Their marriage? That contract? Well, hopefully, if Belle’s adoption came through, she could return to him then. Would that be enough for him? Or would she find herself charged with breach of contract? She had plenty of fabulous jewellery now to hock should she require a good lawyer, she reminded herself. Really, Belle was the most important person in her world and she had to put her first.
Even above Tore? Tore would be furious. Hurt? Possibly. Betrayed? He would probably feel she had let him down badly and the idea of him believing that of her wounded her. She sat down at her laptop to write a letter and just let the words flow as she pointed out that it was easier to walk away from a sudden, mistaken marriage than risk losing custody of the little girl she already thought of as her daughter. But that, all things being equal, she would return to their marriage should the adoption be finalised in the near future. Would that satisfy him?
Tore had agonised all day about the answer he had given Violet on the adoption question. Rationally, he stood by that answer. He could not agree to parent Belle unless he could stay around to complete that job. Violet hadn’t thought her naive expectations through. She had been very much shocked by his flat refusal, however. But why hadn’t she latched on to the offer he had made for her to remain married to him? Her lack of reaction had bitten him deep. She could, at least, have discussed his proposal and given him an answer. Troubled, he left the office early.
His housekeeper informed him that Violet hadn’t returned since leaving with her cases.Cases?Maybe she was disposing of some of her old clothes. Regardless, he was curious enough to stride through to her wing and walk through the empty rooms. Everything he had bought her still hung in the closets, the jewellery boxes left out in a seeming statement on the dresser and most noticeably, her wedding ring. Taken aback and losing colour, he uttered a curse, his chest suddenly uncomfortably tight and he breathed in fast and deep. She had walked out on him.
She wasgone. He didn’t like that, couldn’t accept it. His hands clenched into fists; indeed, that wasn’t an ending that he could handle. It wasn’t what he wanted. It hadn’t been what he wanted for longer than he cared to admit. He had found something special with Violet, something he couldn’t put into words but which he had never had with any other woman. Somehow, daily interaction with Violet had become crucial to his well-being. She made him happy, honest-to-God happy, and with the simplest of things. Her smile, her warmth, her infectious friendliness and honesty, her innocent willingness to trust in others in spite of her difficult childhood.
‘Mr Renzetti?’ his housekeeper said from the doorway. ‘Will Mrs Renzetti be staying for dinner when she picks up the little girl at seven?’
‘I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know,’ Tore countered stiffly as he headed for his own room, struggling to get his head straight, his thoughts ordered, instead of taking off on wild tangents. She hadn’t taken Belle yet. He clung to that fact. He would see Violet again, however briefly.
The envelope in the centre of the bed she had shared with him the night before stole his attention the moment he entered the room. He tore it open, unfurled the closely typed two sheets. He supposed it was good that she had so much to say. Hopeful? He didn’t know. But the letter was very much Violet, telling him that absolutely everything was her fault from start to finish and that she wasn’t betraying his trust. No, only trying to correct her status for the benefit of Belle’s ongoing adoption and that she had every intention of returning to him as soon as possible to fulfil the contract.
Dio mio, the contract again when he couldn’t care less about that stupid contract, which had caused more trouble than it was worth. He had clung to the letter of the law in that contract and where had it gotten him? He should’ve told her that he loved her in Italy. He shouldn’t have sat on the fence, too proud to say it first. He shouldn’t have stuck to his moral convictions when it came to Belle’s adoption application, either. He should have said yes just to free Violet from worry. He had left her alone all day to deal with that stress. Was it any wonder that his wife regarded pretending to be single again as the simplest solution to her predicament?
Tabitha set a mug of tea down beside her sister. ‘So, you’re fully on board with the leaving Tore bit even though it’s breaking your heart?’
‘I have to get over him some time! It’s just happening sooner than I expected,’ Violet muttered tightly.
‘He’s a monster for not being willing to do his bit for the adoption. I don’t care about his convictions,’ Tabitha said sharply. ‘If he cares about you and Belle, he should’ve agreed to do it.’
‘You can’t expect that from a man who married me because of a stupid contract to acquire voting rights for his business,’ Violet sighed miserably. ‘He’s not an emotional man.’
Tabitha hovered by the window and stared down. ‘So, if I was to tell you that he’s pacing the pavement down there carrying the biggest, most ridiculous bouquet of flowers I ever saw, you’re not interested?’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Violet flew up and over to the window. ‘Those are beautiful flowers!’ she told her sister argumentatively.
‘Right, I’ll let him in and take over the counter downstairs so that the staff can clear up for closing,’ Tabitha declared. ‘I’m not going to stay up here and play gooseberry.’
Violet compressed her lips and glanced in the mirror, finger combing her hair to tidy it, pinching her cheeks because she looked colourless and miserable. Well, shewasmiserable. What had seemed so simple earlier that day was a lot tougher when push came to shove. She knew she had to make the sacrifice of leaving Tore for Belle’s sake but being away from him, not knowing when or if she would ever be with him again, was a punishment.
Hearing his steps on the stairs, she went out to the tiny landing and collided with shimmeringly intense green eyes long before he reached the top step. She backed into the cosy sitting room. ‘Did you read my letter?’ she prompted anxiously.
‘Yes. You don’t look at all like your sister,’ he remarked wryly as he handed her the flowers and she disappeared through a doorway into the tiny kitchenette to put them in water.
‘I told you that. Before we talk about what you’re doing here, I’ve always wondered why you didn’t want to meet either of us before the wedding.’
‘It made it too real. It personalised what I was determined would be a business-oriented alliance. After all, looks didn’t come into it.’
‘Agreed, but your lack of curiosity was weird.’
‘I didn’t expect to be attracted to you or end up in bed with you but you shook me up from the first moment,’ Tore revealed. ‘You were always taking me by surprise. You dealt with my relatives like a pro at thecastello. I’m sorry I didn’t give you more support. I took advantage of your good nature so that I could work. But I didn’t doanywork today. I was stuck stressing about the bad way we parted but I planned to sort that out once I got home…only you were gone.’
‘You may not agree with what I’m trying to do here but you have to admit that it will simplify things.’
‘How? It means I have to do without you and I’m not prepared to do that. Why didn’t you accept the offer I made before we parted?’ Tore demanded, seeing the tearstains on her cheeks and feeling encouraged by them. ‘I realise that I didn’t voice the suggestion in an emotional or romantic way, but if you didn’t want to leave me for heaven only knows how long, why didn’t you consider that as an option?’
‘What offer did you make me before we parted?’ Violet queried in confusion.
‘That if you agree to stay with me until Belle grows up, I’ll go through the adoption process for Belle with you,’ he reiterated. ‘Neither of us would be lying then.’
‘You said that this morning? I didn’t hear you! For goodness’ sake, why would you say that? Why would you ask me to stay?’
‘Why am I here now? You’re being very slow on the uptake this evening,mia lucciola,’ Tore groaned. ‘I want you forever. I don’t want to lose you or Belle in three years’ time. I want to forget about rules and contracts and have a normal marriage with you.’
‘Forever,’she repeated in emphasis.
