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Overfloith self-pity, she blinked back tears and sniffed She ought to be ashao that she nant, and then in all likelihood he would have left her alone If she had any pride at all she would have long since grabbed at the first excuse she had to keep him at a distance The trouble ell, the trouble was that shein a fool's paradise but she was so happy She had never been this happy before, and sheout the fact that this was not a nore She took each day as it came

But to to London The honeymoon would be over and all she had to look forward to was a e and the certainty that once that happened Vito would see the writing on the wall and let her go Unless she could e to hide that from him as well Maybe it would happen when he was abroad… or maybe it wouldn't happen at all She rested her palainst her stomach She wanted the baby so much that it hurt and no way could she have both Vito and the baby She would have to go away and have it somewhere where not even all the Cavalieri wealth and influence could contrive to find her Soht crazily

Just before lunch she caly beautiful in an e from her lovely face so powerfully that Vito faltered in the conversation he was having on the phone He caught her hand, planted a kiss in the centre of her palm and returned his attention with visible difficulty to the phone

'It must be the air here,' he murmured, dark eyes almost dazedly pinned to her radiance 'You

getday'

'You're just susceptible' She looked like a cat contee, rich bowl of creah her veins in a heady surge She couldn't take her eyes off hie in the aty

'Madre di Dio, you're going to kill me,' he whispered, rape, headily conscious of the effect she was having on him So, on his side it was only the best sex he'd ever had… so what? She loved hi to live for today at the expense of bitter regret tomorrow If this was the only happiness she was fated to have in her life, she was ready to grab it with two greedy hands

'I want my lunch,' she said

'And it's our last day,' he reminded her with obvious reluctance 'You said you would like to see the elephants again'

The elephant orphanage at Pinawella had entranced her the previous week He had rehtful and intelligent enough to be a constant challenge Yet this saht the very worst of her, h Ashley had given his to do so So views of Vito's character tortured her, and yet she was afraid to get too close to the past lest it divide theain

'I could always look at the photos I took instead' 'And perhaps we could stay out of bed long enough to talk,' Vito tacked on tautly 'I have things I need to say to you'

He looked serious, and these days the ot nervous Her appetite for lunch all but vanished She pushed her food round the plate

'Why is talking so threatening to you?'

'We fight'

'We don't need to fight,' he drawled levelly

'Yououtside the headmaster's study'

'I don't want to reater honesty with each other'

'Why bother?' she deone in another few months… won't I?'