Lili’s throat felt dry under the gazes of the two men. It had been a long time since she’d been the center of anyone’s attention. If she ever had been. Even the kidnappers hadn’t really noticed her, apart from manhandling her and making crude comments.
She nodded. ‘Yes, I was.’
‘Well, in that case, I accept your proposal.’
Lili blinked at Corti and then repeated a little breathlessly, ‘You accept…my proposal.’
There was a flicker of amusement at the corner of his mouth. ‘Weren’t you the one who came to me and offered yourself in marriage?’
‘Yes, I guess I was.’ She felt light-headed again.
The solicitor beside her cleared his throat. Lili tore her gaze from Corti to look at the man who was taking out a sheaf of papers from a briefcase. ‘In that case, if you are serious about becoming Signore Corti’s wife and potential mother of his child, you’ll need to sign a prenuptial agreement.’
Corti said, ‘The agreement is pretty straightforward, protecting Corti assets naturally, but you will receive a generous allowance and leave to live here if we are successful in having an heir. We will share custody of our child but he, or she, will reside here with you as the main carer. We will both have a say in major decisions to do with schooling etc. If there is no child, you will also receive a generous settlement and you will be free to seek a divorce and move on with your life.’
Lili looked at the solicitor and back to Corti, a little bewildered with all of that information. ‘It’s that easy?’
Corti shrugged. ‘Pretty much. We’ll need some documents from you of course, and if the prenuptial agreement is to your satisfaction then we’ll proceed with the marriage. It’ll take place here in a month’s time.’
‘A month!’ Lili squeaked.
‘There’s no need to delay is there? I’m not due to race again until Monte Carlo in a couple of months, and that should give you enough time to interview a new housekeeper.’
Lili felt like a parrot. ‘A new housekeeper. Why would we need a new housekeeper? I thought the whole point was that I could stay here?’
‘You can, but you’ll be my wife, so you’ll be the chatelaine of the villa, not an employee.’
She said falteringly, ‘I…yes of course, it wouldn’t be appropriate.’ She hadn’t even thought that far ahead but now it seemed to be hurtling towards her with the speed of a train.
The solicitor stood up and said, ‘I’ll leave the agreement here for you, Miss Spirenze. When you’ve looked it over you can let me know and I’ll come back to witness your signature. Here’s my card so you can contact me.’ He held out a card and Lili plucked it from his fingers, careful not to touch him again.
He left the room. Now it was just her and Cassian Corti. He came to the other side of the desk and sat down in a louche sprawl. Now he did more resemble the playboy figure.
He said, ‘If you’re having second thoughts, Lili, I’d prefer if you could let me know now before we invest any more time in this.’
Lili shook her head faintly. She knew this was an outrageous thing that she was offering to do but after this last year in the villa she knew that this was where she wanted to be. And if she had a child too, she would have all she could possibly need. Security, love and peace.
She looked at her boss. ‘Areyousure?’
A hard expression flitted over his face. ‘You heard the conversation yesterday. This is what I have to do if I want to keep the villa in the Corti name and family. As much as I have ambivalent feelings towards it, I don’t want to be the one who is responsible for letting it go.’
Lili knew the value of the properties in Lake Como. Clearly he didn’t need the money from a sale.
She forced her mind to think, to ask some pertinent questions. ‘But what if you change your mind? What if you want to marry someone else?’
‘That won’t be an issue because I never had any intention of marrying, or having a family.’
‘But haven’t you always known about this rule?’
He looked a little sheepish. ‘Yes, but I have to admit that when the time came I thought I’d be able to let this villa go.’
‘But you can’t.’
His expression shuttered again. ‘If I have the option to keep it then I will try.’
Lili stood up now, feeling too agitated to stay sitting. She put herself behind the chair, hands on the back of it. ‘But if I can’t have a child then you’ll lose it all.’
Corti shrugged. ‘Then I’ll have done my best. I’ll let it go and become even wealthier. You’ll be well compensated for your time.’
