“I am thrilled to meet you. Angelo told me all about you.”
Gemma shot Angelo a questioning look. How much had he told his mother? Not everything, she hoped.
“I met your sister, once, briefly. The resemblance is remarkable.”
So Angelo must have told his mother about her deception. “We were very close-even though we had little in common.”
“Except my son.”
“Mamma.” Angelo’s tone was furious. Gemma was too embarrassed to even look at him.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Connie’s hand covered her mouth, her nails perfectly manicured. “I can’t ever seem to keep my thoughts to myself.”
Angelo’s eyes were clouded as he said, “But you can try. At least until Gemma gets to know you a little better.”
“I’m sorry, Gemma. Forgive me?” Connie’s long manicured nails rested against her arm. “Come, let’s sit down somewhere, the three of us. You can tell me about the names you are thinking of for the baby.”
So Angelo had told his mother about the pregnancy, as well. His mother seemed to have taken it well. No drama about a grandchild ageing her. Gemma let out a sigh of relief. On the plus side it looked like her future mother-in-law was totally without guile.
“Angelo, a glass of champagne for me please, and-” she turned “-what would you like, Gemma?”
“Water would be fine.”
“Make it Perrier, my son.” When Angelo wound his way into the throng she said, “Tell me about New Zealand. I have never been there. Are the men good-looking?”
Gemma laughed. They chatted for a while, Angelo brought their drinks and joined them for a while before he was dragged away by a staff member to welcome a big spender who had flown in to try out the Apollo Club and heard about the Christmas party.
“I’m thrilled Angelo is getting married. He always said he never would.”
“It’s the baby-I don’t think he would’ve married me otherwise.” What was the point of hiding why Angelo had proposed?
“So you are aware that Angelo is illegitimate?”
“Yes.” Gemma reached out to touch Connie’s hand. “But you don’t have to-”
“I do. You need to understand the man you’re marrying.” Connie sighed. “His father was a handsome man, an entertainer, a singer of love songs. I fell in love with him. He was charming…a show man. I was eighteen. An heiress. Too sheltered. I became his mistress. Within the first month I was pregnant. The relationship did not last. I came home to Athens, to my disappointed parents.
“My father arranged a marriage for me to Mario Apollonides. To give the baby a name. My father built the house on Strathmos for me and my son and my new husband. The truth was hushed up. But, of course, there were rumours and lots of speculation. Too many people knew about my passion for Angelo’s real father. Needless to say, the marriage lasted less than five years. So you see, my dear, why my son would never marry a woman just to give a baby a name.”
Gemma stared at Connie. What was Connie telling her? Was there another reason why Angelo had proposed? He’d insisted that no child of his would grow up a bastard. Was Connie mistaken? Why would Angelo lie?
“Nor did my staying secluded on the island work,” Connie continued. “Before long, I’d met another man-a business associate of my father, a millionaire. I became his mistress.”
“And what of Angelo?”
“He stayed on the island…with his governess. When he was old enough I sent him to an English boarding school to get him out of the fishbowl that Greek society is. My father wanted Angelo to live with him, in Athens. But he already had another boy in his care, Zac. I was afraid that Angelo would grow up in his shadow.”
Gemma remembered Angelo speaking of school, of the isolation. “He was a long way from home.”
“Yes. It was hard for him, of course, coming from such a prominent family. I was linked through his school years with quite a few high-profile men.”
Angelo would’ve hated that. But it explained his attraction to glamourous, sophisticated women who wouldn’t demand more than he was prepared to give. Emotionally or by way of permanent commitment.
And his love-them-leave-them image was born.
“And being illegitimate made it worse. Once, when he was about six he asked me why I hadn’t married his real father. I told him I’d made a mistake, met the wrong man. But that I needed to get married, because society demanded it. He told me that he wouldn’t make a mistake like that, he would never marry the wrong person.”
Gemma stared at his mother.
So why had Angelo told her he wanted to marry her for the sake of the baby? Angelo was so self-contained, how was she going to find out?
Gemma was no closer to an answer when Christmas Day finally dawned.
By the time she’d dressed, the rain had set in, echoing her pensive mood, bringing back memories of Mandy’s tragic death. She made her way through to the kitchen and stopped in astonishment at the sight of Angelo preparing breakfast.
“Merry Christmas.” He grinned at her and leaned over to kiss her cheek. He looked so happy and relaxed that her own mood started to lift. “My mother called, she will join us for lunch-that gives us some time alone. The coffee is already on the go and the table has been laid.”
They ate a breakfast of thick Greek yogurt and honey and fruit topped off with fried eggs and bacon. Afterwards they took their coffee mugs through to the lounge and settled beside the Christmas lights. Christmas…Gemma closed her eyes and thought briefly of Mandy.
Be happy for me, sister.
When she opened them, the lights on the tree winked at her, as if to say Mandy had heard her plea. Thank you.
When she looked up Angelo stood in front of her holding a gaily wrapped parcel. Gemma was relieved that she’d had the foresight to purchase a book on Greek legends for Angelo for Christmas.
She unwrapped his gift and took out the beautiful silk sarong. “It’s beautiful,” she mouthed.
He tore the wrappings off his gift and a smile lit his face. “I haven’t read this. I’ll look forward to it.”
Then he took a little parcel out his pocket and tossed it to her.
“What’s this?”
He shrugged. But his bright eyes were darker than usual and he looked almost hesitant. “Open it.”
The removal of the gold paper revealed a black velvet box. Her heart stopped.
“Do you like it?” he asked softly.
Speechless Gemma stared at the elegant ring, a row of baguette diamonds vertically positioned in a channel setting.
“If you don’t like it, we can change it.”
His voice sounded far away.
Time seemed to hang suspended. Gemma couldn’t stop staring at the ring. What if he never grew to love her? How would she survive being married for the sake of his child? Finally she looked up. “I don’t think I can do it.”
He stiffened and his gaze grew guarded. “What? Marry me?”
“You’re only marrying me because of the baby.”
“I want to be part of my child’s life.”
Gemma stared at him. “You’re a high-powered businessman, you flit from resort to resort. You don’t really want a family to drag you down.” She tried to sound reasonable.
Angelo walked to the window. For a long moment he stood staring out. Then he swung around to face her. “I’ve been thinking about what Basil said. I’m going to delegate a lot of what I do. Family is important. I want to be part of my son’s life. I want us to be married, to bring him up together.”
“It won’t work.” She bit her lip. He sounded so convincing.
His gaze sharpened. “What are you frightened of?”
That you’ll never love me. God, he was intuitive. “I’m not frightened. I just don’t think-”
“-you can do it.” He came towards her and took her hands in his. “You’ve said that already. But I think you’re scared. What are you afraid of?”
Gemma swallowed. “Nothing.”
