never coming near here again fills me with horror!'
He was being very false and terribly mocking, but Sabrina took it all as if he had gone the whole hog and gone down on his knees in front of her, and preened herself like an exotic bird.
'Teresa...' Carlo returned his attention to his still glowering daughter '...Maria has come to take you for your afternoon nap.'
'I'm not tired,' she told him, then spoiled it by yawning widely. 'And anyway,' she added stubbornly, 'Cass will be lonely without me.'
'I shall promise to take great care that your aunt does not pine too much without your company,' her father assured her. 'But Maria is looking forward to having you all to herself,' he appealed to the child's soft heart. 'Just look at her; she will be disappointed if you turn her away.'
Maria was standing by the open doorway, her round face expectant, and Terri looked at her from under lowered brows. 'Cass let me play in that great big bath in our room yesterday,' she recalled slyly, seeing herself in possession of a little bargaining power here.
Amusement sprang back into life in Carlo's brown eyes as he turned them on Cass. 'I see no reason why Maria shouldn't let you do the same,' he allowed.
Mollified, Terri scrambled down from her chair and was carried off by a gaily laughing Maria, while Sabrina Reducci was looking decidedly sour. 'You are going out, Carlo?' she demanded.
'To San Remo,' he explained, reaching down to brush his mother's cheek with his lips. 'So do not overtire my mother with your mindless gossip while I am not here to curb you,' he told her with a quick brush of his lips to Sabrina's cheek. He came to stand by Cass's side. 'Ready to go, Miss Marlow?' he enquired smoothly.
Cass stood up, relieved to have an excuse to get away.
'Ciao, then,' he called lightly, and took Cass's arm, leading her away with the red-hot needles of Sabrina's gaze stinging into her back as they went.
Were they lovers? Cass frowned thoughtfully as she walked beside him, finding that she was altering her opinion on that score. No man, surely, treated his mistress as cavalierly as Carlo treated Sabrina.
But then, she added cynically to herself, the way he had treated Liz had been worse. So maybe he could kiss and dismiss any lover without a qualm.
'Now,' he said, turning to look down at her as he guided her out into the sunshine. Cass's chin came up, the cynicism clear in her green eyes as they clashed with his. Taken aback by it, he halted, turning fully to face her. 'What have I done now?' he asked in genuine bewilderment.
'Nothing,' she said, and looked quickly away, frowning over her own confusion. Last night she had decided that he couldn't possibly have treated Liz as badly as she'd always believed him to have done. Now, after witnessing one short example of his behaviour towards Sabrina, she was condemning him all over again.
"Then why the accusing look?' he demanded, taking hold of her by the shoulders and drawing her closer to him so that she had no choice but to look into his questioning eyes.
Instantly she was aware of masculine hardness, his superior height and strength and potent sexuality. 'Y-you shouldn't treat her as casually as that, you know!' she blurted out.
'Who?' he frowned. 'Teresa?'
'No!' Cass shifted restlessly under his light grip. 'Miss Reducci! It isn't right. Not when she so obviously worships the very ground you walk on!'
He laughed, the sound nothing but a soft rumble in his cavernous chest. And the fingers cupping her shoulders tensed slightly. 'Sabrina and I understand each other very well, Cassandra,' he dismissed. 'Don't let our manner towards each other bother you so.' He moved back to her side, one arm sliding round her shoulders.
'I have to visit my hotel in San Remo for a while, but first we will attend to your belongings.'
He handed her into the car and closed the door. By the time he had stepped around the long bonnet and got in beside her, Cass was chewing thoughtfully on her
He was being very false and terribly mocking, but Sabrina took it all as if he had gone the whole hog and gone down on his knees in front of her, and preened herself like an exotic bird.
'Teresa...' Carlo returned his attention to his still glowering daughter '...Maria has come to take you for your afternoon nap.'
'I'm not tired,' she told him, then spoiled it by yawning widely. 'And anyway,' she added stubbornly, 'Cass will be lonely without me.'
'I shall promise to take great care that your aunt does not pine too much without your company,' her father assured her. 'But Maria is looking forward to having you all to herself,' he appealed to the child's soft heart. 'Just look at her; she will be disappointed if you turn her away.'
Maria was standing by the open doorway, her round face expectant, and Terri looked at her from under lowered brows. 'Cass let me play in that great big bath in our room yesterday,' she recalled slyly, seeing herself in possession of a little bargaining power here.
Amusement sprang back into life in Carlo's brown eyes as he turned them on Cass. 'I see no reason why Maria shouldn't let you do the same,' he allowed.
Mollified, Terri scrambled down from her chair and was carried off by a gaily laughing Maria, while Sabrina Reducci was looking decidedly sour. 'You are going out, Carlo?' she demanded.
'To San Remo,' he explained, reaching down to brush his mother's cheek with his lips. 'So do not overtire my mother with your mindless gossip while I am not here to curb you,' he told her with a quick brush of his lips to Sabrina's cheek. He came to stand by Cass's side. 'Ready to go, Miss Marlow?' he enquired smoothly.
Cass stood up, relieved to have an excuse to get away.
'Ciao, then,' he called lightly, and took Cass's arm, leading her away with the red-hot needles of Sabrina's gaze stinging into her back as they went.
Were they lovers? Cass frowned thoughtfully as she walked beside him, finding that she was altering her opinion on that score. No man, surely, treated his mistress as cavalierly as Carlo treated Sabrina.
But then, she added cynically to herself, the way he had treated Liz had been worse. So maybe he could kiss and dismiss any lover without a qualm.
'Now,' he said, turning to look down at her as he guided her out into the sunshine. Cass's chin came up, the cynicism clear in her green eyes as they clashed with his. Taken aback by it, he halted, turning fully to face her. 'What have I done now?' he asked in genuine bewilderment.
'Nothing,' she said, and looked quickly away, frowning over her own confusion. Last night she had decided that he couldn't possibly have treated Liz as badly as she'd always believed him to have done. Now, after witnessing one short example of his behaviour towards Sabrina, she was condemning him all over again.
"Then why the accusing look?' he demanded, taking hold of her by the shoulders and drawing her closer to him so that she had no choice but to look into his questioning eyes.
Instantly she was aware of masculine hardness, his superior height and strength and potent sexuality. 'Y-you shouldn't treat her as casually as that, you know!' she blurted out.
'Who?' he frowned. 'Teresa?'
'No!' Cass shifted restlessly under his light grip. 'Miss Reducci! It isn't right. Not when she so obviously worships the very ground you walk on!'
He laughed, the sound nothing but a soft rumble in his cavernous chest. And the fingers cupping her shoulders tensed slightly. 'Sabrina and I understand each other very well, Cassandra,' he dismissed. 'Don't let our manner towards each other bother you so.' He moved back to her side, one arm sliding round her shoulders.
'I have to visit my hotel in San Remo for a while, but first we will attend to your belongings.'
He handed her into the car and closed the door. By the time he had stepped around the long bonnet and got in beside her, Cass was chewing thoughtfully on her
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