The Italian's Blushing Gardener Read Online Free Page A

dramatics, torturing tons of holly,ivy and mistletoe into wreaths and swags. When I was a child, it was never ending.’
    He pursed his lips, and then said drily, ‘It’s a wonder you had any time to yourself.’
    ‘I didn’t. That’s the penalty you pay for being a trophy child, isn’t it?’
    ‘I wouldn’t know. I missed out on all that. I skipped it, and went straight from sleeping in a box under the table, to earning a living.’
    ‘Gosh, you must have had a deprived childhood!’ she joked.
    He stared at her, unimpressed. His eyes were suddenly chill with all the hidden feelings she recognised from her own reflection. She stopped laughing.
    ‘Yes. Yes, I did.’ He grazed his lower lip with his teeth for a moment, and then added, ‘But that’s behind me now. The future is all that matters.’
    There was iron-hard determination in his voice. His eyes were everywhere. She wondered what havoc he would wreak on this beautiful old house when he took possession of it. The thought worried her. A few moments ago, she had been annoyed by the way he talked as though the villa was already his. Now she was thinking about it in the same way. He was checking every inch of the building like the rightful owner. If ever a man was made to lord it over the Bella Terra valley, it’s Stefano Albani, she thought, with a shiver of apprehension.
    ‘You’re cold. Why don’t you step outside into the evening sun and warm up?’ he murmured.
    His words surprised her. She thought all his attention was riveted on the villa’s sales brochure, and hadn’t expected him to notice.
    ‘No, I’m fine,’ she said quickly, unwilling to miss thischance to look over the grand villa she gazed at every day from her favourite viewpoint on the other side of the valley.
    His eyes glittered with sudden fire. ‘As long as you’re sure.’
    Kira began to feel uneasy. Every time he looked at her, he smiled as he spoke. It was an unusual expression, caressing the most secret parts of her. As she tried not to shrink beneath his gaze, she felt the peaks of her nipples push against the smooth profile of her thin shirt. They stiffened still more to know he was looking at her. It was no longer the chill of the cool marble hall affecting her body. He must have realised it, too, but looked away sharply as obvious appreciation flared for a moment in his eyes.
    Kira didn’t know what to do. Putting her head down, she scuttled off towards the nearest door.
    ‘Let’s see what’s through here, shall we?’ she said, bursting into the first room beyond the entrance hall. Within half a step she stopped. It was the reception room that time forgot. Sunlight streamed through tall, graceful windows but its beams danced with dust motes. The design of the room was in a typically grand Italian style, although its furnishings wouldn’t have been out of place in an English country house.
    ‘Oh, my goodness!’ Kira exclaimed. ‘A little bit of England overseas!’
    Following close behind her, Stefano clicked his tongue when he saw her shudder.
    ‘My stepparents have spent a lifetime collecting stuff like this. Cane-back chairs, chintz upholstery and Goss china. Sir Ivan must have shipped everything over herefrom England. Why on earth would you move to Italy, then recreate England in your new home?’
    ‘I don’t know.’ Stefano was equally put out at the sight. His mouth was a stern line of disapproval. ‘Some foreigners buy up these properties claiming to love Italy. In reality, Toscana is nothing more to them than England with better weather. They are more interested in worshipping their own land from a safe distance.’
    ‘I’m not. I love it here,’ Kira told him. ‘I couldn’t wait to leave England behind, decorations and all…’ She paused, wondering whether to push her luck, and decided she had nothing to lose.
    ‘If we’re going to be neighbours, I’d feel happier if I knew you were going to treat this old place well,’ she went on. ‘It