It Happened In Rome: The Forced Bride / The Italian's Rags-to-Riches Wife / The Italian's Passionate Revenge. Julia James
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You seemed eloquent enough when you spoke to my lawyers the other day. And very frank.’
Her throat closed in fright as she remembered every reckless word she’d thrown at them. His arrival had made the cottage seem suddenly smaller and more cramped. And there was a note of cold, quiet anger in his voice that made her shiver.
He noticed instantly. ‘You are cold, my angel? Forgive me.’ He kicked the door shut behind him. ‘So, Emilia, are you pleased with the cottage?’
She found her voice at last. ‘I was—until a moment ago.’ She took a deep breath. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’
‘I have come to talk to you, naturalmente,’ Raf said softly. ‘To discuss your recent ultimatum—among other things. I told you so in my letter. And you must have received it, or why would you be here?’
‘I came because I chose not to see you—not to have this conversation.’ She tried to keep her voice steady as her mind ran in crazy circles, trying desperately not to think what she was thinking. ‘As you must have known.’
He shrugged. ‘But that was not your choice to make.’ He unzipped his parka and tossed it across the back of a sofa. Underneath he was wearing a black roll-necked sweater and his long legs were encased in blue denim and tough-looking boots.
He too, it seemed, had dressed for bad weather—and a long stay. And a voice in her head was silently screaming, No…
‘I made my wishes clear to you, Emilia,’ he went on. ‘You should have listened.’
‘Ah,’ she said. ‘We’re back to the old obedience issue.’
‘There are a number of issues,’ he said. ‘In time, we shall deal with them all.’
‘No,’ she said angrily. ‘I came here to get away from you, as you’re clearly aware. Either you leave or I do.’
He walked to the door and opened it again. A flurry of snow blew in on a wind that seemed to come straight from the Arctic Circle. ‘Then go, mia cara. I hope you have a destination in mind, because it is not a night to be homeless.’
He paused. ‘Or you could be sensible and accept that this interview is inevitable. Which is it to be?’
There was a silence, then Emily turned away almost blindly, wrapping her arms round her body.
‘You are wise,’ he said and closed the door.
She said, ‘How did you know where I’d be?’
‘I think you already know the answer to that.’
She said fiercely, ‘I suppose you must have forced it out of poor Simon somehow.’
‘No force was needed,’ he said. ‘I have known about this house for a long time. My friends originally offered it to me for our honeymoon and I regret now that I did not accept.’ He looked round him appraisingly. ‘It is charming and ideally secluded, don’t you think?’
The sensation that she was standing on the edge of a precipice was so vivid that Emily almost swayed. She made her way to the sofa and sat down.
‘Friends?’ she echoed hoarsely. ‘What friends?’
‘Marcello and Fiona Albero,’ he said casually. ‘You met them in London when he was at the Embassy, but I knew you would not remember. You were always too enclosed in your little private block of ice, mia sposa, to care about any of the people I introduced to you.’
That, she thought indignantly, is so unfair, but she could not deal with it now.
She swallowed. ‘Then Simon must know them too.’
‘Signor Aubrey,’ he said with distaste, ‘knew only what I told him to say and what I told him to do. You see, I guessed, Emilia mia, that you would wish to avoid me if you could. Acting under my instructions, he provided you with the means to do so.’
He paused. ‘And he sent you here. To me.’
‘No,’ she said. ‘He wouldn’t do that. We—we’d found each other again, Simon and I. We had plans…’ Her voice tailed away, then she rallied. ‘You must have tricked him.’
‘Of course.’ There was harsh mockery in his tone. ‘I tricked him into allowing me to pay the worst of his debts. They were considerable.’
‘How did you know he owed money?’
‘I promised your father I would protect you,’ Raf said. ‘Therefore, I needed to know what Signor Aubrey was doing—especially when he ignored an earlier warning and came back into your life—with his plans.’
She gasped. ‘You mean you’ve been having him—watched? Investigated?’
‘Of course.’ His tone was brisk. ‘I have to be away a great deal, so how else could I obtain the information I needed? And the money he owed featured prominently in the reports I received.’
‘That’s nonsense,’ Emily said, her voice shaking. ‘Simon has his own successful business.’
‘There is no business. He has only what his wits can provide,’ Raf said curtly. ‘And he is running out of options.’ He shrugged. ‘I did not choose that you should be one of them.’
‘Do you know what you’re saying?’ she whispered. ‘You’re telling me that the man I love only wanted me because I’m my father’s heiress.’
‘Yes, Emilia, I am telling you exactly that.’
‘And what about me?’ she asked, dry-mouthed. ‘Have I been—watched too—in your absence?’
‘Si, naturalmente.’
‘I don’t think there’s anything natural about it,’ she said furiously. ‘How dared you spy on me?’
‘I am a rich man, Emilia, and you are my wife. In some circles this would make you a target.’ He shrugged. ‘I knew you would not accept a bodyguard at the Manor, so I chose the only alternative.’
‘And all from the most altruistic motives, of course.’ She radiated scorn. ‘But who watches you, pray?’
‘I can look after myself,’ he said. ‘You, I wished to keep safe in accordance with my promise to your father.’ He paused. ‘Also, I needed to prevent you from making a fool of yourself over Simon Aubrey.’
There was a taut silence, then he added curtly, ‘I regret that I have had to distress you. But it is time you knew the whole truth.’
‘I don’t—I won’t believe you.’ She snatched up her shoulder bag, extracting her mobile phone. ‘I’m going to call Simon right now. Prove you a liar.’
‘Then do so,’ Raf said and picked up his bag. ‘But first tell me where I will be sleeping.’
‘You’re not staying here.’ She looked up, white-faced, her eyes blazing. ‘Do you think I’d have you under the same roof?’
His voice was level. ‘It is not the first time. And I fail to see how you can stop me.’ He paused. ‘Fiona told me there are two bedrooms. Do I turn left or right at the top of the stairs?’
Their glances met—clashed, and it was Emily who looked away first, realising he was totally determined.
‘To the right,’ she said icily. ‘I suppose. As, sadly, I’m not physically capable of throwing you out. But Simon can, and he will, when he finds out what you’ve been saying. He’ll be here tomorrow.’
‘Your faith is admirable,’ he said quietly, ‘but misplaced. However, make your call if you must. But first ask yourself this. If I am a liar, how is it that I have found you so easily?’
Emily watched him walk up the stairs, her mind whirling in circles.
She could hardly comprehend what he’d said. It was too monstrous