by Various
At least now she could be assured that Niccolo would never repeat his marriage proposal. Dani had to blink back the sudden hot rush of tears at that realisation. Not that she had believed for one moment that a marriage between the two of them would ever have worked—how could it when she was in love with Niccolo and he felt nothing but a sense of responsibility towards her? But knowing that choice had been firmly taken away from her was enough to make her want to curl up in a ball of misery and cry until there were no more tears left. About forty or fifty years should do it!
Niccolo drew in a harsh breath. ‘I am not speaking because—’ He broke off abruptly. ‘Daniella, I think it is better if I say nothing at all on this subject until we can be alone somewhere more—suitable for such a conversation.’
The fact that Niccolo couldn’t even talk about it right now was enough to tell Dani just how deeply angry he felt. But what else had she expected? That Niccolo would agree her grandfather’s demands were totally unreasonable as well as selfish? That Niccolo wouldn’t view Dani’s own actions on the night of Eleni’s party as a deliberate ploy on her part to provide her grandfather with the heir he demanded?
Fat chance!
‘Yes. Of course,’ she agreed quietly, her throat actually aching from the effort of trying to suppress her tears. ‘I’m sorry, Niccolo,’ she added gruffly.
‘You—’ He broke off his explosion, his knuckles having turned even whiter. ‘We will talk later, Daniella,’ he said instead.
What was left for the two of them to talk about Dani had no idea. Although she was pretty sure the question of with which one of them the baby’s future lay would come into that discussion somewhere….
‘I’m very tired, Niccolo, so I think I’ll take a nap, if you don’t mind,’ she told him wearily, and she rested her head back against the car seat and closed her eyes.
Niccolo glanced at her briefly, his mouth tightening as he noted her pallor and the dark circles beneath her closed lids, before determinedly turning his attention back to the road ahead. To allow his tumultuous thoughts full rein would only distract him from driving and so put both their lives in danger. Something he had no intention of doing.
There would be plenty of occasions for acting upon his thoughts once they reached Wiverley Hall!
Dani, as an only child, had always been very close to her parents, and telling them of her pregnancy when she wasn’t married to the baby’s father—or even intending to be—was probably the hardest thing she would ever have to do in her life.
Thankfully, she and Niccolo arrived an hour before lunch. Her parents would be in the sitting room together, talking over their respective morning activities before it was time to eat. Her grandfather, Dani knew, would have gone out for his late-morning constitutional, but he would be back in time for lunch, so this respite alone with her parents was limited.
‘What a lovely surprise, darling!’ Her mother stood up to hug her warmly, an older version of Dani herself, with her rich red hair and warm hazel eyes.
‘Why didn’t you let us know you were coming?’ Her father gave her a brief, quizzical look as he received his own hug before turning his attention to their guest. ‘Mr D’Alessandro—it’s good to see you again.’ He shook the younger man warmly by the hand.
‘Daniella wanted to surprise you both,’ Niccolo answered smoothly when it became obvious Daniella was at a loss as to how to begin telling her parents of the reason for their visit.
‘Well, she succeeded.’ Jeffrey Bell, a tall, thin, slightly weathered-looking man, after hours of working outdoors with his horses, with blond hair liberally streaked with grey and eyes of twinkling green, gave his daughter an indulgent smile before indicating they should all sit down in the comfortably worn chairs in the family’s informal sitting room.
Niccolo waited until Daniella had seated herself on the edge of the faded gold-coloured sofa before deliberately sitting down next to her, and taking one of her hands firmly into his.
Daniella gave him a nervous glance, but left her hand where it was, her fingers curling slightly about his, as if drawing strength from this physical contact.
As she was meant to do. Niccolo’s own parents were no longer alive, but he could still imagine the ordeal it must be for Daniella to come here today and tell her parents of her pregnancy. But whatever other circumstances had prevailed, Daniella had not become pregnant on her own, and the responsibility for this announcement was as much his as it was hers.
He knew by the way Daniella’s throat moved convulsively that she was having serious trouble finding the right words with which to begin. He turned to the older couple. ‘Daniella and I have something we wish to tell you both—’
‘Well, isn’t this cosy?’ The loud voice of Daniel Bell interrupted suspiciously.
Niccolo stood up slowly to turn and stare coldly at the elderly man where he stood in the doorway, looking at them all with shrewd green eyes. The same green eyes that in his granddaughter were warm and gently loving.
‘Major Bell,’ he bit out in icy recognition, before turning back to Daniella as she still sat frozen into immobility on the sofa, her guarded gaze fixed on her grandfather. ‘Will you forgive me, cara—’ Niccolo spoke to her gruffly ‘—if I take your grandfather away for a few minutes?’
Dani raised startled eyes to look at Niccolo. Why on earth—?
‘I will not be long, I promise.’ Niccolo gave her a gently encouraging smile.
‘I—Of course.’ She nodded, at the same time blinking her eyes in confusion at this development.
Was Niccolo—aware from their earlier discussion that she did not want her grandfather present during this conversation—just giving her some privacy in which to talk to her parents? Or did he have some other reason for spiriting her grandfather away? Whatever Niccolo’s reasoning, Dani could only feel relief at his giving her these few minutes alone with her parents.
‘Thank you.’ She gave Niccolo’s hand a grateful squeeze.
‘You are more than welcome, cara,’ he assured her, and he raised her hand, his gaze intent on hers as he placed the lightest kiss against the back of that hand before releasing her and turning back to her grandfather. ‘Major Bell, I wish a few minutes’ private conversation with you, if you would be so kind?’ It was voiced as a question, but the hard determination of Niccolo’s tone brooked no argument against the request.
Dani had been slightly thrown by Niccolo’s endearment, and that kiss on the back of her hand, but nevertheless she saw the surprise that widened her grandfather’s eyes at the younger man’s tone before he brought the emotion under control.
He looked at Niccolo with mocking enquiry. ‘Well, of course, D’Alessandro,’ he drawled confidently. ‘We can go to my study.’ He stepped back to allow Niccolo to precede him out of the room, a move Niccolo deftly avoided as he stood aside deferentially to allow the older man to lead the way.
Dani’s breath left her in a whoosh of relief once the two men had left the room—an emotion echoed by her parents, if their weary sighs were anything to go by. Although the fact that Niccolo and her grandfather had gone now meant that Dani had to tell her parents about the baby by herself before the two men returned—something that was proving a lot harder than she had imagined.
After all, she was twenty-four years old, and ran her own successful business in London; it wasn’t as if even without Niccolo’s emotional support she couldn’t keep herself and her unborn baby. But it wasn’t really about that. Her parents, as Dani knew only too well, had been deeply distressed for her when her first marriage had ended in the way that it had. In fact, it had taken all of her persuasion at the time to talk her father out of going to London to confront Philip and tell him exactly what he thought of him!
And now Dani was about to tell them that their only daughter was going to be an unmarried mother in around eight months’ time!
It was—
All three of them turned towards the door in alarm as the sound of Daniel Bell’s shoutin
g could clearly be heard all the way down the length of the hallway that led to his study!
Dani rose unsteadily to her feet. ‘What…?’
Her parents seemed frozen in their chairs. Her father was the first to recover enough to speak ruefully. ‘Exactly what did Mr D’Alessandro want to talk to your grandfather about?’ he murmured.
There were a few seconds’ silence, as Niccolo obviously replied softly to the older man, followed by yet more shouting from Dani’s grandfather.
‘I have no idea!’ she replied.
If Niccolo had told her grandfather about the baby then anger was the last reaction Dani would have expected. But if Niccolo was discussing anything else with her grandfather then she really didn’t have a clue what it could be.
She certainly intended finding out!
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, Dani.’ Her father reached out to grasp her arm as she would have hurried from the room to go to her grandfather’s study. ‘Mr D’Alessandro strikes me as the sort of man who can take care of himself,’ he told her. ‘And anyone else who comes along, hmm?’ he added softly.
Dani turned back to her father, and the gentle questioning in his eyes was almost her undoing. It would have been her undoing if at that moment she hadn’t heard the door to her grandfather’s study being opened and then closed again with studied force, followed by the sound of someone walking down the carpeted hallway.
Who—?
A grimly satisfied Niccolo entered the room. ‘Major Bell has decided not to join us, after all,’ he announced.
There was complete silence in the room, and then Jeffrey burst into appreciative laughter. ‘I have no idea what you said to my father, Niccolo, but anyone who can best him in an argument—I take it you did best him?’ He waited for Niccolo’s nod before continuing. ‘Then you deserve a medal!’ he exclaimed, and he crossed the room to slap the younger man on the back.
Jeffrey Bell’s lack of rancour on his father’s behalf came as no surprise to Niccolo now that he understood the overbearing way in which Daniel Bell had ruled this household for the last twenty-five years. It was the total look of bewilderment on Daniella’s face that concerned him at this moment.
He crossed swiftly to her side. ‘I assure you that your grandfather is perfectly well. He is merely sulking in his study,’ he said dryly.
Sulking?
Her grandfather was sulking?
Surely only young children who couldn’t have their own way did that?
Then Dani realised that was exactly how her grandfather behaved like: a spoilt and petulant child who always wanted his own way. The only tried and tested way to deal with a spoilt and petulant child was to deny them what they wanted—and Dani knew only too well what her grandfather wanted most!
‘Exactly what did you say to him, Niccolo?’ Dani wanted to know.
He shrugged. ‘The truth.’
She frowned. ‘About…?’
‘Perhaps I should have said that I told your grandfather a few home truths,’ Niccolo amended.
Dani swallowed hard. ‘Such as?’
Niccolo looked at her searchingly, easily able to see the strain in her face as she looked up at him anxiously.
He turned to look at her parents. ‘I wonder, Beatrice and Jeffrey, if you would mind allowing me a few minutes alone with Daniella? We have some very exciting news to share with you both, but I believe I first need to—to talk to your daughter.’
‘Niccolo—’
He reached out and once again took her hand in his. ‘We could have this conversation in front of your parents, if that is your wish. But I believe they may find it a little embarrassing to witness me going down on one knee while I propose to you!’
She shook her head. ‘I’ve already told you that I won’t—’
‘Cara,’ Niccolo silenced her gently, lifting her hand to brush his lips against her softly scented skin, his gaze intent upon hers. ‘It occurred to me, while you were asleep on the drive down here, that when we talked yesterday I somehow failed to propose properly to you. With your permission, it is an omission I intend correcting before we talk to your parents.’
Dani was still rather dazed. Niccolo didn’t need her ‘permission’ to do anything. Neither could she see what difference his asking her to marry him rather than telling her was going to make.
‘I think it’s best if we do leave you two alone for a while,’ her mother told her gently as she came over to squeeze her arm understandingly. ‘Daddy and I will just go through to the kitchen and tell Cook there will be two more for lunch.’
‘But I believe we’ll leave Father to sulk for a while longer,’ Dani’s father added.
‘That arrangement sounds perfect.’ Niccolo was the one to agree.
‘I thought it might.’ Jeffrey laughed. ‘Don’t keep us waiting too long for this news of yours, hmm?’ he added warmly.
Dani waited until her parents had left the sitting room before turning back to Niccolo. ‘I’m sorry, Niccolo, but don’t think you getting down on one knee and proposing is going to make the slightest difference to what my answer has to be.’
‘Has to be?’ he echoed softly, his head tilted slightly as he looked down at her.
Dani removed her hand from Niccolo’s clasp before moving away, totally unnerved by his close proximity. ‘I simply can’t marry you, Niccolo—’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I can’t!’ she groaned.
So much for her earlier certainty that Niccolo would never repeat his offer of marriage!
But to be married to Niccolo, loving him, in love with him, when he didn’t return those feelings, had to be her idea of hell on earth….
‘It wouldn’t work, Niccolo—’
‘Everything works between us, Daniella,’ he cut in softly.
She gave a weak smile. ‘You’re talking about sex, Niccolo—’
‘I’m talking about making love,’ he corrected. ‘And we do make love, Daniella.’ His voice lowered to a sensuous murmur that made Dani shiver. ‘Even that first time we made beautiful love together. Deny it if you can.’
Dani couldn’t. She already knew that what she and Niccolo shared physically was exceptional. Perfect.
She shook her head. ‘I’m not going to deny it, Niccolo.’ She sighed. ‘But what happens when I’m huge with our child and no longer sexually attractive? If we were married would I be expected to just sit by while you went out and found yourself a mistress—?’
‘No!’ Niccolo exclaimed, frowning darkly at the mere thought of ever making love to any other woman but Daniella. ‘No,’ he repeated gently as he crossed the room to her side. ‘Daniella, perhaps our…courtship has been a little brief. Certainly the nature of it has been reversed, in as much as we made love first and then afterwards got to know each other—and are still learning about each other,’ he acknowledged ruefully. ‘But I do not just want you in a sexual way, Daniella. I want all of you.’
She looked up at him, heartbreakingly earnest. ‘What does that mean?’
He smiled. ‘It means that I know you are not in love with me yet, but that I hope, given time, to persuade you into loving me as much as I love you. And I do love you—a great deal, Daniella,’ he added throatily. ‘I love you as I never thought I would love anyone,’ he told her intently. ‘I love you more than life itself!’
Dani stared at him, completely dumbstruck, completely overwhelmed! ‘I—But—You can’t love me!’ she finally managed to gasp.
Niccolo’s smile deepened. ‘The fact that you are the only person I know who would dare to tell me who I can or cannot love is one of the reasons that I do love you.’
‘But—but you never even approved of me as a friend for Eleni.’
‘I was guilty of that arrogance, yes.’
‘And even less so after my marriage and divorce,’ she continued, frowning now.
He drew in a sharp breath. ‘You are in no way responsible for the brevity of your marriage to Philip Maddox!’ he told
her harshly.
Dani looked up at him cautiously, seeing the fierce anger in his gaze. And yet it was an anger she was somehow sure was not directed at her….
What did Niccolo know of her marriage to Philip? How did he know? Surely Eleni couldn’t have told him?
‘The meeting I told you I had in London yesterday evening was with Philip Maddox,’ Niccolo continued, his eyes narrowed intently as he recalled that meeting.
‘You went to see Philip?’ Daniella gaped.
‘I certainly did. And I cannot believe that any man could have treated you in that way. He was your husband, and had only just promised before God to love and protect you!’
He shook his head in disgust as he thought of his conversation the evening before with Daniella’s ex-husband. The sorry excuse for a man had admitted that, in a fit of uncontrollable jealous rage, he had all but raped his own wife on their wedding night.
Niccolo had already guessed that it had to be something as awful as that after sensing Daniella’s aversion to even the idea of marriage. A few minutes’ conversation with Philip Maddox had confirmed his own worst fears.
He looked at Daniella with concern now as she moved to one of the chairs to sit down heavily, her face very pale. ‘I don’t understand. What made you go and see Philip in the first place?’
‘You did, cara mia,’ Niccolo confirmed as he went down on his haunches beside her chair, his gaze intent on hers. ‘These last two days in Venice, you several times looked at me warily, almost with fear, when you thought you might have angered or displeased me, as if you were frightened of what my reaction might be. But please believe me when I tell you I would never force you to do anything you did not want to do, Daniella.’
She already knew that!
Just as she knew—had always known—that Niccolo was nothing like Philip. Niccolo was strong where Philip was weak. Niccolo was honourable where Philip was selfish. Niccolo would never use physical force on any woman. Because Niccolo was—well, Niccolo!