An Inheritance of Shame - By Kate Hewitt Page 0,63

his face mirrored, she was sure, her own.

‘Lucia—’

‘Scusi, Signor Corretti.’ One of the security guards grabbed her arm. ‘She just came in—this way, please, signorina.…’

‘Unhand her now.’ Angelo’s voice was low and deadly and the guards immediately stepped back. ‘This woman is not only an employee of this hotel, but my special guest.’ He glanced back at her, and his gaze roved hungrily over her face. Lucia felt the first wonderful flare of hope. ‘Lucia,’ he said softly, urgently, and she swallowed hard.

‘Can we…can we go somewhere to talk?’

He nodded, and Lucia started forward. Then he shook his head. ‘No, what I need to say to you, I can say here, in front of everyone.’

That didn’t sound good. ‘But—’

‘You were right, Lucia. You were right about everything.’

‘Oh, Angelo, I wasn’t—’

‘I went in pursuit of what I told myself was my dream and I felt only emptier. Lonelier. You’re the one who fills me, Lucia. The one who loves me, and I threw the most important thing in my life away with both hands and for what? Just more emptiness. More bitterness.’ He shook his head slowly. ‘I’m done with it. Done with revenge, done with buying up businesses as a way to change the past or myself or the way others think of me. I’m done with all of it, Lucia.’

‘Oh, Angelo.’ Tears slipped down her cheeks as she reached for his hands. ‘I came here to tell you that I was wrong for pushing you so hard. Forcing you to choose when you weren’t ready, when everything between us was still so new. I did it because I was afraid, because even then I was bracing myself for you to walk away from me. If I made you do it, it would be better somehow—but of course it wasn’t. It was awful. It was the worst thing in the world.’

‘I’m not walking away now,’ he told her in a low voice. ‘I’ll never walk away from you, Lucia. I was a fool to have let you walk away from me. I love you, and I want to live the rest of my life with you, to grow old with you and have more children if you’re willing.’

‘Yes.’ Her throat was so tight she could barely get the word out. ‘Yes, I want all of that, more than anything.’

‘So do I.’ Angelo smiled, his own eyes bright. ‘So do I.’

And there, in the middle of the marble lobby of the Corretti Hotel, he sank to one knee, his hand clasped with hers as he looked up at her with love-filled eyes. ‘Lucia Anturri, I love you more than life itself. Will you marry me?’

Wordlessly Lucia nodded. Her throat ached too much and her heart was too full to speak. ‘Get up,’ she finally managed with a tearful laugh. She pulled him to his feet. ‘Get up so I can kiss you.’

‘I think I can manage that.’ Smiling, Angelo drew her into his arms and kissed her soundly, as around them the staff and guests of the Corretti Hotel began to cheer.

Read on for an exclusive interview

with Kate Hewitt!

BEHIND THE SCENES

OF SICILY’S CORRETTI DYNASTY:

with Kate Hewitt

It’s such a huge world to create—an entire Sicilian dynasty. Did you discuss parts of it with the other writers?

Yes, one of the other writers set up an online group where we could discuss continuity points and make sure our stories agreed with one another. It provided a nice sense of community, too, since writing can so often be a lonely business.

How does being part of the continuity differ from when you are writing your own stories?

I think it’s always a bit of a jolt when someone else has your hero or heroine as a character in her story. I feel quite possessive of my characters, but it is interesting and fun to see what other writers do with them. Being part of a continuity feels like more of a collaboration than writing on your own, and I enjoy that.

What was the biggest challenge? And what did you most enjoy about it?

The biggest challenge is being given characters and a basic premise that aren’t necessarily something you’d think of yourself, and making them your own. It’s a challenge I enjoy—and it’s a great way to get out of your comfort zone as a writer.

As you wrote your hero and heroine, was there anything about them that surprised you?

They both surprised me. My heroine, Lucia, seemed a bit passive and accepting in the description of her, and