The Italian's Christmas Housekeeper

‘It would have been a role which I would have happily taken on and done to the best of my ability,’ she said. ‘And I’m not going to deny that on one level I’m deeply disappointed, but I’ll... I’ll get over it.’

Her words faded into silence. One of those silences which seemed to last for an eternity when you just knew that everything hinged on what was said next, but Salvio’s words were the very last Molly was expecting.

‘Unless we try again, of course,’ he said.

‘What are you talking about?’ she breathed.

‘What if I told you that fatherhood was something which I had also grown to accept? Which I would have happily taken on, despite my initial reservations? What if I told you that I was disappointed, too? Am disappointed,’ he amended. ‘That I’ve realised I do want a child.’

‘Then I suggest you do something about it,’ she said, her words brittle as rock candy and she wondered if he had any idea how much it hurt to say them. Or how hard it was to stem the tide of tears which was pricking at her eyes. Tears not just for the little life which was no more, but for the man who had created that life. Because that was the crazy thing. That she was going to miss Salvio De Gennaro. How was it that in such a short while he seemed to hav

e become as integral to her life as her own heartbeat? ‘Find a woman. Get married. Start a family. That’s the way it usually works.’

‘That’s exactly what I intend to do. Only I don’t need to find a woman. Why would I, when there’s one standing in front of me?’

‘You don’t mean that.’

‘Don’t tell me what I mean, Molly. I mean every word and I’m asking you to be my wife.’

Molly blinked in confusion. He was asking her to marry him—despite the fact she was no longer carrying his baby? She thought about the first time she’d ever seen him and how completely blown away she’d been. But this time she was no longer staring at him as if he were some demigod who had just tumbled from the stars. The scales had fallen from her eyes and now she saw him for what he was. A flawed individual—just like her. He had introduced her to amazing sex and fancy clothes. They’d made love on a giant bed overlooking the Bay of Naples and he had kissed her belly when a tiny child had been growing there. She had met his parents and they had liked her—treating her as if she were already part of the family. And somehow the culmination of all those experiences had changed her. She was no longer the same humble person who would accept whatever was thrown at her. The things which had happened had allowed her to remove the shackles which had always defined her. She no longer felt like a servant, but a woman. A real woman.

Yet even as that realisation filled her with a rush of liberation, she was at pains to understand why Salvio was making his extraordinary proposition. He was off the hook now. He was free again. Surely he should be celebrating her imminent departure from his life instead of trying to postpone it?

‘Why do you want to marry me?’ she demanded.

His gaze raked over her but this time it was not his usual sensual appraisal—more an impartial assessment of her worth. ‘I like your softness and kindness,’ he said slowly. ‘Your approach to life and your work ethic. I think you will make a good mother.’

‘And that’s all?’ she found herself asking.

He narrowed his eyes. ‘Surely that is enough?’

She wasn’t certain. If you wrote down all those things they would make a flattering list but the glaring omission was love. But Salvio had loved once before and his heart had been broken and damaged as a result. Could she accept his inability to love her as a condition of their marriage, and could they make it work in spite of that?

Behind him, Naples was framed like a picture-postcard as he began to walk towards her and for once his limp seemed more pronounced than usual. And although the thrust of his thighs was stark evidence enough of his powerful sensuality, it was that tiny glimpse of frailty which plucked at her heartstrings.

‘I wanted this baby,’ he said simply.

Her heart pounded—not wanting to be affected by that powerful declaration. But of course she was affected—for it was the most human she had ever seen him. ‘You had a funny way of showing it.’

He lifted his shoulders as if to concede the point. ‘I’m not going to deny that at first I felt trapped. Who wouldn’t in that kind of situation? But once I’d got my head around it, my feelings began to change.’

Molly felt the lurch of hope. Could she believe him? Did she dare to? She remembered the way he’d kissed her belly yesterday—and how loving she’d felt towards him as a result. And that was dangerous. When she stopped to think about it, everything about this situation was dangerous. ‘So this time you’re not asking me to marry you because you have to?’ she continued doggedly. ‘You’re saying you actually want to?’

‘Yes.’ His shadowed jaw tightened. ‘I do. For old-fashioned reasons rather than the unrealistic expectations of romantic love. I want a family, Molly. I didn’t realise how much until the possibility was taken away from me. I want someone to leave my fortune to—because otherwise what’s the point of making all this money? Someone to take my name and my genes forward. Someone who will be my future.’

Molly’s heart clenched as she listened to his heartfelt words. She thought of his pain when he’d lost his career and fortune in quick succession. She thought about the woman who had betrayed him at the worst possible time. The woman he had loved. No wonder he had built a wall around his heart and vowed never to let anyone touch that heart again. She drank in the hardness of his beautiful face. Could she dismantle that wall, little by little, and would he allow her close enough to try? She knew it was a gamble—and, despite all the stern lectures she’d given her little brother, a gamble she intended to take, because by now she couldn’t imagine a life without him.

But if she was to be his wife then she must learn to be his equal. There had been times in the past when she’d told Salvio what she thought he wanted to hear because that was all part of her training as a servant. But it wasn’t going to be like that from now on. From now on they were going to operate on a level playing field.

‘Yes, I will be your wife,’ she said, in a low and unemotional voice.

He laughed, softly. ‘You drive me crazy, Molly Miller,’ he said. ‘Do you realise that?’

The look she gave him was genuine. ‘I don’t know how.’

‘I think,’ he observed drily, ‘that’s the whole point. Now come here.’

He was pulling her into his arms and for a moment Molly felt uncertain, because she had her period and surely... But the touch of his fingertips against her cheek was comforting rather than seeking and the warmth of his arms consoling rather than sexual.