Captive in His Castle(25)

The strident ring of his phone shattered the tense silence that had fallen between them. Muttering a curse, Drago glanced at the caller display and frowned. ‘It’s Dorotea. I’d better speak to her.’

After a brief conversation in Italian he ended the call and glanced at Jess. ‘Angelo is to undergo more surgery on his leg this morning. My aunt wants me to go to the hospital, but I told her I have something important to deal with here.’

‘I think you should go,’ Jess said quickly. ‘Your family need you. Dorotea must be so worried.’

‘I’m not leaving you while we have issues to resolve,’ Drago told her fiercely. ‘You, and the child you are carrying, are the most important things right now. I have asked you to marry me and I need your answer, Jess.’

The huskiness in his voice tugged on Jess’s emotions, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Part of her wanted to accept Drago’s proposal. He had sounded as though he meant it when he’d said she was important to him, but she reminded herself that it was the baby he cared about—not her. The idea of giving up her life in London, her independence, and agreeing to marry a man who did not love her was not a decision she could make lightly, and the fact that she was in love with Drago made that decision even harder.

She lifted her eyes to his handsome face and knew she needed to be alone while she considered her options. ‘I want some time on my own to think,’ she said quietly. ‘Marriage is an enormous step, and I need to be sure in my mind that it is the right thing to do.’

Something in her voice made Drago control his frustration. It was true that marriage was a big step, he acknowledged. Yet strangely he did not find the prospect of giving up his playboy lifestyle and committing himself to a long-term relationship with Jess unwelcome. She was the mother of his child, and for that reason the decision to marry her was an easy one to make.

He wanted to stay with her and try to allay her doubts, but she had asked to be alone and he had to respect her request. ‘You’re right. I should go to the hospital and try to keep Aunt Dorotea calm,’ he said abruptly. ‘God knows, she has suffered enough stress lately.’ He walked over to the bed and stared down at Jess. ‘We’ll continue this conversation later.’ He leaned over her and captured her mouth in a brief, hard kiss. ‘But I warn you, cara, I will do everything I possibly can to persuade you to be my wife.’

Hours later Jess could still feel the imprint of Drago’s lips on hers. He would not have to try very hard to persuade her to marry him, she acknowledged ruefully. One kiss turned her to putty in his hands—which was why she was glad she had insisted on him giving her time to think about his proposal.

The palazzo’s gardens were an oasis of green tranquillity in the heart of Venice. Usually she loved to sit beside the ornamental pool and watch the goldfish dart beneath the water lilies, but as the afternoon slipped towards evening her thoughts were still confused and she found no sense of peace in her beautiful surroundings. She knew that for the baby’s sake the sensible option would be to accept a marriage of convenience with her child’s father, but her heart ached at the prospect of being Drago’s unwanted wife. Would it be possible to sustain a relationship built solely on passion? Jess feared not. And when Drago’s desire for her faded would he seek his pleasure elsewhere? Oh, she was sure he would be discreet, but the idea of him having affairs with other women was unbearable.

‘Francesco tells me you have been out here for most of the day. I hope you kept out of the sun?’

Jess whipped her head round at the sound of Drago’s voice, and her heart lurched as she watched him striding across the garden towards her. What chance did her heart stand when he was so impossibly gorgeous? she thought wryly. As he sat down on the bench beside her she tore her eyes from him and pretended to study the fish in the pool.

‘How is Angelo?’

‘The surgery went well, and now that the plaster cast has been removed from his leg the consultant is hopeful that he can be discharged from hospital in a week or so.’

‘Good…that’s great news. I’m sure he’s pleased.’ She didn’t know what to say to him, and sticking to the topic of his cousin’s recovery seemed a safe option.

‘Jess…’ Drago could not hide the faint impatience in his voice. ‘Much as I care about my cousin, my only interest right now is whether you have reached a decision.’ He slid his hand beneath her chin and tilted her face so that he could look into her troubled green eyes. ‘I can see you still have doubts. Talk to me, cara, and tell me what is holding you back.’

‘I don’t belong in your world,’ she muttered, voicing one of her biggest worries. ‘Aren’t you concerned that I won’t be a suitable wife for you? I proved at the party last night that I am a hopeless hostess.’ She flushed as she remembered her awkward attempts to talk to the guests and her clumsiness at the dinner table.

Drago frowned. ‘That’s not true. Many people remarked on how charming you were, and how much they enjoyed chatting with you.’

Jess wasn’t convinced. ‘You can’t get away from the fact that I am the daughter of a drunk, not a member of the Italian aristocracy. Theresa Petronelli told me you were once engaged to a woman called Vittoria whose father is a count. I know she is very beautiful and sophisticated because she featured on the front cover of that magazine that you saw when we were in St Mark’s Square.’

He shrugged, but beneath his casual air Jess sensed sudden tension. ‘It’s no secret that at one time Vittoria and I planned to marry. But it didn’t happen. She ended our engagement and now she is happily married to another man. I’ll be honest and admit that until I received the phone call from Dr Marellis this morning I had no great desire to marry,’ he said bluntly. ‘But knowing that you are expecting my baby has changed everything. I don’t want my child to be born illegitimate. I know it is not considered important these days, but to me it matters a great deal that my child will bear my name.’

He grimaced when he saw the doubtful expression in Jess’s eyes. ‘I know you don’t have happy memories of your father, but I swear to you that I will not be like him.’ He took her cold hands in his strong, warm ones. ‘I will love our child with all my heart,’ he promised, ‘and I will be the best father I can possibly be.’ He would not fail at this second chance to be a father, Drago vowed silently. He would not fail this child.

Jess stared at their linked hands through eyes blurred with tears. Perhaps pregnancy was making her feel emotional. She hadn’t cried since…She drew a swift breath as she was bombarded with memories that still had the power to make her weep.

Seven years ago, after Seb had made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with the child she had conceived by him, she hadn’t known what to do. She had felt alone and scared. But now, with Drago, she did not have to fear the future. He had promised to take care of her and the baby, and as the full implications of his offer to marry her sank in she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. There was no need for her to worry about how she would manage to bring up a child on her own, and no need for her to make a terrible choice like the one she had made seven years ago.

‘I suppose you will want me to sign a prenuptial agreement?’ she muttered. ‘It makes sense for you to protect your assets should we decide to…to divorce.’

She caught her bottom lip with her teeth as he slid his hand beneath her chin and gently forced her to meet his steady gaze.

‘I’m not planning for us to divorce. I am prepared to make a lifelong commitment to you as well as to our child.’ Drago stood up and drew her to her feet, his midnight-dark eyes focused intently on her face. ‘What is your answer, Jess?’

All that mattered was the baby, she reminded herself fiercely. So she would have a husband who did not love her? Well, there were many worse things in life. Drago’s avowal that he viewed marriage to her as a lifelong commitment gave her some measure of reassurance, but even so her heart was hammering hard against her ribs and she found it difficult to breathe as she said unsteadily, ‘All right…I’ll marry you.’





CHAPTER TEN



‘AT THE END of this month! Why do you want us to get married so quickly?’

Her expression tense, Jess twisted the enormous diamond solitaire ring on her finger. For the past week she had tried to ignore the reservations she still had about accepting Drago’s proposal, but when he had slid the engagement ring onto her finger a few moments ago she had been gripped by panic. She had always known he was powerful and commanding, but the speed with which he was organising everything and taking over her life was frightening. Her common sense told her she was doing the right thing for the baby, but Drago’s determination to rush ahead with the wedding, and the way he bulldozed any objections she voiced, made her feel trapped.

He shrugged. ‘What reason is there to wait? You are expecting my baby and I want to make you my wife as soon as possible.’