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on the photograph. ‘Oh, how delightful. May I see?’

      Before Nicole could intervene, Goldie had reached out and grabbed it from Renata’s hands.

      ‘So nice of you to make plans with the grandparents, Nicole.’ Goldie’s lips pursed as she stared at Anna’s picture. ‘I’m not privileged enough to meet the little princess, you see,’ she said darkly.

      ‘Mum, why don’t we go outside?’ Nicole stepped forward, taking hold of her mother’s elbow gently.

      Goldie shrugged her off. ‘I thought she’d have nice tanned skin, like her father,’ she mused, looking closely at the picture. ‘Thank goodness she didn’t get his nose, though.’

      ‘I’ll take that back, thank you.’ Renata reached out and plucked the photograph from Goldie’s hands just as Rigo appeared beside them.

      ‘Is everything all right here, ladies?’

      ‘Oh, here he is—the knight in shining armour,’ Goldie spat. ‘I’ve just had the privilege of meeting your mother, Signor Marchesi.’

      She exaggerated the r’s with a roll of her tongue and Nicole suddenly realised her mother was roaring drunk.

      ‘Mum, perhaps you should go and drink some water,’ Nicole suggested weakly, seeing that her mother’s mood had shifted for the worse.

      ‘Oh, shut up, Nicole,’ Goldie said, pushing her hand away with vehemence. ‘Look at you—pretending to be all sweetness and sophistication.’ Goldie continued to raise her voice, looking to Renata, who was frozen in shock. ‘I’m the one who did all this for her. Me! You’d still be hiding away if I hadn’t drawn you out.’ She stepped dangerously close to Nicole, the smell of sour champagne heavy on her breath. ‘And suddenly you’re too good for me? You are nothing but an ungrateful little—’

      Rigo caught Goldie’s hand just as it flew up into the air. The look of thunder on his face made Nicole’s stomach flip. ‘That will be enough,’ he said darkly.

      The entire room full of guests had turned to watch the altercation. Nicole felt hot embarrassment sweep up her neck and into her cheeks. Rigo was fully prepared to deal with Goldie and send her out on her ear—she could see that clearly. But something in his face prompted her to step forward, placing her hand on her mother’s arm.

      ‘I would advise you to leave now if you ever hope to meet your grandchild at all,’ she said quietly, knowing Renata was still within earshot.

      ‘You owe me…’ Goldie slurred. ‘You know what I did—’

      ‘I owe you nothing,’ Nicole said with cold finality. ‘You are lucky that I’m still speaking to you after the way you’ve treated me. Now please leave before we have to do this the hard way.’

      Goldie looked as if she was going to fight, and her eyes narrowed horribly on Rigo’s mother. But finally, with a heaving sigh, she shook her head and allowed Rigo to guide her across the hall.

      ‘I’m sorry you had to witness that.’ Nicole turned to Renata.

      ‘She is the one who should be sorry, my girl.’ Rigo’s mother shook her head. ‘You shouldn’t have to tolerate that kind of intimidation—least of all from your mother.’

      ‘She means well…I think,’ Nicole said.

      Renata sighed. ‘You have a kind heart, Nicole. Take my advice and protect it from people who don’t take care with it.’

      Nicole smiled, still preoccupied with watching Rigo’s progress across the room. It was a strange feeling, knowing she suddenly had someone looking out for her. That he was prepared to stand in her corner and fight. She had grown used to conceding defeat time and time again. The comfort of telling herself that she didn’t care had always been like a blanket, stopping her from changing or growing. Somehow knowing that he thought she was worth defending gave her the confidence to want to defend herself. She didn’t want to be weak anymore. She wanted to care enough about being treated badly that she would stand up and fight her own ground.

      ‘I want to wish my brother and his beautiful bride-to-be a long and happy marriage.’ Valerio Marchesi clapped his older brother hard on the back. ‘Cent’anni—to one hundred years!’ He shouted the traditional Italian toast, which was quickly repeated by the intimate gathering of guests at the rehearsal dinner.

      ‘Grazie, little brother.’ Rigo raised his glass briefly, before downing the champagne in one go.

      All his senses were heightened by the presence of the woman by his side. Nicole looked so quietly radiant in her strapless black dress that anyone might think her silence all evening was simply a result of bridal nerves. But he knew better.

      He silently cursed Goldie Duvalle for being such a callous, selfish human being. It had taken all his willpower to step back. Nicole had handled the situation with infinitely more grace than he would have. Rehearsal dinner be damned—he’d wanted nothing more than to have the woman dragged out of the room by security and thrown on the first flight back to wherever she’d come from.

      He half listened to his father and brother, who were deep in conversation comparing their latest travel stories. Valerio Marchesi was a wild card. He had declined their father’s invitation into the family business in order to pursue his own career, chartering yachts and luxury sailing boats around the Caribbean. Now, ten years later, he was a success in his own right, co-owner of one of the biggest luxury maritime-vessel charter companies in the world.

      Rigo envied his younger brother his freedom, his lack of responsibility. Normally he would have been eager to hear about Valerio’s pirate-like exploits on the high seas, but tonight his mind just wasn’t focused. Try as he did to stop them, his eyes kept straying to Nicole.

      Once the dinner had ended and all the wine had been drunk, the guests began to filter up to their rooms. He stood in the hallway with his parents to say goodnight. Nicole was deep in conversation with his mother and aunts. Valerio stood by his side, arms crossed, filled with the same tension he had seen in him all evening.

      ‘You look s if you’ve sucked on a lemon.’ Rigo raised a brow at his younger brother. ‘Careful, or I might think your speech was insincere.’

      ‘I just can’t get my head around your logic, that’s all.’ Valerio shrugged. ‘But just because I don’t agree with it, it doesn’t mean I don’t wish you happiness.’

      ‘If you’re worried I haven’t learned something in the past ten years, then you can relax. This is nowhere near the same situation,’ Rigo warned him, not wanting to get into a conversation about his disastrous relationship history. He knew his family had been affected by his relationship with Lydia, but seeing the tension in his brother’s face made it clear that he should have been more considerate in breaking the news this time.

      ‘No, it’s not. At least this time you knew the woman was a gold-digger before you arranged the wedding.’ Valerio looked at him. ‘I just don’t want to see you go through the same hell you did with Lydia. That she-beast changed you.’

      ‘I learned a valuable lesson from that “she-beast”.’ Rigo smiled darkly. ‘Never trust a woman with anything more than your credit card. And even then at least check the bills.’

      His smile died on his lips as he turned to see Nicole standing by his side, a mask of hurt on her face.

      Valerio cleared his throat, taking his mother’s arm and ushering her up the stairs with a murmured goodnight.

      Nicole narrowed her eyes at him, her shoulders squared. ‘She-beast?’ she said quietly.

      ‘That conversation wasn’t about you.’ He forced an easy smile, taking her hand into his. She pushed it away. ‘We were talking about someone else.’

      She