Dante had asked her, when they were on the train heading toward Florence, if she was ready to get married there since her mother had not given them her blessing and they could not wed at the rose farm like Anabella had wanted. But Anabella had said she needed time to think about it. Secretly, she was still hoping her mother would have a change of heart. Anabella would return to Pienza, and Mamma would realize how much she’d missed her and how much she’d hurt her. Mamma would welcome her with open arms and tell her she would get the farm ready for her wedding. They would then discuss which roses she would carry in her bouquet and of course her dress. Would Mamma tell her she could wear her wedding dress? Anabella desperately hoped so.
The boat hit the dock with a loud thud that shook Anabella out of her thoughts. Dante disembarked first and then held his hand out to help Anabella off the boat.
They linked arms as they walked over the Ponte Vecchio. The sun was getting lower in the sky as evening got under way. Every so often, Dante would lean over and kiss Anabella on the cheek, causing her to giggle. She loved it when he acted like a silly schoolboy who had fallen in love for the first time. They leaned against the wall of the bridge and looked out at the Arno River. Dante whistled softly, but soon his whistling was drowned out by the sounds of an accordion. Dante recognized the tune and changed his whistle to match its notes.
Anabella laughed. “You’re quite talented.”
“And you thought all I could do was paint and draw.” He smirked as he said this.
“It’s so beautiful here.” Anabella leaned her head on Dante’s shoulder.
“You know the Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge that the Germans didn’t blow up when they retreated from Florence during World War II?”
“No, I didn’t know that. I can’t imagine it not being here.”
“I agree, and being here with you, Anabella, makes it all the more magical.”
Anabella looked up at Dante and smiled. He leaned down and softly kissed her lips. The music grew louder. She looked up and saw the accordion player coming closer to the bridge. A small group gathered around him to listen. Anabella closed her eyes, enjoying the music and thinking of nothing else but being here with Dante. Every day, she felt her love for him grow, and the thought of ever being apart from him pained her deeply, even more than the pain of her separation from Mamma.
A thought entered her mind. She waited for a few minutes, wanting to be sure before she spoke. The rose garden flashed before her eyes. Did she really want to get married there even if Mamma did forgive her and accept that she was going to marry Dante? After all, Anabella was making a new life for herself. She still loved the rose farm, even though she had begun to feel suffocated there and had yearned to explore what was beyond its confines. No. It did not feel right. And she knew deep down, contrary to her earlier fantasy, that Mamma would not welcome her with open arms once she returned to Pienza. Her mother was too set in her ways, and there was something else. The look Anabella had seen in her mother’s face and eyes. It was as if Anabella no longer existed for her once she’d announced she was leaving with Dante. After all, hadn’t Mamma refused to hug her back or even look at her before she left home? And Mamma hadn’t written back to Anabella, who had sent at least a dozen letters in the two months since she’d gone to Florence.
It was now or never. She needed to fully leave her childhood behind. She turned around so that she was facing Dante.
“Can we go somewhere quiet?”
Dante smiled. “I was just thinking the same thing. I know exactly the place.”
He took her by the hand and led her toward the end of the Ponte Vecchio, at the south bank of the river. They entered the Piazza Santa Felicita and were soon strolling along a beautiful street called the Costa San Giorgio. Then, Anabella saw signs pointing to the Bardini Museum and Garden. Gorgeous flowers in every hue lined either side of the garden’s walkways, some of which also contained bubbling fountains.
“This is breathtaking, Dante!”
“I knew you would love it.” Dante smiled.
They walked over to a wrought-iron street bench. Dante sat down and motioned for Anabella to sit on his lap. She draped her arm around his shoulders and took in the charming neighborhood. Dante drew small circles on her back. The action was making her sleepy as she fully relaxed against him.
“You’ve looked rather pensive today, Anabella.”
He placed a kiss on her head and then began running his fingers through her hair, which she wore completely down today. She loved it when he did this. The sensation sent strange feelings throughout her body. Is this what it would feel like when they finally made love?
“I thought you would be used to that.” Anabella looked into his eyes, smiling playfully to let him know he didn’t need to worry.
“I don’t know. It seems more so today.” He shrugged his shoulders, but there was still worry evident in his eyes as he looked off into the distance.
Anabella brought her mouth close to his ear and whispered, “Look at me.”
He met her gaze.
“I’ve just been thinking all day how lucky I am to have met you and how much I love you. And I have something to tell you.”
Dante’s eyes flickered for a moment. But there was still fear in them.
“I want to get married here in Florence—and as soon as possible. I don’t want to wait any longer to become your wife. And I don’t want to wait any longer to make love to you.”
Dante opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. His eyes then grew heavy as he continued staring into Anabella’s eyes. She leaned forward and kissed him. It was the most sensuous kiss they had ever shared. She could feel his heart beating against her chest, and she pressed even closer to him, wanting to feel his warmth and more of the sensations that were now flooding her body. Much to her disappointment, Dante finally broke the kiss.
“Are you sure? What about the rose farm and wanting your mother to be present?”
“I’m sure. Although I would still love it if my mother were at my wedding, I know things will most likely not be different with her once we return home. You are my life now.”
Dante’s voice choked as he said, “I love you so much, Anabella. I promise you won’t regret this. And I promise we will be very happy.”
They embraced again and sat on the bench as they laughed and spoke about where they should hold their wedding ceremony and how they should celebrate afterward. For the first time since they’d arrived in Florence, Mamma was far from Anabella’s thoughts.
CHAPTER 27
Maria Rossi
Florence, 1943
Please God, let them be all right, Maria silently prayed over and over as she rode her bicycle to the police precinct to inquire about her family. Approaching Via Camillo Cavour, she noticed a large crowd was gathered in front of the Palazzo Medici. A strange feeling came over her, and she steered her bike toward the crowd. They were standing in front of the entrance to the courtyard of the palace. Much of the crowd was standing inside the courtyard. She could make out German soldiers gathered out front. A few of the bystanders looked pale. A woman let out a soft cry and began to walk away, but a soldier nudged her back with the butt of his machine gun, forcing her to remain.
Maria stepped off her bike and pushed it closer to the crowd.
“What has happened?” she whispered to an old man.
The old man glanced first in the direction of the soldiers before answering, “Lynchings.”
Maria felt herself go cold. She swallowed hard before asking, “Have they been hanged already?”
“Si, signorina. But they won’t let us go. We have been ordered to watch. People who tried to leave were forced back. They said we needed to see what happens to traitors. It’s been an hour already since the last person was lynched.”
“Last person? How many people were hanged?”
“Three.”
Maria felt herself go weak all over. She cowered over her bike as she tried to take in a deep b
reath.
“Signorina, are you all right?” the old man asked her.
She nodded, closing her eyes tightly, trying to concentrate on keeping back the wave of nausea that threatened to surface.
“Andate via!” A soldier shouted to the crowds to leave.
The bystanders quickly dispersed. But Maria remained rooted in place. She noticed one of the officers looking at her. Lowering her gaze, she began walking her bike toward the entrance to the courtyard of the Palazzo Medici. She remembered her parents taking her to the courtyard when she was a little girl and her Papà telling her about the powerful Medici family who ruled Florence for much of the Renaissance era. The courtyard was beautiful with its enclosed space that was surrounded by marble columns and classical statues. A fountain stood in the space as well as large planters with small trees.
“How dare they,” she whispered to herself. “How dare they turn one of Florence’s beloved landmarks into a killing field.”
As she reached the entrance to the courtyard, she slowed her steps. Two young German soldiers were exiting, laughing between themselves. Maria bent down, pretending she was inspecting the chain on her bike. Once they passed, she stood up and made her way to the courtyard. No one was there now. She perched her bike against the wall of the palace before stepping inside the courtyard.
Maria could make out the figures hanging from three of the marble columns. The ladder that had been used to hoist the bodies near the top of the columns still remained in place over one of the columns, indicating which victim had been the last to be hanged. From a distance, she could see they were three men. She was relieved, but only for a moment. Though Enza was not among the dead, her father and brother could still be among the victims. She walked closer. The first man looked to be no more than twenty years old. His eyes were open, and his head lolled to the side. The second man was close in age to the first one. His eyes looked upward to the sky. She turned to look at the third man. Maria didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath the entire time until she saw the face of the last victim and gasped. He looked to be in his early thirties, the same age as Michele. But it was not Michele. She dropped to her knees and began sobbing. Relief immediately washed over her along with guilt. Though she was happy none of the dead were her family, she felt horrible to be elated when three men had been killed so brutally.
When she finally regained her composure, she stood up. Making the sign of the cross, she said a prayer for each of the souls and then left. Once outside the courtyard, she retrieved her bicycle and walked it along. Her legs and arms shook terribly, and she didn’t know if she would be able to keep the bike steady, let alone have the energy to pedal.
The police station was another five blocks away. She walked slowly. Few people remained on the streets. As she entered the Piazza del Duomo, Maria couldn’t help but remember how the square used to be filled with people laughing, going about their daily errands, enjoying the sights that their gorgeous city afforded them. Of course that was before the Germans came. Now no one smiled or even exchanged greetings. Everyone kept his or her gaze lowered, despair and fear etched across their faces.
Maria suddenly felt embarrassed. Until she’d joined the Resistance, she had still been living as if nothing had changed in the world, let alone in Florence. True, she and her family had been forced to be more careful, especially with the rations that had been put in place. Though they only had one course for dinner instead of two courses like they’d had before, and their portions were smaller, they had not gone hungry yet. While she had known that Michele and Enza were involved in the Resistance and had been worried when she’d first realized they were participating, she had never actually envisioned their being imprisoned or killed. It was as if nothing could touch her and her family. Perhaps that was why she’d had the courage to take more risks in the Resistance. Naturally, she was always nervous and afraid whenever she completed a task, but she always felt as if no harm could truly come to her family. How naïve she’d been.
The police station finally came into view. The station no longer housed carabinieri. Since October, the Germans had disbanded the carabinieri wherever the Axis powers were in control. The Germans no longer trusted their loyalty to the Fascist cause since the carabinieri had arrested and imprisoned Mussolini after his fall last July.
Two German soldiers stood guard in front of the station. Her heart stopped for a moment as she recognized the soldier whom she’d spoken to the day she was delivering FAF’s newspapers. But maybe if he remembered her, he might be able to help her—that is, if her family was being held here.
Smoothing a hand over her hair, she took a deep breath as she walked over to the soldiers.
“Guten Tag,” Maria said in as cheerful a voice as she could muster.
The first soldier merely nodded in her direction, but the one she had encountered during her delivery of the newspapers looked startled for a moment before saying, “Buongiorno, signorina. How good it is to see you again. I am surprised our paths have not crossed again sooner. I have even walked along that route where we first met to see if I would bump into you delivering your newspapers.” He smiled warmly.
“Si, I am sorry we have not seen each other sooner. I am no longer delivering newspapers.”
“Forgive me, Fräulein, but I stupidly forgot to ask for your name that day. I am Wilhelm Becker.”
Maria paused for a moment. Should she give him her real name? Since she was inquiring about her family, she would have to give her surname, so what did it matter if he knew her first name as well? And then she realized that if he or any of the other soldiers asked for her identity papers, they would see if she were lying. She mentally slapped herself for the grave error she almost made.
“Maria Rossi.”
“Beautiful name.”
“Grazie, Herr Becker.”
“Please, Wilhelm.” He smiled for a moment before his face grew somber. “I must say, Maria—I may call you, Maria?”
Maria forced a smile. “You may.”
“I must say you look a bit pale. Are you all right, Maria?”
“I’m afraid I am not. You see, I am looking for my family. My neighbor told me they were escorted out of our house, and I came to see if they are here.”
Wilhelm frowned. Maria’s heart skipped a beat. Would he think she were an enemy too and imprison her?
“Do you have any idea why they would’ve been picked up?”
“None at all. My father is an old man who rarely leaves the house, and my brother and his wife are good, hardworking citizens. I am baffled.” She opened her eyes wide, doing her best to look innocent as she shrugged her shoulders. “But I do not wish to disturb you while you are working. I will go inside and make my inquiries. Buongiorno, Wilhelm. It was nice to see you again.” She began to climb up the steps that led to the police station’s entrance, but Wilhelm placed a hand on her arm.
“Please, let me come with you and see if I can be of assistance.”
He shouted to a soldier who was standing with a German shepherd in the square in front of the police station. The soldier quickly hurried over and took Wilhelm’s place alongside the other soldier standing guard.
“Come, Maria.” Wilhelm placed his hand on her elbow.
She wanted to pull her arm away, but didn’t. As they stepped inside, her pulse raced. They climbed a long set of stairs, and, once they reached the top, he walked over to an office at the end of the corridor. The door was shut, but Wilhelm knocked, announcing himself. A voice from behind the door told him to enter.
Maria waited a few steps behind Wilhelm. She heard him talking in German. After a moment, he motioned for Maria to join him.
“Signorina Rossi, this is Kommandant Schmidt.” She walked over and nodded her head to the soldier behind the desk. He was much older than Wilhelm, and she assumed he had a much higher rank. “Guten Tag, Kommandant.” Her voice sounded incredibly nervous. The soldier scanned her from head to toe, his eyes resting for a moment on her legs
.
“Sit down, Fräulein.”
She looked at Wilhelm, who slightly nodded, before sitting down.
“You are looking for your family? May I see your identity papers first?”
Maria took the papers out of her purse. Her hands were shaking terribly. She needed to appear calmer.
“I am sorry to disturb you, Kommandant. I am sure you must be very busy.”
Kommandant Schmidt ignored her. Once he inspected her papers and handed them back, he perused a very large ledger.
“No one by your surname has been brought in today. Are you sure they were picked up this morning?”
“That is what my neighbor told me.”
“Would he have any reason to lie?”
“I don’t see why he would. Also, my family would not suddenly leave without letting me know in a note.”
Kommandant Schmidt nodded his head, before adding, “Well, they are not here so I cannot do anything for you. If they are brought in, I can have Wilhelm come pick you up. He tells me you have no idea why they would’ve been picked up. Is that true, Fräulein?” The Kommandant’s eyes bore into Maria’s.
She looked directly into his eyes as she said, “No, none at all, Kommandant. This has all been a shock to me. What would they want with an old man? And my brother and sister-in-law are loyal to our new regime. We are not people who break the law. I can assure you of that.”
“Your father’s advanced age means nothing. Every day we pick up old men and women. Perhaps your brother was involved in some Resistance activity? You do know what the penalty is for such crimes?”
“Of course, I do. But there is no way my brother would be involved in anything like that.” She gave a soft laugh, looking over at Wilhelm, who was staring at the wall behind Kommandant Schmidt. If she wasn’t mistaken, she would have sworn he looked afraid. Returning her gaze to Kommandant Schmidt, she said, “You see, my brother has always been afraid of his own shadow. He startles easily and has avoided any conflict his whole life. He is a bit of a coward. I know he is my brother, but that is the truth. No, it would be absurd for him to be so bold as to be a partisan.”
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