Italian Boss, Proud Miss Prim

‘So you finally did it!’

Everyone turned as Antonia bounded into the room. A haze of vanilla and raspberry perfume accompanied her. Antonia’s first hug was for Katie. ‘My new sister!’ she exclaimed. ‘At least, you will be in two days’ time.’ She turned to Rigo. ‘You took long enough,’ she accused him. ‘I thought you would never get round to asking Katie to marry you.’

‘A week is too long?’ He exchanged a glance with Katie.

‘In my world it’s forever!’ Antonia exclaimed with a sigh. ‘And now it’s almost four months later, so you have no excuse—there’s only me to sort out now—’

‘Some day your prince will come,’ Rigo interrupted, handing Antonia another box.

‘I thought you didn’t like shopping?’ she accused him, staring at the gorgeous box with wide, excited eyes.

‘For my wife-to-be and for my sister, I made an exception to that rule. I bought your gift with Katie along to guide me to thank you for being our chief bridesmaid.’

‘There would have been trouble if I hadn’t been your chief bridesmaid,’ Antonia assured him.

Another amused glance was exchanged between Katie and Rigo. They didn’t doubt it.

Antonia’s fingers trembled as she held up the slim white-gold chain. ‘Rigo, it’s favoloso!’ she exclaimed.

There were two charms hanging from Antonia’s cha

in. The first was a diamond set into a sundial to remind them all to make time for each other, while the second charm was a tiny Cinderella slipper to remind Antonia that her prince would come one day—if she could only be a little patient.

‘I love you, Katie! Antonia exclaimed, throwing her arms around Katie’s neck. ‘And I have something for you.’

‘For me?’

‘I have bought you your own journal,’ Antonia explained. ‘Would you like to see what I wrote in mine that first day we met?’

‘Only if you want to show it to me,’ Katie said as Antonia delved into her industrial-sized bag.

Antonia extracted the small aqua leather-bound book with a flourish and opened it at the appropriate page. ‘“ want Katie to marry my brother,”’ she announced. ‘Well? Am I good at predictions or not?’ she demanded, staring at Rigo.

‘You’re the best,’ he admitted, ‘and for once we were in absolute harmony, though I fell in love with Katie when I heard her voice on the phone before she even came to Italy. I heard the inner beauty when she spoke, and when I met her I fell in love with her all over again.’

Everyone sighed and it took a moment for life to take on its regular beat. When it did, Rigo turned to Katie. ‘I have another surprise for you, cara, which will be revealed over lunch.’

Music was playing as they walked into the sun-drenched orangerie and it took Katie a good few moments to recognise her own husky voice. It sounded quite different when she was singing sultry love songs rather than opera.

‘Your first album,’ Rigo said, embracing her. ‘I hope you like it…’

‘As long as you love me, I don’t need anything more.’

‘Can I have your ring?’ Antonia piped up.

‘Find your own prince,’ Rigo told her as they all laughed.

‘I love you,’ Katie whispered, staring into the eyes of the man without whom her life might have remained unrelieved brown.

‘And I love you,’ Rigo murmured, with a darkening look they both recognised, ‘for…’

‘For?’ Katie prompted softly, her gaze slipping to his mouth.

‘For allowing me to make a bonfire of that suit—’

‘Yay!’ Antonia exclaimed, discreetly leaving them to it. ‘I love a happy ending…’

EPILOGUE

THE cathedral in Farnese was lit entirely by candlelight. The soft glow brought out the colours of the stained-glass windows and created jewel-coloured garlands on the white marble floor. The scent of the red roses Rigo had insisted on was everywhere, and the angelic voices of a children’s choir provided the only fitting soundtrack for a bride and groom who had dedicated their lives not only to each other, but also to their children’s foundation. Each ancient wooden pew was decorated with roses secured by a cascade of cream lace, which echoed the glorious floral arrangements throughout the cathedral supervised by the housekeeper and staff of the newly opened children’s centre at the Palazzo Farnese. Guests had come from all over the world to celebrate this wedding, but the place of honour was given to Katie’s friends from the office and to Gino and his wife from the pizzeria in Rome, while the young maid who had first lent Katie a swimming costume was now a bridesmaid.

Everyone applauded as the Principe and Principessa Farnese walked down the aisle. Rigo had never looked sexier in the dark, full dress uniform of a prince of the line, with a wide crimson sash across his powerful chest, while his bride wore a cream velvet cloak lined with ivory silk satin and, beneath that, a fitted guipure lace dress, frosted with diamonds. There were more diamonds in Katie’s hair and on the diaphanous veil that billowed behind her. In fact, there was only one anomaly in Katie’s modest outfit—her crimson shoes. ‘It doesn’t do to be too predictable,’ she warned Rigo, smiling when he spotted them.

‘I love your shoes,’ he murmured, bringing Katie into the sunlight so the crowd could see their new princess. ‘Life could be so bland and boring without any surprises—though something tells me life will never be that with you around, Signorina Prim.’

As he spoke the cathedral organ swelled with uplifting chords and mellow tonal resolutions in celebration of a true love story between Prince Arrigo Ruggiero Farnese and Katie Bannister, and as the crowd cheered them to their horse-drawn carriage Rigo squeezed Katie’s hand and asked her, ‘Happy?’

‘How could I not be happy?’

His face creased in his attractive curving smile as he helped her into the golden carriage. ‘I guess you must like the fact that we Italians laugh, cry and make love on a grand scale.’

Amen to that, Katie thought as she embraced her new world.