pent-up breath his words had caused her to hold, in
shaky relief that he had not added to her existing humiliation
by somehow recognising that she was still
a virgin. Not by choice, though. All those months in
hospital, after the car crash in which her parents had
been killed and she had been so badly injured that at
one point it had been feared she would not survive,
had stolen a large chunk out of her life.
'Which, presumably, is why you are confusing
physical lust with love — a word, an emotion, your sex
has laid claim to and downvalued to the extent that
is now worthless,' Lorenzo continued harshly.
'My sex?' Jodie took up the challenge immediately,
the gold-hued warmth of her eyes heating to an indignant
dark amber.
'Yes, your sex! Do you deny that women have now
become as much serial adulterers as they once
claimed only men could be? That their reasons for
marriage are based on their own selfish and shallow
emotions and needs — needs which in their eyes come
before the needs of anyone else, even the children
they bear?'
The bitterness she could hear in his voice momentarily
shocked Jodie into silence. But she rallied
quickly to defend her sex, pointing out, 'If that is your
consistent experience of women, then maybe you are
the common factor — and the one to blame.'
'I? So you believe that if a child is abandoned by
its mother, it is the child who is at fault? A novel
mindset — which only underlines what I have just
been saying!'
'No, that is not what I meant—' Jodie began.
But it was too late. He was ignoring her words to
demand autocratically, 'What is your name?'
'Jodie. Jodie Oliver. What is your name?' she
asked equally firmly, not to be outdone.
For the first time since he had stopped his car she
sensed a momentary hesitation in him before he said
coolly, 'Lorenzo.'
'The Magnificent?' Jodie quipped, and then went
bright red as he looked at her.
Il Magnifico. That had always been Gino’s teasing
way of addressing him, claiming that it was no wonder
he had been so successful when he carried the
same name as one of Florence’s most famous Medici
rulers.
'You know the history of the Medici?' he shot at
Jodie.
'Some of it,' she said neutrally, suddenly not wanting
any more argument with a stranger. She was beginning
to feel very tired and weak. 'Look, I need to
get in touch with the car hire firm and tell them about
the car, but my mobile isn’t working. Could you possibly…?'
He must surely be going back through the
village she had driven through — there was nowhere
else to go. If he would take her there she might be
able to find a room for the night and telephone the
car rental people.
'Could I possibly what?' Lorenzo demanded. 'Help
you? Certainly.' She had just started to sag with relief
when he added softly, 'Provided that you agree to
help me.'
Instantly warning signals flashed their messages inside
her head, causing her to tense.
'Help you?' she repeated cautiously.
'Yes. I need a wife.'
He was mad. Completely and utterly insane. She
was stuck on a deserted road with a madman.
'You…want me to help you find a wife?' she managed
to ask, as though it were the most natural request
in the world.
Lorenzo’s mouth compressed, and he gave her a
look of cold derision. 'Don’t be ridiculous. No, I do
not want you to help me find a wife. I want you to
become my wife,' he told her coolly.
CHAPTER THREE
SHE was being ridiculous?
'You want me to be your wife?' Jodie repeated
slowly. 'I’m sorry, but—'
'You Don’t want to marry — ever. Yes, I know,'
Lorenzo interrupted dismissively. 'But this would not
be an ordinary marriage. I need a wife, and I need
one within the next few weeks. I have as little real
desire for a wife as you have for a husband — although
for different reasons. Therefore it seems to me that
you and I could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.
I get the wife I need, and you, after we
have been married for twelve months, get a divorce
and…shall we say one million pounds?'
Jodie blinked and shook her head, not sure that she
had actually heard him correctly.
'You want me to agree to marry you and stay with
you for twelve months?'
'You will be well reimbursed for your time — and
