Technically, she supposed she should be the hostess in this situation, but she knew that Sabina had spent most of her married life here in the palazzo, only moving to a smaller villa on the property a couple of years ago. Her general air of command put Blair very much on the defensive—a position she didn’t enjoy.
“Tell me, when is the baby due?” Sabina asked once she’d plumbed the depths of Blair’s family tree. Something that hadn’t taken very long.
“Not until the middle of November,” Blair managed to say through stiff lips.
“Ah, a winter baby. The nursery here is well-insulated, so you will not have to concern yourself that he will be cold.”
“There is a nursery?” Blair blurted out before she could think.
Of course there’d be a nursery here. Generations of Sandrellis had been born here so it made perfect sense the children would have had their own accommodation. A pang of concern struck her. Despite her agreement with Draco, she didn’t want to leave her baby. The very thought now filled her with dread.
“Men!” Sabina rolled her eyes. “I cannot believe that Draco has not shown you the nursery. After dinner I will show it to you. Now, tell me more about yourself. How did you and my son meet?”
Sabina was a great listener, and before long Blair had told her not only about how they’d met but how Draco had come back into her life in New Zealand. The older woman was nodding with a smile on her face.
“That’s my son. Never one to stand back and wait when he can just take what he wants. But despite that, he’s a good boy.”
Blair fought back a grin, it was hard to imagine that anyone could refer to Draco as a “boy.” As far as she was concerned he was all man—and it made the current distance between them all the harder to bear. She missed the closeness they’d shared before he discovered the pregnancy. As Sabina waxed lyrical about her son’s achievements, Blair gained a new insight into the complexities of the man she loved. It was clear he would do anything for his parents, and that despite the fact his father was no longer capable of being active in the Sandrelli’s business affairs, he regularly consulted with him about business decisions.
“Of course, when Marcella died we were all devastated. Umberto and I are very happy he’s found another so special.”
Sabina’s words made Blair sit upright. “Marcella?”
“Ah, I see Draco hasn’t told you about her yet.” Sabina’s lips formed a moue of irritation and she sighed. “Well, now, since I’ve mentioned her name, I should probably put your curiosity to rest.”
“I’m not—”
“My dear, don’t worry. Curiosity is a good thing, and if you and my son are to be married, then you should know about his late fiancée.”
Married? Before Blair could disabuse Draco’s mother of the idea another word sank into her head. Fiancée?
“It was terribly sad, of course. Marcella was such a darling girl. No one knew about her heart defect.”
“Had they…had they known each other long?”
Blair both wanted to know about this other woman and didn’t. She knew she’d be found wanting if she was to be compared side-by-side with the woman he had loved enough to offer marriage.
“Oh yes, she was the daughter of old friends. We’d always hoped for a family alliance, but sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.” Sabina lapsed into silence for a moment before continuing. “It’s why I wanted to see you for myself, you know. I suspected, when Draco told me you were living here, that you were more than just one of his passing flings. Then when I saw you, I knew you must be pregnant. I’m so glad he now has the chance to have the child he lost when Marcella passed away.”
“She was pregnant?” A cold chill ran down Blair’s back.
“Yes, she knew how important family was to Draco, especially after Lorenzo’s accident. She didn’t want to wait until after they were married to start their family. Of course her parents were horrified when she announced to us all that she was having Draco’s baby, but they soon came to look forward to it as much as we did.”
“You mentioned a heart problem. Did Marcella know?”
“Apparently so. She’d been warned not to have children, but I think she was scared she’d lose Draco if she didn’t. She risked her life to have his baby. Sadly, the risk was too great. We lost them both. I thought Draco would go mad with grief.”
Again Sabina lapsed into silence, but then drew in a deep breath and straightened her shoulders.
“But that’s in the past, and now we have a new baby to look forward to. And a wedding!” She clapped her hands together. “Have you two set a date yet?”