Her Husband's Christmas Bargain

by Margaret Mayo

  ‘Of course I will, my precious.’ Anything to avoid seeing Luigi.

  She wondered whether he was still serious about fetching Serena. Maybe he would have realised after sleeping on it that it would do no good. But probably not! When Luigi had a bee in his bonnet he stuck with it. He was adamant about wanting to prove that Serena had no part to play in his private life. Of course he would prime the woman first; that would be his reason for picking her up. He wouldn’t just phone and say, ‘Come over.’ They needed to consolidate their strategy.

  She and Kate were laughing over something Charlotte had said when Luigi walked into the nursery. His frown was deep when he saw her. ‘Why are you here?’ he asked, and she could see that he was trying desperately, for his daughter’s sake, not to sound cross.

  ‘Charlotte invited me.’

  ‘And it didn’t matter that I was sitting downstairs waiting for you?’

  Megan became aware of Kate’s raised eyebrows. ‘I’m sorry, I should have told you,’ she said in a deliberately warm voice. ‘Why don’t you join us? I’ll ask Amy to send—’

  ‘I’ve already eaten,’ he announced abruptly, ‘but I’d appreciate it if you’d find time to join me for coffee.’ And with that he turned abruptly on his heel and left.

  ‘Oops!’ said Kate.

  ‘It’s all right,’ returned Megan, smiling. ‘I’d forgotten there was something he wanted to talk about.’

  ‘Then you should go now, not keep him waiting any longer.’

  And, although Kate tried to pretend that everything was perfectly normal, Megan could see that she was besieged with curiosity.

  Ten minutes went by before she finally joined Luigi. Ten minutes in which he’d had time to grow even angrier. ‘Were you deliberately avoiding me?’ he rasped.

  ‘Actually, yes,’ she answered calmly. ‘I didn’t like the tone of our conversation last night. I had no wish to carry it on.’

  ‘Ah, you didn’t like the tone.’ His voice was heavily condescending. ‘And how do you think I felt when I was accused of doing something that I’m not guilty of?’

  ‘So you say,’ she retorted smartly.

  ‘I am not a liar,’ he slung back.

  ‘And I’m not in the habit of making things up.’

  ‘You see what you want to see.’

  ‘I hear what I don’t want to hear,’ she thrust.

  ‘And what is that supposed to mean?’ The frown was harsh again, slicing his brow in two, eyes as hard as metal bullets.

  ‘You work it out.’

  ‘I’m aware,’ he said slowly, ‘that there’s gossip about Serena and myself. Ugly rumours. It’s natural in a workplace. So who’s been speaking out of turn? Tell me and I’ll damn well sack them.’

  Megan found it hard to believe that he was still doing his utmost to deny a relationship with his good-looking PA. If his business colleagues were talking about it then it must be true. The maxim that there was no smoke without fire was almost always spot on.

  ‘I have no wish to divulge my source of information,’ she told him icily. ‘I expect it will come out in time. These things always do. Meanwhile I don’t wish to speak with Serena, or even see her again. I wouldn’t believe her if she swore on the Bible.’ Her heart was banging away in her chest like a kid bouncing a ball on the pavement. Thump, thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump. And everywhere else her body tingled and pulsed and resented every inch of this man standing in front of her.

  He was wearing a black sweater this morning and black trousers and, added to his swarthy skin and raven-black hair, menace leaked from every pore in his body. At one time, when he dressed in black, she had thought it was sexy, turning her on like never before, but not this morning. In her eyes he was the devil incarnate.

  Luigi’s nostrils dilated as he strove for self-control. Something had gone radically wrong last night. Someone had said something out of school and Megan had believed them. The jealousy that he’d seen, and been pleased about, had turned into something ugly and dangerous and his whole future lay in the balance.

  She had threatened to walk out on him again. Would she? His heart had stopped when she hadn’t appeared at the breakfast table. He had feared the worst, racing up to her room to check on her wardrobe, his relief knowing no bounds when he’d discovered that her clothes were still there. Or were they simply the ones he had bought her? Another mind-stopping moment as he rifled through her drawers. Nothing had gone. He had checked Charlotte’s room next, to make sure. He was safe. His daughter’s clothes hung in the wardrobe.

  He had been both relieved and angry when he’d found Megan in the nursery. There was no doubt in his mind that she was avoiding him and it had been hard for him not to drag her away. And now she stood before him as prickly as a hedgehog sensing danger, believing he was having an affair with Serena!

  ‘How can I prove to you that you’re wrong?’ he asked, his arms spread wide, his palms open and towards her. His whole body was rigid, and he knew there was exasperation in his eyes; he couldn’t help it. She was driving him insane.

  ‘By sacking Serena. Banishing her from your life altogether.’

  He stared at her with a mixture of horror and anger. ‘I can’t do that. She knows the business inside out. I’d be lost without her.’

  ‘And would she be lost without you?’ came Megan’s caustic response.

  She wasn’t talking about work either. If only he knew who had put these suspicions into her mind he would have him hung, drawn and quartered without mercy. Or at the very least he would have him retract his statement in front of Megan. There was a very real danger here of him losing both his wife and his child because someone had stupidly repeated unfounded rumours.

  No, not his child—he would never let Charlotte go. She was his flesh and blood. If all else failed and he couldn’t persuade Megan to stay, then he would fight tooth and nail for custody of their daughter. She had added a very real meaning to his life, and he would never treat her the way he had been treated as a boy.

  ‘You’re seeing things that aren’t there,’ he said sharply. ‘You shouldn’t listen to gossip. But I’m not going to beg and ask to be given a chance to prove it. A woman of your integrity should know fact from fiction.’ Lord, she was spectacularly beautiful this morning. Why was it that a woman aroused, whether in anger or in lust, always looked beautiful, whereas an angry man looked ugly?

  ‘Last night you threatened to leave me. Are you still of that mind?’

  She hesitated a moment before nodding.

  His lips thinned. ‘We seem to have had this conversation before,’ he told her drily and not a little impatiently. ‘But perhaps I’d better reiterate one point. Charlotte stays.’

  Megan’s chin jerked and her eyes hardened. ‘We came as a package, Charlotte and I, and that’s how we’ll leave.’

  ‘Then you’d better think very hard about your decision. Because, believe me, wherever you go I’ll find you.’

  In answer Megan swung on her heel and walked away, leaving him with no idea what she intended to do.

  CHAPTER TEN

  MEGAN spent the whole morning considering her future. She had no doubt that Luigi meant every word. He would find them. No place would be safe. And he would take away his daughter. She would be left with an empty life. Merely the thought of Serena being a mother to Charlotte sent cold nervous shivers down her spine.

  Serena thought of no one but herself; she would resent having a sometimes recalcitrant child under her feet. She would probably send her away to boarding school as soon as she was old enough and Charlotte would hate that. And so would Megan. Over her dead body would she allow him to take Charlotte away from her!

  On the other hand, she couldn’t stay here and ignore Luigi’s affair. She had hoped desperately that he’d learn to love her as she loved him. She’d been jealous of Serena, yes, but had prayed that the woman meant nothing to her husband. She had tried so hard to believe him. To what avail?

  It was lunchtime before
she saw Luigi again. She’d heard him go out, and no prize money for guessing where he’d gone, but she hadn’t realised that he was back. Amy had laid the table, coming to find her to tell her that lunch was ready. Rather than upset her by declaring that she’d share with Kate and Charlotte again, Megan had made her way into the dining room, coming to a sudden halt when she saw Luigi sitting there.

  He smiled as though nothing was wrong. He had changed out of his black gear and instead wore a blue polo shirt and grey slacks. He looked far more relaxed than he had earlier, no doubt due to Serena’s influence, thought Megan caustically. She slid into the chair opposite him.

  ‘No work today?’ she asked, in an attempt to make conversation.

  He shook his head. ‘New Year’s Day’s an official holiday.’

  ‘And one you don’t usually adhere to.’

  ‘I’m reformed, or are you forgetting?’ he asked with a winning smile.

  Megan was confused. He was acting as though nothing had happened. Was this going to be his strategy? Was he hoping that he could win her round by ignoring their argument? Not a cat in hell’s chance! But as she didn’t want her daughter seeing them at loggerheads she’d go along with it for now.

  There had been a further sprinkling of snow during the night and after lunch the four of them went outside to play snowballs. Charlotte was in her element, and Kate almost as bad. They had a riotous time—until Charlotte wandered too far away from the house in search of deeper snow.

  Megan wasn’t concerned, and she didn’t give the lake a thought until Luigi gave a yell and raced frantically towards it. Fear gripped her then with icy fingers and she chased after him. ‘Charlotte!’ she screamed. ’ Charlotte!’ How could she have fallen in with three adults to watch over her? What had they been doing? Snowballing each other, that was what, like big kids let out of school.

  Luigi stripped off his jacket and shoes and jumped in and Megan’s heart was in panic mode. She should have kept a closer eye on her daughter. The lake was deep in the centre but not around the edges, but even a few inches was enough for Charlotte to drown.

  She could see her now, lying in the water, and big, wet tears mixed with her terror. ‘Oh, my God, my baby!’ She began to tear off her own jacket, her throat tight with fear, but Luigi had reached her and pulled a painfully still Charlotte up into his arms.

  Megan thought she was dead—she was so white and still—but Luigi gave her a thump on the back and she coughed and spluttered and spilled out the water she’d swallowed. After that she started crying and asking for her mummy.

  ‘I’ll carry her into the house,’ said Luigi roughly.

  Megan ran at his side, constantly reassuring her daughter that everything was going to be all right. Charlotte was blue around the lips and shivering violently.

  ‘I’ll run a warm bath,’ said Kate, who was as pale and shocked as the rest of them.

  ‘Should we send for the doctor?’ asked Luigi.

  ‘Not unless she goes into a state of shock,’ declared Kate, and they were both reassured by her confidence.

  Megan stripped her daughter and gently helped her into the warm bath water, comforting her all the time, and gradually her colour returned to normal and she stopped crying and gave a weak smile.

  Luigi had stood in the background watching. Now Megan turned to him and saw that he was shivering too. ‘You fool,’ she said. ‘Go and take a hot shower or it’ll be you we take to hospital.’

  ‘Is she going to be all right?’ There was a tremor in his voice and tears glistened in his eyes.

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘That damn lake; I’ll get it filled in. Charlotte could so easily have drowned.’

  ‘No, she couldn’t,’ assured Megan. ‘We were all there, keeping our eye on her.’

  ‘We didn’t see her go in that direction. And one day she might be outside alone. I can’t take the risk. I never thought. Oh, Megan, what if—’

  She didn’t wait to hear the rest. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, wet as he was, and said, ‘No what if’s. She’s all right, thanks to you. It’s a beautiful lake, you can’t do that.’

  ‘Then I’ll fence it. No parent should have to go through this.’

  And Megan agreed with him.

  It moved her, seeing him so upset. It proved how much he’d come to love his daughter. Even if he was unable to express himself openly, the feelings were there.

  Charlotte appeared to suffer no ill effects from her dip in the icy water but for the rest of the day she wanted her mummy and daddy rather than Kate. Megan watched Luigi as he played with her, throwing himself whole-heartedly into whatever game she suggested. And he gave her spontaneous hugs and whispered words in her ear that Megan wasn’t supposed to hear. But it sounded suspiciously as though he was telling her that he loved her.

  It brought a lump to Megan’s throat to see this man, whose business life had always meant so much more to him than anything else in the world, baring his soul to his daughter. It proved miracles did happen. And, even if he didn’t love her, it meant a lot that he loved Charlotte. Once again she wondered whether it would be fair to take Charlotte away from him.

  Simply looking at them together she could see the adoration in Charlotte’s eyes. He was the epitome of all she’d ever wanted in a father. She had asked Santa Claus for him and he had provided the goods. Their daughter would be devastated if he was taken from her now. On the other hand, how could she live with a man who was carrying on an affair with another woman? She was in a catch-22 situation and there seemed to be no way out.

  When it was bedtime Charlotte insisted that Luigi carry her up and tuck her in. Whether it was because he was the one who had rescued her, or because he’d given her more attention than ever before, Megan couldn’t be sure, but whatever, she didn’t want to let her father go.

  He read her two stories before she fell asleep, her tiny hand clutched in his big one. Afterwards Luigi took Megan’s hand and led her from the room. ‘Let’s go and sit in the den before dinner.’ And in her mellowed mood Megan didn’t demur.

  The first thing he did was apologise again for what had happened.

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ she assured him, ‘though I have to admit I have had faint reservations about the lake.’

  ‘You should have said,’ he returned at once. ‘I’d have done something about it.’

  ‘If our situation had become permanent I would have.’

  A shadow darkened his brow. ‘I don’t want you to leave, Megan. You and Charlotte mean so much to me.’

  Her eyebrows lifted. ‘I do?’

  ‘You’re my wife. What do you think?’

  Yes, that was right. She was his wife. And it was his duty to care about her. But he didn’t! Or he wouldn’t be carrying on with another woman. Not wanting to start another argument, she let it pass. Instead she said, ‘I hope Charlotte doesn’t suffer any after effects.’

  ‘Is there a chance?’ he asked with an instant frown. ‘Should we have taken her to hospital?’

  ‘I don’t think so. We just need to keep an eye on her.’

  ‘I’ll sit with her all night if necessary.’

  ‘There’s no need for that,’ she said gently. ‘I’ll hear her if she wakes.’

  ‘You didn’t hear her the other day,’ reminded Luigi.

  ‘Tonight I’ll be listening.’

  ‘We could listen together.’

  Megan’s whole sensory system stirred into life. Sitting here with him, a cosy log fire burning in the grate, the rich red curtains drawn against the cold winter’s night, it was easy to forget everything else and remember only the good times they’d had. Amazingly, despite all that she’d gone through, she found herself still wanting him.

  And, judging by the intensity in his eyes, he wanted her too.

  Take what’s on offer, she told herself. Easier said than done. How could she let him make love to her when the image of gloating green eyes would hover and disturb? Lord, she wanted hi
m, but, hell, she couldn’t have him! No, that was wrong. She could have him, but not on her own terms. Terms which would exclude Serena from his life for evermore.

  ‘Megan.’ His voice was soft and persuasive. ‘I want this thing to work. I want you and Charlotte with me for all time.’

  ‘I know,’ she said on a husky whisper. ‘But I can’t—’

  ‘Forget what you’ve heard?’ he interjected with a slight edge to his voice. ‘I wish I knew who had told you. It’s lies, you know. All lies.’

  ‘Can you prove that to me?’

  ‘Only if you let Serena tell you herself.’

  ‘No!’ Megan shook her head quickly. ‘The proof has to come from you.’

  ‘You mean I have to cut her out of my life completely?’ And when she gave a faint nod, ‘I can’t do that. It’s impossible.’

  She refused to break eye contact, hard though it was to see him struggling with his conscience. ‘Then there’s no future for us.’

  Neither of them had raised their voices. It was a calm, civilised conversation and Megan congratulated herself on controlling her temper. Yelling at each other had got them nowhere.

  ‘I happen to think that there could be,’ he said, ‘and for that reason I’m taking you away for a few days.’

  Megan felt an instant surge of outrage. Not this again. It would be a pointless and futile exercise.

  But before she could speak he went on swiftly, ‘Not Charlotte; she’s staying with Kate. Just you and me and I won’t take no for an answer. More than ever we need this time to sort ourselves out. We’re leaving straight after breakfast in the morning—providing Charlotte’s OK, of course.’

  ‘You can’t do this,’ she protested. ‘It won’t work. Nothing will.’

  ‘I beg to differ.’ His dark eyes were steady on hers, daring her to refuse him. ‘It’s what I’ve been trying to do ever since you came here. And I sorely wish now that we’d done it before your mind was poisoned.’

  ‘As far as I can see,’ she said, averting her gaze because he was causing another agonising dance of prickles over her skin, ‘it wouldn’t have made any difference. The truth would have come out in the end.’