.

  ‘So Stavros and Alejandro inherited their fortunes, just as you did?’ She turned from him and began to wander away from the crowds and down towards a wooded area. He followed her lead, falling into step beside her.

  ‘Sebastien believed that all we had was superficial, that there was more out there than the things such inherited wealth could buy. Things like my collection of cars, Stavros’s yacht or even Alejandro’s private island.’

  Birdsong rang out around them as they entered into the shade of the trees and somewhere nearby the water of a stream babbled its accompaniment. It was all lost on Antonio. All he could do was watch Sadie. For some reason it mattered what she thought. It mattered a hell of a lot.

  ‘And do you agree with him?’ She stopped and looked around her, taking in everything but not daring to look at him.

  ‘The saying that money can’t buy happiness is true,’ he began as he stood next to her, feeling the warmth of her body so close to his yet so very far away. They might as well have stood on opposite sides of the estate. ‘No amount of money can buy that and it is happiness he wanted us all to find. The kind of happiness he and Monika have.’

  ‘Which is why you want to pretend to be in love? You don’t want to be seen as the only one who has lost, the only one who hasn’t achieved the objective, even though you can’t actually say the word love.’ She looked up at him, her face so full of unhappiness it wrenched at his heart.

  What the hell was the matter with him? Why did he keep thinking about his heart, as if they were really in love?

  ‘But what about love, Antonio? Was that not part of the challenge? To find the kind of love Sebastien and Monika so obviously have for one another? Money can’t buy that either.’

  Her questions settled between them and it seemed to Antonio that the gentle summer breeze stilled, waiting for his response. He’d never felt so out of his depth, so much of a failure.

  ‘I don’t believe in it, Sadie. I made that clear from the outset, but we do have something special. We have the kind of attraction that brings us together, no matter what.’ His past had collided with the present, hindering the future, and that sense of complete failure rushed over him again. He’d felt it last night as they’d talked while playing snooker. He’d failed. The only one of them who hadn’t found what Sebastien had intended them to find.

  ‘Then you probably have f
ailed, Antonio,’ Sadie said, backing up his thoughts, as she turned to walk on. ‘Look at Calli and Stavros over there. They are in love.’

  He looked lower down the valley and there, on a small bridge over the stream, was Stavros, passionately kissing Calli.

  Antonio scowled. ‘That proves nothing, not after last night. Not after you cried out my name as we indulged in such hot, passionate sex.’

  * * *

  Sadie blushed at the mention of what had happened between them last night. For her it had been because she couldn’t resist the man she loved. For Antonio it had obviously been very different. It had just been sex. His response to seeing Stavros and Calli confirmed that in the worst possible way.

  ‘It would be nice to paint here,’ she said casually in an attempt to change the subject from something so very painful—the fact that the man she loved could never love her, not when he was so cynical about the emotion.

  ‘Sì, sì.’ His non-committal answer told her far more than he knew, told her that she and Antonio didn’t belong together. Damn the man, he couldn’t even talk about emotions, let alone feel them. There was only one thing to do. End the marriage. She didn’t belong to his world anyway and she’d been a fool to think she and Leo could ever fit into it.

  ‘We should head back over to the show ring. Maybe Cecily and Alejandro will be there.’ She didn’t wait for his reply but began to head in the direction they’d just come from, desperate to hide her pain and stem the need to give in to tears.

  Silence stretched between them, making the tension almost unbearable, and Sadie was pleased when she spotted Alejandro and Cecily in the stands, watching the competition.

  Antonio made his way to Alejandro’s side, Sadie to Cecily’s. She couldn’t help but notice that Cecily looked even more withdrawn than she had at breakfast. Alejandro’s obvious concern for his fiancée touched a raw nerve in Sadie after the discussion she and Antonio had just had. Couldn’t Antonio see that both of his friends were in love? Did he have any idea that she loved him, that he was tearing her apart with every passing hour?

  ‘Sebastien’s niece Natalie is competing.’ Cecily turned to her and, even though she was smiling brightly, Sadie sensed an underlying tension in her. It made her question if Cecily was as happy to be a spectator as she’d made out at breakfast, but she kept her counsel as the competition ensued.

  Natalia placed second in her class to everyone’s delight. Sebastien insisted they all join him for a toast in the tent set up for refreshments.

  It was packed in the marquee, stifling and hot. Sadie and Antonio quickly made their rounds, Sadie keeping a close eye on Cecily, who looked to be quarrelling with Alejandro now, tucked away in a corner of the tent.

  She and Antonio were about to escape the heat when Sadie heard Alejandro cursing in a language she had no hope of understanding. She glanced at Cecily, who had gone white and looked completely distraught. In one swift move, Alejandro had Cecily over his shoulder in a macho display of heroism and, with a few mocking words thrown at Antonio about solving a lover’s quarrel, marched out of the marquee and off towards the house.

  ‘Is she all right?’ Sadie asked, alarmed at what had just taken place, the crowd around them now abuzz with it all.

  ‘Of course. Alejandro has it all under control,’ Antonio snapped, a glower settling over his face as he stood watching the retreating figure of his friend, Cecily still over his shoulder.

  She and Antonio followed the pair up to the house. As they reached the grand mezannine, Sadie turned to Antonio. She couldn’t do this any more, couldn’t be what he wanted, and she certainly couldn’t be around couples who were so in love, couples who made her realise she would never have that with the man she’d married.

  ‘I want to go back to London—now.’ She sounded like a petulant child, but she just couldn’t pretend any more. ‘I can’t be the wife you want, Antonio. I should never have married you.’

  ‘That is out of the question. I need to be here tonight—for Sebastien.’ Antonio’s voice was still as harsh as it had been at the show ring, when he’d witnessed what had happened between Alejandro and Cecily.

  ‘You can be here, but I won’t be.’ She looked up at him, full of challenge, daring him to deny her this.

  ‘I need you here, Sadie, and you will be.’ He focused all his attention on her now, his dark gaze threatening to melt the strength she’d just drawn on.

  ‘Why?’ she demanded as the need to escape his scrutiny tore through her. ‘So that Sebastien won’t think you’ve lost? Won’t know we didn’t marry for anything like love?’

  ‘Whatever our marriage is, you cannot deny the desire and passion between us. Use that tonight, Sadie. Whatever happens, I do not want Sebastien—or even Stavros and Alejandro—to know the true terms of our marriage. They must believe we are in love.’

  ‘No, I can’t stay.’ Her heated words shot from her lips and she glared angrily up at him.

  He took hold of her arm and moved closer to her as other overnight guests passed them, arriving at the grand house for the anniversary party. He lowered his head and claimed her lips, knocking every last bit of breath from her. She didn’t want to respond, but the love she felt for him leapt to life, making kissing him the only option.

  ‘But you put on such a convincing act of being in love, Sadie,’ he whispered against her lips. ‘Stay, just one more night, and then you can go. You can go wherever you and Leo want.’

  He was setting her free? Had he already selected his next conquest? Would he soon be photographed with a new woman on his arm, showing he’d moved on, making a very public declaration that their marriage was over, as he had done when his marriage to Eloisa had ended?

  ‘I have to go.’ She pulled away from him, desperate for the sanctuary of their suite. ‘I don’t belong to all this. I can never be like Monika.’

  He frowned angrily at her. ‘You will stay one more night.’

  ‘I can’t.’

  He caught her hand before she could move away and she looked back at him. ‘You can, Sadie, and you will.’

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ANTONIO SAT WAITING for Sadie, the bow tie of his tuxedo far too tight as he began to seriously wonder if she was ever going to come out from the bedroom. Had he pushed her too far? Was she even now packing her bags to leave, not just the party and Waldenbrook but him?

  That thought sent cold dread through him and he stood up and moved towards the windows, glaring out at the immaculate grounds. For the first time in his life he found himself in a situation he couldn’t control, one he didn’t know how to handle. He was so far out of his depth it scared the hell out of him.

  Behind him the soft click of the bedroom door drew his attention, but he remained ramrod-straight, his heart thumping in a way he’d never experienced before. He didn’t want to turn and see her standing there, case in hand, ready to leave. He wanted her too much. Not just to put on the show of love and happiness he thought Sebastien needed to see, but because he wanted her.

  ‘Antonio?’ Sadie’s soft question only added to the confusion of emotions he was feeling and slowly he turned.

  She stood before him in a long silk gown, black on one side and white on the other. The strapless bodice showcased her figure to perfection and the plunging neckline was almost as sexy as the split in the front, which showcased long, tanned and very sexy legs as she crossed the room to him.

  Relief flooded through him, but strangely it wasn’t because she was going to the party and keeping up the pretence of being in love—it was because she hadn’t walked out on him. Not yet, at least. He drew in a deep breath at the thought of life without Sadie in it and shuddered inwardly.

  ‘Don’t get any ideas,’ she said sharply as she walked past him to the door of their suite. ‘This doesn’t mean I will act the part of loving wife as you demanded, and neither does it mean I won’t be leaving here as soon as I can.’

  ‘So what does it mean?’ Quickly he focused and regained his coo
l detachment.

  ‘It means I don’t want to disappoint Monika. It means I want to see Calli and especially Cecily. I want to know she is okay.’

  ‘She is okay. I asked Alejandro when we went shooting.’

  She looked at him, then continued as if he hadn’t spoken, as if he was interrupting a carefully rehearsed speech. ‘It doesn’t mean anything other than that. Now, if you are ready, I’d like to go down to the party.’

  Antonio inhaled deeply, not sure if he liked this determined and fiery version of Sadie. Everything about her tonight was different. Her make-up, her hair, even her dress made her seem different. She looked poised and polished and so far removed from the woman Sebastien had intended him to find at the garage. There wouldn’t be a man at the party who didn’t look her way tonight.

  He put out his arm to her, wanting to defuse the tension, wanting to do something to bring back the woman who’d captured his heart. ‘Va bene, mia bella. I accept your terms.’

  As they walked down the stairs he couldn’t keep his gaze from her legs. With each step they were displayed tantalisingly before him. She was seriously distracting him and he needed his wits tonight if he was going to convince Sebastien he had successfully completed the challenge. After that, he had another challenge. To convince Sadie to stay, to give him a chance to be the man she deserved and the father Leo needed.

  Moments later they entered the marquee. Small golden lights adorned the cream fabric roof and chandeliers hung down the centre. Tables were set with the same cream fabric and he heard Sadie’s breath catch as they walked in.

  ‘This is beautiful,’ she whispered, and she looked up at him smiling, apparently forgetting the frosty mood she’d been in just moments ago. Or was this the act of a woman in love?

  ‘Sadie, you look amazing.’ Monika smiled at her and Antonio met Sebastien’s gaze briefly as he talked with other guests.

  * * *

  Sadie blushed as Monika complimented her, but nobody could outshine the tall slender figure of Monika, dressed in a pale cream silk dress. ‘And you, Monika, have the glow of a woman in love and happily celebrating her first wedding anniversary.’