Читать книгу Penny Jordan Tribute Collection - Пенни Джордан, Penny Jordan - Страница 42

‘WELL, what do you think of your anniversary present?’ Mariella asked Xavier lightly, whilst she watched him with a secret anxiety she was trying hard to hide.

She had been working on this special gift for him on and off ever since their marriage, only breaking off for their six-month-old son’s birth and the early weeks of his life.

Xavier shook his head, as though he found it hard to comprehend what he was seeing. ‘I knew you were working on something, but this…’

The stern note in his voice broke through her self-control, forcing her to reveal how much his approval meant to her. ‘You don’t like it—?’

‘Like it! Mariella.’ Reaching for her, Xavier wrapped her tightly in his arms.

‘There is nothing, excluding your sweet self and our noisy and demanding young son, that I would value more,’ he told her emotionally as he swung her round in his arms so that they could both look at the series of drawings she had spent the early hours of the morning displaying around their private salon to surprise him when he woke up on this, their anniversary morning.

As a wedding present from her new husband Mariella had asked to be allowed to travel in the desert with the tribe. Conscious of her pregnancy, Xavier had initially been reluctant to agree, but Mariella had been insistent. It had been on that journey that she had made the secret preliminary sketches for what was now a visual documentation of the tribe’s way of life, a visual documentation that betrayed, not only her fine eye for detail, but also her love for the man whose people she had drawn.

‘I do have a gift for you, although I haven’t followed Tanya’s advice and booked a luxury holiday,’ Xavier told her ruefully.

Following the direction of his amused glance, Mariella laughed.

Fleur, who was now walking was sitting on the floor next to her six-month-old cousin, the pair of them deep in some personal exchange, which involved lots of shared giggles and some noisy hand-clapping from Ben.

‘Don’t you dare do any such thing. There’s no way I want to be parted from these two!’

With Tanya and Khalid living around the corner, both the families saw a lot of each other, and the two young cousins could grow up together.

‘I may have another present for you,’ Mariella announced semi-hesitantly, the way her glance lingered on their son informing Xavier of just what she meant.

‘What? We said we’d wait.’

‘I know… but this time it’s your fault and not mine. Remember your birthday, when you didn’t want to wait until…’

‘Mmm.’ He did a rapid mental calculation. ‘So in another seven months, then…’

‘I think so… Do you mind?’

‘Mind? Me? No way. Do you?’

‘I’ve got my fingers crossed that I’m right,’ Mariella admitted. ‘Although I’m pretty sure that I am, and if I’m not…’ she gave him a flirtatious look ‘… then I’m sure we can find a way of ensuring that I soon am! Anyway, what about my anniversary present? You still haven’t told me what it is.’

‘Come with me,’ Xavier instructed her, bending to pick up their son and hand him to Mariella before lifting Fleur up into his own arms.

‘Close your eyes and hold onto me,’ Xavier said as he led her out into their own private courtyard, and through it to the new courtyard that had been developed behind it.

Mariella could smell the roses before he allowed her to open her eyes, and once he did so she drew in her breath in delight as she saw the new garden he had been having designed for her as a special surprise.

A softer and far more modern planting plan had been adopted for the new garden than the one favoured by Xavier’s grandmother. The design was reminiscent of an English country garden with the flower beds filled with a variety of traditional plants, but it was the wonderful scent of the roses that most caught her attention.

‘They’re called “Eternity”,’ Xavier told her softly as she bent her head to touch the velvet-soft petals of the rose closest to her. ‘And I promise that I shall love you for eternity, Mariella, and beyond it. My love for you is… eternal!’

Warm tears bathed Mariella’s eyes as she smiled at him.

‘And mine for you!’ she whispered lovingly to him.

Silently, they walked through the garden together, his arm around her drawing her close, her head resting against his shoulder, the children in their arms.