It did not get much better when they got back to the house.
Belatedly Beth remembered to thank him for the clothes. Dante simply shrugged and led her into his study, where he presented her with a prenuptial agreement.
‘Sit here and read it. I have had it translated from Italian to English. Make a note of anything you want to query. I’ll go and tell Sophie to prepare your lunch.’
Beth sat at the desk and started to read. The document was only four pages and quite succinct. Yes, it was there in black-and-white. After three years she could have a divorce and joint custody of their child, and the amount of money he was prepared to give her was enormous. Her first thought was to refuse the money, but common sense prevailed. She might not want his money, but she could think of a lot of people who needed it. She could give it to charity. Dante could certainly afford it.
When Dante came back she told him it was fine, and he took the document and left.
* * *
Beth replaced the phone on the bedside table and sighed.
It was odd that she had no trouble talking to Dante on the phone. Since their trip to Milan and his swift return to Rome he had called her most mornings. At first the conversations had been brief, with him just asking how she was, but gradually they had lengthened. He had not come back last weekend, citing pressure of work—much to Sophie’s disgust and Beth’s relief.
Sophie had shown her around the house and gardens, Carlo the rest of the estate, and Beth had done a lot of exploring on her own. Dante had asked her what she thought of the place, and she’d told him the house and grounds were beautiful. They had discuss
ed all sorts of things, and Beth had found herself enjoying his calls. But now Dante was coming back and she was a bundle of nerves.
CHAPTER NINE
GLANCING AROUND THE feminine bedroom Beth had grown accustomed to, she wondered if she would ever sleep there again. Dismissing the disturbing thought, she slid off the bed and quickly showered and dressed in one of her new purchases—a midnight-blue trouser suit teamed with a heavy white silk blouse. Her own clothes were already in a suitcase, along with a couple of new additions courtesy of Dante. After adding her toiletries she was ready.
A leisurely breakfast in the kitchen with Sophie had become a habit she had acquired quickly rather than endure the formality of eating on her own in the breakfast room. Today they were interrupted by Carlo, entering to inform them that the helicopter had landed.
Beth walked into the hall and glanced around, her eyes lingering on the family oil paintings that adorned the walls. One day would a painting of her child as an adult hang here? she wondered. Not that she would see it. Once her child was three she would probably never be back here again....
Dante walked in through the door. Her eyes locked with his and then slid away as he crossed the wide expanse of marble floor. Her heart thudded.
‘You’re looking more lovely than ever, Beth.’
His deep voice played across her nerve-endings.
‘How do you feel?’
He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head up to his. The familiar male scent of him filled her nostrils. This close he appeared to tower over her, all broad-shouldered and vibrantly male. Shockingly, she had a vivid mental image of his great golden naked body over hers, enclosing her, possessing her. She pressed her trembling thighs together. No way was she telling him how she really felt.
‘Fine,’ she managed to say, and his mouth descended on hers briefly.
‘Sorry I could not be here to show you around. I have missed you,’ he said in a deep, husky voice, his dark eyes unreadable as he held her gaze.
Something stirred deep inside Beth and she realised that against all reason she had missed Dante. She opened her mouth to say so, but Sophie burst in with a string of Italian aimed at him that saved her from making a huge mistake. He had obviously only said he missed her for Sophie’s benefit.
Five minutes later Beth sat in the helicopter with Dante at the controls. He turned towards her and handed her headphones so they could communicate. Not that she wanted to. The enormity of the day ahead was finally hitting her.
Within an hour they had landed in Rome and were being whisked away from the helicopter in a chauffeured limousine to the hospital. The building looked impressively modern, Beth thought as she entered the luxurious reception area with Dante at her side.
The ultrasound was embarrassing with Dante hovering over her, but as the nurse pointed out the outline of their baby on the screen for an awesome moment they simply stared, then looked at each other and grinned in amazed delight.
Back in the car, Beth looked in wonder at the photo of her child—until she realised the car had stopped.
‘My lawyer is expecting us.’
Dante took her arm and helped her out of the car into the offices of his lawyer. In twenty minutes the prenuptial agreement was signed and they were back in the car.
Beth glanced at Dante, a foot away from her in the back seat. He had taken out his smartphone and she presumed he was working. He was certainly efficient, she thought. The speed with which they had seen his lawyer had surprised her. But it should not have done, she realised. Of course he’d wanted absolute proof of the baby before he deigned to give his name to the woman he thought her to be. Thinking about it, she was surprised he had not demanded a DNA test. He didn’t trust her any more than she trusted him.
The car drove out of the city and finally through iron gates and up a wide drive, to stop in front of the entrance to a magnificent old building surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns and colourful gardens.