The Italian's Love-Child: The Italian's Stolen Bride / The Marchese's Love-Child / The Italian's Marriage Demand

‘Before Christmas?’

‘It’s none of your business, Mrs Peretti.’

‘My son is getting married and it’s none of my business?’ It was a raw cry, scraped from a deep bank of emotion.

‘You didn’t care about what he wanted. You only care about what you want,’ Skye retorted, fighting the possessiveness that had led to all her grief.

‘I am Luciano’s mother. As the mother of a son yourself… the only one I have left…’

Unbelievably, the haughty arrogance crumbled, tears welling into her eyes. And Skye couldn’t help feeling sorry for her: this proud woman, weeping on a public street, this sad woman who had lost one son and was on the verge of losing the only one she had left. Regardless of the hurt she’d given in the past, she was Luc’s mother, and Skye imagined her watching lovingly over Luc as a little boy, just as she did Matt.

It was impossible to leave her standing here like this. ‘Come inside, Mrs Peretti,’ Skye gently urged, taking her arm to steer her up the path and into the house.

Letting in the enemy.

Except it no longer felt like that.

Until she told Luc what had happened.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

LUC’S call came through at seven o’clock that night, right on Matt’s bedtime. Knowing this, he asked to speak to Matt first so he could say goodnight to him, and since Matt was jumping up and down in his eagerness to speak to his father, Skye passed the telephone receiver to him.

‘Guess what, Daddy?’ he cried excitedly. ‘I met your Mummy today. She’s my grandmother and she said to call her Nonna.’

He went on to describe the big black car this amazing new person in his life had come in, while Skye worried over how Luc was reacting to the news. She had strongly felt it would be wrong to gag Matt on the subject of his grandmother. It would have raised too many questions and none of the answers were appropriate for a little boy’s understanding. Better to let him be happy about the relationship since there seemed to be a possibility that it could turn out good for him.

Matt prattled on, obviously prompted by questions Luc was putting to him about the meeting. His voice remained happy, signalling that Luc was carefully playing to their son’s innocence. Skye hoped she had done the right thing with Flavia Peretti, but the difficult hump of past history was still playing on her mind. It was a relief when Matt finally said goodnight to his father and passed the receiver to her.

‘Go on to bed now, Matt,’ she instructed. ‘You can read until I come in to say goodnight. Okay?’

‘Okay, Mummy.’ He shot her a proud grin. ‘Nonna was surprised at how well I can read, wasn’t she?’

Skye smiled back at him. ‘Yes, she was. Off you go, Matt.’

She watched him skip out of the kitchen while she took a deep breath to ease her inner tension before speaking to Luc.

‘Skye?’ Urgency in his voice.

‘Yes. I was just waiting for Matt to be out of earshot.’

‘Tell me what happened.’

Skye recounted everything as best she could; the presence of the black limousine in their street for the past three afternoons, his mother’s emergence from it today, the meeting on the sidewalk, her own stand about trying to keep the confrontation away from Matt, what was said and the reaction to it.

‘My mother has a long habit of using tears to break down opposition and get her own way,’ Luc commented tersely. ‘She succeeded in getting you to let her meet Matt.’

Had it been deliberate manipulation? Skye hadn’t thought so at the time. Surely it had been genuine distress. Besides, hadn’t Luc himself said it would be her one and only grandchild who would bring his mother around?

‘I thought you wanted her to, Luc.’

‘Not like this, behind my back,’ came the savage retort, making Skye cringe at having made a wrong judgement. Had she let in the enemy? Was this the thin edge of a wedge designed to drive her and Luc apart?

‘I’m sorry. I…’

‘No, I’m sorry,’ he quickly cut in, tempering his tone. ‘It’s not your fault. I should have been expecting this, should have warned you.’

‘Warned me of what?’ Alarm tingled through every nerve in her body.

There was a long expulsion of breath at his end. ‘Did my mother ask you to postpone our wedding?’

Giving his father time…to do what? How could anything be worse than what had been done to them six years ago? They were strong together now. Surely they could weather any attempt at interference.

‘I didn’t give her a date, Luc, but she did plead for us to wait until after Christmas. I said I’d have to discuss it with you.’

‘Right! Why did she pinpoint Christmas?’

‘She’s offering Christmas Day as a day of reconciliation. For family mending.’

‘Did you believe she meant it?’

Skye hesitated, but she had truly felt Flavia Peretti had spoken sincerely. ‘Is there any reason why I shouldn’t?’ she asked warily. ‘I thought you’d want this, Luc.’

‘It depends on what it costs. What was her attitude towards you, Skye?’

‘Stiff at first, but she wasn’t…well, looking down her nose at me. It was more a kind of awkward acceptance. Her focus was more on Matt than on me, Luc. I think she truly wants Matt in her life and will do all she can to…to smooth things over.’

‘There was nothing…offensive?’

‘Not really. I don’t expect a sudden flow of benevolence towards me from your mother. I never was what she wanted for you and I haven’t miraculously changed into the perfect Italian bride. But I honestly felt she was making an effort today not to be disapproving of anything.’

‘There’s nothing to disapprove of,’ he said fiercely, giving Skye the warm reassurance that he truly believed it and would fight to the death anyone who suggested otherwise.

It helped her relax, made her feel safe again. Luc was not being critical of her actions. He was being protective of her, angry that he had not been at her side to handle whatever was coming at her from his family.

‘I don’t like this…my mother visiting you behind my back,’ he went on. ‘Most probably behind my father’s back, too. As if we haven’t had enough deception messing us around!’

And they’d certainly both suffered from it. But giving suffering back did not right the wrong. Skye took a deep breath and tentatively suggested, ‘She might have come as a go-between peace-maker.’

A harsh laugh. ‘God knows! But I’ll sure as hell find out before this goes any further. I’ve booked a four o’clock flight for tomorrow afternoon. Should be with you and Matt in time for dinner.’

‘Do you want us to pick you up at the airport?’

‘No. I’ll catch a taxi, save the hassle. Don’t worry about my mother’s visit, Skye. I’ll sort it out when I get home. Okay?’

She sighed, relieved to have this assurance, too.

‘One thing,’ he added in a determined tone. ‘We are not postponing our wedding for anything so don’t even think about it. We love each other and we’re going to get married on our agreed date.’