She and Charlotte were outside building yet another snowman and Luigi was all smiles as he approached them. ‘Megan, let me introduce Kate Swift, Charlotte’s nanny. Kate, my wife, Megan, and this is my daughter,’ he added proudly.
Megan knew she must look stupid with her mouth falling open and it was with a great deal of reluctance that she took Kate’s outstretched hand. ‘I hadn’t realised you were starting today,’ she said, trying to smile, but unable to keep a terse note out of her voice.
‘I thought it a good idea,’ explained Luigi.
And Megan knew why. He didn’t want Charlotte spoiling their lovemaking again. With a nanny on call twenty-four hours a day it would clear the way for him. The selfish swine! But if he thought she was going to leave her precious daughter totally in the care of someone else he was gravely mistaken.
‘And this is Charlotte?’ Kate stooped down to the child’s level. ‘Hello, Charlotte. What a grand snowman! Have you built it?’
But Charlotte had her thumb stuck in her mouth and clung to Megan’s hand, looking curiously at the smiling woman.
‘She’s always shy with strangers,’ explained Megan, a cool note still in her voice.
‘I think we should go indoors and let Kate settle in,’ said Luigi cheerfully.
‘Charlotte and I need to finish our snowman,’ said Megan. She was furious with Luigi. He had no right bringing that woman here without telling her first. She had thought, or at least hoped, that she’d convinced him that she didn’t want anyone else looking after Charlotte. It was a crazy idea. What the hell was she supposed to do all day while Kate took over?
‘Who’s that lady?’ asked Charlotte as soon as they had disappeared into the house.
Megan drew in a deep breath and paused a moment before answering, ‘She’s come to help Mummy look after you, sweetheart.’
‘I don’t want her, I want you,’ Charlotte said almost on a shout. ‘And Daddy,’ she added after a moment’s thought.
‘You’ll still have us, don’t worry, sweetheart. But sometimes, if Daddy and I have to go out, then Kate will look after you.’ It was the best explanation she could think of.
‘Will she play with me?’
‘Of course.’
‘Will she build a snowman, and play snowballs?’
‘I’m sure she will.’
‘Will she read me bedtime stories?’
Megan’s heart began to break. ‘Sometimes, perhaps, but that’s my job. That’s the best, don’t you think, when you’re tucked up in bed and I read to you. That’s our special time of day.’
Charlotte nodded her satisfaction and then began to play in the snow.
By the end of the day Charlotte had accepted Kate and Megan had to grudgingly admit that Kate was very good with her daughter. It didn’t alter the fact, though, that she resented her presence, and she fully intended telling Luigi exactly what she thought.
Once Charlotte was in bed Kate retired. She’d made a fuss about Megan wanting to bathe Charlotte and put her to bed, declaring that it was part of her job, but Megan had been adamant.
Luigi had provided the new nanny with her own sitting room and bedroom, opposite Charlotte’s room, so that she was on hand should she be needed quickly. This was something else Megan didn’t approve of. Why should Kate need to be so near?
Megan was silent over dinner, her anger simmering away inside her, trying to decide how best to tackle him.
‘Why don’t you spit it out?’ asked Luigi harshly. There was fire in his eyes too.
‘You know I didn’t want Charlotte to have a nanny. Was that why you presented me with a fait accompli?’
He shrugged laconically. ‘Don’t you like Kate?’
‘That’s nothing to do with it,’ she shot back. ‘You went behind my back. You knew how I felt and yet you didn’t even have the decency to talk it over with me.’
‘We’d already discussed it.’
‘You mean you told me what you’d decided. My feelings didn’t count. You’re a rat, Luigi. I don’t know what I ever saw in you. And I honestly don’t know what I’m doing here. Second to marrying you it’s the biggest mistake of my life.’ She pushed her plate away and jumped up from the table. ‘I can’t even face eating with you.’
She heard Luigi’s swift intake of disbelief before he was on his feet too, his hands on her shoulders, fingers merciless. ‘You don’t mean that.’
‘Don’t I?’ she rasped, looking angrily into the hard darkness of his eyes.
‘You know deep in your heart that it’s for the best,’ he thrust fiercely. ‘We need this time together. In fact, once Charlotte’s got used to Kate, it will do us good to go away for a few days.’
‘And leave my daughter?’ she screeched.
‘Our daughter,’ he corrected harshly. ‘And don’t think I’d dream of leaving her if I wasn’t sure that she’d be in good hands. But we need time together, the two of us, alone, completely. We need to sort out our lives.’
‘And you’ll arrange that, without consulting me yet again?’ she blazed. ‘I think not. I think you’re under a great big delusion. You think that now you’ve got me in your house you can do what the hell you like. It’s not true. I’m tougher than you think. I’ve had to be. If you don’t believe me just wait and see. If you carry on in this vein you might find one day that I’ve disappeared again.’
The grip on her shoulders tightened so much that a sharp pain seared through her bones. ‘Do that at your peril,’ he threatened menacingly. ‘What I’m doing is for your good, for our good. How the hell are we supposed to get back on an even keel with a child at our heels all the time?’
‘A child?’ Megan screamed. ‘Is that how you see Charlotte? A mere child, a nuisance! How dare you? You make her sound like a stranger. She’s your flesh and blood, Luigi. You should be delirious with pleasure. You should be glad to have her around. You should be getting to know her better.’
‘And I think,’ he grated harshly, ‘that we should work on our own relationship before Charlotte’s. Of course I love my daughter; she’s brought life to the house. She’s a beautiful, intelligent little girl and I’m proud of her. But we need to get our own lives in order.’
‘That’s rich, coming from you,’ she riposted. ‘You were the one who let our marriage down. And, to be perfectly honest, I can’t see you changing. Your answer to everything is to pay someone to do your dirty work. Including looking after your daughter. How sad is that?’ And finally, with strength born of desperation, she managed to tear free. But she didn’t leave the room. Instead she stood a few feet away, glaring at Luigi like an enraged tigress.
His eyes narrowed, becoming two glittering slits that reflected the light from the lamps. And his whole body was tense with a rage he was doing his level best to control. Not that Megan cared whether he controlled it or not. She was past caring what Luigi felt. All she was concerned about was her darling daughter’s welfare.
‘I think,’ he said fiercely, ‘that you’re blowing this thing up out of all proportion. It will do you good to have more time to yourself.’
‘And there’ll be lots of that,’ she retorted hostilely, ‘because you’ll still be working all the hours God gave. You’re all talk, Luigi. How could you possibly take time off? Everything would collapse if you weren’t at the helm.’
Her sarcasm