Chapter Thirty five-Epilogue

A GHOSTLY WAIL Shattered the night calm and Toyin 

rolled over lazily to curl her naked body comfort-

ably against Massimo.

"That's a curlew," she murmured sleepily, her

breath warm against his chest.

"Congratulations." He kissed the top of her head.

"Soon you'll be eligible for membership of the Aus-

tralian Ornithological Society."

"That's not fair, she protested. I know lots about

the indigenous birdlife. I can easily recognise a bow-

erbird."

He kissed the tip of her nose. 'Only because their their color '

*Oh, Mas', she whispered as she wriggled luxuri-

ously against him. " I do love you."

"Well, that's good,"' he said steadily, though he

could do nothing about the sudden lump which had

risen in his throat. 

"Because I love you too."

He pulled her closer, reflecting on the last three

eventful years. It had been an interesting road they

travelled together before Princess Toyin of Antiochda had finally consented to become his wife. She'd

meant what she said about doing a cookery course in 

Paris, but Massimo had quickly established a branch of

Carter Communications in the Eighth Arrondisse-

ment and they had set up home nearby.

Toyin had graduated from the famous patisserie

school with honours and soon afterwards they had

married in the Antiochda cathedral in a ceremony

which included royalty, magnates and film stars. But

the glittering congregation might as well not have ex-

isted, because all Massimo had been able to see was his

beautiful bride, wearing the ruby and diamond neck-

lace which had belonged to her mother and which he

had presented to her the day before their wedding, to

the accompaniment of her tear-filled eyes and trem-

bling lips.

 Massimo had been planning to pay any price to

get it back from Prince Dam, but the Mardovian royal

had insisted on gifting it to them.

"It is yours," he'd said gruffly. 

"For it was always

intended for Toyin."

But there were no hard feelings between Toyin 

and the man to whom she had once been betrothed-

and Dam and his wife Lisa were both guests at the

royal wedding. So was Amber, with Conall. Nick,

Molly and Oliver. 

Chase had defied logic and sched-

ules and somehow managed to get himself there from

the depths of the Amazonian rainforest and Gianluca

was there, too. Even Bernadette had accepted an in-

vitation and Ambrose surprised them all by spending

most of the evening dancing with the Irish house-

keeper.

And when Massimo had laughingly enquired whether

there was some kind of romantic attachment brew-

ing. Bernadette had silenced him with a stern look, " There is not!' she'd declared. Sure and all he wants

to talk about is his gout!"

After the wedding, Mas had

asked Toyin where

she wanted to live, telling her that they could go

anywhere she wanted -but her answer hadn't re-

ally surprised him. For although they visited Europe

and America from time to time, their main base was

in Poonbarra, where the skies were huge and the

air was clean. 

It was the only place she'd ever re-

ally felt free, she told him. And he felt the same. It

was their place, now shared with their firstborn-

a beautiful bouncing baby boy they named Myron

Timi Carter.

But before she'd become pregnant, Toyin had ex-

perimented with everything she'd learned in Paris

and added a few twists of her own which was how

Princess Pastries had come about. Her second cook-

book had just been published to great international

acclaim and had become an instant bestseller, with

all the profits going to an Antiochda children's

charity. Despite a lot of pressure from the major net-

works, Toyin had refused all offers to do her own

television show. 

Why would she want to do anything

which took her away from her family? she'd asked

Massimo quietly.

Why, indeed?

Massimo stroked the hair which lay so silkily against

his skin. Family. And love. It was that simple. He

sighed. How could something so simple be this good?

"What time is it?" Toyin murmured, her arms

tightening around him.

The dawn had not yet streaked the sky and it would

be several hours before the wild and beautiful Australian bush sprang into new life. But for now they

had the night and they had each other.

Always.

Time to kiss me, he said throatily.

And in the darkness. she raised her face to his.