Until we meet again,
Alex
She took the letter and ran into the bathroom. She pulled the lid down on the toilet and sat down, holding Alex’s words closely to her heart as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
∞
Once Valeria had finally dried her eyes and kissed the letter again, she discovered that Shinsu had left a message stating that she would be gone until late. Valeria saw that the large living area had been converted into a bedroom for her. She was certain that it had been planned to keep her in the flat, where everyone involved could keep a close eye on her.
The note said for Valeria to have a glass of sherry, and that Paolo would come in a few hours, so she should rest and then dress for dinner. Shinsu had hung up Valeria’s clothes, which would have been presumptuous from anyone else except Alex or Camille, but for some reason, she didn’t mind.
She closed the door to the family room and lay down, waking later to a knock at the door to her room. It was Paolo. She let him in, without pretending to be cordial; she wasn’t unfriendly, she just wasn’t about to make any pretense of her feelings.
“I have made reservations at my favorite restaurant. It is only a few blocks from here on The Oltrarno, this side of the Arno, where there are fewer tourists.”
They walked down along the Palazzo Pitti and then turned at the Arno. He offered his arm and, after a few near mishaps in her heels, she finally accepted his assistance. Still, Valeria’s mind was a hundred miles away, in a cottage north of Trento. She wondered if it would always be that way.
The restaurant was called Mamma Gina’s and the waiter clearly knew and liked Paolo. There was a special table in the back reserved for them. Paolo ordered in Italian and various dishes came out. Valeria had no interest in eating but she had learned long ago that there were ways to placate those around her.
They sat at a candle lit table for two. Paolo seemed nervous. She just went through the motions.
“Valeria, I believe this is the finest minestrone in all of Firenze—or Florence, as you call it. Try it,” he encouraged. She sipped the Chianti instead. It was nine p.m. and the restaurant had just opened for dinner only an hour before.
Dinner lasted several hours and she had somehow managed to answer questions by the server and occasionally even responded to Paolo, even looking him in the eye.
After the bill had been paid, he steered her onto the Ponte Vecchio to the overlook of the Arno where she had stood with Shinsu earlier that day. The lights of Florence were reflected on the river in various shades of yellows and white. He placed his arm around her waist, but she pulled away, and he awkwardly pulled his arm to his side.
“Valeria,” he tapped his elegant forefinger on his cheek as he drew a deep breath, “Shinsu spoke to you. You know that now, right now, we are making memories.” He glanced out at the river and drew a nervous breath before reaching for her again. This time she permitted it, although her body went rigid.
“Why is it their business? I’m going to do this. Isn’t that enough?”
Paolo looked out at the Arno again and pursed his lips for a moment. “No. It is not.”
Her face flushed with anger. “Well that’s just too bad.”
“Valeria, how I proposed will be an important part of our life. Our memory of this must be…special. Something…you remember. It will be very important.”
Understanding what he was trying to convey, she rolled her eyes. “They can only kill me once.” She thought for a moment and shrugged. “Or so…” Paolo heard the joke and smiled. It almost made her smile. “All right, Paolo.”
With his arm around her, he pulled her toward him. She caught a hint of sweet vulnerability in his eyes. He brushed the hair from her face and Valeria forced herself to not push his hand away.
Nervously, he reached into his pocket. “Valeria, I know it is too soon after everything. But I want you to be my wife.” He pulled out a small ring box from his jacket. All Valeria could think of was the night Alex had proposed while they were in bed in their wonderful cottage. Paolo opened the box and there was a ring with a large diamond in the center surrounded by emeralds and rubies. It was two rings wrapped together.
“It’s called a Gimmel Ring.” It was beautiful. Still. Valeria found herself comparing it to Alex’s simple but elegant ring.
“Pretty,” she said flatly. Valeria noticed ancient engraving on the side of it. “You must have spent the afternoon with antique dealers.”
“No. This was your ring…when you were my Isabella.” She wondered why she felt bad. He continued, “I took the ring from your finger before you—before she was buried.” He took a deep breath as if that were a deeply painful memory.
Glancing down at the ring she saw an inscription, a Latin phrase that read, “In meo corde aeternaliter.” Valeria looked away. She did not want to care about him. “So, what does this inscription say?”
He stared down the river, and then whispered, “Forever in my heart.”
“That probably meant a lot, considering you didn’t even know Isabella before she was sold to you.”
“The inscription was added after...her death...”
Valeria rolled her eyes, now she felt as if she had just been dancing on the grave of his dead wife and child. She looked down, irritated with herself for even caring. “Okay. What do we have to do here?”
He looked at her critically. “Do you accept?”
There could be worse things in life than marrying Paolo. Her heart would always be with Alex. But what if that meant certain death for them both? She nodded and Paolo twisted the rings so that they disengaged. He took one of the rings and slid it onto her left finger and placed the other back in the case and into his suit pocket.
“We should kiss. That is what people do now.”
She shook her head ever so slightly. “I’m not ready for that.” She swallowed.
He looked away and then back at Valeria. “If you are to become my bride, you must behave as my bride. There can be no other way.”
He waited for her and she leaned up to kiss the side of his face but he brushed his fingers through her hair and stopped her with that action. With his other hand he pulled her into him and held her face inches from his. Then, as he saw her relax, he leaned down and softly pressed his lips to hers. It was a tender kiss…a first kiss of sorts. Valeria was surprised to see that there was emotion behind it—on both sides. It wasn’t the same feeling she had when kissing Alex. But it was definitely better than kissing David.
Thinking for a moment, she realized that, not so long ago, she had been willing to marry David. And recognizing that Paolo was far more interesting, she decided that perhaps she could pull this off and Alex would be safe. He allowed the kiss to end, without the driving passion that had been in the kiss in St. Croix days before. But this time, there was no guilt from it. She could honestly admit that it was…pleasant.
Paolo smiled, seeing her acceptance of him. “Good.” He took her hand in his and they walked back to Shinsu’s.
∞
The daylight shined brightly through the shutters. For the second night she had struggled to sleep, drifting off as the sun began to ease its way over the horizon. She glanced at the clock in the room. Nine a.m. At least she had slept for a few hours. Then she heard the voices on the other side of her door. She slipped on her cotton kimono over her T-shirt and cotton yoga pants. To her surprise, it was Lars and Camille! Lars put his arms around her and spun her around in a tight embrace, as tears ran down her face—oh how she had missed her family!
“We’ve missed you sweetheart!” He nuzzled into her ear. “Ava would have been here but we thought, for now, it might be best if it was just Camille and I.”
Valeria leaned back and brushed her hand over Lars’ face. “I’ve missed you. And please tell Ava how much I’ve missed her!”
“Soon, you’ll be able to tell her yourself.”
And then it was her turn to hug Camille—the sister of her heart! She felt so
ft sobs run through both of them as they hugged. Paolo entered the room from outside with a cappuccino for Valeria. She thanked Paolo and shot it down while catching up with Lars and Camille; just having them with her improved her mood dramatically.
Camille took Valeria by the arm and led her to the deck overlooking Florence. It was such a breathtaking view. And the air was perfect.
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you!” Camille said. A tear formed in the corner of her eye.
“It’s been a wild ride, that’s for sure.” Valeria’s face got serious. “Not at all the way we planned, is it.”
“No,” Camille said wistfully, turning away. “Val, you aren’t really in love with Paolo, are you?”
Valeria wasn’t sure how much she could tell Camille. “Oh, well, he kind of grows on you.”
Camille’s eyes narrowed in sudden understanding. “It’s been tough, I know. Val, I want you to know that none of us are going to judge you for this! We all know that you have your reasons.” She shook her head. “But I have to tell you that, as much as I love you, I just can’t plan your wedding to, ” they both glanced in through the glass toward Paolo, “him.”
The men were engaged in conversation. Lars seemed to be hiding his distaste for Paolo quite well.
“I can’t either.” Valeria tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a cry. “I suppose we will figure it all out when we have to.” Her eyes filled with concern. “How is he really?”
Camille shook her head and closed her eyes. “You know he never loved Kristiana. Never! That relationship spelled disaster from day one!”
Valeria felt the tears building. “I’m sorry, Camille. I really can’t talk about Kristiana and Alex, yet.”
Gulping, Camille said, “Well, I will be here for you. I will be there tonight for your engagement party and at the wedding—whenever it is. You know I’ll do whatever you need, so if you really want me there, I’ll stand up with you for this…this marriage.” Her tears returned. “I will, if you need me there for you,” she said.
Valeria shook her head and smiled weakly. “No. I wouldn’t ask you to do that. I haven’t thought about any of it. But I’m definitely not interested in anything like…well, like before.”
Lars and Paolo stepped out onto the deck, both looking concerned. Paolo had a note in his hand. “We have the notice. Jeremiah will join us tonight for the engagement party. If he approves, tomorrow we will fly to Paxos for presentation to the council.”
Fear clouded Valeria’s eyes. It was all happening so fast. Still, she thought, it would be easier to do this quickly. If she had time to think about it, she would not be able to go through with it.
Shinsu joined them, still in her flowered wrap. “I just got the news.”
Lars glanced at Shinsu. “We need to postpone. From everything I’ve heard, Val needs more time…to adapt.”
Shaking her head, Shinsu said, “There is no postponement. This girl must be prepared by tonight!”
CHAPTER 17
The engagement party was in Carrara, at Paolo’s family estate. Valeria packed up her bags and drove with Camille, while Lars rode with Paolo.
“Val, have you really thought about all of this?”
Uncertain as to how much she could tell Camille, Valeria said, “It’s what I have to do.” Then she smiled softly. “At least I get all of you back with this deal.”
“I just don’t trust Paolo. Alex seems to, but Paolo has just done too many questionable things for me to believe him at this point.”
With a slight grimace, Valeria nodded. Still, she was glad to hear that Alex truly supported this plan. Even while reading the note, she had wondered if Paolo was pressuring Alex into writing it.
The drive was through rolling hills with occasional views of the Mediterranean. Valeria wondered if there would ever be a time when she would return to that wonderful life with Alex. It had been a dream life and just to have a snippet of that life had been a gift. Maybe that’s all people really got—just snippets of their ideal life. For her, it was painful enough, but to think of Alex waiting eons for her only to see her married to Paolo brought tears to her eyes.
Paolo had asked them to meet in Pisa. The town still had the ancient walls and they parked near the Leaning Tower. It was truly beautiful, but most of that was overshadowed with her thoughts of what was about to happen—she was actually going to marry Paolo.
When they left, he insisted that his fiancée ride with him for the last hour. Valeria stared out the window as they rode in silence. Paolo punched the gas pedal and left Lars and Camille behind as soon as they entered the highway. She shook her head; it was so like Paolo to show off the speed of his Aston Martin! Nearly an hour later, Paolo slowed slightly and now Valeria could see Lars’ black Mercedes on the road about a mile behind them.
“Valeria, there are some things that require…attention,” he said, oddly pre-occupied with something in his rearview mirror.
“The transference?”
“Yes, but first, I would like some time alone with you.” She winced; she had hoped that intimacy would not be required until they were married. Still, she remembered how sweet and gentle Paolo had been with her the night before. “I thought perhaps we should have some time to ourselves before this evening.”
“And the other?” she questioned. Paolo glanced at her, puzzled. “You said there were things…plural.”
“Oh, yes.” He nodded. He seemed nervous and distracted. “Yes. You will be required to provide Jeremiah with a transference this evening and I have an idea that may assist you in providing him with more pertinent information.”
She glanced at him awaiting the details. Instead, Paolo hit a button on his steering wheel, and immediately she heard a phone ringing over the car speakers.
“Yeah, Paolo.” It was Lars.
“Valeria and I are making a stop. We will meet you in Carrara at the bar in the Hotel Michelangelo.”
“Alright, well, we’ll see you two there.” Valeria heard Lars say. She could also hear Camille beginning to object, when Paolo disconnected the phone. There was a row of sycamores that ran along both sides of the road and tall bushes that ran behind the trees. Paolo seemed to be watching Lars’ car in the rearview mirror and then signaled as he slowed to a crawl. Valeria wondered what Paolo was up to. It almost seemed like he wanted Lars to see where they were going. Then Paolo turned the car down the dirt road about thirty feet and stopped.
Seeing the empty field, Valeria realized that Paolo was looking for privacy and she began to panic. He quickly walked around and helped her out of the car.
“Paolo, I don’t know what you have in mind, but it will not involve—”
“No—no rum,” he interrupted. “But we must toast our engagement. This time I promise not to ply you with too much alcohol.” Paolo was playing a role…creating a memory. He opened the trunk, and removed a blanket and spread it on the ground next to the car. Then he opened a basket and removed a cold bottle of champagne and two glasses, handing them to her. Without wasting a minute, he pulled her onto the blanket with him and then opened the bottle. While Valeria held both glasses, Paolo filled them and then set the bottle down. Nervously, she took a sip of champagne remembering that the last time she had any was the day after Paolo had ruined her life.
“I have an idea.” He leaned in toward her, and she started to block him. “I am your fiancé, allow me to…” Paolo took her glass and sat it next to them. Then he leaned into her and his hand gently brushed her face. His lips pressed against hers as his arms went around her, tenderly lowering her onto the blanket. Struggling beneath him, she realized that she was pinned. Panic began to overtake her. Would he force her into intimacy?
His voice was soft, “Do not fight me, bella,” he cooed into her ear. “I know that you would prefer to wait until our wedding night.”
“Then, please…” She started to choke, but his mouth went back to hers, prohibiting her from finishing the sentence. Just then, she heard t
he sound of Lars’ approaching car. Could she signal to them? Camille would certainly be watching to make sure she was all right. But would they stop? She was engaged to Paolo now. To even think that she could be engaged to someone other than Alex was painful.
Just then, she heard the honk of the car. As soon as they passed, Paolo’s head popped up, watching until they were out of sight. Then he sighed as he sat up and offered his hand to help her up. His eyes darted around and then shaking off some emotion, he smiled as he picked up the champagne glasses and clinked them in a toast and then downed it. She didn’t drink.
“Valeria, let’s see what we can do with a transference.” Her heart was pounding. His lips brushed hers lightly and she nervously took his hands. Within a few seconds, Paolo nodded. “Good.”
He sat next to her on the blanket as he continued to sip his glass of champagne. She wondered what this was all about. She closed her eyes. It was really sinking in; she was marrying a man other than Alex! She tried to hold back the tears.
“It’s time to go now.” Paolo leaned over and kissed her again. She guessed that she would need to get used to it. Still, there were worse things than kissing Paolo.
They arrived in the ancient hillside town of Carrara and wound their way along a narrow road, stopping in front of a medieval building with a sign that read, “The Hotel Michelangelo.” They walked hand in hand across the lobby and straight to the bar where her friends sat. It felt odd and unnatural for her to be holding hands with Paolo, and Camille seemed concerned. In response, Valeria offered her a weak smile as Paolo offered to take them to lunch.
They walked through the tiny town and Valeria thought that it had probably not changed much in thousands of years. It was lodged on a hill between the bustling Carrara port and the Apuan Alps, surrounded by tall grass and wild flowers. She noticed that the white mountains that rose in the distance were occasionally missing a peak, and instead, had a square gash from mining. The mountains were covered with white, although it seemed late in the year for snow.
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