Flavia’s beautiful dark eyes filled with stricken emotion. “I knew something was wrong, but I hesitated to say anything. I am so sorry. Many times, you must have been in pain and hiding it.”
Therese couldn’t deny it, but she didn’t want her mother-in-law to feel guilty because of it. It was hardly Flavia’s fault that the endometriosis was so painful. Or anyone else’s for that matter.
She reached out to touch Flavia’s hand. “It’s all right. Saying something would not have made a difference.”
“On the contrary, had we known sooner, your treatment could have happened sooner.”
She glared sideways at Claudio. “It’s hardly your mother’s fault.”
“I did not say it was, but had you said something earlier, it would have been better for your own sake and much could have been avoided between us.”
She couldn’t believe he was saying that in front of his family. “Let’s not get into that right now,” she hissed.
“If that is your wish, but it is the truth.”
She couldn’t quite stifle her sigh of irritation.
Tomasso made a choking sound on the other side of the room and Maggie nudged him with her elbow.
“What is so amusing, fratello mio?”
“Therese is frowning at you.”
“You find this funny?” Claudio asked, sounding far from amused himself.
“You must admit, it is not like her,” Marcello said, his own eyes shimmering with amusement.
Therese looked at both brothers and wondered what had gotten into them. “You think the fact I am upset with my husband is a joke?” she asked with a puzzled frown.
They were both usually more sensitive than that. They were Scorsolini men, which meant they weren’t the most intuitive when it came to emotions, but this was odd even for them.
Danette bit her lip and then smiled with a shrug. “You’ve got to admit, it isn’t like you, hon.”
“The day your father and Claudio grilled me, you were really annoyed with them, but you were so subtle about it. The classic princess.” Maggie grimaced. “I was sort of awed by you, to tell the truth.”
Therese didn’t know what to say. They were all right…she was not hiding her emotions as well as she used to. But why should they find that funny?
“When you are annoyed with my brother, you do not hide that fact,” Claudio said to Maggie.
“Not in front of family, no,” Maggie agreed with a rueful smile.
“You can say that again,” Tomasso said with a laugh and promptly received another playful elbow to his ribs.
Ignoring the byplay, Claudio turned to look down at Therese. “Our marriage is not so different from theirs.”
In that moment, when he was behaving toward her very much the way his brothers were toward their wives, she wasn’t sure what to say…if anything to refute that statement.
“No, I do not think your marriage is so different,” Flavia said, her expression stern. “But I had wondered when you would wake up to that fact, my son.”
“I assure you, I am very awake to it now,” Claudio replied allowing his gaze to flick momentarily to his stepmother, apparently not in the least offended by her censure.
It almost seemed as if there was another level of silent communication going on between them. Like this discussion was not entirely new to them.
But Therese gasped. Was he trying to imply he loved her?
His focus returned to her, his eyes filled with wary vulnerability. “What? You have not noticed the similarities?”
“No…um…I hadn’t.”
Flavia shook her head. “That is not surprising after your upbringing, but child, you must stop looking at our Claudio through the eyes of a diplomat’s daughter and begin to see him with the eyes of a woman who is willing to trust his heart and her own.”
Flavia had her full attention now. “What do you mean, considering my upbringing?”
“You have not known unconditional love…I think in fact, you have known very little love at all. You are used to assuming it is not there, when in fact, it is.”
For no reason she could discern, Therese’s chest tightened with emotion. “I don’t understand.”
“We all love you, that is all I am saying.” Flavia squeezed Therese’s hand.
Tomasso smiled. “Yes, and while I would be honored to have my son one day sit on the Scorsolini throne, I cannot help hoping IVF works for you two.”
“Because you don’t want him to know the pressure of ruling a kingdom?” Therese asked, painfully uncertain of the rightness of staying married to Claudio.
“Because any child born to you and my brother will be very blessed and a beautiful addition to this world.”