Dante's Contract Marriage (11 page)

“According to Aaron, our contract prohibits it.”

“Why don’t you give me a copy of the contract, and I’ll have my lawyers take a look? If they don’t see an out, we’ll hire a literary attorney.”

“I’m not sure my grandmother will agree. She has a long history with Aaron’s father. But I’ll ask her.” Ariana gave Lazz a quick kiss, just a swift brush of her lips against his. “Thank you.”

That one fleeting caress was all it took. If he lived to be a hundred, he didn’t think he’d ever understand exactly what it was about Ariana that moved him so. That took him from down-to-earth common sense and shot him straight into molten need.

He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. He heard the slight hitch in her breathing, saw comprehension darken her eyes to ebony. A light flush gave definition to her cheekbones. And the air around them thickened, grew heavy and scented with the perfume of their want.

Without taking his eyes off her, he tugged at the knot in his tie and yanked it free. Ariana followed suit, stripping out of the clothes she’d changed into after their return to the apartment. And yet, still they didn’t touch, not until the last bit of silk and cotton carpeted the floor.

Then they came together. Slowly. Gently. Softly. There in a room that contained his wife’s soul, he joined with her. Gave to her. Gifted her with all he had within him. Just as she had sacrificed her doll, he sacrificed his disbelief. He gave himself up to her, gave himself up to The Inferno.

He gave himself up to love.

Ariana moaned. “I don’t think I can move.”

“Join the club.”

“I’m also starving,” she confessed. “Why don’t we order in? That way we don’t have to move any farther than the phone.”

“Dinner? Is it that late?” He checked his watch and swore. “You’re going to have to move a lot farther than that. And faster, too. Your father is due over any minute.”

She bolted upright, panic shooting through her. The past month had been sheer agony while she’d waited for either the phone call from her father informing her that he’d found Brimstone and saved her from guaranteed damnation or for her world to come crashing down when Lazz discovered how she’d deceived him. It would appear the wait was over.

She burst into nervous Italian. “Papa? Here? Why is he coming here? I thought he was back home.”

“I asked him to bring Brimstone over.”

She went absolutely rigid. “Now? But…Aren’t we supposed to split Brimstone on our three-month anniversary? What’s the rush?”

Lazz shot her a curious look. “In order to determine the diamond’s value, I need to have it appraised. That doesn’t happen overnight. I asked Vittorio to bring the diamond to San Francisco sometime this week.”

“And Papa agreed? He brought it?” she asked tautly.

“He flew in today.”

She relaxed slightly and drew a slow, calming breath. “I wonder why he didn’t let me know. That’s good news.” She grinned, reveling in the joyful relief that washed over her. “Actually, that’s great news.”

He scooped her close. “And we’re not splitting the stone, remember? The Dantes are buying you out. Very bad luck to split Brimstone.”

“Really?” she asked, intrigued. “Why is that?”

“According to legend, the only way Brimstone can be split is if—”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Hell freezes over?”

He grinned at the play on words. “Close enough. No, according to legend, Brimstone has to split on its own. And diamonds don’t normally do that. Not without a bit of help.

“So, until that happens, your family plans to keep it intact?” At his nod, she asked, “What do you get when it splits on its own? You do get something, right?”

“Rich.”

She smothered a laugh. “That’s what the legend says?”

“No, that’s what I say. The legend says we’ll receive good fortune and God’s favor until the Dante line is no more. The Dantes are big on superstition, if not reality. Everything from The Inferno to Brimstone.”

Before she could argue the point, the doorbell sounded and they both jumped to their feet, yanking on clothes with careless haste. Lazz finished dressing first. “Take your time,” he told Ariana. “I’ll delay your father.”

She joined them just as Vittorio greeted Lazz with a handshake that didn’t quite hide his nervousness. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m a few minutes early.”

“Not at all.” Lazz gestured toward the wet bar. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Scotch and water,” Vittorio requested. “A double.”

The request had Ariana’s heart stuttering. She tried to catch his eye, but he refused to look at her. And that’s when she knew. He hadn’t found the diamond, and he’d come here to confess his sins. She shut her eyes. Please, no. Please let her be mistaken. Please don’t let her marriage end before it had fully begun.

Lazz fixed the drink and offered it to Vittorio. “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.

“I was hoping to delay this conversation for a while longer. But clearly, I cannot.”

“I assume that means that you don’t have Brimstone,” Lazz said without inflection. “Is that what you’re here to tell me?”

“Yes.” Vittorio downed his drink in a single swallow. “That’s what I’m here to tell you.”

Ariana closed her eyes. “Oh, Papa,” she murmured.

“I tried to call and warn you, bambolina, but—”

Lazz cut in, fighting to keep his voice level. “What happened to the diamond? Where is it?”

Vittorio hesitated. “After Dominic’s death, I removed the stone from the safety deposit box where we’d agreed to keep it,” he confessed.

Ariana dropped into the nearest chair. “After Dominic died?” she repeated in disbelief. No. No, that wasn’t what he’d told her before the wedding. He’d said…She struggled to recall. He’d implied that he’d only recently lost it. “It’s been gone all these years?”

“I’m afraid so.” Vittorio cleared his throat. “Primo had no idea Dominic had taken the diamond in the first place, so after his death I wanted to return it and explain how it came to be in my possession.”

“Of course,” Lazz said evenly. “It was the only option available to you since disposing of the diamond in any other manner would have been unethical.”

Vittorio had the grace to redden. “This was my feeling, as well,” he was quick to assure. “But before I could return it, it went missing. I searched everywhere for it. It was as though it had vanished into thin air. I can only assume one of the servants…” He trailed off with a lifted shoulder.

“And you’ve spent the last dozen or more years searching for it? I assume you called in the authorities?” Lazz lifted an eyebrow. “No?”

“No,” Vittorio admitted. “I didn’t say anything when I lost Brimstone because I was too ashamed to admit to my carelessness. On top of that there would have been a scandal.” He spared Lazz an apprehensive glance. “But there’s another reason. A more important reason I allowed the wedding to go through.”

Ariana crossed to his side and took her father’s hand in hers. “What, Papa?”

He caressed his daughter’s cheek. “Dominic wanted this marriage with all his heart. He insisted on the contract, even over my express objections.” He addressed Lazz again. “He did it to protect you, my boy. And he made Brimstone part of the deal because he knew it was the only way to convince me to go along with his crazy scheme. Now that he’s gone—” Vittorio broke off and gathered himself before continuing. “I wish to honor his wishes.”

“I’m sure your reasons for insisting Ariana and I go through with the marriage were totally altruistic.” Lazz made the comment in a wintry voice.

“It was because of The Inferno,” Vittorio continued doggedly. “Out of respect for your privacy I haven’t wanted to mention something so personal, but your father saw a spark between you and my daughter all those years ago. That’s why he insisted on the contract.”

“Enough,” Lazz snapped.

Ariana gazed at him, stricken. “Lazz, please,” she whispered.

He glared at Vittorio. “I can make a fairly logical guess why you didn’t tell my family you lost Brimstone. You were hoping that despicable contract never came to light. After all, my father was dead, and supposedly none of the other Dantes knew about it, any more than they knew what happened to Brimstone. Its whereabouts died with my father.”

“No, I—”

Lazz cut him off. “Of course, if the agreement did turn up, you hoped it wouldn’t happen until after Ariana’s twenty-fifth birthday so that you could claim the diamond had been disposed of as per the terms of the contract. But when Caitlyn unexpectedly came across Dad’s copy of the agreement in a box of old family papers and brought it to my attention before Ariana turned twenty-five, it didn’t leave you any choice.”

“You seem to have all the answers,” Vittorio said with a dispirited shrug. “Feel free to finish it.”

“Very well.” Lazz addressed his remarks to Ariana. “Your father had two options. He could either admit the truth and deal with the suspicion and fury of the Dantes. And I guarantee, not only would Primo have been livid over that contract, he’d have also been highly skeptical about the diamond’s convenient disappearance, especially considering the Romanos’ precarious financial situation. Or your father had a second option. He could pretend that Brimstone was still safe and sound. He could allow the marriage to go through and…hope. Hope that our marriage worked out and all would be forgiven. Hope that the Dantes wouldn’t want to cause a scandal involving the Romanos, especially now that the two families were connected by marriage. Hope that a miracle would happen and Brimstone would be found.”

“Actually, you’re wrong about that last part,” Ariana corrected. “My father didn’t hope any such thing.”

Lazz shot a sharp look at his wife, and she could see suspicion take hold, one he visibly fought to suppress. “I was wrong about Aaron, so I don’t want to make that same mistake again,” he told her. “But how do you know what your father thought or didn’t think?”

She lifted her chin and looked straight at him. “Because he didn’t take those possibilities into consideration before we married. I did. I married you to protect my family from the Dantes.”

A
riana’s confession hung in the air for an endless minute.

Then Lazz turned to her father. “Please excuse us,” he said with biting formality. “Your daughter and I need to speak in private.”

Alarm flared in Vittorio’s dark eyes. “I won’t leave her alone with you. Not while you’re so furious.”

“He won’t hurt me,” Ariana reassured. “And he’s right, Papa. This is between the two of us.”

Lazz didn’t wait for an argument to erupt. He simply opened the front door and stood there. Without another word, Vittorio left. Hanging on to his self-control through sheer willpower, Lazz gently closed the door. “Just to clarify, you knew before we married that Brimstone was missing?” he asked.

Ariana nodded. “My father told me right before the ceremony.” She retreated behind a facade of calm poise. If the circumstances had been different, it would have impressed the hell out of him. “He neglected to mention how long the diamond had been missing, or I might have made a different decision.”

“So, you’ve been lying to me from the start.”

She didn’t spare herself. “Yes. At the time I found out about Brimstone, I didn’t know you other than through a few terse e-mails and a stilted phone conversation or two. What little I did know warned that you wouldn’t react well to the news. So I did what I felt I had to.”

“You were right,” he said. Her head jerked up at that. “I’m not reacting well to the news.”

She was foolish enough to cross the room toward him. “Try and see this from my point of view, Lazz. I hoped my father would find the diamond before anyone discovered it was missing. What I didn’t count on was The Inferno.” Her thumb traced a shaky path across her palm as she confessed with devastating honesty. “I also didn’t count on falling in love with you.”

“Don’t,” he bit out. He took a step back, putting some distance between them and the relentless pull that even now urged him to surrender to his feelings for Ariana. The connection should have broken. It should have shattered when she confessed what she’d done. But it hadn’t. If anything, the more he resisted, the more unrelenting it grew. “You expect me to believe you love me when everything about our relationship has been a lie? Every condition of our marriage a joke?”

Her chin shot up. “The only thing I lied about was Brimstone,” she insisted. “The rest was real.”

“It’s all been a lie. Mrs. Pennywinkle. Brimstone.” He fixed a wintry gaze on her. “The Inferno.”

Anger flared, turning her eyes to jet. “Fine. I didn’t tell you about Mrs. Pennywinkle and Brimstone. I was protecting my family, and I refuse to apologize for that, especially considering that in my position, you’d have done the same thing. But the rest…” She held out her hand, palm up. “The rest of it is real. My feelings for you are real. The Inferno is real.”

Ice encased him. “I was betrayed before. You knew that. And yet, you still chose to betray me again. I won’t stay with a woman I can’t trust.”

She turned deathly pale. “We can work through this. Please, Lazz, won’t you try?”

He wavered for a brief moment. Only hours earlier, for a brief, shining moment, he’d believed. The Inferno had lived in him, even if it had been an illusion. He wanted the dream again, was desperate for another taste of the fantasy, regardless of the personal cost.

He forced himself to take another step back before he lost all he held most dear. Reason. Common sense. Clear-cut lines and tidy columns. “We married for business,” he informed her. “That business has now been concluded.”

Her arm dropped to her side, and her fingers curled inward on her palm, like a flower blossom closing against the chill night air. “There’s no longer any reason for our marriage to continue, is there?” She asked the question in Italian.

“No logical reason.”

He flinched as he witnessed the death of hope. She lifted her chin, hanging on to her dignity by a shred. “I realize this is your apartment, but if you’d give me an hour or two of privacy, I’ll remove my things.”

“Ariana—”

“Please, Lazz.”

Her voice broke apart on his name, a shattering that went from voice to heart to spirit. He started to say something, then changed his mind. There was nothing left to be said. Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked out.

Ariana stood in the middle of Lazz’s apartment less than an hour later and stared at her grandmother. All around her were the bits and pieces of the life she’d shared with Lazz, like flotsam adrift after a shipwreck. “I’m really happy to see you, Gran, so don’t misunderstand my question,” she said. She fought a wave of exhaustion that threatened to knock her off her feet. “But why are you here?”

“Lazz called. He said I should come over immediately. He’s filled me in on most of what’s happened.”

“He called you?” Ariana couldn’t hold back her tears. Considering how they’d parted, it was an incredibly kind gesture on his part. “Why would he do that?”

“I assume he’s worried about you. It’s an excellent quality to have in a husband.” She wheeled herself farther into the living room. “Since I’d already arranged for my driver to transport me over here, it worked out well for all concerned.”

“You were coming for a visit?” Ariana asked. Unannounced? That wasn’t like Penelope. She wouldn’t intrude without calling first. “You’re welcome, of course. I just don’t understand why…”

“I have two items to discuss with you. I was going to postpone them both until I heard your father had flown in to see Lazz. There could only be one reason. He was finally going to admit the truth about Brimstone. As soon as I heard that, I rushed over.” She gave her wheelchair a disgruntled smack. “Not that either of us can actually rush anymore.”

Ariana froze, zeroing in on the most critical of her grandmother’s comments. “You know about Brimstone?”

“I do.” Fire flashed in her grandmother’s blue eyes. “I know about both Brimstone and that despicable contract. I’ve known for years. How your father could do something so unconscionable I’ll never understand.”

“He says—”

Penelope cut her off. “I know what excuses he’s given. All that nonsense about The Inferno.”

Ariana closed her eyes. “It’s not nonsense,” she said softly.

“No?” A hint of humor mitigated her grandmother’s fury. “I was hoping you’d say that. It must be the romantic in me. Not that it matters. If what you and Lazz felt as children really was a form of The Inferno, then Vittorio and Dominic should have waited and let nature take its course. Your parents should have separated you two until you were old enough to meet as fully grown adults. At that point, you could have formed an attachment—or not—without involving contracts and diamonds and temporary marriages. Instead they decided to give new depth and definition to the word ‘idiotic’ and mucked up the entire affair.”

“It’s too late to change anything now, Gran. What’s done is done.”

Penelope lifted an eyebrow. “So nature hasn’t taken its course?” she asked delicately.

Ariana bit back a tear-laden laugh. “Oh, it’s taken its course. But because Papa lost the diamond and I knew it before we married, Lazz doesn’t trust me anymore. With some justification, I have to admit.”

“Hmm.” Penelope’s mouth compressed in annoyance. “I suspect I’ve contributed to that problem, as well. Or at least Mrs. Pennywinkle has.”

Ariana sank into a chair next to her grandmother and joined hands with her. “There were a lot of contributing factors. Secrets on top of secrets. Aaron and Mrs. Pennywinkle. Papa and Dominic. Brimstone. Now that the diamond’s gone, it gives him the excuse he needs to pull away before he gets burned.”

Penelope patted Ariana’s hand. “Yes, well. That can be dealt with in time. But first things first. Brimstone isn’t gone. I have it.” She gave a little shrug. “Well, technically, you have it.”

Ariana stared in shock. “I have it? Where?”

“In your Nancy doll. When your father removed the diamond from the safe deposit box and brought it home, it gave me the opportunity to put paid to that disgraceful contract once and for all. I took the diamond and sewed it inside the doll. I decided that if there was no diamond, there wouldn’t be a marriage.” She sniffed. “Little did I know your father would prove more determined than I anticipated.”

Ariana struggled to draw breath. “Wait, wait. Go back.” Please, please let there have been a mistake. “You put Brimstone in my Nancy doll? The one you had flown out here for the charity event? That Nancy doll?”

“Of course that Nancy doll. What other one is there? To be honest, I had it couriered out here because I knew that at some point Vittorio would be forced to produce the diamond. When he couldn’t, he’d have to admit what he’d done.” Her smile would have done a canary-swallowing cat proud. “I’ve been looking forward to that moment for years. I’m just sorry I missed it.”

“Why would you allow me to take that doll to the charity function, knowing it contained a diamond worth millions?” Ariana could barely articulate the question. “Why would you allow me to take such a risk?”

Penelope stirred uneasily. “You’d never let anything happen to that doll. It means more to you than anything you’ve ever owned. If the entire villa were aflame, Nancy would be the one possession you’d grab on your way out the door.” Something in Ariana’s expression must have given her away. Penelope turned chalk-white. “You do still have the doll, don’t you?

Ariana shook her head. “No.” The word was barely more than a whisper. “I gave her away. I gave Nancy away.”

“What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

“There was a little girl at the charity event. A burn victim. She was the only child without a doll. So…so I gave her mine and told her to pass the doll along when she didn’t need it any longer.”

“Oh, Ariana, how could you do such a thing?”

Ariana stiffened. “I don’t care how many diamonds are hidden in that doll,” she snapped. “It was the right thing to do. If you’d met Cecelia, you’d have done the same.”

Penelope held up her hands. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right. Maybe I’d have removed the diamond first, but nevertheless.” She waved that aside. “That still doesn’t solve our problem. What are we going to do?”

Ariana folded her arms across her chest. “Absolutely nothing. I refuse to take the doll away from that child or attempt to substitute it with another. If Lazz or one of the Dantes wants to approach her, that’s on them. But as far as I’m concerned, it was fate. That diamond should have been thrown in the ocean long ago, right along with that hideous contract.” Not to mention every last one of the conditions she and Lazz had negotiated.

“I can’t say I disagree. Even so…” Penelope frowned. “Is your marriage really over, dearest? Can nothing be done to salvage it?”

Ariana’s bravado faded. “With Brimstone gone, so is my reason for marrying Lazz. The only excuse I have for remaining in San Francisco is if Aaron wants me to write and illustrate the Mrs. Pennywinkle books. Maybe if that happens, Lazz and I will have time—” The expression on Penelope’s face had Ariana closing her eyes in distress. “You told me there were two reasons you were on your way over here. One was Brimstone. I assume the other was to tell me you heard from Aaron.”

“He’s rejected you as my replacement. I’m so sorry.”

“Lazz planned to have some lawyers look over your contract.” Ariana gave a humorless laugh. “I don’t think that’s likely to happen anytime soon. Do you?”

Her grandmother shook her head. “No, I guess not. So, what now?”

Ariana looked around the apartment in silent farewell. “The only logical alternative available. I’ll return to Italy.” Penelope started to say something then hesitated. An odd expression drifted across her face, one Ariana recognized all too well and which caused her to warn, “You’re not to interfere, Gran. There’s been enough of that already.”

Penelope smiled blandly. “I agree,” she surprised Ariana by saying. “And I wouldn’t dream of interfering. Pack a bag. You can stay with me at Le Premier until we return home. I’ll ask your father to gather up the rest of your belongings here. It’s the least he can do given the circumstances.”

Ariana didn’t argue. She didn’t think she had any argument left in her. No emotions. No tears. No hope. She kneaded her palm. No Inferno. Without Lazz, the burn would cool, fading to no more than a memory. Any minute now, it would ease. It had to. She didn’t think she could live with the heartache, otherwise.

She headed for her bedroom and, once there, closed the door and sagged against it. Who was she kidding? She’d have to find a way to live with it. Because, no matter how hard she might try and wish The Inferno away, it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Sev opened the door to his Pacific Heights home and stepped back. “I thought you might show up here,” he informed Lazz. “Come on in.”

“How did you—”

“Penelope called, though I gather it was against your wife’s express wishes. She filled me in on what happened between you and Ariana.”

Lazz took a moment to digest that. “Did she also tell you Brimstone is gone?”

“No, she told me Brimstone’s been found.” Sev chuckled, his eyes turning a rich, dark gold. “Judging by your expression, I gather that’s news to you. Come on. I think you could use a drink.”