Second-Best Wife

by Rebecca Winters

  Gaby had never thought to see the palazzo again, let alone the inside of the red and white room. Yet that was where Luke’s mother was waiting for them, her face a picture of anguish.

  The second they stepped foot inside the paneled doors, she got to her feet and rushed over to Gaby, reaching for her hands.

  “Ah, Signorina Holt. Thank you for coming,” she emoted softly, pulling Gaby down on the tapestry-covered love seat with her.

  The older woman’s reception was so different from the night of the dinner, Gaby could scarcely credit this was the same person.

  Luke stood a few feet away from them, his hand rubbing the back of his bronzed neck in contemplation. Gaby couldn’t forget what he’d told her, that his mother worshipped Giovanni. Evidently now that he was missing, even Gaby was welcome if she could help solve the mystery of his whereabouts.

  “Tell me what has happened to mio figlio, signorina. He is still recovering from that horrible accident.”

  Gaby flashed Luke a signal of distress. His dark gaze swiveled from her to his mother. “I’m afraid Signorina Holt is as perplexed as we are, Mama.”

  “No—” She shook her head. “I do not believe that. My son intends to marry her, Luca. At the hospital, he refused to see me or talk to me. He has never behaved that way in his life. Only another woman could have that kind of power over him. That woman is you, Signorina.”

  “Signora Provere,” Gaby began, feeling as if she were drowning, and going under for the third time. “I’m afraid your son has led you to believe something that isn’t true. The fact is, Giovanni never asked me to marry him because he knows I’m not in love with him.” Her voice shook.

  “What are you saying?” His mother’s dark brown eyes flashed. “I do not understand. He loves you.”

  Gaby swallowed hard. “Nevertheless, Giovanni and I are not planning a wedding. We’re simply good friends. He invited me here to—to—”

  “Mama,” Luke intervened. To Gaby’s heartfelt relief, he broke into a spate of Italian, explaining the true circumstances of that night. His mother listened with downbent head, her expression changing from grief to shock.

  “Is my son correct, signorina? You and my Giovanni do not have an understanding?”

  “No, signora. As I have told you, we are close, more like brother and sister. I haven’t seen or heard from him since the night of the accident. If I had any idea where he was, any idea at all, I would tell you.”

  Because it was the truth, her earnestness must have reached Giovanni’s mother. The older woman slowly released Gaby’s hands and stared into space through dimmed eyes, looking twenty years older.

  Gaby could have wept for the pain Giovanni had caused his family. Why had he done this to them? He’d shrouded his actions in mystery, making it impossible for any of them to function normally.

  As if she were in a trance, Signora Provere got up from the couch and looked straight at Gaby. “You’ve spent the last six weeks with him. Where do you think he might be, signorina?” she asked in a dull voice.

  It was a searching question, requiring a response. Luke’s eyes were riveted to her, as well. He, too, was waiting for some kind of clue which would lead them to Giovanni.

  Gaby clasped her hands, praying for inspiration. “If he has close friends, I never met any of them, nor did he ever mention their names to me. We spent hours going to museums and galleries, exploring the town. He knows everything about Renaissance art and history.”

  “That is all?” his mother rasped. “He didn’t talk to you about what was going on inside of him?”

  “Yes. He told me many things.” Gaby stopped pacing. “As you both know, Giovanni’s a very spiritual person. He’s the kind of man who lives in the world, but isn’t of the world, if I’m making sense.”

  Luke nodded gravely and put a supporting arm around his mother’s fragile shoulders. “Go on,” he urged, giving Gaby his consent to speak frankly.

  “Well, for example, take the other evening when he drove me home from the palace. We had plans to go to the Renaissance ball the next night, so he brought me a jeweled hair piece to wear, and—”

  “What hair piece are you talking about?” his mother interrupted, obviously at a loss to explain her son’s abnormal behavior.

  “Pollaiulo’s elaborate pearl headdress masterpiece from our ancestor’s private treasury,” Luke supplied grimly.

  Signora Provere’s astonished cry rang throughout the room. She flung her hands in the air. “But that hair piece is priceless and now belongs to the church. It’s valued at close to a million dollars.”

  It was Gaby’s turn to be stunned. “I knew it was valuable, but I never dreamed—” Her voice trailed. Now she understood the look Luke had sent Giovanni’s way after opening the bag at the hospital.

  “My son asked you to wear it?” His mother’s voice came out more like a squeak.

  “Yes.” Gaby hated to admit it, noting the other woman’s complete shock. “You see, Giovanni and I met in the museum while I was looking at it, trying to figure out how Pollaiuolo fashioned it to harmonize with the movement of braids. It was the most beautiful piece of Renaissance jewelry I have ever seen.”

  When no one spoke, Gaby cleared her throat nervously. “I often wear braids, but couldn’t imagine how to arrange it. He got very excited and showed me a fourteenth-century painting of Simonetta Vespucci wearing the exact piece. That way I could see precisely how it should be worn.”

  “If he did all that for you, then it appears my son was enamored by you from the moment you two met,” Signora Provere murmured sadly, but there was no censure in her tone, for which Gaby was grateful.

  This gave her the confidence to go on. “H-he was very charming and so easy to talk to. He obviously remembered our conversation that first day in the museum, and insisted I wear the jewelry to the ball.

  “But because I knew it was a family treasure, I told him I wouldn’t be responsible for keeping it overnight. In fact, I remember telling him that I’d die if anything happened to it while it was in my possession.

  “That’s when he told me that no earthly treasure was worth dying for. But a sacred love, that was something else again…”

  Signora Provere appeared dumbstruck while Luke’s brooding gaze wandered over her, his thoughts inscrutable. “Did my brother often confide his innermost secrets to you?” he prodded with surprising tenacity.

  “Some of them. I learned right away that his favorite place on earth is inside a church. When we first met, he made me promise to visit Assisi before I left Italy. He told me of a spiritual experience he had while visiting there as a teenager, but asked me not to tell anyone.”

  “Mio Dio—” The ragged oath coming out of Luke sounded agonized.

  “I—I’m breaking his confidence by even mentioning it to you, but I’m too concerned about his disappearance to worry about that right now.”

  “I’ve never heard of any of this,” his mother blurted in bewilderment. “Luca?” She turned to her son, laying her head against his chest. “What is she talking about? Has Giovanni told you of this experience?”

  But Luke seemed miles away. His gaze held a strange glitter, exaggerating his pallor. That in turn frightened Gaby.

  “Mama—” He unexpectedly put his mother aside. “Please take charge of our guest and offer her every comfort.” His black eyes pierced Gaby. “Signorina Holt. You will stay here until my return.” The edict fell from his taut lips.

  “Luca—where are you going?” his mother asked the question in Gaby’s mind, but his exit was so swift, he either didn’t hear her, or he was in such a hurry, he chose not to answer. It was like a second death to see him go.

  “Something very strange is going on with both my sons. Santa Maria! I don’t know what to think. Please, my dear. Sit down. I’ll ask Luciana to bring us coffee and we will talk. I need to ask your forgiveness for the way I treated you at dinner. As Luca pointed out, I was extremely rude to you and must make amends.”

>   “Please, Signora Provere. There is nothing to forgive. Giovanni led you to believe something that wasn’t true and it came as too great a shock.”

  “That’s very charitable of you, signorina. I can understand why Giovanni adores you.”

  Gaby couldn’t take much more of this and was growing more and more impatient to be gone.

  “Much as I’d love to stay, signora, I don’t have the time.” Girding up her courage, she said, “I—I heard the clock chime on the half hour. My bus is leaving Urbino in a few minutes. If you could ask someone to bring my bags to the foyer and drive me to the university, I can just make it.”

  Her eyes were dark pinpoints of light. “You heard Luca. He expects you to be here when he gets back.”

  Gaby’s instincts about Luke had been correct. Though he might be forfeiting the title of duke because of his religious affiliation, he was the true heir and natural ruler of the House of Provere. Even his mother deferred to him, but this was one time when Gaby would have to go against his wishes.

  “There is no reason for me to stay any longer, signora. I’ve told you everything I know, and I promise to keep in touch by phone. Naturally I’ll want to know what has happened to Giovanni, but we’ve already said our goodbyes.

  “A-as for Luke, he has his priesthood duties back in Rome.” Maybe if Gaby said the words long enough, she’d start to believe them. “This is not the time for you to be entertaining a houseguest.”

  “So you know about my eldest son?” she asked too sharply. No doubt Luke’s mother had been worried about them spending most of yesterday together.

  If she ever found out—

  “Y-yes. Giovanni has told me he will be professed in less than a month.” Her voice caught.

  “That is right.” The older woman sounded relieved that Gaby understood the true situation. “He would have taken his final vows much sooner, but my husband’s passing made that impossible.” There was an uneasy pause. “Luca tells me he spent yesterday helping you trace your family roots.”

  Heat swamped Gaby’s face. “Yes.” They were trespassing on shaky ground now. Gaby didn’t want to talk or think about Luke anymore. “H-he was able to clear up a mystery about my great-grandmother’s true birthplace.”

  “Yes. He told me,” the other woman murmured, eyeing Gaby with a familiar scrutiny that made her uncomfortable.

  “I am very grateful to him, signora. You must be so proud to have two such remarkable sons.” She purposely diverted the direction of the conversation away from Luke.

  “I’ve been very blessed, but as you will understand, I’m devastated to think Giovanni would run away without explanation.” Her brown eyes watered. “He’s always been the perfect child, so open and obedient.”

  Gaby knew that wasn’t completely true, but she kept silent.

  “He and Luca are totally opposites, you know. Luca understands the world and runs his life by his own set of rules. If he went off without a word to me, I’d never question it. He can handle anything because of his brilliance. In time, he will surpass our noble ancestor in greatness and piety.”

  Gaby had heard of women who were ambitious for their children. But to dream such dreams for Luke seemed almost sacriligious, particularly after what she and Luke had shared in Loretello. The memories still had the power to shake the foundations out from under her.

  “Surely the important thing for both your sons is that they be happy.” Gaby voiced the opinion beneath her breath.

  The older woman nodded. “That is why I am so worried. Something is wrong with my Giovanni who has led a very contented, sheltered life up to now.”

  “Sheltered or not, he’s a remarkably strong individual who prefers to see the goodness of the world,” Gaby observed forcefully. “I’m sure there’s a rational explanation for what he’s done.”

  “I pray you’re right. Poor Efresina loves him so.”

  Gaby got to her feet, having forgotten all about the other woman Giovanni would never love.

  “It’s been a privilege to become acquainted with your family. I’m only sorry I can’t stay in Urbino longer. The problem is, I’ve been given a roommate for the tour back to Belgium. If I don’t show up, my friend, Joan, will have to be by herself and she doesn’t like being alone at night. It would be very unfair to her.”

  Everything she’d said was true except for the part about her friend hating to be by herself. But Gaby was desperate to get away from Luke. It was hard enough being in his home. But to hear his mother go on about Luke’s destiny was only deepening an open wound. She had to get out of there as fast as she could.

  “Signora—” she implored the older woman who acted as if she still needed convincing to go against Luke’s express wishes. “I have no doubts that Luke will eventually find Giovanni. Until then, I can do nothing to ameliorate the situation. I must go.”

  “Very well,” his mother finally conceded. “I will explain to Luke that you are a strong-minded American woman who did not wish to be detained any longer.”

  Gaby had the idea that deep down, Signora Provere couldn’t get rid of her fast enough.

  “Thank you. I’ve been away from my family for a long time and need to get home.”

  The older woman rang a bell and almost immediately the servant Gaby had seen earlier appeared. “Please bring a car around for Signorina Holt who must be driven to the university at once. She will need her luggage, as well.”

  “Prego, Signora.”

  “Grazie, Signora Provere.” Gaby would have shaken her hand, but Luke’s mother surprised her by kissing her on both cheeks instead. Her delight at Gaby’s departure was obvious.

  “Perhaps it’s best that you are returning to the United States. Though you have broken Giovanni’s heart, it will mend faster if you are not here. In time I have hopes he will marry Efresina. She’s like a daughter to me you know. Arrivederci, signorina.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “WE’RE coming to the border. Pretty soon we’re going to go through the St. Gotthard tunnel.”

  “It’s ten miles long, right through the mountains.”

  Gaby could hear excited conversation all around her and envied the noisy tour group their enthusiasm. Since morning, after barely making it to the university before the bus pulled out of Urbino, she’d tried to put up a brave front around the American friends she hadn’t seen for six weeks.

  But their arrival in Lake Lugano made her realize they’d be leaving Italy shortly. The pain was as real as if someone had driven a hard fist into her stomach.

  “Gaby? What’s wrong? You’re as white as a sheet.”

  She avoided Joan’s probing stare. “I—I think I ate something that didn’t agree with me.”

  Joan sighed. “It’s the atrocious heat. This bus is supposed to be air-conditioned, but I’m still hot.”

  Gaby hadn’t really noticed the temperature. Her heartache was too acute to give thought to her creature comforts. Luke was slipping further and further away from her and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.

  “Gina says it’s cooler in Switzerland,” Joan chatted on. “Tonight we’re going to an outdoor yodeling show.”

  A groan escaped Gaby’s throat. After what she’d experienced with Luke, she wondered if she would ever find pleasure in anything again. It was terrifying to think one man could affect your life so completely, that without him there was no joy, no hope.

  So far, Gaby hadn’t been able to summon the courage to phone Signora Provere. Day after tomorrow, when they reached Brussels, she’d make the call.

  Right now she was too afraid to find out what had happened to Giovanni. If he were still missing, then Luke probably hadn’t gone back to Rome yet. To phone the palace and hear his voice would destroy her before she’d even begun to deal with her loss.

  “Hey, Gina?” someone shouted in the back, drawing Gaby’s attention. “How come we’re stopping?”

  “There’s a whole bunch of policemen!” another person cried.

&nbs
p; Their vivacious blond Italian tour guide stood up, lighting a cigarette. “I don’t know.” She exhaled with an Italian flare no foreigner could imitate—another reminder of everything Gaby was about to lose. “Probably they are searching for drugs. It happens. Do not get excited. I will go and find out.”

  As soon as she got off the bus, speculation intensified. Everyone had a theory about the presence of police who were backing up traffic for miles. Gaby had to admit she was surprised their bus had been stopped. Until now they’d traveled all through Europe without a hitch.

  “This is kind of exciting.” Joan strained to see what she could because Gaby had the window seat. Together they watched the rapid-fire exchange between Gina and one of the policemen. Her hands were flying.

  “Whoa… Gina’s upset about something.”

  Gaby agreed with Joan. Their tour guide, who knew seven languages and could curse along with the best of them, was generally unflappable. But given the tight schedule, a delay would cost them time getting into Lucerne for the evening.

  After another five minutes, Gina wheeled around and marched toward the bus, her features set. But instead of getting back on, she shouted something in Italian, and their driver, Mikaele, got off to talk to the police.

  “Maybe he’s in trouble,” the girl in front of them theorized.

  By now everyone was looking out the right side. To Gaby’s astonishment, the police told him to open the panels where the luggage was kept. Mikaele didn’t like the delay any more than Gina. He argued volubly, but had no choice except to unload everything.

  A group of policemen surrounded him, blocking Gaby’s view. Obviously they were checking each tag, searching for something. With thirty-eight students on board, each with two bags, the task was horrendous. Gaby didn’t blame him for being upset. In fact, everyone was complaining. With the motor shut off, there was no air circulating at all.

  It seemed like an eternity before Gina climbed on board. The din of noise faded as she started down the aisle followed by two policemen. “Gina’s coming this way. She’s looking at you,” Joan whispered in a shaky voice. For no good reason, Gaby felt the hairs stand on the back of her neck.