Angel of Darkness

‘Two degrees,’ Kelda muttered jerkily, her stomach a rolling turmoil of nausea as she belatedly focused on the six-foot-plus-tall Amazon standing beside Angelo. From her waterfall-straight black hair and bright sapphire-blue eyes to the soles of her elegantly shod feet, Fiona was stunning.

‘I was so silly that night we all dined together,’ Daisy whispered in haste as Tomaso bore down on them. ‘I had this stupid idea that Angelo and you were—’

Tomaso’s arrival mercifully silenced her mother.

He has another woman. Well, what did you expect...why are you so shocked? Kelda couldn’t answer that question. She knew only that the sight of Angelo with another woman had devastated her. The brief ceremony over, she swiftly spun on her heel and approached Tomaso’s brother and his wife. ‘Would you mind giving me a lift back to the—?’

‘You can come with us, Kelda.’ Angelo’s husky voice was like a knife between her ribs.

Slowly she turned round. Angelo smoothly introduced Fiona. Fiona gave her a muted smile, her bright eyes sharply assessing. ‘I’ve heard so much about you that I feel I know you already.’

‘Bad news does tend to travel fast.’

‘Kelda,’ Angelo breathed with icy emphasis.

Treating him to the first look she had dared, she clashed with impassive dark eyes and felt the ice there like a chilly hand squeezing her heart.

‘She’s what?’ she heard Tomaso roar very loudly several feet away.

‘I didn’t mean to offend you,’ Fiona was saying drily. ‘But I’m sorry if I did.’

‘No, I’m sorry.’ Kelda breathed in deeply, struggling to maintain her mask of composure. ‘I’m a bit touchy today.’

‘Do you want a lift?’ Angelo enquired uninvitingly.

A hand came down on her shoulder. ‘Kelda will drive back to the house with us,’ Tomaso announced grim-mouthed. ‘We have something very personal to discuss, Angelo.’

CHAPTER SEVEN

WHITE and strained, Kelda couldn’t resist throwing a reproachful glance at her mother. ‘You didn’t waste any time, did you?’

‘Naturally your mother confided in me,’ Tomaso responded thinly. ‘I am her husband and your stepfather. Is it true? Are you expecting a child?’

‘Mum, how could you do this to me?’ Kelda muttered in deep embarrassment.

‘We’re going off on our honeymoon and I don’t like leaving you alone,’ Daisy told her ruefully. ‘I needed Tomaso’s advice.’

‘You always were...volatile,’ Tomaso muttered half under his breath.

‘It’s none of your business!’ Kelda burst out helplessly. She wasn’t a child.

‘But is it Angelo’s business?’ Tomaso’s sharp dark eyes rested astutely on her startled face.

‘What’s this got to do with Angelo?’ Daisy demanded blankly.

Tomaso had removed his wallet from an inside pocket. Opening it, he extracted a piece of folded newspaper. ‘Don’t you think Angelo would be preferable to some stranger at a party?’ he said drily, and handed the cutting to his new bride.

‘What’s that?’ Kelda demanded in a high, thin voice that was shredding fast into near hysteria.

‘Where and when was this photo taken?’ Daisy had paled in shock. She looked at her daughter with appalled eyes. ‘Why didn’t you tell me? I’m your mother.’

‘It was taken at Pisa almost six weeks ago. That’s the airport in the background. It was published in a minor gossip mag in Italy and someone sent it to me. I’ve had it for weeks,’ her stepfather admitted with a small tight smile. ‘I didn’t want to upset you, cara.’

Kelda snatched at the cutting and turned a deep guilty-as-charged pink. It was a photo of them kissing at the airport and Angelo was very recognisable even if only a tutored eye might have guessed her identity.

‘They were in Italy together,’ Tomaso breathed harshly.

‘You mean that they both pretended...they lied?’ her mother gathered in horror. ‘But why?’