Angelique stared him down. ‘Yes, well, perhaps there’s some truth in that, given what your grandson has been doing with me over the last three or four weeks.’
‘You shameless hussy!’ Vittorio spat at her. ‘I bet your double-dealing father put you up to this. No wonder he couldn’t wait to crow about it when he called me the other day. You tricked Remy into marrying you so you could carve up his assets when you bail out of it.’
Remy stepped up and put an arm around Angelique’s waist. ‘I’ve already warned you about speaking about or to Angelique in a disrespectful manner. She is my wife, and you will treat her with the respect accorded to that position.’
Vittorio curled his top lip. ‘How long are you going to keep her? She’s not going to stay with you. She’ll do the dirty on you first chance she gets. You’ve left yourself wide open. She’s a witch. A Jezebel. You’re crazy to think she’s going to stick by you. She’ll take half of what you own because you’ve been thinking with your—’
‘I’m not taking anything that isn’t rightly mine,’ Angelique said.
Vittorio laughed. ‘Do you think my grandson will hand that castle over just because you opened your legs for him? He’s not that much of a fool. His winning that property off your father was the one time I felt proud to call him my grandso
n. He won’t relinquish a prize like that. He’s too much like me to give in just because a beautiful woman bats her eyelashes at him.’
‘That’s enough!’ Remy barked. ‘Stop it right there.’
Poppy came to the rescue. ‘I think it’s time for us girls to get to know one another over some devil’s food cake, which strangely enough seems rather appropriate just now. You boys can have your family meeting. We want no part of it.’
Lily touched Angelique’s hand. ‘Maybe this would be a good time to swap make-up tips.’
‘You could be right,’ Angelique said.
* * *
Rafe took Remy aside after Vittorio had stormed off in a temper. ‘You OK?’
Remy clenched and unclenched his fists. ‘I swear to God I could have punched him for that.’
‘Yes, well, maybe you’re feeling hot under the collar because there’s a bit of truth in what he said.’
Remy glared at his brother. ‘Don’t you start. I’m nothing like him.’
Rafe gave him his ‘older and wiser’ look. ‘We’re all a bit like him, Remy. There’s no point trying to hide from it. It’s best to face it and deal with it. We’ve all used people to get what we want. We’ve learned it off him. But it doesn’t mean we have to go on being like that. I know I’ve always taught you and Raoul to set goals and to focus, but I’ve come to realise that winning at any cost is not always the right or the wisest thing to do.’
‘I know what I’m doing.’ Remy tightened his jaw. ‘I don’t need your advice or guidance any more.’
Rafe gave his shoulder a squeeze. ‘Sorry. I have this lifetime habit of feeling responsible for you. You’re old enough to make your own decisions.’
And take full responsibility for them, Remy thought.
‘Is Angelique all right?’ Raoul asked as he came over once Rafe had left to join Poppy and the girls. ‘She looked really pale and fragile. You haven’t been giving her a hard time, have you?’
Remy slid his brother a look. ‘Trust you to be the softie. She’s fine. She’s had a stomach bug and the shoot she was on yesterday was long and tiring.’
‘What’s going on with you two? Is it true what she said to Nonno?’
‘You know what Angelique’s like,’ Remy said. ‘She likes centre stage. The bigger the scene she makes, the better.’
Raoul’s mouth tightened in reproach. ‘She’s a nice kid, Remy. I’ve always thought so. A bit messed up because of her mother dying so young and all, but she’s a got a good heart. Just because she’s got an asshole for a father isn’t her fault. She didn’t screw us over. Henri did.’
‘And I got him back,’ Remy said through tight lips.
‘Yes, by taking the one thing Angelique loves above everything else.’ Raoul readjusted his crutches under his arms. ‘You should give Tarrantloch back to her. It doesn’t belong to you, bet or no bet. It belongs to her.’
‘How do you know I wasn’t planning to do that once our marriage comes to an end?’
Raoul gave him a levelling look. ‘That’s some parting gift, bro. But have you considered she might not want it to end?’
Remy gave a short bark of cynical laughter. ‘Can’t see that happening. She hates being married to me. She’s only sticking with it while she gets her new modelling gig off the ground. She thinks marriage is an outdated institution that serves the interests of men rather than women.’