Italian Tycoon, Secret Son

‘You used to say I was a little cat-Hey, careful!’

He’d dropped his spoon with a clatter. Mandy retrieved it and realized that he was staring at her. His face had gone very pale.

‘I said that?’ he asked.

‘Once or twice. It was just a joke. It’s because of my black hair and green eyes.’

‘Anything else?’ he asked raggedly.

‘You said I was like a feline, insinuating myself wherever I wanted to be. You even said I insinuated myself into your mind and wouldn’t go away.’ She gave a slight laugh. ‘I reminded you that I was always awkward, and you agreed at once.’

‘How very brave of me,’ he said, trying to match her light-hearted air.

But the effort was too much. The strain he was suppressing broke through.

‘Why did you come here?’ he asked suddenly. ‘Why now, after two years?’

‘I thought you were dead, or I’d have come before. I only found out recently that you were still alive.’

‘And you came to see how I was. That’s very kind-but why?’

The answer almost burst from her.

Because we were close in heart and mind, as well as body. Because you told me that you loved me just before you were snatched away from me, and I can’t forget that, although you’ve forgotten it as though it never happened. And because we have a child.

But all she said was, ‘Surely it’s not surprising that I should be concerned? We spent two days in that hut, half starving, freezing, talking, tripping over things in the dark.’

‘Ah, yes,’ he murmured. ‘That sort of thing creates a bond between people, doesn’t it?’

‘Yes-’ she began eagerly.

‘And so they become friends.’

She bit back her disappointment. She was becoming good at that.

‘Yes,’ she said brightly. ‘Friends. And friends look out for each other.’

Renzo raised his head to look at her directly and she saw him with new eyes. His features were much the same, if a little older, thinner. But the light behind them was different. Harsh, tense, despairing.

‘Thank you,’ he said politely. ‘It’s good to have friends. How did we become separated?’

‘You went into the forbidden room-’

‘Forbidden-’

‘We called it that because the front wall was missing, so we avoided it except when we needed to see outside. I found you there, looking out for a helicopter, and then the ground started to go again. You pushed me to safety, but the floor gave way under you. I know I began screaming, but then I passed out, and the next thing I know I woke up in the hospital.

‘They told me afterwards that a helicopter did fly over the hut, and they landed a team to burrow into the snow, just in case. That was how they found me. My friend, Sue-I told you about her-came for me and took me home. She’s stayed with me ever since.’

And she was with me while I bore your child.

But the words wouldn’t come. Not yet.

‘What about you?’ she asked. ‘You must have been badly hurt.’

‘I broke my pelvis, did some damage to my spine,’ he said with a shrug.

‘And you fool around getting out of that wheelchair when you shouldn’t?’ she demanded. ‘Are you crazy?’

‘If I don’t walk, I won’t recover proper movement,’ he snapped. ‘I’m not supposed to live in this thing all the time.’

‘But you are supposed to be sensible about getting out of it too often, aren’t you? And sensible is one thing you’re not.’

His temper flared. ‘I’m not sensible? Look at yourself. You’re the crazy woman who insisted on coming with me when I went after Henry. I warned you, but would you be told? Did anyone ever tell you anything? You were trouble from the word go.’

She knew a surge of relief at the way anger had freed his mind.

‘So you do remember that?’

‘Yes, it suddenly came back. I don’t know why.’

‘Because you lost your temper. That’s great.’

‘Most people don’t enjoy it when I get angry.’

‘I’ll bet they don’t. You terrified that poor man yesterday-’

‘That poor man tried to cheat me out of a very large sum of money. He thought because my body is damaged my mind was damaged also. He was wrong, as I took great pleasure in proving to him. If he takes it any further I’ll make him sorry he was born.’

‘And enjoy doing it,’ she observed.

‘Yes!’

There was a hard silence, then he said, ‘You must allow a man his few remaining pleasures.’

‘I suppose so. It just seems a sad way to enjoy yourself.’

‘Most of the other ways are closed off to me. I take what I can. I don’t go out among people too much because I hate the way they stare at me.’

‘Perhaps they’re just friends, sympathising.’

‘Some of them. Mostly not. Especially women. I can see them wondering if my skills are the same. They go into a ghastly parody of flirtation and they imagine I don’t know what they’re thinking-can he, can’t he? Shall I put it to the test?’

‘No,’ she protested in horror. ‘You must be wrong about that. Nobody could be so cruel.’

‘What do you know about it?’ he raged.

‘Perhaps they really do find you attractive?’

‘I’d have to be very conceited to believe that.’

‘Or maybe they’re just trying to be nice.’

‘Pity, you mean? Show the poor cripple a little mercy, he has so little in his life. Do you think that’s what I want?’ He slammed his hand down on the chair.

The unexpected window onto his suffering left Mandy too shocked to speak. After a moment she managed to say, ‘I only meant that you don’t really know what people are thinking.’

‘Don’t tell me what I know. In the past I moved among the kind of women who gave a man marks out of ten. I’m paying for it now. I promise you, I know exactly what they’re thinking.’

Suddenly he rose, forcing himself out of the chair so fast that he was unsteady and had to grab the furniture. Instinctively, she put out her hand but was repelled by the ferocity in his eyes.

‘Don’t touch me.’

Mandy backed off, horrified to discover that she was actually afraid of him.

But he relented at once, with a wry look and a placating gesture. ‘Ignore me. I get like this sometimes and I take it out on whomever happens to be there.’

Renzo made his way back to the wheelchair. It looked like defeat.

‘What were we talking about?’ he asked wearily.

‘Me, insisting on coming with you after Henry. You think I was just being awkward but I went with you because I thought you might appreciate some support. That was stupid of me. In fact-’

‘What is it?’ he demanded, seeing her suddenly pale face.

‘Nothing, I just thought-Oh, heavens!’

‘What is it? Tell me.’ He reached out and grasped her hand. ‘Tell me!’

‘If I hadn’t insisted on following you, Joan and Peter wouldn’t have come, and they might be alive now. You’re right-it was my fault.’

‘No, that wasn’t what I was saying. I wasn’t accusing you of anything.’

‘You don’t have to-it’s true.’

His fingers tightened on her hand with sudden urgency. ‘Listen to me. Don’t start thinking like that. Hell lies that way.’ His voice lowered. ‘And, believe me, I know about hell.’

‘Yes, you do,’ she whispered.