Chapter Seven
CHAPTER SEVEN
P HOEBE RECLINED ON a sofa in the pool house feeling like a sybarite indulging in her favourite things. She had a dish of nuts beside her, a glass of juice and a book in her hands. She’d woken alone—to her disappointment—but in fairness, it had almost been lunch time when she’d finally come back to consciousness. And, with even more fairness, this time Edo had left a note informing her he’d be working in his home office.
She’d gone to the window to check the weather—and the view, and next moment Isabella had gently knocked on her door to deliver a delicious brunch tray. Phoebe’s Italian app had been all vocab, not much verbal practice, but they made it work. She’d offered profuse thanks, babbling with embarrassment.
That was when Isabella had said Phoebe was the first guest to stay the entire time she’d worked there. And she’d worked there for years. That nugget had fuelled within Phoebe a need to move and expend her over-thinking energy. She’d pulled on her bikini and taken a swim in the pool—it was heated and could be used year-round. Then she’d come into the pool house with its smaller, more private feel. She’d been in here for all the hours since—mulling her future.
‘The results of the paternity test are in.’ Edo dropped into the chair beside her.
‘What?’ Phoebe took a moment to put down her book, hiding how her heart leapt at his appearance. ‘That was quick.’
‘They were expedited.’ He picked out a pistachio from the dish. ‘And we’ve been granted a special licence to have a civil service at the family chapel for security reasons.’
Her mind just blanked. ‘You have a family chapel?’
‘It’s on the property.’ He cracked the shell and clarified. ‘It was the chapel for the family I bought the estate from.’
‘So this isn’t a property you’ve had in your family for generations?’
‘No.’
She waited but he didn’t elaborate. Where had he grown up with his family, then?
‘I’m divorced,’ she pointed out eventually. ‘Can I even get married in a chapel?’
‘It’s a venue, that’s all. There will be a civil officiant. Crucially, it’s private.’ He chose a cashew then. ‘The ceremony will be at three tomorrow. Everything’s arranged. You only need to show up.’
Tomorrow? She was aghast.
‘You’ve planned the whole wedding just like that?’ When had he had the time to do that?
‘Vows, paperwork, pretty much everything.’ He fished in the nut dish again. ‘We can change any details you don’t like.’
‘Such as the actual wedding bit?’ she mumbled, disconcerted.
Hell, she’d thought she was efficient. Edo was next level and moving fast .
‘Do you want any friends or family to attend? There’s time to fly them out first thing.’
‘No thanks.’ She swallowed.
‘So, no family present for either of us.’ He shot her a grin. ‘Like an elopement.’
Yeah, an elopement in some other family’s chapel.
What about his brother? He wasn’t coming to the wedding? Was Edo ashamed of her and their shotgun wedding? Why didn’t he want to tell her anything? But she could hardly question him about his family when she didn’t want to talk about hers either.
‘Do you have something to wear?’ he asked.
‘You mean you haven’t organised that as well? Edo, how inefficient,’ she mocked. ‘Never mind, my work suit is suitably funereal.’
‘Indeed it is.’ He chuckled a little too loudly for her liking. ‘Why do you insist on that grey automaton outfit? It’s boring, and we both know you’re anything but boring.’
‘Are you commenting on what I wear at work?’ She leaned towards him. ‘Maybe it’s a way of blending into the background so I don’t get harassed by rich, arrogant jerks who think they’re entitled to anything or anyone they want—’
‘Someone harassed you? Who?’ His smile vanished.
She arched her eyebrows and handed him the entire dish of nuts.
‘I kept my distance. It nearly killed me but I kept my distance,’ he muttered. ‘What are you going to wear tomorrow?’
‘Apparently nothing, given I’ve no chance of finding anything in the village,’ she grumbled.
‘Nothing.’ His grin returned. ‘I look forward to it.’
She rolled her eyes.
‘What did you wear last time?’ he asked. ‘Got any photos?’
‘I deleted them all and burned the dress.’
‘It was that bad, huh?’ Edo tossed one of the nuts into his mouth. ‘Tell me about it?’
‘It was from a second-hand store. A simple slinky number. White,’ she answered blandly. ‘Inexpensive, because I was a student. I thought I looked good, but honestly, I cringe about it now. I must have looked like I was playing dress-up.’
She’d been a kid, so eager to be grown up and desired.
He stopped with the nuts. ‘I meant tell me about your marriage, not the dress.’
‘You mean you want us to have a personal conversation?’ she mock-marvelled. ‘Because generally you avoid such things. Or at least, like the information to travel one way only.’ She took a cashew from the dish he’d just almost dropped. ‘You’re a closed book. One with an appealing cover but impossible to open.’
‘I told you something personal in the car yesterday,’ he pointed out softly.
‘Only because you were desperate to convince me to marry you. You know we’ll both need to do better. We need to work out how we want to raise the baby—’
‘Eventually,’ he interrupted. ‘Let’s focus on the immediate issues.’
‘Like my wedding dress?’ she muttered sarcastically.
She didn’t have time to trawl the shops, even if there were any. Besides, she hardly wanted to face petite assistants when her belly was becoming more obvious by the hour.
‘I’ll wrap up in a sheet, toga-party style.’ She shrugged. ‘Problem solved.’
‘I’ve got a selection arriving shortly.’ He smirked.
‘What? Sheets?’
‘There’s a reasonable variety of dresses , hopefully you’ll find one you can endure just long enough for some photos.’
‘Photos?’
‘For the baby’s album.’ He grinned at her. ‘You can indulge your inner fire-starter and light a bonfire immediately after.’
‘You’re not worried I’ll burn down your entire estate?’
‘You’re the office fire warden, far too responsible to make such a catastrophic error.’
‘Fire warden?’ She shook her head. ‘First aid certificate.’
‘Same thing.’ He shrugged. ‘Can you cope with a wedding band? You can melt that down later too, remake it into something you prefer.’
Oh, she needed to take him down. But before she could even try to answer she heard heavy wheels out in the courtyard.
‘That will be your dress delivery. Do you want help choosing?’
She stood. ‘I can manage.’
‘Naturally,’ he muttered acerbically.
Her refusal wasn’t about independence, if Elodie or Bethan were here she’d fall over them in desperation for help. But she did not want Edo alongside her in this moment.
By the time she made it upstairs, Isabella was hanging several garment covers in the walk-in wardrobe of Phoebe’s room. The housekeeper’s eyes sparkled and Phoebe swallowed all pride. ‘Do you want to look at them with me?’
There were several options but it didn’t take them long to find a favourite. It was the colour of the crème in a crème caramel, long, with a delicate lace layer. Phoebe liked the long sleeves and the way it flowed about her body—masking her belly. She still couldn’t believe that she—supposedly so practical—had an unplanned pregnancy. Worse, that she’d not realised for so long .
Isabella fussed about her gently, smoothing parts and adjusting the hang of it. Then she met Phoebe’s eye and smiled. Phoebe didn’t go back downstairs but asked Isabella if she could have her dinner brought to her. No problem, of course. Edo didn’t disturb her and she tried to relax enough to sleep. The pregnancy hormones helped—she was asleep in seconds.
* * *
Isabella woke her with a breakfast tray. Without Phoebe having to ask again, she stayed to help—drawing her a bath and providing beautiful toiletries. Moved and grateful, Phoebe sat still as Isabella swept her hair into a half up, half down style. She took deep breaths and reminded herself this would only be temporary. She wasn’t going to lose herself. This was different, she could keep it on her terms. She just needed not to let her lust for him get the better of her.
In the early afternoon a bodyguard drove Isabella and her down the hill to the chapel. Phoebe gazed at the small stone building with its circular window. Phoebe walked in slowly. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light inside. Edo was already there, unbearably handsome in his dark suit.
Ceremony. Vows. Rings.
It passed in a complete haze because she could hardly hear above her heartbeat. She could hardly look at him either. He was too gorgeous. Too serious. And she was all thumbs, putting the wedding band on his cool finger. She’d not had to do that before. Ryan had refused to wear one.
Isabella and the bodyguard witnessed, taking time to sign the paperwork. As Edo talked with the official, Phoebe took the chance to walk about the chapel, trying to clear her fuzzy head. The floral array smelled gorgeous. Someone had put time and effort into making this tiny, already beautiful building even more stunning. She moved slowly, studying the old memorial plaques, reminders of the family who’d once owned this property. There were generations of them. A glint in the further back corner caught her eye. Half-hidden by flowers, the bronze plaque was incongruous because of its shine. It was newer. She brushed the petals to the side to read the inscription and froze.
Dante Benedetti
Was this his brother’s memorial stone? Phoebe’s breathing became choppier. She frowned and moved closer to read the dates, confused. Edo had said they’d got Dante back. He’d shown her that awful photo of him when he’d been freed. He’d said that Dante had never been the same but he’d never told her more. According to these dates, Dante had been nineteen when he’d passed. Five years after the abduction. What had happened? Why had he died so young?
Worried, she glanced back at her husband—serious and focused as he and the official talked. He’d lost both parents. She still didn’t know how. Now she knew he’d not been wholly truthful about his brother. She’d joked about him being a closed book, but he truly was. Of course he didn’t have to tell her anything personal—certainly not anything deeply painful as this clearly was. But she worried for him—and now wondered what else he’d kept from her. This had all happened so fast because she’d been swept along by his intense insistence on security …
Was there worse that had happened? What had happened to his parents? And what was the impact of all this on Edo himself? He must be so very hurt. It made her heart ache. Badly. Had she just made a massive mistake? Because she’d thought he might come round to the reality of their baby, to choosing to be more involved than he’d said he intended to…
Far too late she realised that she knew almost nothing about the man she’d just married.