brother had been at the casino the whole of the evening before the accident occurred,’ he continued disgustedly. ‘Several witnesses have confirmed that he was extremely upset by his losses, that he was belligerant and aggressive, and that he got into a fight with one of the other patrons before he left the casino,’ Cesare sneered scathingly. ‘Whereas Carla had been to dinner with friends in Nice that night—I have spoken to Pierre and Charisse Dupont, and they both confirmed that Carla was happy and cheerful when she left them. My sister was a careful driver, Robin—of the two, which do you think more likely to have caused the accident?’ he finished.
If anything, Robin Ingram looked even more beautiful with her face so deathly pale, her deeply violet eyes huge in that pallor, the fullness of her mouth trembling slightly.
She gave a shake of her head, her honey-coloured hair moving silkily across the narrowness of her shoulders and the fullness of her breasts. ‘The police report was totally inconclusive as to the cause of the accident—’
‘I know what the police report said, Robin—I asked which of the two you think was responsible,’ Cesare cut in forcefully, black eyes gleaming.
Robin looked away from his accusing gaze, shaking slightly, not knowing quite how to answer him.
Both she and her father had been aware of Simon’s gambling habit. Of the fact that he’d become aggressive and upset when he lost. Which had been most of the time.
But for this man to imply—
No, he hadn’t implied anything—he had clearly stated that he held Simon responsible for his sister’s death. But that still didn’t explain how Cesare Gambrelli jumped from that accusation to demanding that she marry him!
She straightened her shoulders, lifting her chin as she once again met that angry black gaze. ‘The accident was a tragedy for both our families, Mr Gambrelli.’ She spoke softly. ‘I don’t believe that either of us attaching any sort of blame as to its cause is going to help the situation. It certainly won’t bring my brother or your sister back to us!’
‘Or Marco’s mother,’ Cesare Gambrelli put in.
Robin hesitated. This conversation had become surreal several minutes ago, but now she had definitely lost the plot!
‘Marco …?’ she repeated.
His mouth twisted humourlessly. ‘Something else you have chosen not to acknowledge? Or did you seriously not know?’ he added scathingly, his dark eyes narrowed on her pityingly now.
‘Know what?’ she echoed dazedly.
‘That at the time of her death Carla was the mother of a three-month-old baby boy!’ Cesare declared.
Robin’s knees buckled slightly as nausea washed over her, and she staggered back slightly to drop down onto the sofa.
Carla Gambrelli had been a mother when she’d died so prematurely?
Her death had left a three-month-old baby motherless?
Robin swallowed hard, trying to fight down the nausea. Losing Simon had been traumatic—a tragedy neither she nor her father would ever get over. But Cesare Gambrelli’s loss was just too awful to contemplate.
She looked up sharply. ‘Where is the baby—your nephew—now?’
Cesare Gambrelli looked down his haughty nose at her, with no sign of softening in his expression at her obvious shock at what he had just told her. ‘Marco is with me, of course,’ he replied.
‘But I … What of his father?’ Robin prompted.
‘There is no father.’
Well, of course there was a father. There had to be a father! Even if, as Cesare Gambrelli’s manner indicated, he perhaps refused to acknowledge his son …?
Which, considering Carla’s brother was Cesare Gambrelli, was either very brave or very stupid of him!
‘There is no one but me,’ Cesare Gambrelli informed her tersely. ‘Which is why Marco is now my adopted son. A son who needs a mother,’ he concluded pointedly.
Robin gave a pained frown. Was this the reason? Was Marco the reason this man was demanding that she marry him? So that she could act as replacement mother for Marco, because Cesare believed her brother, Simon, had taken Carla away from him?
It was ridiculous.
Insane.
Cesare Gambrelli couldn’t seriously think she would ever—
He did, she realised, as she looked up into his hard, uncompromising face.
She shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. I really had no idea. But it still doesn’t change the fact that your marriage proposal is a preposterous idea—’
‘It was not a marriage proposal, Robin, but a statement of intent,’ Cesare told her, totally unmoved. ‘You will become my wife as soon as the arrangements can be made.’
‘You can’t force me to marry you, Mr Gambrelli,’ she came back defiantly.
‘I thought we had agreed that you would call me Cesare,’ he reminded her.
‘You decided that!’ Robin corrected. ‘And no amount of bullying on your part is going to make me marry you!’ she added determinedly.
Cesare remained impervious to her claim, seeing the two wings of angry colour in her cheeks as she looked across at him.
‘Is it not?’ Cesare’s voice was velvety soft. ‘Oh, but I think it will, Robin,’ he assured her.
She looked up at him uncertainly, her gaze searching the complete implacability of his expression.
His original plan of retribution on the Ingram family had not involved marriage, Cesare admitted, but since meeting Robin almost a week ago he had decided that this was a much more practical solution. Marco would once again have the mother he was so desperately in need of, rather than the nanny who cared for him now. A mother who, as Cesare’s wife, would also provide him with suitable entertainment.
Entertainment Robin Ingram had not seemed to view as so unpalatable a short time ago.
‘Come, Robin,’ he bit out impatiently. ‘Sharing my bed would not be so … unacceptable, would it?’
Sharing his bed. Robin’s panic-stricken thoughts echoed his words desperately.
Minutes ago she’d had only to look at this man to know she wanted him in a way she could never remember feeling before. But it was a desire that had completely deserted her once he’d told her that he intended marrying her out of misplaced revenge!
She had already escaped one marriage, which had been so disastrous she had no desire ever to repeat the experience. Had spent the last year totally avoiding even dating, let alone becoming seriously involved with anyone, knowing she had earned herself the reputation of being frigid and aloof.
Something Cesare Gambrelli’s overt sexuality didn’t even allow for!
She
