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Kill ht hed out loud and chatted to the couple about their work on the estate as if nothing the slightest bit e had been shared And of course, ould it embarrass Gaetano to be reminded of Poppy’s adolescent crush?
As they ha shts And why? Just because Serena had once shared a bed with Gaetano? Just because Serena had the looks, the social background and the education that would have made her the perfect wife for Gaetano? Or because Gaetano had once freely chosen to have a relationship with Serena when he had merely ended up with Poppy by accident and retained her for convenience?
Deliberately catching her eye, Serena strolled over to Poppy’s side ‘I can see that you’re curious about lass accent ‘I’m Gaetano’s only serious ex, so it’s natural’
‘Possibly,’ Poppy conceded, determined to be very cautious with her words and ashamed of the explosiveto suppress
‘We were too young e first met,’ Serena declared ‘That’s e broke up Gaetano wasn’t ready to commit and I was, so I rushed off and married someone else instead’
‘Everyone matures at a different rate,’ Poppy remarked non-committally
‘Maturity is i confidence ‘You and Gaetano won’t last fiveto offer him’
Disconcerted by that sudden attack co at her out of nowhere, Poppy froze ‘That’s a matter of opinion’
‘But you’ll do very well for a short-lived first e Gaetano is the last man alive I would expect to stay married to a Goth bride You don’t fit in and you never will’
As that bitingly cold forecast hit her Poppy was silenced by Gaetano’s ar round her spine She encountered a suspicious sidewise glance and her temper flared inside her Evidently, Gaetano was so far removed from the reality of Serena’s barracuda nature that it was Poppy he didn’t trust to behave around Serena Entrapped there in Gaetano’s controlling hold, Poppy silently seethed and brooded over what Serena had said
Sadly, the blonde’s assurance that Poppy would never fit in as Gaetano’s wife had cut deep—particularly because Poppy had quite deliberately made conventional choices when it ca day Why had she done that? she suddenly asked herself angrily And there it was—the answer she didn’t want She had done it for Gaetano’s benefit in an effort to please him and make him proud of her, et it right for a big occasion Serena’s automatic dismissal of all that Poppy had to offer had seriously hurt and humiliated her
Fortunately fro day seemed to speed up and race past Poppy’s throat was sore and she put that down to the a the ht she had lost in recent months while she had worked two jobs Unfortunately her appetite had vanished
She changed into white cropped trousers and a cool blue chiffon top for their flight to Italy The luxurious interior of the Leonetti private jet stunned her into silence She studied the glittering ruby cluster nestling next to the wedding band on her finger and Serena’s wounding forecast of her e seemed to reverberate in her ears You don’t fit in and you never will
And why should that matter when they didn’t plan to stayinsecurities tugging at her Why should she care what Serena thought? Or what Serena truly wanted fro to be Gaetano’s second, rather more permanent wife So what?
It wasn’t as though she had any feelings for Gaetano beyond tolerance, Poppy reminded herself Lust was physical, not cerebral
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘STOP STOP THE CAR!’ Poppy yelled as the Range Rover wound down the twisting Tuscan country road
Startled, Gaetano jumped on the brake He frowned in astonishment as Poppy leapt out of the car at speed and assumed that she felt sick But to his surprise and that of the securityout of the car behind, Poppy ran back down the road and crouched down
Bloodstains and dust had sain cradling so hairy and still in her aritcar’