Free The Count's Blackmail Bargain by Sara Craven

where you are, and eat. You will be much safer, I promise you.’
    He got to his feet, lithe in cream denim trousers and a black polo shirt, and went to the trolley. ‘May I bring you some of this excellent ham?’
    ‘Thank you.’ She watched him carve several slices off the bone with deft precision. As he placed the plate in front of her she said,
    ‘Maybe he’ll feel better later on, and be able to get up. We’re supposed to be going to Assisi.’
    ‘Paolo will be going nowhere for the foreseeable future,’ Alessio said calmly. ‘Unless his mother insists on my summoning a helicopter to take him to the nearest hospital, of course.’
    ‘He has a cold in the head.’ Laura’s mouth tightened. ‘It’s hardly terminal.’
    ‘It would be inadvisable to say so in front of Zia Lucrezia.’ Alessio ate a forkful of ham. ‘Not that we will see much of her either,’ he added meditatively. ‘Her time will be taken up with nursing the invalid, smoothing his pillow, reading aloud to him, and bullying my poor Emilia into creating little delicacies to tempt his failing appetite.’
    Laura finished her peach juice, and set down the glass. She said slowly, ‘You’re really serious about this.’
    ‘No, but my aunt is. However,’ he added silkily, ‘I gather that, with rest and quiet, the prognosis is generally favourable.’
    In spite of her private concerns, Laura found herself laughing. ‘It’s just so absurd. All this fuss about a cold.’
    ‘Ah, but it is the areas of fuss that matter in marriage, I am told,’
    Alessio said blandly. ‘It is best to discover what they are before the ceremony, and you have now been given a valuable insight into Paolo’s concerns about his health.’
    He watched with interest as Laura began to cut her ham into small, careful squares.
    ‘You plan to marry my cousin, of course?’ he added after a pause.
    Her eyes flew warily to his face. ‘I—I think…I mean—there’s nothing formal. Not yet.’
    ‘But you are travelling with him in order to meet his family. And last night it seemed certain,’ he said. ‘For the Vicentes, as for the Ramontellas, the giving of a ring—particularly an heirloom—is a serious thing. A declaration of irrevocable intent. One man, one woman bound in love for the rest of their lives.’
    ‘Oh.’ She swallowed. ‘I didn’t know that. He—didn’t tell me.’
    ‘And now you must wait until he recovers from this trying cold,’
    Alessio agreed, adding briskly, ‘Would you like coffee, or shall I tell Emilia to bring you tea?’
    Her mind had gone into overdrive, and she had to drag herself back to the present moment. ‘Oh—coffee would be fine.’
    She took the cup he brought her with a murmur of thanks.
    ‘You seem a little upset,’ he commented as he resumed his seat.
    ‘May I know the problem?’
    ‘It’s nothing, really.’ She bit her lip. ‘Just that I feel a bit useless and in the way with Paolo being ill.’ She tried to smile. ‘I shan’t know what to do with myself.’
    ‘Then I suggest you relax.’ He pointed to the steps. ‘They lead down to the swimming pool, a pleasant place to sunbathe—and dream about the future, perhaps.’
    He smiled at her. ‘And try not to worry too much about Paolo,’ he advised lightly. ‘He has about six colds a year. You will have plenty of opportunity to nurse him, I promise.’
    She put down her cup, staring at him suspiciously. ‘You’re making fun of me.’
    ‘Well, a little, perhaps.’ The smile widened into a grin. ‘Teasing you is almost irresistible, believe me.’
    He pushed away his plate and sat back in his chair, regarding her.
    ‘But allow me to make amends. I have to go out presently on a matter of business in the village. But if you came with me, we could combine it with pleasure by driving on to Assisi. There is much to see there, and a good restaurant where we can have lunch.
    Would you like that?’
    There was a tingling silence. Laura’s look of uncertainty