Never Gamble With a Caffarelli

by MELANIE MILBURNE

  ‘What’s going on with you two? Is it true what she said to Nonno?’

  ‘You know what Angelique’s like,’ Remy said. ‘She likes centre stage. The bigger the scene she makes, the better.’

  Raoul’s mouth tightened in reproach. ‘She’s a nice kid, Remy. I’ve always thought so. A bit messed up because of her mother dying so young and all, but she’s a got a good heart. Just because she’s got an asshole for a father isn’t her fault. She didn’t screw us over. Henri did.’

  ‘And I got him back,’ Remy said through tight lips.

  ‘Yes, by taking the one thing Angelique loves above everything else.’ Raoul readjusted his crutches under his arms. ‘You should give Tarrantloch back to her. It doesn’t belong to you, bet or no bet. It belongs to her.’

  ‘How do you know I wasn’t planning to do that once our marriage comes to an end?’

  Raoul gave him a levelling look. ‘That’s some parting gift, bro. But have you considered she might not want it to end?’

  Remy gave a short bark of cynical laughter. ‘Can’t see that happening. She hates being married to me. She’s only sticking with it while she gets her new modelling gig off the ground. She thinks marriage is an outdated institution that serves the interests of men rather than women.’

  ‘Yes, well, it’s certainly served your interests,’ Raoul said.

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘You didn’t have to sleep with her. You could have got her out of Dharbiri and annulled the marriage once you got home.’

  Remy flashed a glare his middle brother’s way. ‘Since when is who I sleep with your business?’

  Raoul held his glare. ‘If you divorce her, all hell could break loose. She could take half of your assets.’

  ‘I thought you said she was a nice kid?’

  ‘She is, but that’s not to say she wouldn’t want to get back at you for breaking her heart.’

  ‘I’m not breaking her heart, OK?’ Remy said in an exasperated tone. ‘What is it with you and Rafe? You fall in love and expect everyone else to do the same. She doesn’t even like me. I can’t help thinking she’s biding her time to turn things on their head. She’s smart that way. She likes having the last word and she’ll do anything to get it.’

  ‘Have you really got so cynical you can’t see what’s right in front of your nose?’

  ‘What? You think she loves me or something?’ Remy said. ‘Sorry to disappoint you, but Angelique’s a great actress. She’s no more in love with me than I am with her.’

  Raoul gave him a look.

  ‘What?’ Remy gave another bark of a laugh but even to his ears it sounded hollow. ‘You think I’m in love with her? Come on. No offence to you and Rafe, but falling in love is not on my list of things to do. I don’t have that particular gene.’

  ‘It’s not a matter of genetics,’ Raoul said. ‘It’s a matter of choice. If you’re open to it, that is.’

  ‘Well, I choose not to be open to it. I don’t want that sort of complication in my life. I’m fine just the way I am.’

  ‘You’ll end up like Nonno,’ Raoul said. ‘Stuck with a houseful of obsequious servants who pretend they like him when all they do is laugh and snigger about him behind his back.’

  ‘I know what I’m doing, Raoul.’

  ‘Yeah, and you’re doing a damn fine job of it too. But, if you’re so sure of Angelique’s motives, why don’t you give her Tarrantloch now and see if she still wants to stay with you? Take a gamble, Remy—or are you too scared of losing where it matters most?’

  Remy let out a tight breath as his brother limped away to join Lily, who was looking at them with a worried frown.

  Poppy came over with a cup of coffee and a slice cake for Remy. ‘Have you seen Angelique?’ she asked. ‘She said she was going to the bathroom but she’s been ages. Is she OK?’

  ‘She’s fine. She had a stomach bug a couple of days ago.’ How many times do I have to say this? ‘She’s still getting over it.’

  Poppy’s expression flickered with something. ‘Oh. I just wondered...’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Nothing.’ She pinched her lips together as if afraid of speaking out of turn. She put a protective hand over her belly as a rosy blush spread over her cheeks.

  Remy felt like someone had just slammed him in the solar plexus. It was a moment before he could get his breath back. His mind was reeling.

  ‘Excuse me...’ He almost pushed Poppy out of the way as he moved past.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  ANGELIQUE LOOKED AT the dipstick.

  Negative.

  Why was she feeling so disappointed? It was ridiculous of her to feel so deflated. Why was she thinking about little dark-haired babies when she stood to gain squillions from parading around in bridal wear on every catwalk in Europe?

  Because she didn’t want to be a pretend bride.

  Not on the catwalk. Not in a photo shoot. Not in magazines and billboards.

  She wanted to be a real bride, a real wife and a real mother.

  ‘Angelique?’ There was a sharp rap at the door.

  She quickly stuffed the packaging and results in the nearest drawer underneath the basin. ‘ Just a second...’

  She checked her appearance in the mirror. She looked like she’d just auditioned for a walk-on part as a ghost in a horror movie.

  The door handled rattled. ‘Open this door,’ Remy commanded. ‘I want to talk to you.’

  Angelique stalked over, snipped the lock back and opened the door. ‘Do you mind? What does a girl have to do to get some privacy around here?’

  He glanced to either side of her. ‘What are you doing in there?’

  She gave him a look. ‘What do you think I was doing? What do you do when you go to the bathroom? No, on second thought, don’t answer that.’ She brushed past him. ‘I know what you guys do.’

  He captured her arm and turned her to face him. ‘Are you pregnant?’

  Angelique blinked at him in shock. ‘What?’

  His mouth was set in a grim line. ‘I asked you a simple question. Are you pregnant?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘But you thought you were?’

  She waited a beat before answering. ‘Yes...’

  He frowned so heavily his eyebrows met. ‘And you didn’t think to mention it to me?’

  ‘I wanted to make sure first.’

  ‘So you could do what? Announce it to the press? Post a tweet about it? Drop it on me to force me to keep our marriage going indefinitely?’

  Angelique pushed past him. ‘That’s just so damn typical of you. You think everyone is going to do the dirty on you.’

  ‘Do you realise how insulting this is?’ He swung around to follow her. ‘Don’t you think I had the right to know you suspected you were carrying my child? This is something we should’ve been facing together. You had no right to keep that information to yourself.’

  ‘You seem pretty certain it’s your child,’ Angelique said. ‘ How do you know I wasn’t trying to foist another man’s baby on you? You should watch your back, Remy. You think you’re so smart, but I could have tricked you and you wouldn’t have suspected a thing.’

  ‘I don’t believe you would sink to that level. You like to act streetwise and tough but that’s not who you really are. Your father might be a double-crossing cheat but you’re not cut from the same cloth.’

  ‘You don’t know me.’

  ‘I know you can’t wait to get out of this marriage.’ His jaw was locked tight with tension. ‘Well, guess what? You got your wish. I’m releasing you. You’re free to go as of now. I won’t have anyone tell me I’m exploiting you by sleeping with you or getting you pregnant against your will, or keeping your precious castle just for kicks. Just go. Leave. Tarrantloch is yours. I’ll send you the deeds.’

  Angelique had dreamed of this moment, the moment when she would have Tarrantloch back in her possession. Why then did she feel like she was losing something even more val
uable? ‘You want me to leave?’

  ‘That’s what you want, isn’t it?’

  Here is your chance.

  Tell him what you want.

  But the words were stuck behind a wall of pride. What if she told him she loved him and wanted to stay with him for ever? He had never given any sign of being in love with her. Lust was his language. She had made it her own. If he loved her, wouldn’t he have said so?

  ‘Yes.’ The word felt like a dry stone in her mouth. ‘That’s what I want.’

  ‘Fine.’ He let out a breath that sounded horribly, distressingly like relief. ‘I won’t make any announcements to the press until after Christmas. I don’t want to compromise your modelling contract.’

  That was the least of Angelique’s worries. She was already trying to think of a way out of it. ‘Thank you.’ She pressed her lips together as she gathered up her bag.

  She would not cry. She would not beg him to let her stay. She would not tell him she loved him only to have him mock her. ‘Will you say goodbye to the others for me? I don’t want to create a scene.’

  He gave a rough-sounding laugh. ‘What? No big dramatic exit? You surprise me. That’s not the Angelique Marchand I know.’

  Angelique turned at the door and gave him a glacial look. ‘Then perhaps you don’t know me as well as you thought.’

  As exit lines went, it was a good one. The only trouble was she could barely see where she was going for the tears that blurred her vision.

  But she resolutely blinked them back and walked out of the villa and out of Remy’s life without anyone stopping her.

  And she wouldn’t be coming back.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ‘BUT YOU CAN’T possibly spend Christmas on your own!’ Poppy said. ‘Rafe, darling, will you tell your impossibly stubborn brother he’s got to be with us? He won’t listen to me.’ Her bottom lip quivered as tears shimmered in her eyes. ‘I can’t bear the thought of anyone spending Christmas all alone.’

  ‘It’s nothing to get upset about,’ Remy said, feeling like a heel for triggering Poppy’s meltdown. ‘I just don’t feel like socialising, that’s all.’

  Rafe put his arm around Poppy and drew her close. ‘Poppy’s feeling a bit emotional just now, aren’t you, ma petite?’

  ‘I think we should tell him,’ Poppy said with a little sniff.

  ‘Tell me what?’ Remy said, looking between the two of them.

  ‘We’re having a baby,’ Rafe said with a proud smile. ‘We found out a few weeks ago but didn’t want to overshadow Raoul and Lily’s wedding. We were going to wait until they got back from their honeymoon to announce it at Christmas.’

  Remy’s smile pulled on the tight ache in his chest that had been there since he had set Angelique free. ‘Congratulations. I’m happy for you. That’s great news.’ He even managed a short laugh. ‘How about that? I’m going to be an uncle.’

  ‘Will you please come to us for Christmas?’ Poppy pleaded. ‘I know you don’t want to be anywhere near your grandfather just now, but we’re supposed to be a family. It won’t be the same without you there.’

  It won’t be the same without Angelique there.

  Remy thought of the cosy family scene Poppy was so keen to orchestrate: wonderful cooking smells and warm fires in every room. A fresh pine-scented Christmas tree decorated with colourful bells and tinsel with thoughtfully chosen and artfully wrapped presents for everyone beneath it. His brothers and their wives would be talking non-stop about brides and honeymoons and babies. The photos from Raoul and Lily’s wedding—where Angelique’s absence in them would cause him even more pain—would be pored over and he would sit there being the odd one out—along with his grandfather, of course.

  He’d rather be on his own than suffer that.

  ‘Sorry, but I have other plans.’

  ‘I wonder what Angelique has planned,’ Poppy said as she handed back Rafe’s handkerchief. ‘Maybe I’ll invite her. Do you think she’d come now that you’re not going to be there?’

  Remy frowned. ‘Why would you invite her?’

  ‘Why shouldn’t I invite her?’ Poppy gave him a haughty look. ‘I loved her the minute I met her. So did Lily.’

  ‘You spent all of five minutes with her!’

  ‘Maybe, but it was enough to know she’s a lovely person.’

  ‘I never said she wasn’t.’ Remy caught his brother’s look. ‘Lately, I mean.’

  ‘Did you know she’s cancelled the bridal wear contract?’ Rafe said. ‘It will cost her a fortune to get out of. One of the designers is threatening to sue.’

  Remy felt his stomach drop. ‘Where did you hear that?’

  ‘Social media,’ Rafe said. ‘Where else?’

  * * *

  Angelique stood back and inspected the tree she had set up in the sitting room of Tarrantloch. The scent of pine filled the air with a pleasantly sharp, clean tang. It brought back wonderful memories of Christmas with her grandparents all those years ago. She had even found in the attic the decorations they had used back then—miraculously overlooked by the ruthlessly efficient removal men—including the angel she had loved so much as a child. The angel was looking a little the worse for wear with her yellowed robes and moth-eaten wings but Angelique didn’t have the heart to replace her.

  The festive season was the worst time to be alone. She had spent far too many of them in hotel rooms or with people she didn’t particularly know or like to do it again this year.

  Poppy had invited her to spend it with her and Rafe in Oxfordshire, with Lily, Raoul and Vittorio, but she’d politely declined, even when Poppy had assured her Remy wasn’t going to be there. Angelique hadn’t asked where he would be spending Christmas or who he’d be spending it with.

  She didn’t want to know.

  The sound of helicopter blades outside gave her a little start. Robert Mappleton wasn’t due to arrive until tomorrow, on Christmas Eve. She had invited him because she’d found out he had spent every Christmas alone since his wife had died.

  Angelique peered out of the window, but it wasn’t Robert who got out of the helicopter. Her heart banged against her chest as Remy came through the icy wind towards the house. She dusted off the tinsel sparkles clinging to her yoga pants before opening the front door. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I want to talk to you.’

  She folded her arms. ‘So talk.’

  ‘Aren’t you going to invite me in?’

  She put her chin up. ‘I’m expecting company.’

  He flinched as if she’d just struck him. ‘Who?’

  Angelique saw his throat move up and down. His eyes looked tired. He needed a shave more than usual. ‘Robert Mappleton.’

  His expression turned to stone. Unreadable stone. ‘I guess I should’ve guessed that.’

  Angelique unfolded her arms. ‘Why aren’t you spending Christmas with your family?’

  He gave her a brooding look. ‘I don’t trust myself in the same room as my grandfather. Every time I see him I want to punch him.’

  ‘I told my father I would punch him if he came anywhere near me.’

  Remy stood looking at her for a beat of silence. ‘So...I guess I should leave you to it...’ He raked a hand through his windblown hair. He was too late. He’d left it too late. His gamble hadn’t paid off. She had moved on with her life. Robert Mappleton was far too old for her but she was probably searching for a father figure, given hers was so appalling.

  He was too late.

  ‘Why are you here?’ Angelique asked.

  Remy was sick of all the game playing, the pretence and subterfuge. He decided to take one last gamble. His pride was on the table but it was a small price to pay.

  It was the price he was prepared to pay.

  ‘I wanted to tell you I love you.’

  Her eyelids flickered. ‘You...love me?’

  Remy gave her a self-deprecating look. ‘You looked shocked.’

  ‘But you never said a word... You sent me a
way.’ She narrowed her gaze at him, her cheeks firing up with red-hot anger. ‘How could you do that to me?’

  Remy took umbrage at her cutting tone. ‘I thought that’s what you wanted. For God’s sake, I asked you straight out what you wanted. You said you only wanted Tarrantloch.’

  ‘I was pretending!’ Angelique said. ‘How could you think I would want a big old, draughty castle instead of love?’

  Now it was his turn to look shocked. ‘You want love?’

  Angelique felt tears prickling at the back of her throat. ‘I want love and marriage and...and a baby.’

  Remy blinked. ‘You want a baby?’

  She brushed at her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘I know you’re going to think this is utterly ridiculous, but I was bitterly disappointed when that pregnancy test was negative.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because without it I had no reason to stay with you.’

  ‘But what about your modelling contract?’

  ‘You just don’t get it, do you?’ Angelique said. ‘You don’t get me at all. I hate being a model. I hate having to look perfect all the time. I only ever got into it because I knew it would annoy my father. I want to design clothes, not parade around in them.’

  Remy took her by the shoulders. ‘You want to stay with me? Is that what you’re saying?’

  Angelique looked up into his dark brown eyes. ‘I’ve wanted to stay with you since the night you put on The Lion King when I was fifteen and watched it with me.’

  Remy’s fingers tightened. He was frightened to let go of her in case this was all a dream. ‘You love me?’

  ‘Desperately.’

  ‘Then why the hell didn’t you say so?’ He glared at her. ‘Do you realise the torture you’ve put me through? I could put you over my knee and spank you.’

  Angelique gave him a cheeky smile. ‘Is that a promise?’

  He clutched her to his chest, almost crushing her in the process. ‘I thought I’d lost you. I thought it was too late. I thought I was too late. When Rafe told me he’d heard a rumour you were trying to get out of your contract I started to think...to hope...it was because you weren’t happy with your life.’ He pulled back to look at her. ‘Tell me I’m not dreaming this.’