Captive At The Sicilian Billionaire’s Command

‘So where’s his real mother? Or can I guess? Living it up with the man she found to take Antonio’s place—if indeed it is only one man. What do the pair of you do? Take it in turns to live the good life?’

Julie had had enough—more than enough, in fact.

‘You have no right to say that. You don’t know anything about me or the way I live my life.’

Colour stained her skin as she saw the manner in which he was looking at her. She knew he wanted to remind her of what had happened between them, and how she had abandoned herself to his lovemaking. It had been a lie to say that he knew nothing about her. Of course he knew something about her—he knew a great deal about her in one sense. Certainly more than any other man did. Maybe more than any other man ever would. There wouldn’t be many men prepared to take on a young woman with a child—especially when they learned the story of Josh’s conception and she was obliged to admit that she had no idea who had fathered him. It was too late now to wish, as she had so passionately on many occasions these last few days, that she had thought to ask for DNA tests to be done herself to see if James was Josh’s father. Unfortunately at the time of his death the issue of Josh’s paternity had been the last thing on her mind.

Julie exhaled shakily. ‘My sister is not partying.’ Her voice twisted. ‘And before you ask me how I can be so sure about that, the reason I know is that she is dead.’

Julie bent her head, concentrating on watching the way her fingers pleated the silky fabric of her long cardigan as carefully as though her life depended upon it.

‘Judy—my sister—our parents, James—her fiancé—and his parents were all killed in a rail accident earlier this year. They were going to Scotland to look at a castle Judy had read about as a possible venue for their wedding. They’d left Josh with me because—’

‘Because your sister didn’t want to be bothered with him.’

The ugly brutality of Rocco’s statement fell painfully across her heart.

‘It is difficult, when you’ve got something as important as a wedding to plan, to look after a small baby, and Josh hadn’t been very well. Our parents agreed that for his own sake he should be left with me.’

‘So it was your sister who was Josh’s mother, and presumably Antonio’s bed-mate?’

‘Yes. She told me about him. And…and about the fact that she was pregnant.’

‘Did she tell you he was the father?’

‘She thought he might be,’ Julie replied carefully. Thanks to Rocco, she now knew just what her sister had been doing whilst she had been in Cannes, and so could understand why Judy hadn’t been sure who’d fathered Josh, telling her that she only thought that Antonio could be the father of the child she was carrying.

‘You mentioned a fiancé?’

‘James? Yes.’

‘James.’

The way Rocco said James’s name told Julie that he had recognised it—and why.

‘Tell me something. When you referred to James in our discussions were you referring to him in your assumed role as your sister or on your own behalf?’

Julie frowned.

‘I’m sorry—I don’t quite understand.’

‘Was he your lover or your sister’s?’ he demanded bluntly.

Julie could feel the raw burn of her own humiliation.

Lifting her head, she faced him squarely and told him quietly, ‘He was my lover first and then Judy’s. Not that it is really any of your business.’

She wasn’t going to explain or attempt to defend herself. Let him believe what he wanted to believe.

Dr Vittorio, who had moved over to the window, must have moved back, because Julie heard him saying firmly, ‘Rocco, that’s enough, I think. All you really have a right or a need to know is that Julie here is the little one’s blood relative.’

‘And his legal guardian,’ Julie put in determinedly.

‘I need to speak with Julie about her own health, but first I’m afraid there’s something else I should tell you. Your father rang me this morning, insisting that I tell him the results of the DNA tests.’

‘And did you?’

‘Yes—since he was working himself up into a bit of a state, and it had in fact been proved that Josh is not his grandson. He is naturally disappointed.’