A Cinderella To Secure His Heir

Was she even a real nanny or a stooge set up by Valente... Alessio?

‘Asleep.’

‘He’s here?’

‘Yes. He’s in his cot.’

But the nanny’s word was not enough. Beth needed to see him with her own two eyes.

Dragging her jelly legs to the bedroom Dom had been appointed to share with the nanny, she pushed the door open.

The only illumination in the room came from the opened door. The cot was at the far wall. Beth crept over to it, her heart thundering, terrified that she would find it empty...

Dom lay in it on his back, tiny hands in fists either side of his head, sleeping peacefully, as snug as a bug in a rug.

The relief that surged through Beth to find him there safe and sound was so great that she doubled over and gulped air into her burning lungs.

But the relief was only temporary. Danger remained close. Remembering the fury on Alessio’s face when that man had called him by his real name, she figured his plans to snatch Dom from her had been interrupted.

Alessio’s minions might be on their way right now to get him.

She had to take Dom now, and leave this palace before...

A large shadow filled the open doorway.

‘No!’ The word shot from her mouth as a howl and she straightened clumsily to spread her arms wide across the cot. If he wanted to get to Dom, he would have to get through her first.

Dom stirred, a tiny mewing sound coming from his cot.

Beth held her breath. She didn’t dare take her eyes off Alessio, who remained at the threshold of the room.

‘I’m sorry you had to discover the truth like that.’ His words echoed off the walls.

Nausea roiled violently in her stomach. ‘Sorry that it prevented you taking Dom, Alessio?’

She tried to keep a lid on the fresh panic gripping her as she took in the lean yet muscular proportions of the man with a new ominous perspective. If it came to a fight, she would never win.

But she would try. She would fight. She would do whatever it took to keep Dom out of the clutches of the man from whom she had sworn to protect him. She would protect her ward with her life.

He shook his head slowly. ‘If I wanted to take him, I would have done so already.’

‘Stay back!’ He’d stepped into the room. The shoe she’d lost on the stairs was in his hand. ‘Don’t come any closer.’

She tensed her body, readying herself for the first physical fight of her life.

He took another step forward and placed the shoe on the dressing table.

Dom let out a loud cry.

Not wanting to take her eyes away from the slowly nearing Italian, she twisted an arm into the cot and groped carefully until she found Dom’s belly and gently stroked it. He cried out again. It was a cry of pain.

Valente... Alessio...stopped walking.

He expelled a deep breath then stepped back to the door. At the threshold he called out, ‘Miranda.’

The nanny appeared.

‘I’m going to take Miss Hardingstone to my suite. Domenico needs attending to.’

‘No!’ But Dom’s cries of pain were increasing and Beth could no longer bear the agony in her heart to hear them. She turned quickly and scooped him into her arms. Immediately his cries lessened.

Holding him securely and rocking him gently, she turned to her adversary and fought unsuccessfully to hold her own tears back. ‘Please, I am begging you, don’t do this. Don’t take him from me.’

CHAPTER FOUR (#ueec57014-f4bc-52f6-a7c3-733e81012efa)

‘BETH...’ ALESSIO’S FACE contorted briefly before he took five long strides to her.

She shrank back, her bottom wedged against the cot.

He gazed down at her but made no attempt to remove the fractious baby from her arms. His voice was surprisingly gentle as he said, ‘Listen to me, no one is taking Domenico from you, but we need to talk and it will be better if we can do that with privacy. My suite adjoins yours. Let Miranda take care of him and, when we’re done talking, you can come back to him.’

Alessio watched Beth’s face scrunch and her chest rise and fall rapidly, all the while rocking the baby in her arms.

He could curse.

He’d been prepared for screams, shouts and curses. He had not expected or been prepared for such anguish.

‘Give Domenico to Miranda. You have my word that you can return to him when we’re done talking.’

She turned her pleading gaze to Miranda, who came to her side and carefully lifted Domenico from her arms.

‘I’m not going anywhere,’ the nanny murmured.

Beth nodded bravely before placing a tender kiss on the baby’s forehead. ‘Have you given him any of his infant painkiller?’

‘He can have some more in half an hour. Don’t worry. I’ll look after him, I promise.’

She stepped away from them and rubbed her hands on her arms.

Knowing Beth would follow, Alessio walked to the door that adjoined their suites and unlocked it. Once in his own suite, he headed straight to the bar in the main lounge area and poured them both a hefty measure of single malt.

He held one out to her. ‘Take it. You’ve had a shock. It will help.’

Chocolate eyes, red and puffy from crying, held his briefly before she took the glass from him and carried it to one of the sofas. Only when she had sat down did she take a large drink from it.

He watched her carefully as she fixed her gaze to the ceiling and held tightly to her glass.

Lowering himself onto an armchair, he said, ‘I am sorry you had to find out the way you did. I was going to come clean in the morning.’