by Sara Craven
‘I do not speak of morals,’ he said calmly. ‘Only common sense.’
‘And mine,’ she said, ‘is telling me to walk out right now. Unless you mean to keep me here by force.’
‘I would not need to use force,’ Zac said quietly. ‘As you, my sweet hypocrite, know—perfectly well.’ He paused. ‘Or do you wish me to prove it?’
She said in a suffocated voice, ‘All I want is to get away from you and your vile insinuations—for ever.’
Zac released her hand, pressed the button on the panel and stood back as the lift doors slid open.
‘Buona notte, Dana mia.’ His tone was unruffled. ‘Sleep well.’
She walked into the lift and looked back at him, her chin raised defiantly. ‘Aren’t you going to wish me sweet dreams?’
‘By no means.’ His slow smile sent a quiver along her nerve endings. ‘Because, if you stayed, you would find reality even sweeter.’
And it was that smile which remained with her, haunted her, all the way back to the safety of her flat.
* * *
‘All right, I made a mistake. I admit it.’ Adam shrugged. ‘But it wasn’t a disaster. The presentation was a day late, that’s all. And there was no need for that blasted Carol to keep banging on about it until two a.m.’ He snorted. ‘I suppose she’s worried about her job.’
Dana gave him a careful look. ‘You don’t have the same concerns?’
‘I might,’ he said. ‘If I cared about the job-for-life pension scheme and paid-sick-leave existence. But I have other plans.’
And when, thought Dana, are you going to tell me what they are? Because I really need to know—to invest in our future. To get my own plans back on track where they belong, without unnecessary and destructive diversions.
‘But at least,’ Adam went on, ‘the great Don Ottaviano goes back to Italy tomorrow, so we can all stop jumping at our own shadows.’
Dana frowned. ‘You make him sound like a Mafia boss,’ she protested.
He shrugged. ‘Maybe that’s how he comes across—only dealing in people’s livelihoods instead of lives. Apparently he put in a formal appearance at the party, and everyone had to go up and pay homage, Nic and Eddie among them. At least you missed that.’
‘Yes.’ Dana forced a smile. ‘Lucky me.’
‘And no sooner does one Belisandro go but another arrives,’ he added with faint irritation. ‘Although Serafina is at least coming over for my benefit, so I shouldn’t complain.’
No, thought Dana. You shouldn’t.
‘Is my aunt accompanying her?’
‘It’s a flying visit. She’s coming alone—although, of course, she’ll have Zac as her shield and protector when she gets here.’
Dana was disappointed, but hid it by making a business of looking at her watch. ‘Well, I must dash. I have an accompanied viewing booked and my car’s on a meter.’
‘There’s always something,’ Adam objected moodily. ‘For God’s sake, Dana, when are we going to get together—I mean really together?’
She hesitated. ‘When the time is right,’ she said. ‘At the moment we both have other things on our minds.’
And was glad she did not have to spell out her own preoccupations.
Because Adam had not been the only one still awake at 2:00 a.m. on the night of the party, staring blindly into the darkness and wondering if it would take a frontal lobotomy to finally rid herself of Zac Belisandro.
And telling herself she was being a complete fool was no help at all.
Yet what was the big problem? she asked herself defensively as she headed for her appointment. Zac had propositioned her. She’d turned him down.
He probably didn’t get many rejections but—what the hell?—he’d get over it like other men whose paths had crossed hers. End of story.
And she would spend no more time battling with demons who had no right to exist. No right—and, more importantly, no reason.
* * *
Of course she was doing the right thing, Dana told herself as she drove down to Mannion.
She’d held Adam off quite long enough. Now, on his big day when, after seven years, he’d finally taken possession of his house, she would give him further cause to celebrate by joining him there.
She was thankful it was all over. Adam had been undeniably difficult in the past few days, edgy and even morose at times, and, at others, determinedly almost aggressively amorous. It had required all her persuasive powers to keep him at a safe distance for a while longer.
But her resistance seemed to have paid off, because when she’d last seen him two evenings ago, he’d whispered, ‘When this Mannion business is completed, you and I are due for a serious talk.’
That, she thought, with a light jolt, suggested a proposal. A tad premature, maybe, but exactly what she’d been working towards, so she could hardly quibble. And Mannion would make the perfect setting for such a moment.
At first, she’d intended her arrival to be a complete surprise, but decided it was better to be cautious in case Serafina had opted to stay on for some reason instead of returning immediately to Italy.
Adam’s mobile seemed to be switched off, so she’d called the house, only to get the answering machine.
‘I’ve been thinking,’ she said. ‘Why don’t I bring down some champagne and an overnight case and congratulate you in person? If it’s a problem, let me know. I’ll be leaving around three p.m.’
She’d anticipated a call or a text, telling her he could hardly wait, but there was nothing. However, after a brief mental tussle, she decided to go anyway. After all, she’d booked out a day’s leave from work, and spent the morning in the beauty salon being waxed, massaged and toned, and having her finger and toenails painted in a soft coral to match her new dress.
She was naturally nervous at the prospect of practically presenting herself to him, gift-wrapped, but told herself not to be silly. Didn’t they say, ‘Who dares, wins.’
Well, yes, but they, whoever they were, also claimed that ‘the end justified the means’, which was not so appealing but probably nearer the truth. And the fact was, she needed some Dutch courage to aid her victory.
She’d hoped Adam would answer the door, but instead was confronted by a faintly surprised Mrs Harris.
‘Miss Grantham?’ she said, giving Dana’s overnight case a surprised glance.
Dana produced a confident smile. ‘The new master of the house,’ she said. ‘He is here?’
‘Well, yes.’ The older woman paused. ‘If you’ll wait in the book room, miss, I’ll tell him you wish to speak to him.’
More than speak, thought Dana, banishing the doubts quivering within her like butterflies as she followed the housekeeper. I intend to kiss him, drink a bottle of Cristal with him and, eventually, go to bed with him. No turning back now.
In the book room, she took the champagne from her case and placed it on the desk, turning with a smile as she heard someone enter.
‘Buongiorno, Dana mia.’ Zac closed the door behind him and strolled forward. ‘And welcome.’
‘You,’ she said hoarsely. ‘What the hell are you doing here? And where’s Adam?’
‘By now in London. He returned there after driving Serafina to the airport. He wished, naturally, to thank her for her past kindness and say a final addio.’
‘Final?’ Dana repeated. ‘Is she ill?’
‘She is about to undergo a hip operation but Adam’s goodbye was necessary because he is unlikely to meet with her again in the foreseeable future. He will be far too busy in Australia.’ He paused. ‘Or has he not discussed his plans with you?’
She stared at him, his words beating a tattoo in her skull. One word in particular. Australia...
She said unevenly, ‘I suppose this is your doing. That you’re se
nding him to work in Melbourne.’
‘I respect my colleagues there too much to inflict Adam upon them.’ His tone was curt. ‘No, he is buying a partnership in the boat chartering business on the Gold Coast owned by his father and uncle by marriage. He leaves next week.’
She was leaning back against the desk, her hands gripping its edge so tightly that the oak bit into her palms.
She said, ‘After waiting all this time for Mannion, he’s throwing it away to go to Australia of all places? I don’t believe it.’
‘Why not?’ Zac’s shrug was negligent. ‘His father walked away. His mother too, for that matter.’
‘But he can’t just abandon it. If this move to Australia doesn’t work out, he’ll need Mannion to come back to.’
His mouth twisted. ‘On the contrary, mia bella, I think he abandoned it a long time ago, as you must have seen for yourself.’
‘Then why did he agree to the gift in the first place?’
He said quietly, ‘Serafina is an honourable woman who wished her husband’s home to remain with the Latimers but unburdened by extra taxation. When his father decided he preferred a life in the sun, Adam became the heir.
‘In the beginning, he was flattered. But it was not long before he began to think of the financial benefit it could bring him.’
‘You mean he’s planning to rent it out while he’s away?’ Dana asked with sudden eagerness.
‘No,’ Zac said. ‘That is not what I mean.’
‘Well, he can’t leave it empty, so he’ll have to put in caretakers.’ She began to smile. ‘Which is perfect, because whatever he’s paying them, I’ll do it for less—and do it better. That’s an offer he can’t refuse.’
‘And the job in London you do so well?’ Zac countered silkily. ‘What of that?’
‘You don’t get it, do you?’ she blazed at him. ‘You don’t see that the only thing that counts—that’s ever mattered to me—is Mannion. That I’ve wanted it all my life and that I’d do anything—make any sacrifice—to live here again. To look after it and bring it back to the way it used to be.’
‘You are wrong, mia bella,’ he said with a touch of grimness. ‘I have always known these things. Why else would we be having this conversation?’
She was barely listening. ‘I must get back to London. Talk to him.’
‘You would be wasting your time.’
‘You can’t say that,’ she returned defiantly. ‘He’ll be glad to leave Mannion in safe hands, so it will be here, waiting for him, when he realises Australia has been a mistake and comes home.’
‘This house is your passion, not his, Dana mia. He lives for surfing, and he is going to a place called Surfer’s Paradise.’
He added sardonically, ‘And I hope he does find it his personal Eden, as the PR world clearly has nothing more to offer him.’
‘It’s easy for you to sneer,’ she hit back. ‘The man who’s always had everything. The apple of his father’s eye.’
‘We Belisandros have worked for what we have,’ he said harshly. ‘Fought to maintain our commercial eminence through succeeding economic crises. Never think it has been easy—not with the futures of thousands of employees dependent on the decisions we make each day. It has been—essential.’
And living here is essential for me too, she thought. I can’t—I won’t let it go. Not after all these years of dreaming and planning.
But it was horribly apparent that she’d totally misjudged the nature of Adam’s ‘serious talk’.
None of it made any sense, she thought. Neither Nic nor Adam had ever seemed sufficiently enamoured of Sadie Latimer’s family to want any closer ties.
And while he was realising his error, she would be the greatest live-in caretaker in the world.
All I have to do is convince him, she thought, releasing her grip on the desk and flexing her aching fingers.
‘It’s time I was gone,’ she said, glancing at her watch. ‘And I mustn’t detain you either,’ she added pointedly. ‘I’m sure you have other places to be—saving the economy.’
‘No,’ he said. ‘I do not. Besides, I understood you wished to talk to me and so far we have spoken only of Adam.’
‘Mrs Harris has made a mistake,’ she said. ‘I asked for the master of the house.’
‘Any misunderstanding is yours, mia bella,’ he said. ‘Because I have been the legal owner of this house and its land since noon today. So shall we open the champagne you so thoughtfully have brought and drink to Mannion’s new beginning? Together?’
His dark face swam in front of her. She said in a choked voice, ‘No, it’s not true. He couldn’t—he wouldn’t...’
‘Do you wish to see the papers? They are in that desk. Also Adam’s receipt for the money. Well?’
She shook her head numbly and heard his sharp sigh.
He took her arm, shepherding her out of the room and across the hall to the drawing room where he placed her in the corner of a sofa and disappeared.
For a moment, Dana was completely still, then, with a soft moan, she buried her face in her hands, her body shaking with dry sobs.
Oh, God, she thought brokenly. The things she’d said. The things she’d let him see. All in all, a pretty comprehensive exercise in self-betrayal.
But she must not make a bad situation worse. Somehow, she had to pull herself together and try to retrieve some of the ground she had lost.
When Zac returned with a tray of coffee, she’d combed her hair with her fingers and was sitting, quiet and composed, with her hands folded in her lap.
As he set down the tray, he said, ‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes.’ Then: ‘No! I don’t see how he could do such a thing. Sell his inheritance.’
He shrugged, as he seated himself in a chair opposite. ‘For money. Of course. Without winning the National Lottery, how else could he lay his hands on such a large sum with no real effort on his part?’
‘But—Mrs Latimer—didn’t she mind?’
‘Serafina is a pragmatist. She made the gift as she believed her husband would have wished, but the rest was Adam’s own business.’
She said, ‘But why did he sell to you—of all people?’
‘Ah,’ he said softly. ‘Then you have realised there is no love lost between us.’
She remembered the simmering resentment of the past weeks. ‘Something like that.’
‘Again, it was money. I offered the price he wanted, and it became a simple cash transaction without prolonged negotiations or expensive legal fees.’ He added drily, ‘He did not have to like me for it.’
‘No.’ Dana took a deep breath. ‘But you—you really want Mannion?’
‘It has its attractions. And I need a base apart from my London apartment.’
‘So, it’s just a matter of convenience.’ She shook her head. ‘Poor Mannion. All this was going on and I had no idea.’ She paused. ‘And you, of course, took the message I left. You didn’t think of calling me—explaining the true situation?’
He said mockingly, ‘Not even for a moment, mia cara. But I am sorry if I have deprived you of the celebration you had planned.’
‘That doesn’t matter.’ Which was true. She felt nothing but relief that her surrender would not be required after all. Or that she might have to drink herself insensible first.
I didn’t realise, she thought, how much I was actually dreading it.
Aloud, she said quickly, ‘And I should go.’
‘Not yet,’ he said. ‘It is unwise to drive after a shock.’
A shock, she thought bitterly. Was that really the way to describe the cataclysm that had just destroyed her dreams—her future, leaving her with nothing to hope for?
He poured the coffee, a rich, dark brew, and handed her a cup.
She lifted her chin. ‘I prefer it with milk.’
‘I suggest on this occasion you drink it black.’ He leaned back, stretching out long legs in khaki chinos, his black polo shirt open at the neck. ‘Because, Dana mia, you may need the extra caffeine when you hear what I have to say.’
CHAPTER NINE
SHE DIDN’T WANT COFFEE. The last thing she needed was an extra stimulant when she felt wired to snapping point already, but it seemed wiser to avoid a clash with her equally unwelcome host, so she drank some, finding she was oddly glad of its heat and strength.
‘Goodness.’ She tried to speak lightly to conceal her unease at his last remark. ‘That sounds terribly serious.’
‘Marriage,’ he said, ‘is a serious business.’
She replaced her cup carefully in its saucer. ‘Yes, I—I suppose so. I didn’t know you were contemplating such a thing.’
‘I have thought of it for some time.’
‘Your father must be pleased.’
‘I think he will be,’ he said. ‘Eventually.’
She reached for her cup, needing to dispel the feeling of sick emptiness inside her, caused, she told herself, by the loss of Adam and, with him, Mannion.
Zac broke the silence. ‘So,’ he said, ‘how would you save poor Mannion from being a mere convenience?’
‘That’s something you should discuss with your future wife.’
‘Then be my wife,’ he said lightly. ‘And save Mannion from its fate.’
Her hand jerked, spilling coffee onto the coral dress. She said breathlessly, ‘If that’s a joke, I don’t find it amusing.’
‘I am perfectly serious,’ he said. ‘I am asking you to marry me, Dana mia.’
‘In which case you must be mad.’ She swallowed convulsively. ‘And the answer is no.’
He sighed elaborately. ‘And only moments ago you were declaring that no sacrifice was too great for the house you love.’
Oh, God, she thought. Why did I let my mouth run away with me?
She took a deep breath. ‘Marriage is totally different. I am not for sale.’