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'Uncle Vito's got a lot of pride… I don't think he's going to be too happy to find out he was dumped for a price-'
'You repulsive little swine!' Ashley suddenly erupted, shuddering with the force of her distaste 'Have you any idea of how e you could do to her relationship with Vito?'
He called her so foul What happened next was a blur Sick and dizzy, Ashley staggered, feeling the darkness threaten to fold in She made it back down on to the sofa just as Pietro let out a strangled yell When she raised her swi Vito had his nephew pinned up against the ith one powerful hand and he was spitting at hie was the only possible description for thePietro as a terrier shook a rat before it went for the jugular
In sudden alar him, Vito!'
Her use of English caused Vito to switch to the sanant wife?' he was roaring 'When I am finished with you, you ish you were dead!'
Ashley rather thought he ht be, but on the brink of interference she fell back, the paralysis of deeper shock sinking in Vito had said ' noise interfered with her eardrums Without
the ss, she keeled over in a dead faint
CHAPTER TEN
WHEN Ashley ca canant All her ridiculous precautions had been a complete waste of tied towards her At the back of her mind, she had feared the cause had been that last rohen she had raved at him like a madwoman Now she knew differently
'How do you feel?' Vito enquired with an anxious tremor in the normally level tenor of his voice 'Should I call a doctor?'
She refused to open her eyes 'No, that would bea fuss'
Vito sighed 'I'm afraid I have already made a fuss
I've called the family doctor out'
'Then why did you bother asking me?'
'I was hoping for a sensible answer,' he admitted heavily 'You know that I kno-'
'How?'
'That last night in Sri Lanka… I overheard your conversation with Priya'
Her lashes flew up, revealing incredulous green 'You didn't look as if you'd overheard!' she protested
Gracefully he shrugged a shoulder 'The ability not to betray e world'
She flinched, turned her head away 'You should have told me I feel a fool-'
He released his breath 'I did hope that you would tell ave you time I was also very surprised,' he confessed quietly 'Was it that nigh-' 'Yes!' she whipped the word at him to shut him up on a painful subject
'You won't believe ht… I don't!'
'You weren't ready for this It was badly timed,' he murmured tautly
'My pregnancies usually are I'm astonished that you're not over the moon!'
'Am I allowed to be?'
She said nothing, drained of response She stared at the wall His behaviour since they had returned to London was understandable now He had been conserving her energies for the baby Nothing but peace, quiet and tranquillity for the baby's benefit Nothing else mattered, obviously
'You've got what you want, so leave me alone,' she mumbled bitterly