that her head rested on his shoulder. ‘I give you my word that you will always have a place in Sophie’s life.’
* * *
Like every room in the penthouse, the nursery’s décor was stark white. It was probably very stylish, but in Beth’s opinion it lacked the cosy charm of the nursery at the Castello del Falco. Sophie, however, seemed oblivious to her surroundings, and had fallen asleep soon after her evening feed.
Feeling the familiar surge of love for the baby girl, Beth leant over the cot and brushed a tender kiss on Sophie’s petal-soft cheek.
‘She took her whole bottle and settled without a murmur,’ Luisa Moretti told her in a hushed voice. ‘I’ll take good care of her while you are out, so please don’t worry about her.’ The nanny smiled. ‘What a beautiful dress, Miss Granger.’
‘Please call me Beth.’ Luisa was so friendly that Beth had quickly warmed to her, and if she was honest it was a relief to share a little of the responsibility of caring for Sophie with a highly experienced nanny.
She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and gave a rueful laugh. ‘It’s an amazing dress, isn’t it? But I’ve never worn red in my life and I’m not sure I can carry it off.’
She had voiced her doubts earlier in the day to the stylist Cesario had arranged to accompany her on a shopping trip on the Via dei Condotti—reputed to be one of the richest streets in Rome—where all the top designer boutiques could be found. The stylist had persuaded her to try on dozens of outfits but, horrified by the price tags, Beth had refused to buy anything with the credit card Cesario had given her and had only reluctantly agreed to the red dress because she had been impatient to get back to Sophie.
‘With your slim figure, the dress looks stunning on you,’ the stylist had insisted.
A trip to the hair and beauty salon had followed, and to her surprise Beth had enjoyed the novel experience of being pampered.
‘I can’t believe I look so glamorous,’ she told Luisa, as she studied her glossy hair with its new wispy layers that framed her face. The stylist had suggested she wear slightly more make-up for the evening, and had emphasised her eyes with a smoky shadow and brushed a light red gloss over her lips. Silver stiletto sandals and purse completed the outfit, and with a last glance in the mirror she went to find Cesario.
He was waiting for her in the lounge: tall, dark and devastatingly sexy in a black dinner suit and white silk shirt. Beth paused in the doorway and her heart-rate accelerated when he looked over at her and visibly tensed. His eyes narrowed, but as he walked towards her she was conscious of the feral gleam beneath his heavy lids.
‘Bellissima! You take my breath away,’ he said with a savage intensity that sent a tremor through her.
The simmering sexual tension between them was almost tangible.
Beth drew a shaky breath. ‘It’s the dress,’ she murmured.
He gave a rough laugh. ‘No, cara, it’s you. I would find you even more beautiful without the dress.’ His eyes gleamed wickedly. ‘But if you want me to prove it…’
Heat scorched her cheeks as she imagined him easing the narrow shoulder straps over her arms and then sliding the silk bodice down to reveal her naked breasts.
‘Didn’t you say we need to leave for the theatre at seven?’ she said hurriedly.
‘Before we leave there is one addition I must make to your outfit.’
From his jacket pocket he withdrew a slim velvet case, and opened it to reveal a single strand of glittering stones.
‘I knew when I saw it in the jeweller’s window that it would be perfect for you. It’s not ostentatious or fussy—just a beautifully uncluttered design which allows the stones to shine with simple purity.’
Just as Beth’s understated beauty shone from her, Cesario brooded, feeling a sharp tug of desire in his groin as he pushed her silky hair over one slender shoulder so that he could fasten the necklace around her throat.
‘It’s lovely.’ Beth glanced in the mirror and admired the way the stones sparkled as they caught the light. ‘They could almost be real diamonds.’
Cesario looked amused. ‘They are real. What did you think—that they are glass chips?’
She gave him a horrified look. ‘Real…! It must have cost a fortune. I can’t possibly accept it.’
He shrugged. ‘Everyone dresses up for first-night performances at the opera house, and I’m sure you don’t want to look out of place.’
Cesario could not rationalise to himself let alone to Beth why he had bought the necklace for her. There had been such sadness in her voice when she had spoken about the death of her friend Mel, and he guessed that her life in the children’s home had not been happy. He enjoyed making her smile, but now she knew the diamonds were real the look of pleasure in her eyes had been replaced with wariness.
‘Enjoy wearing the necklace tonight, cara, but do not worry that it means anything,’ he advised coolly. ‘It is expected that you will wear jewellery, and as you do not have any of your own I have provided you with some. That’s all.’
He watched the play of emotions in her eyes: relief followed by a faint disappointment that she quickly hid beneath the sweep of her lashes.
‘When you look at me like that the only place I want to take you is my bed,’ he rasped.
‘You shouldn’t say things like that.’ Beth began in an outraged tone, but the words died on her lips as he slid his hand beneath her chin and captured her mouth in a searing kiss that left her speechless.
‘Why not, when it’s the truth?’ he taunted her softly.
But instead of kissing her again, as Beth secretly longed for him to do, he opened the door and ushered her into the hall.
‘We’d better leave now, before my will-power is tested any further, mia bella.’
BETH was spellbound by the plush red velvet and opulent gold décor of Teatro dell’Opera. The auditorium was horseshoe shaped, with tiers of seating boxes rising up towards a magnificent frescoed dome, and suspended from the centre of the dome was a huge chandelier of breathtaking beauty.
With her eyes focused on the ceiling, she stumbled in her high heels and felt Cesario grip her arm to steady her.
‘Are you all right?’ he murmured in her ear.
‘Overawed,’ she admitted. ‘I’ve never been to a theatre before. This is amazing.’ She glanced around at the crowd filing in to take their seats and gave him a rueful look. ‘I understand now why you insisted that I should dress up. The only other people I’ve seen wearing so much bling are the drug dealers who trade on the estate where I live.’
He muttered something beneath his breath and slid his arm around her waist. ‘Why do you live there?’
‘Because it’s the only place where I can afford the rent.’
‘I don’t want you to go back there,’ Cesario said harshly. ‘Even if Sophie is not my child I’ll help you find somewhere safer to bring her up.’
Beth could not bear the idea of him viewing her and Sophie as a charity case. ‘If it turns out that she is not your responsibility why would you care what happens to her?’
He cared, Cesario realised with a frown. Little Sophie, with her button-round brown eyes and shock of dark hair, evoked a protective instinct in him. When he held her he did not consider whether or not she was his. One thing he was certain of was that, whatever the outcome of the DNA test, he would not allow Beth and the baby to return to a tower block in a crime-ridden