The Scorsolini Marriage Bargain

It was so tempting, but she couldn’t start giving into the endometriosis now. She’d fought too hard not to. “No.”

He frowned, his eyes narrowing in disapproval. “Why not?”

“I don’t want your family speculating about my health. They are under enough stress as it is.”

“So are you.”

“It is my choice, Claudio.”

“And if I take that choice from you?”

It wasn’t an idle comment. She could see it in his eyes. He would follow through with the least provocation.

“Don’t threaten me.”

He made a sound of disgust. “I am not threatening you. I am trying to take care of you as I should have been doing for these past several months.”

Oh, no…a Scorsolini male in guilt mode was a terrifying thing. “That has never been your job, Claudio. I don’t need you to take care of me. I’m not a child.”

“How can you say it is not my job? You are my wife. My responsibility.”

“A prince cannot look at life that way.”

“This prince does.”

He could have no idea how much she’d wanted to hear that sentiment months ago, but she’d already learned by then that a princess could not rely on coddling or tender loving care when she was sick. At least not from her husband. And not from anyone if she had duties to perform in the face of it.

“That’s something new.”

“Perhaps,” he acknowledged without apology, “but it is still the right thing.”

“No, it is not. It is you being stressed by everything else and adding me to your list of burdens, but I won’t be added. Do you hear me? You’ve got enough to worry about right now without worrying about me.”

“I will not dismiss you because I have other things that require my attention as well.”

“Why not? You’ve done it before.”

His mouth settled in a grim line. “That is not true.”

She stepped out from under his hands. “You’re welcome to your perception.”

“There have been times I have had to put you second, yes, but that was because I was forced to do so by circumstance. I have never forgotten about you, or dismissed you from my thoughts or consideration.”

He sounded like her believing him really mattered, but she wasn’t up to an all out discussion on their marriage right now. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she told him she was in pain and arguing with him wasn’t making her feel loads better.

“We need to hurry, or we’ll be late for dinner.”

“I prefer that you stay up here and rest.”

“I don’t.”

He sighed again. “You do not wish my family to worry about you, but it is all right for me to worry because you will not take better care of yourself?”

“I’m not doing anything that is putting my health further at risk,” she said with exasperation.

“You are in pain, you should not be pushing yourself like this.”

“Eating dinner with your family is hardly what I term pushing myself.”

“Because you are so used to putting duty first.”

“That isn’t what you said in New York.”

“It is exactly what I said, if you would remember. That is why your behavior shocked and worried me so much.”

“You did not act worried. You acted angry.” Furious, in fact.

“I was angry. I believed you had other reasons than your health for doing as you did.”

She stopped with her hand on the doorknob, her attention arrested. What motivations could he have attributed to her behavior that would have made him as full of rage as he had been in New York? “What other reasons?”

“Nothing I wish to discuss now.”

Somehow, she just knew he was hiding something…maybe even something important. “But I wish to discuss it.” Then the dinner gong sounded over the intercom and she frowned. “We’ll return to this after dinner.”

“There is no need. It does not matter.”

“It does to me.” But maybe she would take her painkillers first.

He put his arm out to her, “Shall we go?”

She took his arm, unable to stifle the zing of electricity that arced between them at the touch. “No more arguing that I am better off in bed?”

“I am conserving my energy.” He opened the door and led her out into the hall.

“For what?”

“Our discussion after dinner.”

“But you said you didn’t want to discuss what you believed.” She couldn’t believe he was giving in so easily about her going to dinner or about having the conversation he was so set against.

It was so unlike him. She’d fully intended to persuade him to come clean, but she’d thought it would take a lot more effort.