Tall, Dark... Collection

She had been beautiful five years ago, like a delicate and lovely flower that blossomed to his slightest touch. But, Gabriel now realised, he had plundered only one of her petals then. Motherhood and a successful career had ensured there was now so much more to Isabella Scott, and he found it all desirable…

He smiled slowly. ‘I am not insulted, Isabella,’ he assured huskily. ‘Intrigued, perhaps, but not insulted.’

‘Pity,’ she muttered.

Gabriel’s smile widened. ‘You agree to my condition, then?’

She eyed him, totally frustrated with her lack of anything resembling control of this situation. ‘I assure you I no more want my parents and siblings upset about the choice I’m making than you want to distress your father.’

‘And so…?’

She glared her dislike of him, then grudgingly conceded. ‘And so, in public at least, I will try to ensure that it appears as if our marriage is something I want.’

‘Good.’Gabriel murmured his satisfaction as he lifted his hand and curved it about the delicate line of Bella’s jaw, instantly feeling the way she tensed at his lightest touch before moving sharply away. ‘Neither your family or my own will be convinced of our—ease with each other, if you react in that way when I touch you!’ he growled disapprovingly as his hand fell back to his side.

She gave a dismissive snort. ‘I promise I’ll try to do better when we have an audience!’

‘To merely try is not good enough,’ Gabriel told her coldly.

‘It’s the only answer I can give you for now,’ she told him wearily.

Gabriel studied her through narrowed lids, easily able to see that weariness, along with the air of defeat Bella no longer tried to hide from him.

Yes, he had won the battle by forcing Isabella’s compliance in the matter of marrying him, and in claiming Toby as his son.

But Gabriel felt little triumph in that victory as he sensed that, in doing so, he might have put the success of the entire war he was waging in jeopardy…

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘YOU make a stunning bride, Bella!’ Claudia smiled at her tearfully as she put the finishing touches to the veil before stepping back to admire her sister’s appearance.

Bella could only stare numbly at her own reflection, in a beautiful white satin wedding gown and lovely lace veil, in the full-length mirror on the door of the wardrobe in the bedroom that had been hers as a child.

Whoever would have thought, having agreed to Gabriel’s marriage proposal, that only five weeks later Bella would be standing here dressed in this beautiful white wedding gown and veil, preparing to drive to the church with her father, on her way to becoming Gabriel’s bride?

Gabriel’s bride.

Gabriel Danti’s bride.

Oh, God!

‘You can’t be having second thoughts about marrying a man as gorgeous as Gabriel, Bella?’ Claudia teased her obvious nervousness.

‘No, I can’t, can I?’ she agreed with forced lightness. ‘Go and tell Daddy that I’m ready to leave, hmm?’ she asked, waiting until Claudia had left the bedroom before turning back to look at her reflection in the mirror.

What would be the point in having doubts about marrying Gabriel when he had already legally claimed Toby as his son? The name Danti had been enough to ensure that Gabriel’s claim was dealt with quickly and positively. Toby Scott was now Tobias Danti.

As Bella would very shortly become Isabella Danti.

Even that name sounded alien to her, not like her at all. Which was pretty apt when Bella hadn’t felt like herself for the last five weeks. Even less so today!

The woman reflected in the mirror wearing the white satin gown and delicate lace veil over the dark cascade of her hair certainly looked like her, but Bella could feel no joy in her appearance, or at the thought of becoming Gabriel’s wife.

They had shared the news of their engagement with their delighted families five weeks ago. Bella and Toby had then remained in San Francisco for two more days to give Gabriel the time to settle his affairs before he flew back to England with them.

Since arriving in England, Gabriel had been staying in the house in Surrey where Bella had first met him, but coming to the cottage every day in order to spend time with Toby.

When in the company of her family and Gabriel’s they had, as agreed, given every impression that they were happy in each other’s company.

Not an easy thing on Bella’s part when the more time she spent in Gabriel’s company, the more physically aware of him she became. Until now, on their wedding day, she felt so tense with that physical awareness it was a constant painful ache. So much for her condition that this was to be a marriage in name only…

This was her wedding day, Bella accepted heavily.

And she couldn’t have felt more miserable!

‘Where are we going?’

‘On our honeymoon, of course,’ Gabriel said with satisfaction as he drove the black sports car to the private airfield where the Danti jet was fuelled and waiting to take off, the two of them having just been given a warm send-off by their wedding guests.

‘What honeymoon?’ Bella frowned as she turned in her seat to look at him, still wearing her wedding gown and veil. ‘At no time in the last five weeks did we discuss going away on a honeymoon!’

‘We did not discuss it because I knew this would be your reaction if we had,’ Gabriel told her unrepentantly.

She scowled her frustration with his high-handedness. ‘If you knew that then, why—?’

‘It was meant to be a surprise,’ Gabriel growled.

Her mouth compressed. ‘Oh it’s certainly that all right.’

‘It is Toby’s surprise, Bella,’ he elaborated softly.

She looked at him sharply. ‘Toby’s?’

Gabriel nodded. ‘Our son confided in me several weeks ago that newly married people go away on honeymoon together after the wedding.’

Bella’s cheeks were flushed. ‘You should have explained to him—’

‘Should have explained what exactly to him, Isabella?’ Gabriel grated harshly. ‘That although his mother and father are now married, they are not in love with each other? That his mother has no desire whatsoever to spend time alone with his father?’

Bella winced. When he put it like that…!

They had spent the last few weeks, individually and together, convincing Toby that they were all going to be happy as a real family. Obviously they had succeeded as far as Toby was concerned, which was why he had decided his parents going away on honeymoon together was what a ‘real family’ did…

‘I don’t have any other clothes with me—’

‘Claudia was kind enough to pack a suitcase for you,’ Gabriel explained. ‘It is in the trunk of the car with my own.’

Well, that explained the mischievous glint Bella had seen in Claudia’s eyes earlier as her sister had stood with the other wedding guests outside the hotel to wave them off!