One Passionate Night's Miracle: One-Night Baby / The Surgeon's Miracle Baby / Outback Baby Miracle

‘I have arranged for us to go rowing on the lake after lunch,’ Santino confided in Francesca. ‘Do you think you would enjoy that?’

‘A lake? Here?’ Francesca gazed about, almost beside herself with excitement now.

‘But first you and Gran Meredith can play with the new puppies while Mummy and I have a chat—’

‘Puppies!’

Francesca’s joy was complete. But Kate noticed concern had crept into Meredith’s eyes. There had been a small, but significant change in Santino’s voice when he’d referred to Kate, which indicated that things were not going quite as smoothly as her well-meaning aunt had intended. It made Kate wish she could say something to reassure Meredith, but what could she say?

‘Puppies,’ Kate managed woodenly as she took Francesca’s hand. ‘Won’t that be lovely?’

‘Don’t squeeze so hard, Mummy. You’re hurting me.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Kate’s voice was edged with fear. ‘That’s the very last thing I meant to do …’

CHAPTER ELEVEN

As THEY walked back towards the house Kate’s anxiety rose in direct relation to Santino’s growing ease. Like everything else he turned his hand to Santino’s adaptation to the role of ideal parent had been wholly successful, and as far as Meredith and Francesca were concerned he was the perfect host. Could anyone be more charming? Or more machiavellian?

Kate could only be grateful when Francesca chose to take her hand as they entered the house. Santino’s country mansion was on a scale none of them had experienced before and to Francesca must have seemed both exciting and intimidating. As Santino led the way across the vast marble-tiled hallway Meredith walked close by his side, darting off as usual to exclaim at first this picture and then that ornament. There were so many beautiful things around Kate was dazzled, but she was also intimidated by the sheer scale of Santino’s wealth. A man with resources such as these could have the world and everyone in it in his pocket.

‘I can’t claim credit for anything,’ Santino was telling Meredith.

No, he had bought it off the shelf in the same way he thought he could buy a family, Kate thought bitterly. She had moved past fear now to feelings that didn’t make her proud, and as Francesca paused to stroke the mane of one of the life-sized stone lions that stood guard at the foot of the stairs her lips formed an angry line as Santino asked Francesca if she would like to give the lions names.

‘After all, they’re your lions now,’ he said, glancing at Kate to rub her nose in it.

Resentment burned inside her as she stared back at him. No doubt Santino had an endless supply of such tempting lures to dangle in front of their daughter, and Francesca’s eyes were glowing in awe as she looked up at her father. It was becoming harder every moment for Kate to hide her feelings, and impossible not to feel threatened when she did … She did.

After the episode with the lions Francesca held onto Santino’s hand as he continued the tour of his house. Determined not to be sidelined, Kate walked with them. Anyone looking at them would imagine they were a happy and uncomplicated family group. And as if to confirm this, the servants were all nodding and smiling as if the whole place had sprung to life now Signor Rossi had returned with his ready-made family.

What had Santino told them? Kate wondered. Had he told them anything, or were his staff simply making assumptions and forming a distorted picture of the truth? And was it only she who could feel the storm clouds brewing?

Santino was so gracious to everyone, but he hadn’t glanced her way once. He was adept at showing one face to the world and another to her. But however much he hated her for what she had done they were bound together for ever by Francesca. And on top of that there was the unfathomable link that bound them together whether either of them liked it or not. It had existed since the first moment they had laid eyes on each other and she could feel it at work now. It allowed them to read each other’s thoughts and second-guess each other’s intentions. And right now that was no comfort to her.

Their last stop was a huge glasshouse, which ran the whole length of one wing of the building. There were so many exotic plants Kate was ready to believe that a jungle had been tamed solely for Santino’s amusement. There was a raised water feature in one corner of the structure, and a waterfall that tumbled over giant-sized rocks. The puppies he had mentioned were roaming free on the tiled floors. Double glass doors led straight out onto the lawn, and it was here that Santino split their little group, suggesting Francesca and Meredith take the puppies outside on the grass to play while he talked to Kate.

‘Kate?’ he said, turning to her, indicating another doorway leading into the house.

The way Santino spoke her name was both careful and clever. Francesca was already on her hands and knees with the puppies, but like every child her ears were keenly tuned to those around her. Knowing that Santino had taken care to shield Francesca from the coldness he felt towards her mother was a reminder to Kate that she must also maintain the same charade.

A shiver ran down Kate’s spine as Santino led her back inside. She wasn’t interested in looking around as Meredith had done. She knew she was unlikely to be invited to the palazzo again. She felt out of place with the weight of privilege all around her, and could almost imagine the echo of command bouncing off the ornate plasterwork … perhaps when other errant women had fallen foul of the wealthy family who had lived here.

It was her turn now to fight for her child in a place where she was already at a disadvantage, a place where she was overwhelmed and distracted by the significance of Francesca’s heritage.

‘In here …’ Santino’s voice remained cold, though as always he stood aside politely to allow her to precede him into a room leading off the hall.

It was impossible to remain insensible to the beauty of the room. The walls had silk hangings in the softest duck egg blue, and there was a delicately patterned Aubusson rug, in creams and pinks and gold, that took up most of the floor space. That alone must have been worth a fortune, Kate concluded. The panoramic windows overlooked the lake, and she could hear geese in the distance, calling to each other.

‘They’re on the island,’ Santino said, giving the invisible bond between them a little shake. ‘They won’t come anywhere near Francesca …’

Automatically she reassured him. ‘Francesca knows to take care of herself around geese. Meredith keeps geese at the farmhouse. They make better guards than dogs.’ Kate’s voice tailed away. The brooding atmosphere in the room reminded her that this was neither the time nor the place to hold a normal conversation.

Santino went to stand by the window as far away from her as possible and they stood in silence for a while. When Santino finally turned to face her Kate was shocked to see his lips were ashen.

‘Five years, Kate …’ Dark eyes pierced her soul. ‘Five years of Francesca’s life. That’s what you have stolen from me.’

She could never make it up to him. Never. ’Stolen from both of you,’ Kate said, holding Santino’s gaze. She wasn’t going to plead innocence when that clearly wasn’t the case. She was guilty. She had denied Francesca and Santino the most basic right of all—to know of each other’s existence.

Turning away, Santino passed a hand across his eyes as if he wanted to blot her out. Kate could see the effort it took for him to refocus and control his anger when he turned back to her.

‘I can’t believe I trusted you. I can’t believe I thanked fate for bringing you back to me. What a fool I was. You had no intention of telling me I had a daughter. The only reason you came to Rome was for Cordelia—’

‘That was part of it—’

‘That was all of it. Don’t waste your lies on me. Without fate … and, yes, without Meredith, I wouldn’t even have known Francesca existed. You cheated me out of my child and now you must pay.’

‘I was going to tell you.’

‘When, Kate?’ Santino’s voice was like tempered steel, sharp and precise. ‘When exactly were you going to tell me?’

‘When I got to know you a little better … When I knew what kind of man you were. When I knew what kind of father you would make for Francesca.’

‘So you’re my judge and jury now?’

‘You’ve seen her. You’ve seen how innocent she is, how defenceless. Surely you’re not suggesting I should have handed Francesca over to a man I didn’t know?’

‘Do you dare set yourself up in judgement over me? Are you trying to tell me I was undergoing some sort of test?’ he demanded incredulously. ‘A test I have not yet passed?’ Ebony brows drew tight over his aquiline nose. ‘How dare you question my ability to be a good father? You don’t know anything about me—’

‘That’s right, I don’t,’ Kate cut in, ‘and I had to be certain—’

‘Of me?’

‘I am Francesca’s mother. It’s my duty to protect her.’

‘Yes, you are her mother,’ Santino snarled as if that were one of life’s greatest misfortunes.

‘Are you saying I should have come to you cap in hand when I was eighteen? Should I have begged you then to acknowledge Francesca? What would you have said to me, Santino? What accusation would you have levelled at me then? I remember a court case and another woman—’

‘Another liar,’ he cut across her.

‘Don’t you dare compare me to that woman. I’m not a liar, and I never have been.’

‘But you withheld the truth from me.’

More than he knew. And as silence echoed all around them Kate accepted that she couldn’t deny Santino’s assertion. She could only raise her head and look into his eyes as she remembered that one night of passion, one misplaced teenage dream had given her one of life’s greatest gifts with one hand and taken away most cruelly with the other. But out of that traumatic event had come Kate’s beautiful daughter Francesca, and even if that earned her Santino’s everlasting scorn, she wouldn’t change a thing.

It was Francesca’s laughter that distracted them, and in spite of all the anger in the room Kate found herself smiling as she looked out of the window. Francesca was skipping across the lawn with the puppies in hot pursuit with Meredith hurrying after her predictably carrying the runt of the litter in her arms …