His Final Bargain

Eliza blinked back tears. ‘I’m not sure if I have a future with Leo, but I want to tell him I love him. I think I owe him that.’

Samantha grasped her hands in hers. ‘You must tell him how you feel. You don’t owe Ewan anything. He is happy, or at least as happy as he can ever be. He’s not aware of anything other than his immediate physical comfort. Robert has explained all that to me. It’s helped me come to terms with it all. Ewan is not the same person now. He can never be that person again. But he’s happy. And you and I need to be happy for him. Will you promise me that?’

‘I will be happy for you and for Ewan. I promise you.’ Eliza took off the chain from around her neck and handed Samantha the engagement ring. ‘I think you’re going to need this.’

Samantha clutched it tightly in her hand and smiled. ‘You know something? I think you might be right.’

Eliza arrived at Leo’s villa at three in the afternoon. Marella answered the door and immediately swept her up in a bone-crushing hug. ‘I knew you’d come back. I told Signor Valente and Alessandra you’d be back. They’ve been so miserable. Like a bad English summer, sì?’

Eliza smiled in spite of the turmoil of her emotions. ‘Where is he? I should’ve phoned first to see if he was at home. I didn’t think…I just wanted to get here and talk to him as soon as I could.’

‘He’s not here,’ Marella said. ‘But he’s not far away. He’s at the old villa.’

‘The one he had four years ago?’

‘Sì,’ Marella nodded. ‘He thinks it would be better for Alessandra. I agree with him. This place is too big for her.’

Eliza felt her heart lift. ‘Is she here?’

‘She is sleeping upstairs. Do you want to see her?’

‘I’d love to see her, but I think I’d better talk to Leo first.’

Marella beamed. ‘I think that is a very good idea.’

Eliza pushed open the squeaky old wrought iron gate of the villa that was tucked into one of the hillsides that overlooked the stunning views of the coast below. The garden was very neglected and the villa needed a coat of paint but it was like stepping back in time. The scent of lemon blossom was tangy in the air. The cobblestones underneath the thin soles of her ballet flats were warm from a full day of sun. The birds were twittering in the trees and shrubbery nearby, just as they had four years ago.

She walked up the path to the front door but before she could reach up to use the rusty old knocker the door opened. Leo looked as if he had just encountered a ghost. He stared down at her, his throat moving up and down as if he couldn’t quite get his voice to work.

Eliza dropped her hand back down by her side. ‘I came to offer my services as a nanny but it looks to me that what you really need is a gardener and a painter.’

‘I already have a nanny.’ His expression was difficult to read but she thought she saw a glint in those dark eyes.

‘Do you have any other positions vacant?’ Eliza asked.

‘Which position did you have in mind?’

She gave a little shrug of her shoulder. ‘Lover, confidante, stepmother, wife—that sort of thing. I’m pretty flexible.’

A tiny half smile tugged at the edges of his mouth. ‘Do you want a temporary post or are you thinking about something a little more long-term?’

Eliza put her hands on his chest, splaying the fingers of her right hand so she could feel the steady beat of his heart. ‘I’m thinking in terms of forever.’

‘What makes you think I’d offer you forever?’

She searched his features for a moment. Had she got it wrong? Had she jumped to the wrong conclusion? ‘You do love me, don’t you? I know you haven’t said it but nor have I. And I do. I love you so much. I’ve always loved you. From the moment I met you I felt you were the only person for me.’

He put his arms around her. ‘Of course I love you. How can you doubt that?’

She tiptoed her other hand up to the stubbly growth on his jaw. ‘I’ve put you through hell and yet you still love me.’

He cupped her face in his hands. ‘Isn’t that what true love is supposed to do? Conquer everything in its path and triumph over all in the end?’

‘I didn’t know it was possible to love someone so much.’

‘A couple of weeks ago you walked out of my life and I didn’t think you’d be back. It was like four years ago all over again. What’s changed?’

‘I’ve changed,’ she said. ‘I’ve finally realised that life dishes up what it dishes up and we all have to deal with it in our own way and in our own time. I will probably always feel sad and guilty about Ewan. I can’t change that. It’s just what is. But I’m not making his life any better or worse by denying myself a chance at happiness. He would want me to live his life for him. I’m going to do my very best to do that. And my new life starts now, here with you and Alessandra. You are my family, but I have to say I need to keep a special corner open for Samantha. She’s the most amazing surrogate mother in the world and I don’t want to lose her.’