Da Silva's Mistress by Tina Duncan Page A

truth?’ he fired back.
    The breath whooshed from her lungs. ‘You wouldn’t know the truth if it got up and bit you on the backside!’
    ‘Is that a fact?’ he gritted.
    ‘It certainly is. I’m telling you the truth, damn it! You’re just not listening to me.’
    They were like boxers facing off in a ring.
    Morgan glared at Luca.
    Luca glared straight back.
    ‘Maybe I’d be more willing to listen to you if you hadn’t agreed to be my mistress,’ Luca said, his voice as effective as steel cutting through paper.
    Her heart did a stutter step in her chest. ‘What do you mean by that?’
    ‘Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? You only agreed to become my mistress because you didn’t want me to tell Joseph and Stefania about your affair. That makes you as guilty as hell as far as I’m concerned!’
    Her insides contracted on a wave of anxiety that sent a cold chill running through her body and shrank her skin over her bones.
    She’d been so caught up with Joseph’s illness she hadn’t given a thought to how giving in to his blackmail must look to Luca.
    But he was right.
    It made her look as guilty as hell!
    No wonder Luca kept throwing accusations around like confetti.
    She couldn’t tell him that Joseph’s illness had prompted her to change her mind. If Luca realised shewas using him to keep tabs on her father’s progress he would cut off her information completely.
    Unless she gave him some other explanation then her agreement looked like an admission of guilt.
    But what did she say to convince him otherwise?
    She scrabbled around for a suitable explanation but her mind remained frustratingly blank. She tried to invent something, but couldn’t think of anything he wouldn’t be able to shoot holes through in two seconds’ flat.
    And then it came to her.
    It was a stretch, but there was just enough truth in it to make it believable.
    At least she hoped so.
    She squared her shoulders and stared him straight in the eye. ‘Well, I’m not guilty! I obviously didn’t explain myself properly.’ She dragged in a breath and clasped her hands together in front of her. ‘My mother died a few years ago from an overdose of sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication,’ she said quietly.
    Luca’s expression altered, his eyes softening with sympathy. ‘I’m sorry. But what does that have to do with our current situation?’
    ‘I’m getting to that.’ She took her time. Her mother’s death had come as a complete shock and was still difficult to talk about. ‘If you tell Stefania that Joseph and I are having an affair—even though we’re not—what effect do you think it will have on her?’
    ‘My sister is not suicidal!’ Luca denied hotly.
    ‘Neither was my mother!’ Morgan shot back at him. ’The coroner ruled that it was an accidental overdose. Can I take it Stefania is on anti-depressants?’ she asked.
    Luca shook his head. The expression on his facewarned her that he didn’t like where this was leading one little bit. ‘No, she isn’t. She’s determined to fight it herself. And besides, she’s not the type to overdose—accidentally or otherwise!’
    ‘I could have said the same thing about my mother, and look how she ended up. OK, so Stefania’s not on medication. But do you want to take the chance on her getting worse?’ She didn’t wait for him to answer. ‘I know I don’t. It’s a chance I’m not willing to take. I couldn’t live with it on my conscience.’
    In truth, she didn’t think Stefania would deteriorate to that extent. Although Joseph was concerned about his wife’s depression, he’d also told her how strong Stefania had been throughout the process. If she had even one tenth of her brother’s strength and determination then Morgan knew she could conquer just about anything.
    ‘And that’s the only reason you don’t want me to say anything?’ Luca asked.
    She nodded.
    ‘And Joseph…?’ His eyes narrowed on her face. ’Why don’t you want me to tell him I