Her heart slammed up against her ribcage in alarm. ‘I told you—I don’t want anyone’s help! Least of all help from the family of a man who proved anything but honourable!’
She had sandy brown hair fashioned into one long silky plait that fell over a slender shoulder, eyes the colour and appearance of a placid blue lake on a summer’s day, and features that might easily have been the inspiration for any of the Grand Masters if she had but been born in another century.
The realisation of how young she was hit Cristiano like an iron fist. Ramón himself had only been twenty-five, but even so … Dominique Sanderson barely looked out of the schoolroom! What had his thoughtless irresponsible cousin been thinking of when he took up with such an innocent and why hadn’t he protected her from possible consequences when he had decided to seduce her?
He fielded the strong sense of outrage that unexpectedly burned inside him and mentally stored it for contemplation at a more appropriate time. Despite that, a muscle at the side of his temple continued to throb with tension. The girl presented a challenge. He knew now she was not going to be easily won over and persuaded to accept the aid that was due to her and, confessing silent surprise at that, Cristiano sensed he had a battle on his hands.
There were two well-worn tapestry-covered armchairs, one either side of a fireplace that housed an inadequate electric bar heater rather than a comforting glowing fire, and he gestured towards them. ‘Let us sit down, shall we? Now, tell me … where did you get the astonishing idea that I came to try and take the child away from you?’
‘Didn’t you?’
‘Of course not! A child belongs with her mother—unless that mother is unfit, of course—and that is where she should stay.’
‘I am a good mother!’ She sat forward in her chair suddenly, and Cristiano could tell by the way the muscles in her face were working that she was having trouble keeping back her emotions. ‘We may not live in the lap of luxury, but I work hard and do my best, and I would die rather than let my baby come to harm in any way!’
Cristiano frowned. ‘Please … do not distress yourself. Your ability as a mother is not in question. Regarding why I am here: I told your mother that as the head of the Cordova family I see it as my duty to oversee the care and protection of my cousin’s child, since he has so sadly died, and I naturally extend that care and protection to include you too, Dominique.’
‘I don’t need anybody’s care and protection! I can manage quite well on my own, thank you!’
Her huge blue eyes were suddenly bathed in tears, but Cristiano quickly realised that the reaction was born out of fury and frustration rather than self-pity.
‘My mother only wants rid of the baby … can’t you tell? She wants me to go back to university and complete my degree as if nothing has changed! She sees Matilde as an inconvenience that needs to be dealt with, and that’s why she jumped at the chance to invite you over here! I think she was really hoping that you would take Matilde away!’
‘I am very sorry to hear that. But if that is true, then it only confirms my opinion that you and your daughter would be better off returning with me to Spain than remaining here in England. If Ramón were still alive, I am certain he would come to that conclusion too, given time.’ He was not certain about that at all, but Cristiano would say anything he had to if it would help him achieve the outcome he desired.
‘I want you to know that I told him I would never make any claims on him regarding the baby. It was clear he didn’t want her right from the start, so why would I humiliate myself by pursuing some sort of recompense? Besides … having Matilde was my decision and my decision alone. Becoming a father and being responsible for another human being—even his own child—held no appeal for Ramón whatsoever.’
‘I do not doubt it!’ Cristiano returned acidly. ‘But it is a shame he did not think of that before he impregnated you!’
She blushed, and the sight of that subtle spread of pink fanning across her smooth pale cheeks, and the way her innocent unadorned mouth parted softly in surprise, caused an acute charge of electricity to explode in the pit of his stomach. It so disturbed him that for a moment Cristiano lost his train of thought.
‘It wasn’t all his fault. I was equally as foolish … as reckless—though I don’t regret having my baby for a second!’
Frankly incredulous at her immediate defence of his wayward cousin—especially when he had to all intents and purposes abandoned her—Cristiano flattened his hands over his knees as he released an impatient irritated sigh. ‘I am appalled that he did not make proper provision for you and his daughter whether he wanted to be in your lives or not! How did he expect you to support the baby when you were still a student and living at home with your mother?’
A tiny furrow appeared just above the bridge of her nose, and her slim hands moved restlessly in her lap. ‘He probably didn’t think about it much, if the truth were known. But I want you to know that I am supporting my baby quite adequately without him! Just before I left home I got myself a job. I waitress five nights a week at a local restaurant, and my friend Marie minds Matilde for me while I’m working.’
So that was how she earned her living and paid for this inhospitable room.
Instantly any fear Cristiano might have played in his mind that Dominique could turn out to be some opportunist gold-digger, seeking a chance to be financially supported for life once she knew Ramón’s family was wealthy, was completely rendered null and void. She simply did not seem capable of such subterfuge. And someone looking to benefit from the Cordova estate would hardly try and slam the door in his face when he turned up on the doorstep, would they? She was not the kind of girl he’d been expecting to meet at all. She was the polar opposite of the other immature females Ramón had played fast and loose with in his short and disreputable life! Instead of sulky demands she radiated a quiet dignity and resolve that was impressive in one so young.
Cristiano felt the renewed throb of painful tension pulsating in his temple like a relentless drumbeat as he glanced round once more at the poor state of the room he was in. It looked clean enough, but its aging furniture and fittings and inadequate heating made his stomach clench in dismay. Considering the child, he guessed she must be with this friend of Dominique’s right now, because there was no sign of her. A shame. He had very much been looking forward to seeing her.
‘Faced with the reality of how you live—’ he frowned ‘—I would dispute your assertion that you are managing even adequately. These are clearly not the kind of circumstances conducive to raising a child and giving her the sense of security and comfort that she deserves! Especially when her father came from a privileged and wealthy background with a family who would have moved heaven and earth to help him if he had only come to us and revealed the truth of his impending fatherhood!’
‘I got the feeling Ramón didn’t like the idea of being under any sort of obligation to his family.’
‘Under an obligation?’ Cristiano hardly knew how he stayed sitting in his seat. His expression was formidably grim. This from a man whose proclivity for taking what he wanted—no matter who it hurt—had been second nature? A man who had been busy squandering his inheritance on fast living and reckless and sometimes dangerous pursuits without a care for anyone but himself right up until the day he died!
‘Anyway … whatever people think of him … he’s dead now, isn’t he? He’s not here to defend himself against what anybody says any more.’ Her faultless blue eyes momentarily dazzled Cristiano with the flare of pain he saw reflected there.
‘Yes, he is dead.’ Feeling as though someone had taken a sledgehammer to his middle with this distressing reminder, he momentarily rubbed at the tension that had now extended to the front of his brow. ‘Which is even more reason why this completely unacceptable situation