Secret Heirs And A Forever Family

She nodded, her lips pursed, and Rafael waited. ‘What about me?’ she finally asked. ‘What would my life look like in Sicily, Rafael?’

He hesitated, wanting to say the right thing—but what was it? ‘You will need for nothing,’ he said with a shrug. ‘Clothes, jewels, whatever you like. They’re yours.’ Her mouth twisted and he realised he’d said the wrong thing. Allegra had not been particularly impressed or even interested in clothes or jewels, as far as he could see. So what did she want?

The women he’d dallied with in the past had been only interested in material possessions, a diamond bangle, a funded shopping spree in a designer boutique, but he knew Allegra was different. ‘And of course you can make the house your own. Decorate it as you wish. Garden…’ What else might she want to do? ‘Music,’ Rafael said at last. ‘You can have your own music room. Play as much as you want. Host concerts, even.’ He was practically babbling, and was irritated with himself for being so pathetically eager. She regarded him quietly, saying nothing, offering no encouragement.

‘Why don’t you tell me what you want?’ Rafael bit out. ‘Instead of looking disappointed because I can’t read your mind?’

She flinched at his tone and he silently cursed himself. What did she want from him? He could give her everything. Everything but love. Rafael stiffened, appalled at the thought. Was that what Allegra was holding out for? Some ridiculous, romantic fairy-tale? Surely not.

‘I don’t know what I want, Rafael,’ Allegra said quietly. ‘This is all so unexpected. I haven’t had time to process any of it properly. I’m still reeling from the news about the amnio results.’ She let out a weary sigh. ‘I know you don’t want to, but please give me a little time to catch up.’

‘Fine.’ He bit the word out, still tense. ‘But I do need to return to Palermo as soon as possible.’

‘Then maybe you should return and I’ll come later,’ Allegra countered. ‘Why must we rush things? We could at least get to know one another first…’

‘With me in Palermo and you here? No.’ Rafael shook his head, resolute. She would just find an excuse to stay in New York. The thought, stupidly, hurt. ‘I want you where I can see you, Allegra. Where I can protect you and take care of you and our son.’ His voice thickened, much to his shame. ‘That is important to me.’

Her expression softened as her silvery gaze swept over him. ‘You have far more of a protective streak than I ever realised.’

‘I do. I don’t want to let you or our child down.’

‘And you’re afraid you will?’

‘No.’ He rose from his desk, determined to end this conversation. It had all got stupidly emotional, and he hated that. He didn’t do emotion. It was for the weak. He’d learned that to his eternal cost with his father, when he’d goaded him with his childish complaints. When he hadn’t been able to stop what had happened next. Enough. There was nothing to be gained by thinking of that now. ‘I will never let that happen, Allegra. At least in that, you can trust me.’

Allegra sat down across from her mother, her expression resigned and set.

‘You’re what?’ Jennifer Wells screeched.

‘I’m going to Sicily,’ Allegra answered. ‘With the father of my child.’

‘But you don’t even know him.’

‘I know he’ll take care of me and our son.’ That was at least one aspect of Rafael’s character that she was sure of. It had been three days since Rafael had issued his ultimatum, and Allegra had spent those days thinking long and hard about her future. Their future. When the further tests with a neonatal cardiologist had revealed the extent of their son’s heart defect, which wasn’t as simple as they’d hoped but still within the realm of good news, her choice felt even more limited.

She couldn’t do this alone. She’d lived most of her life in determined independence, chosen isolation, loneliness, but she couldn’t do this by herself, and she didn’t even want to. But even more importantly she didn’t want Rafael or her son to miss out. She’d been denied her father’s presence in her life from the time she was twelve. Could she wilfully deny her son the chance to know his father, and Rafael the chance to know his son?

It would be the height of selfish cruelty to choose self-preservation over her family. Because it was a matter of self-preservation. Rafael held a power over her, one she didn’t fully understand. She was attracted to him physically, of course, but she’d felt stirrings of something even deeper. When he held her…when he’d felt the baby kick…if she let herself, she could start to care for him, and that would be a disaster. Because there was every chance Rafael would walk away from her as her father had. But he wouldn’t, she prayed, walk away from their son.

And so she’d told Rafael she would go to Sicily, but she wouldn’t marry him—not yet, anyway. They needed to get to know one another before she made actual vows, agreed to that level of commitment. To her surprise, Rafael had acquiesced. Tersely, but still. She’d been half expecting him to frog-march her down the aisle.

Then yesterday she’d gone to her apartment and packed up what she’d wanted to take, which had been surprisingly little. Looking around the tiny space, she wondered at how she had ever thought she could have managed there with a baby. And yet how she was going to manage in this strange new life in Sicily? So much was unknown.

‘I can’t believe you’re doing this, Allegra.’ Jennifer’s voice rang out in censure. ‘This stranger…running away with him? Have you thought this through at all?’

‘Yes, and it makes sense,’ Allegra answered. ‘Considering the alternatives.’ She felt weary right down to her toes, and tomorrow evening they were leaving for Palermo. She’d already handed in her notice for her job, said goodbye to Anton, who had been her friend and boss for nearly ten years. He’d kissed her on both cheeks with tears in his eyes.

‘Is Vitali being…difficult?’ Jennifer asked after a moment. She looked on edge.

‘Pragmatic,’ Allegra said, even as she wondered why she was being loyal to Rafael. Perhaps because, in his own hard way, he was being loyal to her. And whether she liked it or not, they were a family now. ‘As am I.’

‘You remember what I told you about his father?’ Jennifer said, and now she sounded diffident.

‘He did business with my father and it didn’t work out, you said.’ But it was more than that. Blood on his hands. What had happened? How much did it matter? She couldn’t ask Rafael now; things between them were tense enough.

‘Yes, and your father didn’t trust him.’ Jennifer expelled a breath. ‘I don’t know the details, of course, but there has to be a reason for that. I got the sense that there might have been something…’ She paused, pursing her lips. ‘Criminal involved.’

‘Criminal?’ Allegra stared at her, appalled by this new revelation. ‘What do you mean exactly?’

Jennifer shrugged, her gaze siding away. ‘I don’t really know, but soon after they did business Vitali went broke. He lost everything, and narrowly avoided prison. That’s…that’s all I know. Perhaps it’s better buried in the past.’

It was more than Allegra had ever known, and underscored how little she knew Rafael or his history. How little he’d told her. She’d have to ask sometime, and while she didn’t look forward to that conversation, she needed to know what she was getting into. What their child was getting into. She needed to trust Rafael…yet how could she, when she didn’t know him? When she didn’t like to trust anyone?

‘That might be so,’ Allegra told her mother, ‘but Rafael has his own business and I really don’t think it involves any criminal activities.’ At least she hoped not.

‘But you can’t be sure.’

‘No.’ She couldn’t, Allegra knew with a pang of true fear, be sure about anything.

CHAPTER NINE

ALLEGRA GAZED OUT the window of the passenger jet at the hard blue sky, not a cloud in sight, and tried to bolster her courage as well as calm her seething nerves. They were due to land in Palermo in less than an hour, and after a sleepless night in the first-class cabin she felt exhausted and overwhelmed.

‘Do you need anything?’ Rafael asked as he looked up from his tablet where he’d been scanning the morning news. ‘Herbal tea? A hot compress?’

‘I’m fine.’ He’d been all solicitousness for the flight, but it was a formal, distant concern that set Allegra’s nerves on edge. She felt like his patient, or perhaps his possession. Maybe both. And she was conscious, more than ever, of how much she’d left behind. Her job. Her life. Freedom and independence.

‘How far is your villa from the airport?’ she asked, and Rafael put his tablet aside.

‘About an hour. A limo will pick us up.’

She nodded, gripping the armrests, wishing she felt more at ease. More confident that she was doing the right thing. She’d be living in the lap of luxury after all. Rafael had promised her just about anything she wanted. And yet…he could be such a hard man. Even when he was being kind there was a distance to him, a remoteness that made her uneasy. And she knew no one in Sicily other than him. Their baby wasn’t due for over four months. What would she do all day? Could she be happy?

‘Please don’t worry,’ Rafael murmured, resting one long, lean hand on top of hers. ‘It will all be fine.’

Allegra nodded again. Rafael squeezed her hand, and the simple touch had the power to affect her, reminded her that despite all their differences they did have chemistry. Chemistry Rafael no doubt expected them to act on…but when? She couldn’t even begin to think about that. Sex seemed like an impossibility, although the doctor had, with a smile and a wink, given them the all-clear.

‘There’s no reason,’ he’d said, looking at them both, ‘why you can’t have a normal pregnancy from now until your delivery…and a normal sex life.’

Allegra had blushed and stared down at her lap. Rafael had said nothing. She had no idea what to expect from him, from anything, and it made her feel uncertain. Vulnerable. Which was a feeling she hated.

‘Please prepare for landing.’

Allegra put her seat up as the steward went through the cabin and the plane began its descent. Below she could see Sicily spread out in a living map: dusty, rocky hills and towns with red-roofed buildings that looked as if they were clinging to the mountainside. It was unfamiliar and yet it struck a chord, reminded her suddenly and sweetly of her childhood in Italy. A soft sigh escaped her and Rafael gave her a sharp look.

‘Are you all right?’

‘Yes, I was just thinking about when I lived here. That is, in Italy.’ She gave him a small smile. ‘It feels like a lifetime ago.’

‘You lived in Rome?’

‘I lived in Rome during the school year,’ she answered, ‘and spent summers at our estate in Abruzzi. I loved it there.’ The land had been harsh and rugged and unrelentingly beautiful, snow-capped mountains piercing a brilliantly blue sky. She’d loved the quiet, the sense of solitude and stillness and peace. It had spoken to her shy, solitary spirit.

‘You missed it?’ Rafael asked after a moment.

‘Yes, especially because my first year in New York was so awful.’ She shook her head at the memory, her mouth twisting.

‘What was so awful about it?’

‘Everything. My English was terrible, and the school was big and rough—I felt lost. I was teased too, but it helped when I kept myself to myself. Then I was just invisible.’

Rafael frowned. ‘That doesn’t sound like much fun.’

‘No, but I’ve always liked my own company.’ She paused. ‘It’s easier, isn’t it, not to depend on anyone? Not to care.’

Rafael didn’t respond, merely frowned and looked out the window. Allegra wondered what he was thinking and decided not to ask. Better not to share any more feelings than she already had.

The plane touched down with a bump, and for the next hour they were kept busy clearing Immigration and collecting their luggage.

By the time Allegra slid into the limo she felt exhausted, and although she’d meant to take in the scenery on the drive to Rafael’s estate, she ended up falling asleep as the limo climbed narrow, twisting roads, making the steep ascent into the mountains.

When Rafael nudged her gently awake she discovered she was lying on the seat, her head in his lap, her cheek resting on his powerful thigh. Rafael’s hand rested lightly on her hair. It felt wonderful and alarming at the same time, and she scrambled up to a sitting position as quickly as she could. ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled as she pushed tangled hair away from her eyes. She felt thick-headed, her body clock completely out of synch, and she had a feeling she looked like a disaster. ‘I didn’t even realise I’d fallen asleep.’

‘You were tired. We’re here now, and after the doctor checks you out you can have a proper rest.’

Allegra looked at him in confusion. ‘The doctor?’

‘I’ve put a doctor on retainer for the duration of your pregnancy. He’s living in one of the estate’s cottages. It seemed sensible, considering the remoteness of our location. Of course, Palermo’s emergency medical facilities are less than an hour away, and I have a helicopter on the estate.’

She stared at him in surprise. ‘But the doctor in New York said my pregnancy was normal, Rafael. This seems a bit excessive.’ Which was massive understatement. She didn’t need a doctor on call, surely. And yet Rafael looked obdurate.

Rafael flicked a glance at her. ‘There is no harm in taking precautions. You want what’s best for our son, don’t you?’

Once again he was playing that trump card. Allegra decided not to argue. She was too tired, and she supposed there was no reason to mind having a doctor around.

Rafael opened the door to the limo and ushered her out, one hand resting on her elbow as he guided her towards the villa. Allegra paused on the portico, breathing in the warm, fir-scented air as she took in the curving drive that snaked through dense trees, the rolling, rocky hills visible beyond.

She turned to the house, a sprawling and imposing villa of weathered stone, its double doors of ancient, scarred wood now flung open. A smiling, red-cheeked woman, her greying hair piled on top of her head in a round bun, gave them both a wide smile while next to her a tall, lanky man nodded and bowed.

‘This is Maria and Salvatore, my housekeeper and groundsman,’ Rafael explained to Allegra. He spoke in Italian, which he hadn’t done with her all the time they’d been in New York, and even though it was her native language, after so many years in America it took Allegra a moment to make the adjustment.

Maria came forward, exclaiming about her bump, and then kissed her soundly on both cheeks. Salvatore bowed again. The exchange heartened Allegra, and made her feel a little less alone.

‘Now is not the time for a tour,’ Rafael said. ‘Since you are tired. I’ll show you your room and then summon the doctor.’

‘I’m fine…’ Allegra protested, because now that she was here she wanted to explore. From the soaring foyer she could see a comfortable-looking lounge with huge sofas in cream linen and French doors overlooking a terrace. On the other side she saw the cheerful yellow walls of a large kitchen, and another set of French doors leading to what looked like a large vegetable garden. All of it made her want to see and know more. She felt the stirrings of excitement, which was a welcome change from all the apprehension.

‘You need to rest,’ Rafael said, clearly brooking no argument, and with his hand on her elbow he guided her up the curving stairs to a large bedroom. While he went to fetch the doctor, Allegra explored the room—it was every bit as luxurious as the one she’d enjoyed in the hotel back in New York.

There was a huge king-sized bed on its own dais, a massive fireplace that would make the room cosy in winter, and wide windows whose shutters were open to the tumbling gardens below. She rested her elbows on the stone sill as she took in the infinity pool sparkling under the sunlight, and the tangle of bougainvillea and hibiscus that covered the steep hillsides. The air was warm and dusty, scented with rosemary and pine. She felt as if she’d stumbled into paradise.

‘The doctor will examine you now.’

Allegra turned to see a stern-looking, white-haired man with an old-fashioned black bag standing in the doorway, and her heart sank. Determined to be as accommodating as possible, she submitted to a battery of routine checks while Rafael watched.

‘I really am fine,’ she said as the doctor tucked his stethoscope away. ‘Everything’s fine.’

‘Well?’ Rafael turned to the doctor for his verdict, and Allegra gritted her teeth. Since when had she become incapable of speaking for herself?

‘She’s a little dehydrated,’ the man said. ‘And she needs some rest.’

Rafael nodded. ‘Thank you.’ He turned to Allegra once the man had thankfully left. ‘I’ll have Maria bring up some water. You should drink at least two glasses.’

Allegra folded her arms. ‘I’m capable of making my own decisions, Rafael.’

His mouth thinned as he arched one dark eyebrow. ‘You are fighting me on this small matter?’

‘Yes, because you’re treating me like an idiot. I don’t need to be fussed over by a doctor every moment.’

‘I simply wanted you to be checked out after our travel. What is the problem?’

She stared at him, frustrated, because he made it sound so reasonable. It was his attitude she didn’t like, the high-handed way he dealt with everything. With her.

‘The problem is you’re being aggravatingly bossy.’

‘I am caring for our child.’

‘Which is very important to you, I know. I get that, trust me. But you can’t…you can’t be in control of everything.’

Rafael bit back a response and then looked away. ‘This is important to me, Allegra,’ he said after a moment. ‘I don’t want to fail in my duty as a father. Please…indulge me.’

A bleak look had come into his eyes, and it made her wonder what hidden hurts Rafael was keeping from her. Or was she just being fanciful, and he was simply an arrogant, autocratic, domineering man? From the obdurate look on his face Allegra knew she’d get nowhere pressing the point now.

‘Fine, I’ll indulge you,’ she said wearily. ‘At least in this.’

Several hours later she woke from a deep sleep and stretched languorously. Long, golden rays of late afternoon sunshine slid across the floor. She’d been asleep for hours, so clearly she’d needed the rest.

Allegra got out of bed and went to explore the huge en suite bathroom, enjoying the enormous marble walk-in shower. Dressed in a strappy sundress, her hair damp and curling about her shoulders, she headed downstairs in search of Rafael.

She didn’t find him, but she did see Maria in the kitchen, and the housekeeper bustled around to have Allegra sit at the round kitchen table and then plied her with iced tea and fig cookies.

‘Something smells delicious,’ Allegra said.

‘Ah, it is a welcome feast for Signor Vitali and his lovely lady,’ Maria said with a smile. ‘It has been a long time since I have been able to cook so much!’

‘Is it?’ Allegra nibbled a cookie, wondering how much she could press the housekeeper for information. ‘Has Rafael not had…guests here before?’

Maria gave her a shrewdly knowing look. ‘Signor Vitali has never had anyone here before. He has always been a very solitary man. Salvatore and I have served him for more than ten years.’ She smiled fondly. ‘He worked so hard, he had little time for anything else.’ She nodded meaningfully towards Allegra’s bump. ‘Perhaps now that will change.’

‘Perhaps.’ Although Rafael had certainly immersed himself in work since he’d come back into her life. Despite his insistence that he wanted to be an involved father, Allegra wondered if he simply wanted to be in control.

Replete with cookies and tea, she wandered out of the kitchen to explore the villa—and find Rafael. She discovered the lounge she’d seen earlier and a media room with a huge flat-screen TV and a state-of-the-art sound system. A dining room with a table that easily seated twelve was empty, as was a smaller room with a cosy table for four. She slipped through the French windows onto the terrace that overlooked the infinity pool, breathing in the scents of bougainvillea and rosemary. The sun was setting, painting the sky with livid violet streaks, and she heard birds chirping in the tall, stately firs that surrounded the villa on most sides, the mountains towering above them.

But where was Rafael—and why did she want to find him so badly? Perhaps he intended for them to live separate lives here in Sicily, a prospect that filled her with a treacherous disappointment. She wanted to know what their future was going to look like…and, she realised, she wanted to know Rafael. It had been all right to maintain a holding pattern while they’d waited for the amnio results, but now they were meant to have some kind of life together. Rafael was insisting they marry, and while that prospect still filled her with fear, it also made her want to get to know the man she might be spending the rest of her life with, at least a little. So where was he?

Maria had started to serve dinner in the smaller dining room, several fragrant dishes that made Allegra’s mouth water. Then she noticed the place setting for one.

‘Is Rafael not eating?’ she asked, hating how small her voice sounded.

Maria made a face. ‘Signor Vitali said he needed to work tonight.’

So the feast was for her alone. Allegra sat at the table and nibbled course after delicious course, feeling sorry both for herself and for Maria, who had gone to so much effort for her employer. Why had Rafael refused to come down for dinner? Surely his work couldn’t be that important. Was he avoiding her on purpose, setting the pattern for their married lives?

Loneliness swamped her at the thought. Already she was losing that sense of independence she’d maintained for so long. She wanted Rafael with her, needed his presence in a way that made her feel unsettled. She wasn’t used to needing people. Depending on them. Perhaps it was better this way…except it didn’t feel better.

At the end of the meal she took her decaf coffee out onto the terrace, curling up on a lounger as she watched the stars appear in the sky, like diamond pinpricks in a bolt of black velvet. He was avoiding her, she acknowledged with leaden certainty. He had to be. To absent himself all afternoon and then through the evening… He was telling her how he intended things to be, and Allegra didn’t like it. If he was going to leave her alone, she might as well have stayed in New York.

She liked it even less when she woke up the next morning to an empty-feeling house. Maria was in town at the market and Salvatore was outside, working in the garden. Rafael was nowhere to be found.

She decided to go for a walk—only to be told, regretfully, by Salvatore that Signor Vitali had forbidden her from leaving the formal gardens, as the mountainside was steep and dangerous. Allegra looked at the high stone walls, the whole world shimmering out of reach, and realised she was truly trapped.

She stalked inside the villa, fury rising in her like a tidal wave. So she’d been brought to this beautiful estate to be kept as a prisoner. She didn’t know what hurt most—Rafael’s controlling attitude or his deliberate absence. She stewed for most of the morning while Rafael kept his distance, and then finally she’d had enough. She’d find him, and, by heaven, she’d tell him what was on her mind.

‘Where is Signor Vitali?’ she asked Salvatore, who looked shocked by her strident tone.

‘He is working…’

‘Where?’

‘In his study, but he does not wish to be disturbed.’

‘Perhaps he needs to be disturbed,’ Allegra answered. ‘Could you please tell me where his study is?’