like a whore,’ Franco muttered under his breath, yet audible enough for Elena to hear.
Her whole body flushed at the insult she had spent her entire life trying to avoid being on the receiving end of.
Before she could think of a suitable response—her brothers’ guffaws only added to the brain-melting humiliation—Gabriele fixed them all with a stare that stopped their laughter in its tracks.
He took her hand in his and held it possessively.
‘Your sister is a beautiful, intelligent woman,’ he said, undisguised contempt in his voice, ‘and I would appreciate it if you kept any sexist digs you may have in mind out of her earshot and definitely out of mine.’
All four Ricci men gaped at him, then identical fury flashed over their features.
Her father elbowed Franco, a silent but painful warning to keep his mouth shut.
The problem for her father and brothers was that they knew Gabriele had an agenda in marrying her but they didn’t know what it was or how he intended for it to work out. They couldn’t afford to antagonise him any further.
‘Excuse us, but some new guests have arrived.’ Gabriele’s tone was like ice but his smile did not falter. ‘I’m sure we’ll have a chance to catch up later. The buffet will open soon so you’ll have much to occupy you.’
When he bore her away, Elena didn’t know whether to shout at him for his subtle rudeness or laugh at the memory of her brothers’ gawping faces.
What she really didn’t want to do at that moment, though, was shed the tears clamouring behind her eyes.
For the first time in her life she had looked at her immediate family and really seen them. She had seen four squat, overweight men who looked as if they were auditioning for the role of petty gangsters in a Scorsese film.
And then Gabriele introduced her to someone who made all thoughts of her father and brothers take a back seat.
‘Elena?’ said the elegant blonde woman before her.
‘Aunt Agnes?’ So shocked was she that she could hardly get the words out. She didn’t have to say anything else for Agnes yanked her into her arms for a tight embrace.
‘It is so good to see you,’ Agnes said in perfect Italian. ‘I have missed you terribly.’
By the time her mother’s sister let her go, the threatening tears had spilled out.
‘Are you here alone?’ Elena asked after she’d blown her nose on a tissue Gabriele had thrust into her hands before he’d kissed her neck and whispered that he would leave them to it.
‘Henrick is in Canada on business but Lisbeth travelled with me—she’s just changing Annika’s clothes. Did you know she had a baby?’
Elena shook her head.
‘Malin wanted to come too but she’s due to give birth in three weeks herself so she wasn’t allowed to fly, but she sends her love. Is your father here?’
‘Yes.’
Agnes grimaced but didn’t elaborate on her thoughts. Before Elena could ask, Agnes waved over Elena’s shoulder. ‘There’s Lisbeth and baby Annika now.’
More embraces were shared and then they found a table to sit around and catch up on. Baby Annika was handed to her and Elena gazed down at the chubby little face with awe.
‘I can’t believe you’ve had a baby,’ she said in wonderment. ‘The last time I saw you, you were still in a training bra.’
Lisbeth laughed. ‘The last time I saw you, you called me a silly girl and pulled my hair.’
Elena winced.
Lisbeth took her hand. ‘I forgive you,’ she said, so earnestly Elena smothered a laugh.
‘I feel so bad that I haven’t kept in touch,’ she confessed a short while later.
‘That wasn’t your fault,’ Agnes interjected. ‘I take responsibility for that. I never should have suggested to your father that you come and live with us.’
‘Did you?’ Something else she hadn’t known.
‘When you were twelve. You were so unhappy and I—rightly or wrongly—thought it unfair of your father to lock you away as he did. I thought he would be happy for you to have some female guidance but he thought...otherwise.’
‘Is that why we stopped seeing you?’ They had never seen a huge amount of her mother’s family, just the odd family party here and there, but it had stopped completely around the time of Elena’s early adolescence.
‘You know what your father’s like. He rules with an iron fist and does not appreciate dissent, especially from a woman.’
Elena gazed at Gabriele, standing with a crowd of men, all of them roaring with laughter.
Gabriele would never treat a woman as anything but an equal. And he would never lock a child away. He might have stipulated that no child they had be allowed anywhere near her father or brothers but once a child came he would change his mind if he could see it would be in the child’s best interests.
She kissed baby Annika’s sweet scented head.
A pang rippled through her to think of the child she and Gabriele would have together.
There might be a little cluster of cells in her that very second, steadily forming into an embryo that would be part her and part Gabriele.
He had done this for her. He had brought her family over from Sweden without her knowledge. He’d given her back the family she hadn’t known how much she needed.
It was the best present she had ever had.
Agnes followed her gaze. A smile tugged at her lips. ‘I think your husband could not be less like your father. He must love you very much.’
No. He didn’t love her. Gabriele could never love someone with Ricci blood. But what he’d done in bringing her family to Italy...
But of course this went unsaid. Elena forced a smile to her face and took a sip of champagne.
A few minutes later he was at their table.
‘Excuse me, ladies, but I need to borrow my wife. It’s time for us to say a few words to our guests.’
Taking his hand, Elena got up, promising to continue their talk later.
‘Can you give me a minute to use the bathroom?’ she said, wanting some time to compose herself and fix her face.
‘Of course.’ He rubbed a finger up her cheekbone and smiled, his eyes flashing. ‘You really do look incredibly beautiful. You are incredibly beautiful.’
She wanted to thank him, not just for the compliment, which she truly believed he meant, but for what he’d done in bringing her family here. But her throat had closed and
