Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

After the dance with my brother, I wanted nothing more than to find a quiet
corner to get a grip, but Cassio’s father limped toward me.
I gave him a smile as my brother slinked away after a curt nod. Mr. Moretti
held out his hand. “Will you give this old man the honor of dancing with the
bride?”
“Of course, Mr. Moretti,” I said with a small curtsy.
“Mansueto, please. We’re family now.”
I nodded and took his hand, wondering how this was going to work with his
cane. He smiled wistfully. “We’ll have to dance in one spot if you’re all right
with that, young lady.”
Again, I nodded and stepped a bit closer. He handed his cane to a man I
didn’t know and lightly touched my back. Then we began to sway to the music.
“You’re very quiet. From what I hear, you’re not a quiet girl.”
My cheeks heated, wondering who had given him that piece of information.
Christian? Definitely not my mother.
Mansueto’s eyes were kind, but like his son, his reputation was chilling. “My
son’s reputation makes me proud,” he began as if he could read my mind, which
freaked me out. “I know he’ll rule over Philadelphia without trouble, even once
I’m gone. But it’s a reputation that might unsettle a young woman, especially as
young as yourself.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. I felt like I should contradict him because tradition
dictated that I pretend I wasn’t unsettled by my husband, but that would have
been a lie, and unfortunately, I was a bad liar, much to Mom’s chagrin.
“My wife and I raised my son to respect women, and from what I know, he
does.”
From what I knew, the bets on him killing his wife in a rampant rage were