Falling for the Sardinian Baron by Rosanna Battigelli

Author:Rosanna Battigelli
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-05-06T02:14:50+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“YOU NEVER TOLD me where your father was from,” Massimo said as he sat down at his desk. He had pulled up a chair for Ella right next to him. “And if there are any relatives still there.”

“He was from the medieval village of Posada. My nonna and nonno had only two sons, my father and his brother, Domenicu. They had a farm on the outskirts, not on the hillside itself, and they lived off the land. Zio Domenicu would be the sole living relative left, unless he married and had children.” She inhaled and exhaled deeply. “And I know nothing about my birth parents, except that my mother was young when she had me, and my biological father apparently denied any responsibility. He took off, moving to the mainland, and my mother never revealed his identity.” Ella fell silent as old emotions churned inside her.

As a child, she had created so many possible scenarios: her mother really wanted to keep her, but her parents forced her to give her up because they couldn’t afford to feed one more person; her mother’s rich parents had sent her away for nine months to keep it a secret from their rich friends and would have nothing to do with a child whose father’s identity was unknown. And on and on.

Ella wanted to believe that her mother had wanted her, but being under age, she had no choice but to consent to the will of her parents. Her biological grandparents had become the villains in Ella’s eyes when her adoptive mother had revealed to her about her birth mother being so young.

Massimo let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t even imagine how difficult all this must have been for you. Wondering why your biological parents...”

Ella felt the back of her eyes start to prickle at his words. “It does something to you, you know, makes you question your identity, your worth, even.” Her eyes blurred and she shut them tight, pressing against them with the heels of her hands. “Sorry,” she said. “I don’t want to ruin the evening.”

Ella felt Massimo’s hands over hers. She felt her body tense up. He brought her hands down and reached into his pocket. “New handkerchief,” he said huskily. “Never used...and no, you’re not ruining the evening.” He dabbed gently at her eyes and when he was done, she opened them, and for a long moment, their gazes locked.

He moved back. Rubbing his temple, he said, “You’re not used to the Sardinian sun, Ella, and you were out for quite a while today. You’re probably more tired than you think...so why don’t we look at this tomorrow morning? Don’t worry, we’ll find you a place.”

Ella nodded. Yes, she was tired. Physically and emotionally. She did not decline his offer to walk her down to the guesthouse. It was dark with few stars tonight, and she didn’t want to meet any night creatures, winged or otherwise.

When they got to the main doors, she thanked Massimo for the exceptional dinner and for accompanying her.

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