The Italian's Secret Baby

Maybe it was someone’s way of telling her that was where she belonged, she thought with an ironic smile. She certainly felt a lot more comfortable in the cosy old-fashioned kitchen than she expected to upstairs in the drawing room.

When she did eventually find herself in the main hallway she wasn’t entirely sure how she got there. Her heels were noisy on the gleaming wooden floor as she slowed her pace outside the study door behind which she had seen Roman disappear.

Perhaps Roman wasn’t in there. Perhaps he had finished and was even now waiting for her upstairs. The possibility made her heartbeat quicken—and her stride.

It was Sam’s name that slowed her down. She could hear voices coming through the slightly open door. She stopped pretending to herself she wasn’t eavesdropping when she identified the distinctive sound of Roman’s deep voice.

Even this far away it had the ability to raise goose-bumps on her skin. Her weakness brought a smile to her lips; this faded when Roman’s voice was closely followed by the deep rumble of Finn O’Hagan’s voice raised loudly in anger.

‘I suppose it’s better late than never…’ she heard him observe grudgingly. ‘A man should never feel ashamed of his own child.’

Shock held Scarlet frozen to the spot. Had Roman told his father he was ashamed of Sam? Had all the things he’d said been a lie? It was hard for her to believe this, but it was equally hard to read his comment any other way.

‘When I look at that poor innocent babe I’m ashamed. Ashamed that I raised a man who can’t see beyond his own selfish pleasure.’

Scarlet flinched as there was the sound of something falling…breaking…and Finn’s terse instruction to, ‘Leave the damned thing alone. Someone will pick it up later.’

‘I’m ashamed of you, I’m ashamed I’m your father.’

Scarlet, who now recognised with a sick feeling what was happening, pressed her hand to her mouth.

‘I’m sorry to be such a disappointment to you, Father.’ In contrast to his father’s voice, Roman’s was rigidly controlled. ‘You shouldn’t get excited, Father.’

‘I’m not excited, I’m disgusted.’

Without thinking about what she was doing, acting purely on an instinct that told her she couldn’t let Roman take the blame for something that he was innocent of, Scarlet stepped through the door into the room.

The morning sun was streaming in through the windows of the big book-lined room, and, combined with the glow from the blazing open log fire in the vast carved stone fire-place, it should have made for a warm, cosy atmosphere. But inside the atmosphere was ice.

The two big men, both standing with a large oak desk between them, didn’t notice her.

‘Sit down, father, and let’s discuss this rationally.’ From where she was standing she could see the strain in Roman’s face. His strongly etched profile was taut and each angle and hollow of his face sharply defined.

‘It doesn’t matter how rationally we discuss it. It’s not going to alter the fact that because of you a woman lost her life giving birth to your son.’#p#????#e#

A sudden calmness that came from knowing what she had to do settled over Scarlet.

‘No!’ Her soft voice had a bell-like clarity as she stepped forward into the room. ‘This has to stop now.’

The two men turned in unison. ‘Scarlet, leave it,’ Roman said, moving to block her impetuous entrance.

She shook her head and braced herself against his upper arms with her hands, but he still frustrated her efforts to reach his father, physically blocking her with his own body. Scarlet felt the iron-hard muscles in his well-developed upper arms clench beneath her fingers. Their eyes meshed.

‘This isn’t right.’

‘This isn’t your problem, Scarlet.’

‘Maybe it isn’t, but I’m not going to leave it. I’ve left it too long already,’ she reflected grimly.

‘You’re defending my son?’

‘Well, someone has to,’ Scarlet said, stepping back from Roman because there was no way she was going through him.

‘After what he did to your own sister.’

The scornful recrimination in the older man’s voice brought a flush to her cheeks. ‘The point is, he didn’t.’

The older man shook his head impatiently. ‘Is this what he’s told you, girl?’

Roman’s deep voice cut angrily across his father. ‘Her name is Scarlet, Father. If you want to vent your anger on anyone, I’m here. Leave her out of it.’

The eyes of father and son clashed for a moment. Finn O’Hagan was the first to look away with a slight nod of acknowledgement.