One year and one month later, Eden walked into the nursery at the Villa Pavone. Diamonds glittering at her wrist and in her ears, she was wearing a fabulous pale green ball gown in readiness for the big party they were throwing that evening.
Damiano was tucking in the twins. Their son, Niccolo, lay still like a little prince, big sleepy green eyes pinned to his father, but his twin sister, Chiara, was still wriggling. Damiano was endeavouring to mesmerise his infant daughter into more restful mode with the use of the musical mobile above the cot.
Eden smiled. She could still barely believe that she was the mother of two children. She had been a couple of months along before a scan had picked up the fact that she’d been carrying two babies, rather than just one. She had been delighted at the news but Damiano had been concerned that a twin pregnancy would be more risky. However, although Niccolo and Chiara had come into the world a little early as did most twins, both Eden and their children had come through fine.
The past year had been very eventful from start to finish. They had spent a lot of time in Italy, enjoying the rather more relaxed pace of their lifestyle there. Damiano had been re-elected Chairman of the Braganzi Bank but he delegated much more, worked from home when he could and took her with him when he went abroad. Indeed, Eden had once or twice felt ever so slightly guilty that what had been a truly stupendous, wonderfully happy and successful year for her and Damiano had been something less for others.
Although there had been one light moment. Annabel Stavely had rushed off and married an elderly peer of the realm after Nuncio had informed her that he expected all the money he had given her repaid. Six months later, she had become a reasonably wealthy and, it had to be admitted, a fairly merry widow according to the gossip columns.
Then, just three months ago, Damiano had passed Eden a newspaper and had indicated a small article abou
t Mark Anstey. Mark had been sent to prison for embezzling a huge amount of money from the unfortunate owners of the organic farm company. The biggest shock for Eden had been the discovery that that had not been Mark’s first offence.
In the past year also, Nuncio and Tina had failed to mend their differences and had ended up going through a bitter divorce. During a heated quarrel, Tina had really lost her temper and had told Nuncio that their daughter, Allegra, was not his child. Nuncio had been devastated. Tina had then thought better of her honesty and had tried to persuade him that she had only been lying to hurt him. However, Nuncio had had DNA testing done and that had proved that Allegra could not be his. Even so, Nuncio had still insisted that he wanted to maintain contact with the little girl because he was very fond of her.
Damiano and Nuncio were now behaving like brothers again simply because Nuncio had become so depressed after that bombshell about Allegra that Damiano had had no choice but to offer sympathy and support. Eden had then persuaded Damiano to invite Cosetta to the twins’ christening. Ignored by Damiano for months, his sister had been on her best behaviour and anxious not to cause offence. Eden was content to settle for politeness at their occasional meetings.
‘Dio mio.’ Damiano rhymed, turning from his now sleeping daughter to appraise Eden in her ball gown with deeply impressed eyes of gold. ‘You look fantastic.’
Eden did a little twirl to ensure that he got the full effect of her bare shoulders and the low-cut back. He wolf-whistled. She grinned, her own attention roving with equally keen appreciation over his beautifully cut dinner jacket, silk shirt and narrow black trousers, all of which accentuated his commanding height, his athletic physique and his sheer sexiness. She tried really hard to wolf-whistle back but Damiano started laughing and she couldn’t manage it.
‘Happy, cara mia?’
‘Absolutely fizzing with it!’ Eden assured him cheerfully as he settled his hands to her slim waist and drew her into the circle of his arms. ‘It’s not every woman who gets to celebrate two wedding anniversaries a year!’
Exactly a year ago, they had renewed their wedding vows in a church ceremony which had meant a great deal to both of them. Damiano, however, also liked to celebrate their original wedding anniversary as well. Over fifty people were joining them for dinner that evening and a couple hundred more for a massive ball which would last until dawn.
Taking a last proud and loving look at their sleeping children, they walked downstairs and strolled into the main salon, now furnished with far from authentic comfy sofas and armchairs. Damiano uncorked a bottle of champagne and sent it foaming into glasses.
‘Shouldn’t we wait for our first guests?’ Eden enquired in surprise.
Damiano passed her a heart-shaped leather jewel case.
She flipped up the lid. Damiano could not apparently stand the suspense of waiting for her reaction and he reached out and lifted out the gorgeous sapphire and diamond pendant to turn it over to display the inscription.
“‘To the only woman I have ever loved, Damiano”,’ Eden read out loud, her eyes misting over.
‘I adore you, tersoro mio,’ Damiano murmured huskily, fastening the beautiful necklace at the nape of her neck.
‘I just adore the way you keep on telling me,’ Eden whispered dreamily, spinning back to him, meeting his burnished eyes and just melting back into his arms. ‘I love you too.’