Italian Marriage: In Name Only (12 page)

She shrugged—what else could she do? ‘Thank you.’

For a moment as she looked at him across the table she didn’t want the afternoon to end; she wanted it to go on and on…

A woman stopping by the table interrupted them and they both looked up.

‘Elizabetta!’ Antonio got easily to his feet and kissed the attractive brunette on both cheeks and they talked animatedly for a few moments in Italian before Antonio switched to English to introduce Victoria.

The woman smiled politely at her. ‘I don’t think we have met before,’ she said in perfect English.

She was stunning, Victoria thought, probably about thirty with long loose curls around a perfectly made-up face. She was wearing a figure-hugging black dress with a wide patent-leather belt clinching it to her small waist.

‘Victoria has just come back with me from Australia,’ Antonio answered casually. ‘We were married a few days ago.’

There was a moment’s startled silence. ‘You’ve got married!’

To say the woman looked flabbergasted was putting it mildly. She glanced back at Antonio as if half expecting him to tell her he was only joking.

‘I don’t believe it! The man who swore he would never marry!’

She was in love with him, Victoria realized suddenly. She could see it in the hurt expression of her dark eyes as she looked up at him.

‘It was a whirlwind decision,’ Antonio said with a shrug.

The woman nodded and seemed to pull herself together. ‘Well, congratulations.’ She looked over at Victoria again. ‘I hope you will both be very happy.’

‘Thank you.’ Victoria smiled uncomfortably.

‘I better go, or I shall be late back to work.’ Elizabetta looked at Antonio again.

‘It was nice to see you,’ she said softly. ‘I can’t believe you are married! One of the world’s most eligible bachelors bites the dust—finally.’

He laughed at that.

As she walked away from them, Victoria looked across at Antonio. ‘She seems lovely.’

‘Yes. She works for an advertising agency that I use from time to time.’

‘And she’s obviously an ex-girlfriend?’

Antonio looked at her wryly and she found herself heating up. ‘Not that it is any of my business,’ she murmured uncomfortably.

‘We went out a few times over a year ago. But it was never serious,’ he said with a shrug.

She wanted to say,
It was never serious on
your
part.
But she didn’t dare voice the words. It was none of her concern how many women’s hearts he had broken, she told herself sternly, just as long as she was never one of them.

The limousine drew up at the curb and Antonio picked up her shopping bags and walked with her to the car to hand them over to the driver.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow evening in Venice,’ he told her.

‘You’re not coming home tonight?’

He shook his head. ‘No, I’ll be working late so I may as well stay at my apartment here in town.’

‘Yes, of course.’ She nodded and tried to look as if she didn’t care. She had no right to care, and more than that, she didn’t want to care, she reminded herself angrily. But as she looked up at him she felt an almost unbearable twist of emotion curling inside of her.

‘So…I’m…to meet you in Venice?’ she clarified huskily.

‘Yes, it’s a bit of a trek, so I’ll send the helicopter for you. That’s if it doesn’t offend your independent sensibilities?’

‘If it did you wouldn’t pay any attention,’ she countered, and he smiled.

‘I might,’ he said softly. ‘Anyway, we’ll stay overnight at the Cavelli hotel on the Grand Canal.’

‘Overnight!’ Victoria frowned. ‘I can’t possibly leave Nathan overnight!’

‘Relax—I’m not suggesting you leave him. Sarah will come with you and babysit. She’ll enjoy an evening at the Cavelli.’

‘But—’

‘I have to go, Victoria,’ he cut across her firmly and nodded at the driver to open the rear passenger door for her. ‘So I’ll see you in Venice.’

T
HE
helicopter arrived a little after four-thirty in the afternoon. And as it smoothly lowered down onto the lawn at the front of the house, the noise from the blades echoed off the surrounding mountains in a cacophony of sound.

‘Look, Nathan, a helicopter.’ Victoria stood at the windows in her bedroom and lifted her son up so that he could look out. ‘Aren’t you a lucky boy going for a ride in one of those?’

She had to smile at the child’s wide-eyed enthusiasm. Nothing really fazed Nathan. She wished she could say the same about herself.

Part of her was so excited about this trip—she’d always wanted to go to Venice, and the thought of attending a ball with Antonio was a little dreamlike. But then she remembered her circumstances and she didn’t dare allow herself to be excited. The way she’d felt when Antonio had made it clear to her that he wouldn’t be returning home last night was still playing on her mind. That sharp unexplainable little ache had stayed with her on the journey back to his house and had continued to torment her ever since. And it terrified her.

Irritated with herself she put her son down and went to fasten up the straps on the overnight bag that Sarah had found for her to use. She wasn’t going to dwell on her response to Antonio, because it didn’t mean anything…just as their kiss had meant
nothing, she told herself sternly. OK, she’d enjoyed a relaxing lunch with a handsome man…and maybe Antonio had made her aware of herself as a woman for the first time in years, made her realize that deep down she was a little bit lonely.

But that was all there was to it.

There was a knock on the door and Sarah put her head around to tell her it was time to go.

‘OK, won’t be a moment.’ She smiled at the housekeeper. She didn’t know why she had ever thought the woman was a dragon, because she had been so very wrong!

Sarah had helped her a lot today. Had offered to take care of Nathan whilst she’d had her hair done, and then had assisted her with her packing. It was on her advice that Victoria was going to change into her evening dress once they got to the hotel. Apparently there would be plenty of time, and it would mean she could meet Antonio feeling refreshed and relaxed.

Victoria wasn’t sure about that last bit; her nerves jangled a bit every time she thought about seeing Antonio tonight. But she had taken Sarah’s advice and was travelling in a casual little skirt and top that she’d purchased on impulse yesterday.

She lifted Nathan up and hugged him. ‘OK, honey…we are off on our adventure,’ she said softly.

Victoria would never forget that magical journey to Venice. She was treated first to a bird’s-eye view of the magnificent Lake Garda in all its spectacular glory; the dramatic mountain scenery and little villages were awe inspiring. The ferries cutting across the vivid blue of the water looked like toy ships in a make-believe land. Then away over the mountains and the vineyards they swept out towards the sea, approaching Venice as the sun started to set and light the sky with vivid apricot flames.

The surreal colour reflected off the water by the Rialto where gondolas plied their trades, and then dazzled over the golden rooftops and spires of the city.

Sarah pointed out the Cavelli hotel, which was built in the Renaissance style overlooking the Grand Canal. The domes at either side and the grand columns and archways gave it a regal air of sophistication. They swept around and over the large rooftop terrace to the helipad at one side. And Nathan clapped in delight as they came slowly down to land.

Victoria caught Sarah’s eye and they both smiled. ‘He’ll sleep tonight after all this excitement,’ Sarah said with a laugh.

The blades whirled to a halt and a member of staff walked across the terrace to open the doors and welcome them.

Victoria felt like a VIP as she stepped out into the evening air. Attentive staff rushed to take their luggage and the manager of the hotel was waiting to personally greet her and to congratulate her most sincerely on her marriage.

‘We have prepared the main suite for you, Signora Cavelli, just as your husband instructed,’ he said, turning to lead the way across the terrace by an Olympic-size swimming pool and through some French doors into a spectacular drawing room. There was a terrace at the far side that overlooked the Grand Canal. And then doors that led down to what looked like a self-contained apartment at one side. Sarah’s luggage and Nathan’s bag were swept through to that side whilst Victoria’s luggage was taken in the opposite direction.

She glanced through the door and saw a magnificent master bedroom with a massive four-poster bed. Its crisp white covers strewn with rose petals.

‘We have left you and Signor Cavelli some champagne.’ The manager indicated the magnum of champagne that sat in a silver ice bucket next to the bed, and there was a huge bouquet of flowers on the dressing table. ‘With our best wishes, to you both.’

‘Thank you…that’s very kind.’ Victoria could feel herself getting rather hot and uncomfortable as she noticed that some of Antonio’s belongings were already in the room. By the looks of things he stayed here quite a lot. One of his suits was
hanging over the trouser press. And there were some male toiletries on a glass shelf. The hotel staff were obviously under the illusion that they were going to be sharing and using the room as a honeymoon suite.

She wanted to put them right at once, wanted to say,
You’ve made a mistake
and
Where am I to sleep?
But she didn’t dare. Not when they had gone to all this trouble. It would probably be best to allow Antonio to sort out the misunderstanding later, she reassured herself. ‘So has…my…husband arrived yet?’

It felt really strange referring to Antonio as her husband—she couldn’t quite get used to it.

‘No, signora, unfortunately he has been delayed, but he has left a message to say he will see you downstairs in the grand reception area of the foyer at eight o’clock.’

‘Very well, thank you.’

The man bowed his head. ‘If there is anything else you want, please do not hesitate to just lift the telephone.’

As the staff retreated, and Sarah busied herself bathing and changing Nathan into his pyjamas, Victoria hung her dress up on the outside of the wardrobe door and looked at it.

To a casual onlooker it would have seemed that everything was calmly under control, but inside Victoria was feeling anything but calm; she was feeling more and more apprehensive.

Her eyes flicked over the dress. In a moment of madness she had chosen to buy the halter-neck maxi dress. The material and the design were exquisite. It was a dress that made a stylish statement, a dress to be worn by a beautiful woman with a perfect body…

What had she been thinking?

It had seemed such a good idea yesterday…but today with the thought of Antonio waiting for her downstairs it scared her rigid.

But there was no time to change her mind now, she told herself fiercely, no plan-B dress to change into. She lifted her
chin and told herself not to be foolish. So what if Antonio didn’t like it—she had loved it when she tried it on, had been quite surprised by how good she had felt.

With more positive energy she sat down at the dressing table and opened her bag to unpack her toiletries and find her contact lenses.

She’d bought the lenses a long time ago so that she could wear sunglasses but had only worn them once. She hoped she would be able to put them in.

As eight o’clock approached, Victoria stepped back and looked in the mirror. She hardly recognised herself.

Antonio was in the lobby talking to the hotel manager. He’d had a busy day and because he’d been running late he’d had to shower and change into his dark tuxedo at his apartment in Verona. He’d only just made it here on time; they had to be in the ballroom at the Hotel Carnival in about twenty minutes so that he could give his welcoming speech. Luckily it was only a short stroll away but they needed to leave immediately.

‘Did you give my wife the message about meeting me down here?’ he asked the manager as he glanced at his watch.

‘Yes, signor, and may I say again how happy we all are for you both? Signora Cavelli is a very beautiful woman.’

‘Yes…thank you.’ Distractedly Antonio looked at his watch again.

It was exactly eight; the clock in the main reception area was chiming the hour, its silvery notes resonating down the grand marble halls.

Antonio turned and looked towards the staircase that led to the lifts. There was a beautiful woman walking down. He watched her with extreme interest. She was absolutely breathtaking. Tall and elegant, she was wearing a shimmering halter-neck dress that showed off her incredible figure to perfection. Her dark hair fell in a gleaming silken ripple of waves to one side of her lovely face. Her wide green eyes were framed with
sweeping dark lashes, and she had a perfect mouth…a mouth that was made for kissing.

She smiled at him and he couldn’t help but smile back, then he looked away. It was only as he looked away that he realized that there was something memorable about that smile…and the way she held herself. He looked back towards her with a feeling of incredulity. It was Victoria….
It was his wife!

In stunned amazement he watched the rest of her progress down the curving stairway, allowing himself to look at her with open curiosity now.

It took all of her courage to maintain her poise. When Antonio had first turned and looked at her, the boldness of his gaze had taken her breath. A man had never looked at her like that before, let alone a man who was so attractive. She could see the stunned recognition in his eyes now, and she could feel the shy burning feeling of pleasure inside of her intensifying a millionfold.

As she reached the last step, he walked across to meet her, his gaze moving with open unwavering approval down over the curves of her body.

‘Victoria, you look amazing,’ he murmured.

As her eyes locked with his she could see desire…and it scared her, but it also excited her.

‘I wondered what lay beneath all those prim and proper outfits…’ he murmured, and once more his attention wandered down over the delicious line of her neck and shoulders to linger on the firm uptilt of her full breasts. ‘And…wow…’

Had she rendered the powerful and articulate Antonio Cavelli speechless? The knowledge gave her a swirling heady feeling of satisfaction and confidence, mixed with a deeply disturbing thrust of something else, some long-forgotten answering need that was invading her senses with increasing intensity.

With difficulty she tried to dismiss the feeling and smile with cool dignity. ‘I’m glad you approve.’

Her answer and the way she looked at him just seemed to
feed the flame of interest inside of him all the more. He wanted her—wanted to unwrap her very, very slowly and kiss every last piece of her before he possessed her totally.

The sudden thought shocked him! That was out of the question, he reminded himself angrily. They had a business agreement and feelings like that were just going to complicate things far too much!

‘We should go,’ he said impatiently. ‘The hotel is only a few minutes away. So I thought we’d walk if that’s OK?’

‘Yes, that’s fine. I’d like some fresh air.’

He held out his arm for her and as they walked from the hotel together Antonio noticed the admiring glances thrown in their direction. In particular he noticed the way men looked at Victoria, their eyes hot with approval. She seemed totally oblivious of the fact and for some reason that made him want to hold her closer and more protectively to him….

He frowned at the thought. What on earth was wrong with him! He wasn’t the possessive type—never had been,
never would be
—and certainly not over Victoria! When the time came and he had his shares in the company he would say goodbye to her….

Outside, the streets were dark, lit by the glitter of lanterns that sparkled down over the silky waters of the Rialto.

Antonio liked Venice by night, liked the sleepy pace after the hoards of day trippers had left; it was almost as if the city had slipped quietly back into a bygone era of less frenetic pace. And walking through the streets with Victoria at his side, he saw the place afresh through her eyes. She was so enthusiastic about everything that it was impossible not to get swept up in her excitement and enjoy the evening all the more.

Pigeons scattered as their footsteps echoed through one of the squares. Then they turned and walked over one of the small bridges. They could hear the distant sound of opera music coming from an open window above their heads.

‘Puccini,’ Victoria exclaimed with pleasure. ‘That piece is
so lovely…and it just seems to fit here, as if it belongs with the bridges and the squares and cathedrals.’

He smiled at that and thought that the sparkle of enjoyment in her eyes was even lovelier.

Instinctively he put a hand around her waist to steady her as they walked over some cobbles.

‘You’ll have to be careful around here in such high heeled shoes.’

‘Thanks!’ She tried to sound nonchalant but his hand on her waist was having the strangest effect on her.

The delicate silk of her dress was so thin that it was almost as if he was touching her bare skin.

He pulled her a little closer. ‘You know you blew me away when I watched you walk down that staircase tonight,’ he told her softly.

‘You thought I had no sense of style and that I’d look a complete frump tonight, I take it.’ She tried to sound flippant.

‘I don’t know what I thought.’ He stopped walking and looked down at her. ‘I knew you could look good, and I’ve thought from the moment I met you that you could make more of yourself…Well, I told you what I thought…’

‘Yes and I don’t want to hear it again, thank you!’ she said angrily.

He smiled at that. ‘That’s what I like about you, Victoria, that feisty manner. You have a lot of spirit hidden beneath that…rather delectable body…’ His gaze flicked down over her and suddenly she could feel the atmosphere between them changing to the consistency of liquid heat.

She was forbidden fruit, Antonio reminded himself…but he couldn’t help remembering how good it had felt to kiss her.