Confessions of His Christmas Housekeeper by Sharon Kendrick

Author:Sharon Kendrick [Kendrick, Sharon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-09-17T20:20:05+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘LEAVE THAT.’

Louise’s hand stilled as she was reaching for a porcelain bowl which contained the remains of some griddled aubergine. They had just eaten the most surreal Christmas Eve dinner imaginable—fortunately punctuated by several different courses, which meant she’d been able to keep jumping up from the table to bring in yet another dish. To her relief, this had kept conversation to a minimum and she had been about to clear the table when Giacomo’s terse command suggested he had other ideas.

‘I was about to fetch dessert.’

‘I said leave it,’ he growled. ‘I don’t want dessert. Do you?’

Keep it light and professional, she told herself. It was safer that way. Because she felt conflicted, slipping back into housekeeper mode when she was dressed like a rich man’s wife.

She was finding it difficult to control her thoughts—and her feelings. She needed to protect herself—mostly from her own stupid desires—because she was way more vulnerable around Giacomo Volterra than she’d thought.

‘Not particularly,’ she said, shrugging her shoulders in an attempt to adopt a convincing air of nonchalance. ‘But it’s slightly annoying to think I’ve spent all afternoon making struffoli and you’re not even going to try it.’

‘You’ve made struffoli?’

‘Of course I haven’t! I know it’s what Italians traditionally eat on Christmas Eve but that would have taken me all day, and then some—and as you can see, I’ve been busy with other things.’ She hesitated. ‘I’ve... I’ve actually prepared you an orange.’

He stilled. ‘Why an orange?’

Her mouth dried as she remembered what he’d once told her. ‘You said it was the only thing you used to like about Christmas in the orphanage. The one time of the year when you could be guaranteed a piece of fresh fruit all to yourself. You used to take for ever, peeling it and slicing it to make it last, and all the other boys would be jealous, because they’d finished theirs. You said it was the most delicious thing you’d ever eaten and no fancy dessert you’d been served in the world’s finest restaurants had ever come close to that taste.’

He sat back in his chair, his expression indecipherable in the flickering candlelight, though the note in his voice was one of surprise. ‘I told you all that?’

‘You talked about a lot of things in the early days, Giacomo. Less so as time went on.’ She cleared her throat. ‘Shall I go and fetch it—make sure you get your vitamin C for the day? I’ve fanned it out on the plate so it looks as pretty as a picture.’

But he shook his head impatiently. ‘No. Let’s go and sit by the fire. I want to talk to you and we may as well be comfortable.’

‘Okay,’ she said, trying to inject a brightness she wasn’t really feeling. ‘But I really do have masses to do, so let’s try and keep it brief, shall we?’

His scowl indicated he wasn’t used to working against the clock where women were concerned and Louise got up from the table to sink into the squashy depths of the sofa.

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