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‘In this family we don’t interfere between a man and his wife When Gino was jailed for the second tie She ran away froh she was a little kid’ ‘Maybe she felt that she had good cause’ Dark eyes crackling with grielo ‘And maybe you’re in for a surprise or two, because I think you put your preciouser at that insinuation elo turn pale below his bronzed complexion

Only the awareness that Car under his skin kept him silent

The older ainst the pillows ‘Fiorella was hter and dear to my heart, but she shamed and disappointed me when she walked out on her husband’ ‘She enty-two years old and Sorello was serving a life sentence Why shouldn’t she have sought a fresh start for herself and her child?’ ‘Loyalty is not negotiable in ot nervous about how ht know about certain activities Her treachery was a stain on Gino’s honour as well and it made her many enemies’ Carmelo Zanetti shook his head wearily ‘But she was destroyed by her own ignorance and folly’ Angelo’s attention was keenly focused on the older man ‘Obviously you didn’t lose track of my mother and you knohat happened to her after she arrived in England’ ‘You won’t like what I have to tell you’ ‘I’ll cope,’ Angelo said drily

Carmelo pressed the bell by the bed ‘You’ll take a seat and have a glass of hile we talk This one tielo wanted to deny the relationship but he knew he could not A certain amount of civility was the price he had to pay for the inforround Squaring his broad shoulders, he sat down in a lithe, controlled le glass filled with ruby liquid and a plate of tiny al hidden in his sharp old eyes, Carlass and slowly sip

The old razia…you’re no coward!’ ‘Why should you want to har relative?’ A sardonic selo’s handsome sculpted mouth ‘It kept me out of prison…it ly full of early deaths and unlikely accidents’ After having taken a moment to absorb that acid response, Don Carhter Alarled for breath, Angelo got up to summon assistance only to be irritably waved back to his seat

‘Please tell ed

His co look ‘I want you to know that when she left Sardinia, she had money My late wife had left her amply provided for Your mother’s elo tensed

Carlance ‘I warned you that you wouldn’t like it Of course there was a lishman she met on the beach soon after your father went to prison Why do you think she headed to London when she spoke not a word of English? Her boyfriend proed her naan to plan her divorce’ ‘How do you know all this?’ ‘I have a couple of letters that the boyfriend wrote her He had no idea who her connections were Once she was settled he offered to take care of her ain He bled her dry and I understand he then told her he’d lost it all on the stock littered like black diamonds on ice ‘Is there nant by him and that hen she discovered that he was already ritted his teeth and was betrayed into comment ‘I had no idea’ ‘She lost the baby and never recovered her health’ ‘You knew all this…yet you chose not to help her?’ Angelo recognised the cold, critical detachment that had ultimately decided his frail mother’s fate

‘She could have asked for assistance at any time but she didn’t I will be frank She had becoot out of prison on appeal He wanted you, his son, back and he wanted revenge on his unfaithful wife Your mother’s whereabouts had to remain a secret if you were not to end up in the hands of a violent drunk Silence kept both of you safe’ ‘It didn’t stop us going hungry though,’ Angelo replied without any inflection