“No, Mamma, we have not.”
Both women wheeled around in their seats as Draco’s voice interrupted them. He handed his mother a glass of white wine and Blair a fruit juice. Blair couldn’t tell from his expression whether he’d overheard his mother’s conversation. Draco speared her with a searching glance. Did he imagine for one minute that she’d told his mother they were engaged? Blair knew she had to put Sabina right.
“Actually, we’re not engaged,” she said, slightly breathless.
“Not engaged?” Sabina’s perfect eyebrows shot toward her hairline and she directed a stern look at her son.
“No, Mamma,” Draco confirmed in a voice that did not encourage further discussion on the topic.
His father shuffled over to join them and conversation turned to more general topics, but all evening and all through their meal Blair was plagued with questions racing around in her mind about his dead fiancée.
Suddenly, Draco’s heavy-handed approach to her pregnancy began to make sense now. She had a deeper understanding of what this pregnancy meant to him, why his reaction had been so sudden and so severe when he’d found out about it, and why he was so determined she have the best care that money could buy. Not that it had saved poor Marcella, she thought grimly. She wondered what had driven the other woman to deliberately enter into a pregnancy, knowing it could take her life—take her from the very man she loved enough to want to spend the rest of her life with him.
For a moment, Blair allowed herself the luxury of envy of Marcella—of the fact that she had loved Draco and been loved in return. But then she felt ashamed. Jealous of a dead woman? That was taking herself to a new low indeed.
That Draco already loved their unborn baby Blair had no doubt; but she knew that love couldn’t extend to her as well. It was ironic. The last time she’d believed herself in love with a man, her best friend had come between them. This time it was a baby and the memory of Marcella. How could she ever hope to compete with that?
At least she had Carson’s. It was the one constant in her life and would be waiting for her when all this was over. She had to hold onto that thought. It was the only thing that would get her through all of this.
She wanted more than that, though. She wanted Draco. She wanted what he’d shared with Marcella, together with all the hopes and dreams for the future. The idea terrified her and exhilarated her at the same time. She fingered the charm bracelet she’d worn since the day he’d given it to her, and considered the earrings he’d put in her ears himself this evening. He wasn’t totally uncaring of her. Maybe, just maybe, they could make it work.
It was late when Umberto and Sabina left to return to their villa and Blair let herself into her bedroom. During the tour of the nursery with Sabina, Blair had expressed surprise that, with the size of the palazzo, Draco’s parents didn’t keep a suite of rooms here. But Sabina had explained that all her married life she’d done what had been expected of her in the Sandrelli name. Now that Draco had taken over the reins from his father, it was time for them to truly be a couple and have their own home and their own dreams together. And besides, with his disabilities from a series of small strokes, Umberto was far more comfortable in their single-level dwelling.
Sabina’s comments had struck a chord with Blair. Despite Sabina’s hopes that the men would confine their business discussions to their predinner drinks, the dinner table had been dominated by Sandrelli affairs. She could understand why the other woman would have wanted some distance between work and home life, but it was her compassion and obvious love for her husband that struck a deeper chord.
It was clear to her that Sabina was very much still the lady of the palazzo. She’d given up all of this so her husband wouldn’t need to struggle or rely on others for what independence he still held.
Again it occurred to Blair that Draco would have very little time for their baby, once it was born. She had to find some way to heal the rift between them and span their differences. She couldn’t bear the idea that their child would be raised by a succession of nannies if she failed to convince Draco of her need to now be a part in their baby’s life.
Blair may not have had her mother’s love growing up, and her father had been focused on his work a lot of the time, but he’d been there for her one way or another. And she wanted to be there for the baby too.
Blair had to talk to Draco. Tonight, before her courage deserted her. She had to convince him to consider a future between them.
Carefully, she took off the blue dress Draco had bought her and placed it on a hanger, then she removed her underwear and slid the nearly translucent nightgown and peignoir on over skin that had suddenly become hypersensitive to the silky-soft texture of the garment. She tangled her fingers through her hair and pinched at cheeks that had suddenly paled.