door, he moved with his usual fluid graceful stride round the Jaguar’s bonnet to the driver’s seat.
Tia wanted another scone and jam, and with Anna’s agreement Dante leaned forward to spread the strawberry jam for her. He’d never felt so proud. Not one of his achievements had elicited the euphoria that poured through him now, when he surveyed this beautiful golden-haired child and knew he’d played an important part in her being.
Moving his glance across to Anna, he discovered her sherry-brown eyes were furtively studying him. With her river of auburn hair spilling unfettered down her back, and her quiet understated beauty, it was inevitable that she drew many admiring glances from the other guests taking afternoon tea. Mentally, Dante puffed out his chest. She was the mother of his child, and one day soon…very soon if he had his way…she would be his wife too. Yet, because of what she’d revealed about her cruel and controlling father, he needed to curb any inclination to manipulate her—even if waiting for her to say yes to marriage frustrated the hell out of him.
Her distressing childhood with such a despicable bully genuinely pained him. If Anna had been anything like their daughter, then she must have been the most exquisite, engaging little girl, and had surely deserved a man far more worthy to take care of her than the poor excuse for a father she’d had?
‘This is a golden room,’ Tia announced, licking strawberry jam off her lips as she chewed her second mouthwatering scone. ‘There’s a golden arch and golden tables and golden—what did you say those sparkly lamps on the ceiling were?’
‘Chandeliers.’
‘Yes—and golden chairs too! A king or a queen could live here. The people that own this place should call it the golden room—don’t you think, Mummy?’
Reaching out to clean away some of the jam stains on her cherubic face with a linen napkin, Anna smiled. ‘This is a very famous room, Tia, and it already has a name. It’s called the Palm Court.’
‘But,’ Dante said softly, his voice lowering conspiratorially, ‘from now on the three of us will always call it the golden room…deal?’
He held out his hand and Tia shook it enthusiastically, clearly delighted that the man who had brought them to such a magical place thought it was a good idea too.
‘You have to shake Mummy’s hand as well, Dante.’
‘Of course…how silly of me to forget to do such an important thing.’
As soon as he took Anna’s slim cool palm into his, the rest of the room faded away. The only thing Dante knew for sure was that his heart beat faster and heavier than it had before he’d touched her, and that if they had been alone he would have shown her in no uncertain terms that he desired her… desired her beyond belief. Immediately recognising the flare of heat suddenly laid bare in the liquid brown depths of her beautiful eyes, he inwardly rejoiced.
‘You’re meant to just shake her hand, not hold it for ages and ages!’ his daughter protested huffily, pulling his hand away from her mother’s with a distinctly old-fashioned look.
‘Mind your manners, Tia, that was very rude.’ Anna admonished her, looking embarrassed.
‘I’m sorry.’ The tips of the dark blond lashes that were so like Dante’s own briefly swept her cheeks in contrition, but a scant moment later her eyes shone with unrepentant mischief again. ‘You’re not cross with me, are you? ‘ She dimpled up at him.
That knock-out smile could melt his heart at a hundred paces, her father silently acknowledged. Tenderly he grazed his knuckles over her velvet cheekbone. ‘No, mia bambina…I don’t think I could be cross with you if I tried…you are far too charming and lovely for that.’
‘She certainly has her moments.’ Taking a sip of her Earl Grey tea in its exquisite porcelain cup, Anna replaced the delicate vessel back in its saucer before grimacing at Dante.
‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning that occasionally she can be a bit wild.’
‘I wonder where she gets that from? ‘ His tone was silky smooth and playful.
Surprising him with a grin, Anna tipped her head to the side.
‘I can’t imagine you ever doing anything that wasn’t measured and considered, Dante. You just seem so organised and in charge to me—as if nothing life can throw at you could ever give you a moment’s doubt about your place in the scheme of things.’
‘You are wrong about that.’ Feeling the need to put her right about her assumption, Dante was suddenly serious. ‘Being part-Italian, passion is in my blood. Neither can I admit to never having a moment’s doubt. Do you know a human being who can?’
‘No,’ she answered thoughtfully, ‘I don’t think I do.’
‘What are you talking about, Mummy? It doesn’t sound very interesting.’
Tia was clearly miffed at not being privy to the grown-ups’ conversation. Turning her gaze to her daughter, Anna appeared to be thinking hard.
‘Tia? There’s something important I want to tell you.’ Glancing over at Dante, she lowered her gaze meaningfully with his.
His heart pounded hard. He hadn’t expected her to raise the subject on this outing, but now, realising that she was going to, he mentally began to arrange his armour—so that if Tia should protest the idea in any way the blow wouldn’t wound him irreparably. Logically he knew it would take time for his daughter to learn to love him, but Dante craved her love and acceptance of him more than he could say.
‘Mummy? I know you want to tell me something important, but I want to ask Dante something.’ The child put her elbows on top of the white tablecloth and then, with her chin resting in her hand, studied him intently.
‘What is it, sweetheart?’
‘Are you married? ‘
Resisting the urge to laugh out loud at the uncanny aptness of the question, he endeavoured to keep his face expressionless so that Tia wouldn’t think he wasn’t giving her question the proper consideration.
‘No, my sweet little girl…I’m not married.’
‘My mummy’s not married either. I wish she was. I wish she was so that I could have a daddy, like my friend Madison at school. Not all the children in my class have daddies, but she does, and I think she’s very lucky—don’t you? ‘
Powerful emotion struck Dante silent. As if in slow motion—as if time had ground to a dreamlike halt—he saw Anna’s pale slim hand reach out to pull Tia’s hand away from her chin and tenderly hold it.
‘Darling, I want you to listen very carefully to what I need to tell you. Will you do that? ‘
Her blue-grey eyes widening like twin compact disks, Tia nodded gravely.
‘Dante and I knew each other a long time ago—remember I told you that? Anyway, we liked each other very much. But unfortunately…because something very sad happened in Italy, where he came from…he had to go away.’ Sighing softly, Anna gave him a brief heartfelt glance. ‘When he left. When he left, I found out that I was expecting a baby.’
