The Princess Bride

by Rebecca Winters

  “Is the one by your grandparents’ alive?”

  “I guess they can all come alive, but Mount Hood has been quiet for many years. The soil is perfect for growing lavender.

  “That’s one of the flowers Uncle Gino grows.”

  “I noticed. That’s the reason I stopped by. The flower fields reminded me that my grandmother used to keep a garden and would give lavender away for gifts. One of my favorite memories was helping her separate it into bundles.”

  “I wish I could do that.”

  “Don’t you get to help your aunt and uncle on the farm?”

  “Uncle Gino’s not married. He says girlfriends are much better.”

  At least Gino was honest. Bluntly so.

  Having witnessed several sides of him already, she couldn’t say she was surprised by his philosophy. It reminded her of her mother’s attitude about handsome men making bad husbands. Maybe Gino and her mother had the right answer after all.

  Ally moved closer. “Since you’re family, I bet Gino would give you a special farm job to do if you asked him.”

  “Maybe I will.” Sofia looked up at Ally with fresh interest. Do you want to meet my father? He hasn’t gone to bed yet.”

  “I’d love to. What’s his name?”

  “Marcello.”

  “That’s another wonderful name. What’s your mother’s?”

  Her face closed up. “Donata.”

  Donata?

  But that meant—that meant—

  Fresh pain knifed through Ally.

  Dear God—

  Just then Gino emerged from the shadows of the corridor.

  Ally wondered how long he’d been standing there. How much had he heard of her conversation with Sofia?

  Their eyes met for an instant. As he hugged his niece to his side, she registered anguish in those black depths.

  Ally leaned over and grasped the girl’s hands.

  “Gino told me about your mother, Sofia. I’m so sorry.” Her voice shook.

  I despise you, Jim Parker, for your part in depriving this child of her mother.

  How was it possible Donata hadn’t cherished her daughter and husband enough that she would go on vacation to Switzerland without them? It made reason stare and brought a different kind of ache to Ally’s heart.

  She had to clear her throat before she could speak again.

  “My father died a few years ago. No matter how young or old you are, I know how much it hurts.”

  What had hurt Ally was to learn that her father had passed away, and she’d never once met him.

  Tears trickled down the girl’s pale cheeks. “Uncle Gino says I have to wait until I go to heaven to see her again.”

  Over the last four months Ally had thought she’d cried all the tears inside her. But in the face of seeing this child’s suffering, she could feel new ones threatening.

  “You and your father are going to need each other more than ever. Where is he?”

  “In the kitchen with Luigi drinking his tea.”

  “Is Luigi your brother?”

  “No. I don’t have any brothers or sisters. Luigi is one of the nurses who takes care of papa.”

  Takes care of him?

  Ally darted Gino another questioning glance. She discovered a mixture of sorrow and bleakness.

  “My brother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s two years ago. His was a very rare case because it hit so hard and fast.”

  Ally gasped. There’d been too many painful revelations at once.

  She cupped Sofia’s wet cheeks. “I’d love to be introduced to your father. Can he talk at all?”

  “No, but sometimes he squeezes my hand. Come with me.”

  She grasped one of Ally’s hands and led her through the spacious dining room off the foyer to the kitchen. Ally was aware of Gino’s hard-muscled body following them at a short distance.

  One glimpse of the black-haired fiftyish looking man seated at the oak table, and she saw the strong resemblance between the two brothers.

  As they drew closer, she noticed that Sofia had inherited her father’s brown eyes and widow’s peak.

  Two immensely attractive men in one family. How tragic that one of them had to be stricken in the prime of life.

  His attentive nurse, an auburn-haired man who looked to be in his mid-thirties like Gino, kept his patient perfectly groomed.

  The Duc Di Montefalco was dressed in an elegant robe and slippers, quietly drinking tea from a mug. Sofia’s cat did a big stretch at the base of his chair, as if letting Ally know he was guarding Sofia’s father, so be warned.

  The girl drew Ally over to him.

  “Papa? This is Mrs. Parker from America.”

  Her father took no notice. He just kept taking sips of the hot liquid.

  It killed Ally to realize that this darling girl wouldn’t be able to derive the kind of love and comfort she needed from her father.

  The moment was so emotional for Ally, she let go of Sofia’s hand long enough to clasp Marcello’s arm for a brief moment.

  “How do you do, Mr. Montefalco. It’s an honor to meet you,” she said in a tremulous voice.

  Luigi smiled. “He’s very happy to meet you too, signora. Isn’t that right, Sofia.”

  “Yes. He likes company.”

  The nurse placed a hand on Sofia’s shoulder. “Do you want to help me put him to bed? I think he’s still tired after our big day yesterday.”

  “I know he is. His eyelids are drooping.” Sofia sounded way too adult for a girl her age.

  Ally watched Gino kiss his niece on the cheek. “While you say good night to him, I’ll be outside with Mrs. Parker. Come and find us when you’re through.”

  “I will.”

  By tacit agreement Ally left the kitchen with the man she no longer thought of as her captor. Thankful he’d suggested going outside, she stepped over the threshold into the warm, fragrant night where she could breathe in fortifying gulps of air.

  Gino watched her through veiled eyes. She met his glance. “Why was yesterday especially tiring for your brother?”

  His features took on a hardened cast.

  “The priest conducted funeral services for Donata at the church. I don’t know if Marcello had any comprehension of what was going on, but Sofia insisted he did.”

  A sob got trapped in Ally’s throat. “She’s had too much grief to deal with.”

  “Tell me about it,” he ground out. “Sofia needs her father.”

  Just then she heard the agony in his voice and sensed he was grieving for the loss of his brother. Any man in Gino’s position would be feeling overwhelmed right now. But as she was coming to find out, Gino was no ordinary man. He had strengths she admired more than he would ever know.

  Tears glazed her eyes, moistening her silky lashes. “Throughout my life I’ve been able to forgive those who’ve hurt me. But for my husband and Donata to have hurt an innocent child… Right now I’m really struggling.”

  He moved closer. “Donata was far too concerned for herself to ever consider other people’s feelings, least of all her daughter’s.”

  Ally bit her lip, realizing this man was carrying an extra heavy load now that Sofia didn’t have a mother.

  “I was an only child. I would have loved a sister or brother.”

  “Marcello and I were best friends,” he whispered. “To protect him and Sofia, I’ve brought them to the farm where I have heavy security in place around the clock. We’re safe here. No one gets in or out without my knowing about it. When the news of Donata’s death is publicized, the media’s going to turn it into the scandal of the decade.”

  Ally shuddered. Her thoughts flashed back to the night she’d spent at the jail because he’d thought she was a journalist.

  “Has it always been this terrible for you?”

  He nodded grimly. “Since my brother and I were old enough to go out in public with our parents, the paparazzi has dogged us. The only time I found peace or anonymity was to escape to the countryside.


  “When I was away at college in England where Marcello had attended, I couldn’t even look at another woman without some salacious headline showing up in the paper the next day. My every move was cataloged. The European press billed me the playboy of the decade. Perhaps some of it was deserved, but not all…

  “After graduation I knew I had to end the nightmare or go a little mad. About that time tragedy struck when our parents were killed in a light plane accident.

  “Marcello inherited the title, and I was left free to become a flower farmer, something I’d always wanted to do with my mother’s blessing.

  “So I bought property and this farmhouse. Instead of going by the name Rudolfo Di Montefalco, I became Gino Fioretto, It’s an old family name on my mother’s side. Until my brother became ill, I was able to live in relative obscurity. But with Donata’s disappearance and death, all hell has broken loose. I moved Marcello and Sofia out of the palazzo as fast as possible.

  “You’ll notice I don’t have TV, radio or newspapers here.”

  “I don’t blame you—” she cried out. “If Sofia had any idea…”

  Gino studied her horrified expression. “Then we understand each other?”

  “Of course.”

  “You forgive me for my callous treatment of you at the jail?”

  “Under the circumstances, I don’t know how you kept any control at all.”

  As she lifted her tortured gaze to him, they heard Sofia call out, “Uncle Gino?”

  “We’re by the fountain.”

  Sofia came running to her uncle. He swept her up in his powerful arms.

  Ally could hear Sofia denying that she was tired. It was understandable the girl didn’t want to go to bed. She was in too much pain and needed her uncle. Gino was the girl’s sole source of love and safety now. They needed time to themselves.

  “Gino?” Ally said. “Before it gets any later, I need to make a phone call. If you two will excuse me?”

  “By all means.” His sober mood hadn’t altered.

  She smiled at his niece to break the tension the girl must be sensing. “Good night, Sofia. I’m very happy to have met you.”

  “Me, too. You’re not going away yet are you?” The question was so unexpected, it caught Ally off guard.

  “Of course she isn’t,” Gino answered before she could, sounding the absolute authority. “She’s here to tour the farm. That could take some time.”

  Ally trembled at the inferred warning that she shouldn’t be planning to leave anytime soon.

  “Can I come with you tomorrow?” The girl’s brown eyes implored him.

  “The three of us will do it together,” Gino declared as if it were already a fait accompli.

  “Maybe we could take Papa, too?” Sofia added.

  “I’m sure your father would love it,” Ally stated before Gino could say anything else. “Even if he can’t talk, deep inside I’m sure he’ll enjoy getting out in the sunshine with his beautiful daughter.”

  “I’m not beautiful.”

  Ally winked at her. “Then you haven’t looked in a mirror lately.” She kissed her cheek.

  “Good night,” she whispered before hurrying across the courtyard to the farmhouse entrance, away from Gino’s enigmatic gaze.

  Once she reached her room, she picked up the receiver of the house phone and made a credit card call to her mother.

  “Mom?”

  “Ally, honey— The caller ID said this was an out of area call. I was hoping it was you.”

  “Forgive me for phoning this early. Did I waken you or Aunt Edna?”

  Ally’s mother had been helping her widowed sister who’d come home from the hospital with a hip replacement.

  “Heavens no. Edna and I have already had breakfast.”

  “That’s good.”

  “How’s the headache by now?”

  “It’s gone.” As for Ally’s emotional state, that was another matter entirely.

  “Where are you and your friends staying?”

  Ally bowed her head. It was time to tell the truth.

  “That’s what I’m phoning you about. I decided to take the doctor’s advice and get away for a while by myself.”

  “I hate the thought of you being alone. Have you cleared it with the maestro?”

  “I didn’t need to. We have the month of June off, remember?”

  “Of course. So where are you?”

  “I’m staying at a bed and breakfast on a lavender farm.”

  “You always did love it at Mom and Dad’s. I wish they were still alive so we could all be together.”

  “So do I, Mom.”

  “I’m sure the change will do you good. Where is it exactly?”

  Her hand tightened on the cord. “In Italy, not far from Rome.

  “Mom—” Ally spoke before her mother’s shock translated into words. “Let me explain. Detective Davis told me the woman who died with Jim has been identified. She was Italian, so I flew to Switzerland, and now I’m in Italy to talk to the authorities.”

  “Oh, honey, you must be in terrible pain.”

  Ally had been in excruciating pain for months, but right now another emotion dominated her feelings. The compassion she felt for Gino and Sofia superseded all else.

  “I need closure. This seems to be the best way to achieve it.”

  To prevent her mother from asking the burning question about Jim’s involvement with Donata, Ally said, “This shouldn’t take too long.”

  “I hope not. When you get back we’ll find you another place to live that doesn’t remind you of Jim.”

  No matter where Ally lived, she would always be haunted by two people’s treachery to an innocent Italian girl who only asked to be loved.

  “Mom? Will you do me a favor and call Carol? Since I couldn’t make the concert because of my headache, she still has my violin. Tell her to keep it until I get back.”

  “I’ll do better than that. Edna and I will drive over to her house and get it.”

  “Thank you. Please give Aunt Edna my love. I promise to keep you posted and I’ll call you soon.”

  She hung up before her mother asked for a phone number where Ally could be reached in case of an emergency. That was the way Ally wanted it right now.

  Too restless to sit still, she wandered over to the open window and looked out. If Gino and his niece were still walking, she couldn’t see them.

  “Signora Parker?”

  At the sound of Gino’s low male voice, she whirled around to discover him in the aperture. By now she ought to be used to him appearing as silently as a cat.

  “I—I didn’t realize you were there.” Her voice caught.

  “I knocked, but you were deep in thought.”

  So she was…

  “Has Sofia gone to her room?”

  “No. To her father’s. If it’s her only comfort right now, I’m not about to deny her. But as she’s expecting me to join them, I’ll say good night.”

  Ally had seen Gino at his most forbidding. But his tenderness toward his brother and niece revealed a side of him she found rather exceptional.

  “Thank you for your hospitality, Gino. When I came to Italy, I had no idea I would end up here. Please know you can trust me with what you’ve told me.”

  “If I didn’t, you’d be back in Portland right now,” he ground out. “Sleep well.”

  He studied her for an overly long moment before disappearing.

  Part of her wanted to call him back and ask him to return the laptop. If he had an adaptor, then she could see the pictures and read any e-mails Jim hadn’t planned on her knowing about. But another part resisted because she knew Gino had too much on his mind to deal with anything else tonight. They’d only buried Donata yesterday. Tomorrow would be soon enough to ask for her property back.

  This family needed sleep to help assuage their deep sorrow. As for Ally, she turned once more to the open window. After sleeping all day, she was wide-awake.

  A slight breeze car
rying a divine fragrance ruffled her curls. She rested her head against the frame, feeling herself suspended in a kind of limbo. It was almost as if she was standing outside herself, not belonging in the past or in an unknown future, but somewhere in between—a flowered fantasyland where she felt the unconditional love of one man for his family. In light of the tragedies that had befallen the Montefalco clan, Gino’s devotion to those he loved touched her so deeply, she couldn’t put it in words.

  She finally went to bed with her mind full of new images. No matter the setting or situation, they all contained Gino…

  “Where’s Signora Parker?” Sofia asked Gino without even saying good morning. “We’ve been waiting for her.”

  For Sofia to be interested in a stranger she’d only met for a few minutes last night, it meant that Signora Parker had made a strong impression on his niece. It wasn’t that surprising since Gino couldn’t seem to put the American woman out of his mind, either.

  He kissed her forehead. “I guess she’s still asleep.”

  “But she slept all day yesterday.”

  Gino had a hunch Jim Parker’s widow had lain awake most of the night just like Gino, and hadn’t fallen asleep until dawn.

  He knew she’d already had several months to grieve deeply, but he feared she could be in mourning for a long time to come. Why that knowledge bothered him he couldn’t answer yet. He only knew that it did.

  “I’ll go upstairs and see if she’s awake.”

  Before Gino could blink, Sofia ran out of the kitchen. His first inclination was to stop his niece from bothering their guest. But since he, too, had been looking forward to spending the day with her, he decided he was glad Sofia had taken the initiative.

  In a few seconds his niece came running back. Her anxious expression disturbed him. “She’s not in her room! I thought she came to see the farm. We were going to go around it together. Where did she go, Uncle Gino?”

  The alarm in her voice echoed inside him.

  He turned to Bianca who was pouring coffee into Marcello’s cup. “Have you seen Signora Parker this morning?”

  “No. Maybe she’s outside taking a walk.”

  Gino jumped up from his chair. “I’ll go look for her.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Sofia cried.

  No sooner had they left through the side door off the kitchen than they spotted her in the distance. She was leaning over one of the rows in the special herb garden he’d grown expressly for Bianca.