Kristen’s heart jolted beneath her ribs. She was tempted to tell Tito he was mistaken, but what was the point in shattering an old man’s dreams? Instead, she called to Nico, who had kicked his football into a flower bed. ‘I think I had better take your grandson home before he completely wrecks the garden,’ she said to Tito. She hesitated, hoping he would keep his promise to share his feelings with Sergio. ‘Remember what I told you.’
His tired eyes suddenly twinkled. ‘And you remember what I told you, my dear.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
KRISTEN WAS LOST in her thoughts as she walked down the front steps of La Casa Bianca and almost collided with a tall, dark figure. For a split second she thought it was Sergio and her pulse quickened, but it slowed again when she saw it was Salvatore.
‘Your disappointed expression is not good for my ego,’ he teased in the faintly sardonic tone Kristen had come to expect from him. There was an air of remoteness about Sergio’s twin brother that she had initially found off-putting. But as she had got to know Salvatore a little better over the past weeks she sensed that he was haunted by the accident three years ago in which his wife had died, and she recognised the same loneliness in him that she sensed in Sergio.
‘You took me by surprise. Sergio has gone to Rome for the day,’ she said, unaware of the wistful note in her voice.
Salvatore nodded. ‘The company’s Chief Financial Officer, who is an old family friend, has suffered a suspected heart attack and Sergio has gone to the hospital.’ His eyes narrowed on Kristen’s pale face. ‘I understand that congratulations are in order. My brother told me that the two of you have decided to get married. I expect you are busy planning the wedding?’
Kristen gave a listless shrug. ‘It will only be a small event. After all, it is Sergio’s second wedding.’ The demon jealousy inside her prompted her to ask, ‘Was his wedding to Annamaria an extravagant affair?’
Salvatore looked puzzled. ‘Certainly a great event was planned, and Annamaria was thoroughly involved in the preparations. But by the time of the wedding...’ He broke off and gave Kristen an intent look. ‘I assumed Sergio had told you about Annamaria.’
‘He tried,’ Kristen admitted. ‘But I didn’t want to talk about her.’ She flushed beneath Salvatore’s speculative gaze.
‘Take my advice and ask him about her,’ he said in an unexpectedly gentle voice that played havoc with Kristen’s already raw emotions. The sound of a helicopter overhead caused them both to look towards the sky. ‘Sergio is back earlier than expected.’ He glanced over to where Nico was playing on the front lawn with Rosa. ‘The children are having fun together. Let me take Nico back to the castle so that they can carry on with their game. It will leave you free to have a conversation with my brother, who, by the way, is a damned idiot,’ Salvatore muttered. ‘I would very much like you to be my sister-in-law, Kristen, and I am looking forward to the wedding.’
* * *
The memory of how Sergio had made love to her with such cold detachment the previous night made Kristen feel reluctant to face him and, instead of heading straight back to the villa, she took the path that circled the lake and watched two white swans drifting gracefully on the water. She had read somewhere that swans mated for life. Presumably their lives were less complicated than humans’—but perhaps she was making things complicated when actually the situation was very simple. She sighed. The truth was she loved Sergio and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. So why hadn’t she told him? If only she had been honest about her feelings for him four years ago; Nico might have grown up with his father from birth. But back then she had been too unsure of herself to fight for what she wanted. Was she going to make the same mistake again? Kristen asked herself impatiently. She didn’t have to think about the answer, and she half ran back to Casa Camelia.