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A man would have felt the full force of his fist at that, and known what it felt like to be flattened against the nearest wall!
As it was, his bitten out, ‘If I ever hear you say one word against my wife again, or learn that you’ve spoken unpleasantly to her, then I shall forget the duty I owe you and ask you to leave my home,’ had had to suffice.
Now he made a conscious effort to relax his rigid shoulders, unclench his teeth, calm down, and stride through the relative coolness of the house looking for Maddie. Not finding her, he bellowed to his housekeeper for information on where his wife was hiding.
He wouldn’t have admitted it to a living soul, but leaving her, even for an hour or two, left him feeling wired-up, unable to forget that day—such an ordinary day, or so he’d thought—when he’d returned and discovered she’d left him.
Today, a crucial early-morning business meeting had necessitated his absence, and Alexandra had waylaid him on his return. And infuriated him!
He wasn’t a fool. He could put two and two together as well as the next man. Since his aunt’s return from Switzerland a subtle change had come over Maddie. She was strangely subdued, even with him, and that worried him. And in his aunt’s presence, especially at shared mealtimes, she seemed to shrink into herself, as if trying to make herself invisible.
Couple that with the way she had seemed similarly subdued and withdrawn during the few weeks prior to the time when she’d shocked him rigid by demanding a divorce, and it didn’t take a genius to work out that his aunt had been throwing a few poisoned darts in her direction!
Time to sort it out!
No one would get away with upsetting his wife while he had breath in his body!
On the arrival of the stout personage of his long-time housekeeper, he learned that Kyria Kouvaris was in the garden. He huffed out a long sigh of relief, mentally chiding himself for doubting her, for fearing that she might have broken her promise to stay with him, make their marriage work.
He who had feared nothing in the whole of his life, believing whole-heartedly that he could bend any circumstance to his will, overcome anything that life threw at him, had discovered his Achilles’ heel!
She was reclining on a lounger beneath the shade of the vine arbour, a pristine folder held loosely in her hands, her eyes closed.
For a moment he allowed himself the sheer luxury of feasting his eyes on her. She wore a filmy sundress in a cool cream colour that drew attention to the honey-gold tan she had acquired on the island, the tiny shoestring straps revealing the smooth perfection of her arms and shoulders, the soft fabric of the dress moulding those beautifully formed breasts, skimming her waist and flowing around her lovely legs.
You had to look very hard to detect the swelling of her tummy—something he allowed himself to do at leisure each time he stripped her willing body.
Abruptly he pulled himself together, his long mouth twisting wryly. He only had to see her to want her, and now was not the time!
He moved towards her. She felt his presence, turned her head and smiled radiantly for him. ‘You’re back. Good! Come and see what we’ve got!’
Shifting into a sitting position, she moved her legs to one side, making room for him to perch on the end of the soft lounger.
Her eyes gleaming with pleasure, Maddie opened the classily presented folder. ‘Look. It was delivered by hand this morning.’ Spreading the enclosed papers around them, she revealed detailed sketches of the nursery Dimitri had commissioned from the team of top-flight designers he’d chosen with such care. ‘It looks perfect. I love the colour scheme—pale lemon-yellow, off-white, and touches of that misty green—perfect for a baby boy or girl. And will you just look at that rocking horse? Should we give them the go-ahead to start work?’
‘Of course.’ Her delight was infectious. So easy to let himself get caught up in it, in the more than welcome return of the sunny smiles and easy chatter that had been markedly absent for the last few days.
But.
He collected the sketches and replaced them in the folder, then took her hands in his, his eyes serious, holding hers. ‘Maddie, we’ll look at them together later. Right now, I want you to tell me the truth. Has Aunt Alexandra said or done anything to upset you? Something’s taken the spring out of your step since she returned. I know from experience that she has a vicious tongue when she feels like using it. And I promise you, if she has upset you and continues to do so, she will be asked to live elsewhere.’
Maddie’s body clenched to stillness and her eyes smartly evaded his.
The truth? How could she?
Her joy in the morning fled. Gone was the snatched tranquillity out here, away from his aunt and the hurtful remarks the old lady had made on finding her breakfasting alone. The relaxation of the soft lounger in the welcome shade, the excitement over the plans for the nursery that had helped push the latest insult to the back of her mind faded.
‘So you’ve got yourself pregnant? No doubt you’re pleased with yourself for cementing your position as the wife of one of the wealthiest men in Greece! Well, don’t make too many plans for a long-term future—I know my nephew better than you do. It won’t last. He’ll see through you and you’ll be histo
ry!’
How could she tell him that his aunt hated her and lost no opportunity of letting her know it? The old lady had brought him up—probably done the best her intrinsically cold nature had let her, and looked on him as if he were her own son.
She couldn’t in all conscience cause a family rift. And how would the old lady feel about being thrown out of the home that had been hers for so many years?
Much as she would prefer Aunt Alexandra’s absence to her presence, she couldn’t do it!
Conscious of his watchful silence, the increased pressure of his hands, she lifted her eyes to his and told him, trying to smile, ‘There’s no question of your aunt losing her home here with you. She’d be dreadfully hurt, so you mustn’t even think of it! I’m a bit of a disappointment to her, that’s all.’ She shrugged, aiming to portray the subject’s lack of importance. ‘And it’s understandable if you think about it, because, reading between the lines, I guess she secretly had her heart set on you marrying Irini. She’s bound to be miffed because that didn’t happen. Give her time and she’ll get over it.’
