silvering his voice at her conspicuously acidic response, “that you’ll come with me.”
She choked as her next mouthful went down the wrong way. Had she heard him correctly? “Go with you?” she spluttered.
“Provided you feel up to it, of course. If not, we’ll forget the whole idea.”
She swallowed an unseemly hiccup. “Surely a more pertinent question is, are you quite sure you’re up to it?”
“Well, who else would I take? You are my wife, after all.”
“I know. It’s one of the few things I am aware of.”
“Then why the hesitation? I thought you’d welcome a change of scene.”
“I would,” she agreed. “It’s your about-face that’s giving me pause. Or is your memory as faulty as mine and you’ve forgotten that, as recently as two days ago, you insisted I’m not yet well enough to face the outside world?”
“I’ve forgotten nothing, but you’ve made so little progress since you came home that I’m no longer sure keeping you secluded is helping your recovery. Perhaps, instead of trying to revive old memories, we should concentrate on forging new ones, and where better to begin than in a place you’ve never been before?” He looked at her expectantly. “Well? What do you think?”
She lifted her shoulders, bemused. “I hardly know what to say.”
“Say yes. Let’s start over and see where it leads us.”
“A second honeymoon, you mean?”
“Sì.”
“As in you and I…um…you know…?”
“Precisely. Starting tonight. It’s either that, or I enter a monastery, because keeping my distance from you is having a most deleterious effect on my health, not to mention my sanity.”
“Is it really?” For the life of her, she couldn’t quite contain her delight. “My goodness, I’d never have guessed.”
Laughing, he reached across the table and grasped her hands. “You certainly would, you little minx. You know exactly the effect you have on me.”
“But I never thought you’d give in to it.”
“Don’t underestimate your power, Maeve. I have missed holding you close while you sleep, missed waking up next to you each morning, and deeply missed making love with you. But not furtively or hastily, as almost happened the other night, which is why, before I left for Milan, I instructed Antonia to prepare our private rooms for your return.”
Resuming her married life was what she’d wanted almost from day one, but now that it lay within her grasp, some ofits luster faded. She’d been right in thinking the master wing looked naked under all its chic finery. It had indeed been swept clean. The secrets of the past were not about to be revealed, after all, merely shoved out of sight. And she’d bet her last dollar they were securely under lock and key in that other room.
That a deafening hush had descended over the terrace became apparent when Dario said, “I hoped for a more enthusiastic response, mio dolce .”
“This is all so unexpected, I’m still trying to take it in,” she said, to cover up the suspicions racing around in her head. “I suppose, if I’m really honest, I half expect you to change your mind again.”
Coming to where she sat, he pulled her to her feet, extracted a small leather pouch from his shirt pocket and tipped the contents onto the table. A pair of white-gold wedding bands rolled over the polished surface and came to rest at the base of her wineglass. Taking her left hand, he slipped the smaller of the two on the third finger. “Once again, Maeve Montgomery, I take you for my lawful wife. Is that enough to reassure you?”
The ring, though a little loose fitting, gleamed in the candlelight and felt so deliciously right that for the moment only one thing mattered. She picked up the other ring, slid it on his finger. “And I once again take you, Dario Costanzo, to be my husband.”
He handed her her wineglass and raised his in a toast. “Then here’s to us, mia bella .”
“To us.”
The intensity of his gaze as they sipped
She choked as her next mouthful went down the wrong way. Had she heard him correctly? “Go with you?” she spluttered.
“Provided you feel up to it, of course. If not, we’ll forget the whole idea.”
She swallowed an unseemly hiccup. “Surely a more pertinent question is, are you quite sure you’re up to it?”
“Well, who else would I take? You are my wife, after all.”
“I know. It’s one of the few things I am aware of.”
“Then why the hesitation? I thought you’d welcome a change of scene.”
“I would,” she agreed. “It’s your about-face that’s giving me pause. Or is your memory as faulty as mine and you’ve forgotten that, as recently as two days ago, you insisted I’m not yet well enough to face the outside world?”
“I’ve forgotten nothing, but you’ve made so little progress since you came home that I’m no longer sure keeping you secluded is helping your recovery. Perhaps, instead of trying to revive old memories, we should concentrate on forging new ones, and where better to begin than in a place you’ve never been before?” He looked at her expectantly. “Well? What do you think?”
She lifted her shoulders, bemused. “I hardly know what to say.”
“Say yes. Let’s start over and see where it leads us.”
“A second honeymoon, you mean?”
“Sì.”
“As in you and I…um…you know…?”
“Precisely. Starting tonight. It’s either that, or I enter a monastery, because keeping my distance from you is having a most deleterious effect on my health, not to mention my sanity.”
“Is it really?” For the life of her, she couldn’t quite contain her delight. “My goodness, I’d never have guessed.”
Laughing, he reached across the table and grasped her hands. “You certainly would, you little minx. You know exactly the effect you have on me.”
“But I never thought you’d give in to it.”
“Don’t underestimate your power, Maeve. I have missed holding you close while you sleep, missed waking up next to you each morning, and deeply missed making love with you. But not furtively or hastily, as almost happened the other night, which is why, before I left for Milan, I instructed Antonia to prepare our private rooms for your return.”
Resuming her married life was what she’d wanted almost from day one, but now that it lay within her grasp, some ofits luster faded. She’d been right in thinking the master wing looked naked under all its chic finery. It had indeed been swept clean. The secrets of the past were not about to be revealed, after all, merely shoved out of sight. And she’d bet her last dollar they were securely under lock and key in that other room.
That a deafening hush had descended over the terrace became apparent when Dario said, “I hoped for a more enthusiastic response, mio dolce .”
“This is all so unexpected, I’m still trying to take it in,” she said, to cover up the suspicions racing around in her head. “I suppose, if I’m really honest, I half expect you to change your mind again.”
Coming to where she sat, he pulled her to her feet, extracted a small leather pouch from his shirt pocket and tipped the contents onto the table. A pair of white-gold wedding bands rolled over the polished surface and came to rest at the base of her wineglass. Taking her left hand, he slipped the smaller of the two on the third finger. “Once again, Maeve Montgomery, I take you for my lawful wife. Is that enough to reassure you?”
The ring, though a little loose fitting, gleamed in the candlelight and felt so deliciously right that for the moment only one thing mattered. She picked up the other ring, slid it on his finger. “And I once again take you, Dario Costanzo, to be my husband.”
He handed her her wineglass and raised his in a toast. “Then here’s to us, mia bella .”
“To us.”
The intensity of his gaze as they sipped
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