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Gio rolled his eyes. ‘He refused to acknowledge the blood tie. Like my mother’s parents, he was appalled by my father and kept me at a distance. When he told your brother and me that he would only sell thecastelloto a family man, he was denying the ugly truth of his prejudice,’ Gio told her tautly.
And Leah wondered what it must have been like for Gio not only to be forced to grow up with a violent, criminal father but also to be punished as though he were of the same ilk even when he reached adulthood. ‘That was wickedly unfair,’ she whispered.
Gio shrugged a broad shoulder as their car turned up a leafy drive. ‘That’s life.’
‘But even when your life has proved that you’re a different man, why don’t they recognise it?’ she asked in a pained tone.
‘Because some people believe that in the end bad blood will out,’ Gio proffered bitterly. ‘If I took an axe and murdered someone, many people would nod their heads in satisfaction and say, “Well, he’s Giovanni Romano’s son. What did you expect?”’
Her heart clenched at the idea of him having endured that bias since he was a child and at the confirmation that his mother’s relatives had decided not to give him a chance either.
The SUV drove through a huge archway into a paved courtyard and the whole illusion of the castle that was a medieval fortress melted away as she registered that the towers and the massive walls were only a façade, loosely joined to the far more elaborate and elegant building hidden behind. A great double loggia with a roof spanned the courtyard, linking two wings with lines of windows.
‘My word,’ Leah remarked, clambering out of the car, feeling the summer heat warm her bare arms, her attention skipping over the beautiful displays of flowers in stone urns. ‘It’s more of a palace than a castle.’
‘Itwasthe Palazzo Zanetti for centuries but my cousin reclaimed the original name and opened a museum of medieval weaponry in one of the towers.’ A lean hand rested at the base of her spine. ‘Let’s go inside,’ he urged.
‘So, this very grand house is where your mother grew up,’ Leah murmured, smiling at the older man waiting to greet them at the imposing front entrance.
‘Yes, but my grandparents also own a country property outside Florence, which is where they moved when they sold up here. Allow me to introduce you to Jacobo, who is in charge of making everything under this roof run smoothly,’ he interposed.
Nothing could have prepared Leah for the sheer magnificence of thecastelloand her eyes steadily widened in growing awe. A spectacular entrance hall with marble flooring was surrounded by room after room of indescribable splendour. Ornate ceilings, glorious colourful frescoes and gilded furniture abounded along with rich soft furnishings. ‘Good heavens,’ she exclaimed. ‘I can understand why you believed thecastellowas far too generous a wedding gift.’
‘I’ve put some very lucrative business deals your brother’s way in recent weeks. I can now consider the debt settled,’ Gio countered, surprising her. ‘In any case, I don’t like to admit it but, but for Ari, Istillwouldn’t own this place. My cousin was never going to agree to sell to me.’
‘That’s sad. Is this the first time you’ve seen this house?’ she asked abruptly.
‘No. My cousin held open days in the summer and I sneaked in once when he was in the middle of his grand restoration. I was fortunate not to be recognised.’
Leah found that even sadder and she reached out to clasp his arm and squeeze it in consolation. ‘This is your home now. Enjoy it,’ she urged soothingly.
‘You’re the only woman who has ever tried to comfort me,’ Gio proclaimed, shaking his handsome head in wonderment as he directed her upstairs while grudgingly conceding that he had never actually shared so much of himself with any woman before Leah.
‘That can’t be true. What about your mother?’
‘She didn’t have a nurturing nature. She worshipped the ground my father walked on though, no matter what he did to either of us, no matter how many other women he had. I loved her but she didn’t protect me or herself and she wouldn’t leave him and save us both,’ he divulged grimly. ‘He came first with her...always. Now enough about me. You’ve dragged my entire family history out of me, yet you still won’t tell me about your ex-boyfriend.’
Leah winced. ‘That’s different. That story doesn’t reflect well on me, while your background is not something you could have changed. So why did you want this castle?’
Gio was disconcerted by her admission about Oliver and he wondered what could possibly lie behind her discomfiture before he answered her question.
‘All the miserable years I was growing up I could see this place up on the hill built by my ancestors. It made me feel proud at a time when I had nothing to be proud of. It wasn’t its ties with my mother that attracted me, but that sense of history and of previous generations. I felt as though this place would give me a refreshing new focus in my life, while at the same time suppressing some of the shame about my father’s criminal activities.’
Leah nodded understanding as Gio pushed open a door to show her the large, well-equipped room that had been prepared in advance for the twins. Loudly complaining, Luca was being slotted into his crib while the other nanny fed Aurora.
‘Is there anything you didn’t think of?’ Leah whispered, impressed to death by the meticulous arrangements that had been made as she scanned the nursery. She soothed her son by gently stroking his head and he gradually settled.
‘I depend on you to tell me,’ Gio said lightly, guiding her onward to continue the tour of the upper floor. ‘Let me show you your room...’
Yourroom, Leah noted with a sinking heart. ‘Where will you be?’ she asked lightly.
‘Haven’t decided yet. There’s a dozen bedrooms to choose from.’ Gio pressed open a door at the head of the main landing. ‘You’re in here within easy reach of the nursery, which I know you prefer.’
Leah wandered uncertainly into another large room, adorned with gorgeous drapes and exquisite furniture. Her brain was in a whirl. Any hope of the marital relationship she had dreamt of and hoped to establish was retreating fast. They had been married over two months and he was still treating her like a maiden aunt, keen only to ensure her health and comfort. She glanced at Gio, marvelling at his detachment from her and his blistering confidence in the stance he had taken. Diamond-bright eyes connected with hers and she had an instant reaction, a clenching sensation spearing in her pelvis, her nipples tightening with the instantaneous shock of raw sexual attraction that she could not suppress.
Yet she felt as though she and Gio had grown so much closer in recent days, only it did not seem to be changing his approach to her.
‘I turned the connecting bedroom into an en suite bathroom and dressing room,’ he explained, throwing open another door for her inspection, and she wanted to scream at him and tell him that she didn’t care even if an enchanted wood complete with unicorn awaited her over the threshold.
