‘And then I fell off …’ Seeing Kate, Francesca held out her arms automatically, waiting to be lifted into her mother’s arms. ‘The naughty pony bucked me off, Mummy,’ she explained, bringing her face close to Kate’s ear.
It was a simple admission and probably a tall story, for surely Meredith would have said something, but it was enough to make Santino look at her as if Francesca’s innocent explanation was further proof that Kate was unfit to be a mother. Bringing Francesca into her arms, Kate was overcome by fear that if a custody battle reached court it might not have the outcome she hoped for. Burying her face in Francesca’s fragrant, silky hair, she held her daughter close as if she would never let her go.
CHAPTER TEN
SANTINO glanced at his watch. ‘We should be going home, Francesca.’
‘Oh, will you be taking us back to the hotel?’ Meredith chipped in, oblivious to the undercurrents. ‘That is kind of you, Santino.’
‘My home,’ he emphasised.
Meredith looked bewildered, and Kate felt the chill in Santino’s gaze as he stared her down.
‘Please don’t do this,’ Kate urged softly, transferring Francesca to Meredith’s arms. ‘Let’s not argue about where we go from here, Santino.’ Kate quickly added a small laugh for Francesca’s sake, though her words were loaded and all the adults present knew it.
A flash of alarm crossed Meredith’s face, but she quickly controlled it and adapted to the situation, lifting Francesca high in the air to distract her. ‘Let’s go, pigeon. I’ll take Francesca to get her coat while you two sort out your business.’
Full marks to Meredith, Kate thought, relieved to see Francesca was still smiling and completely unaware of the tension between her parents.
‘Santino, please,’ Kate said the moment they were out of earshot. ‘Don’t try to take Francesca from me now. Can’t you see how happy she is? Do you want to upset her?’
‘Of course I don’t.’ Santino’s face turned from cold to gentle in the time it took him to turn his head to watch Francesca walking through the lines of tables hand in hand with Meredith. He even smiled when Francesca turned to wave at him, but where Kate was concerned, she might not have been there.
Something terrible must have happened to him in his youth and she should try to understand so she could find a way to touch his heart. But softening towards a man who planned to take Francesca from her was a terrible risk.
Meredith and Francesca had just disappeared into the cloakroom and Santino watched every step they took intently. This was not the man she had been learning to like and trust Kate realised, the man she had harboured dreams of falling in love with. This was another man, another Santino. This was the ruthless businessman, the warrior who must win every battle at whatever cost. How could she fight a man like that?
‘Francesca will be coming home with me.’
‘What do you mean?’ Kate’s heart stopped. She knew what he meant. Santino was talking about his home. And how could she stop him? She couldn’t fight him. She couldn’t risk Francesca being subjected to an ugly scene between her parents. The only thing she could do was appeal to Santino’s better nature and hope he had one. ’She’s a little girl, Santino. Don’t make her part of this fight between us …’
His mouth flattened with determination. ‘You don’t seem to understand. I’ve got almost five years to make up for. I want to see my daughter when she wakes in the morning.’
Even now with all the enmity rising between them there was something in his eyes, and in his voice, that cut Kate to the bone, but then his voice hardened to something that inspired fear rather than sympathy.
‘I’m surprised that you of all people can’t understand what I’m trying to say. And you a mother.’
He made the word mother sound so ugly Kate knew it threatened everything she held dear.
‘I’m going to be with my daughter. I’m going to see her every moment of the day. I’m going to laugh with her and have fun with her. I’m going to have a life with her.’ Santino’s eyes were flint hard when they turned on her. ‘Or would you deny me that as well?’
She couldn’t help herself and reached out, but he backed away as if he couldn’t bear her to touch him. ’Santino, please. If you take Francesca away from me now it won’t help your cause if she wakes up tomorrow in an unfamiliar place surrounded by strangers—’
‘I’m her father, not a stranger.’
‘And Francesca’s a little girl who is half asleep after a tiring journey. Are you prepared to take the risk that she’ll remember you when she wakes up tomorrow? Please let her stay with me tonight, and I promise I’ll bring her to you—’
‘Like you did before? Am I supposed to trust you now?’
The fight went out of Kate as the past came back to haunt her. ‘Don’t do this to me, Santino. Not again … please … I’m begging you. Don’t take my baby. She’s everything to me—’
‘Your tears are wasted on me.’
‘I promise you—’
‘You promise me?’
‘Please don’t take my baby, Santino.’ Kate grabbed his arm as he moved away. ’She’s all I have—’
‘Then you have more than I do,’ he assured her coldly. ‘Now please take your hands off my sleeve.’
Santino’s arm felt rigid beneath her touch as Kate pulled her hands away. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘You will be,’ Santino promised her.
She scrambled after him, terrified to think that Santino didn’t trust her and never would again. ‘I can’t blame you—’
‘Spare me your pity!’ He brushed her aside and walked on.
‘I’m the one asking for your pity …’ Remembering what was at stake, Kate ran after him. ‘For our daughter’s sake, Santino, I’m pleading with you—’
‘You’re making an embarrassing show of yourself.’ Santino halted abruptly, turning to confront her. ’Shake yourself out of it before anyone notices.’ His mouth curled with disdain as he stared down at her. ‘And then stay away from me.’
But she couldn’t do that. She wouldn’t do that. Kate stood her ground. A couple of people had glanced their way, then looked away again. This was the film world where high drama was an everyday occurrence and everyone was having too good a time at the party to pay much attention to the isolated drama being played out on the fringes. ‘You’re not taking her from me. You can’t—’
‘I shall be applying for full custody of Francesca …’ Santino’s voice held a note she had never heard before. ‘If you want to see more of your daughter you have two choices. You either see her in the school holidays, or you move to Italy where access will be easier for you. But don’t think for one moment that this is a battle I intend to lose. No court in the world is going to refuse me when I point out how irresponsible Francesca’s mother has been … how reckless she was when we first met, and how reckless she is now … staying away, leaving our child in the care of an elderly aunt.’ He held up his hand when Kate’s ashen lips began to move. ‘Yes, Kate, everything they say about me is true.