‘Am I? Take a look at yourself. Marco, and try seeing yourself through my eyes, and then repeat what you have just offered as a solution. You want to bribe another man to marry me so that—so that what? You can have your child here, conveniently legitimised by a convenient marriage between two strangers, though I'm sure that won’t stop the gossip. But what about me? Am I expected to be a dutiful bride to this noble husband you're going to find for me? Am I supposed to submit willingly to having sex with him bear his children, be his wife in all senses

of the word?’

‘No. there will be no question of that.' The harshness of his own immediate denial caught Marco off guard. But he couldn't retract his words, nor deny the feeling of fierce possessiveness that had gripped him at the thought of Emily in another mans bed.

‘What kind of man are you. Marco, if you think that I would be willing to sell myself into such an arrangement? But then I was forgetting: you aren't a mere man are you? You are a king! I'm not staying on the island a minute longer than I have to. Everything you've just said underlines all the reasons why I don't want my son growing up here. Your proximity to the throne has corrupted you but I don't intend to let it corrupt my child.'

‘And I don't intend to let you leave Niroli.'

They had been the closest of lovers, but now they were enemies locked in a battle to the bitter end for the right to decide the future of their child.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

THE plane had taken off but Emily was holding her breath, half expecting that, somehow. Marco still could prevent her from leaving Niroli.

Shed hated having to appeal to Marcos grandfather for help behind his back. At first, the king had refused to see her when shed made her secret visit to the palace. She had been expecting his rejection, though, and so had lifted her chin and told the stiff-faced, uniformed equerry who had told her that the king would not receive her. ‘Please tell His Majesty that the favour I want to ask him will benefit both of us and the throne of Niroli.’

She had been made to wait over an hour before she had finally been shown into the royal presence. It had shocked her to see how very like the king Marco was traces of Marcos stunning good looks still visible in the older mans profile.

She had chosen her moment with care, waiting until she knew that Marco had gone up to the mountains to see Rafael before she visited the palace.

‘I want to leave Niroli’ she told King Giorgio. 'But Marco does not wish me to leave. He has said he will do everything in his power to stop me and to keep me here.’ She didn't tell the king about her pregnancy, just in case he echoed Marcos insistence that her child be brought up under the cover of an arranged marriage between herself and a nobleman.

‘Only you have the authority to enable me to leave without Marco knowing.

‘Why should I do that?1 the king challenged her.

Emily was ready for that. Because you do not want me here.’ she replied. You do not consider me good enough to be Marcos mistress.’

‘He is not the man I thought if he cannot provide sufficient inducement to keep you in his bed if that is where he wants you.’

‘Marco is more than man enough for any woman.’ Emily defended. ‘But I am too much of a woman to be prepared to share him with the throne and everything else that entails.’

She thought she saw a glimmer of grudging respect in the king’s eyes before he gave a stiff nod of his head. ‘Very well. I will help you. A royal flight will be made ready for you and I shall ensure that Marco is kept out of the way until it has taken off.'

The king had kept his promise to her and now she was on her way home. She closed her eyes against the acid burn of her tears and pressed her hand against her body as though in mute apology to her baby for what she was doing. ‘You may not understand it now, but I'm doing this for you and for your future.’ she whispered to him.

‘How dare you do this?’ White-faced with rage. Marco towered over his grandfather, royal protocol forgotten in his fury. Now he knew why Rafael had kept him at the village for so long with his endless complaints against young Tomasso and his friends.

When he had returned to the villa to find Emily missing, he had summoned Maria, and she had been the one who had told him that a car bearing the royal crest had arrived for her.

He had gone straight to the palace, demanding to see his grandfather. Emily applied to me for aid because she feared you would force her to remain here on Niroli against her will. Naturally I helped her

‘Naturally.’ Marco agreed grimly, registering even more grimly that her departure had elevated Emily from being a floozy to someone his grandfather was prepared to speak of with far more intimacy. 'After all, you never wanted her here.’

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