A Wedding in Italy: A feel good summer holiday romance (From Italy with Love Book 2)

by Tilly Tennant

  ‘I wouldn’t be so sure of that.’ Jamie stretched and stifled a yawn. ‘Would you look at that – I’m actually tired.’

  ‘It’s never been known. Must have been all that cooking.’

  ‘I cook.’

  ‘But probably not for so many people. That was like army cooking.’

  ‘It went OK, though.’

  ‘It did.’ Kate smiled. ‘I can’t believe everyone liked it. And they weren’t lying because Alessandro’s mother would never lie about food – it’s far too important.’

  ‘You know what’s funny?’ Jamie asked, and the curious look now creeping across his face made her think that something less than funny and something more like a complete curveball was coming.

  ‘Enlighten me.’

  ‘Mamma Conti asked me if I was married.’

  ‘Yes. . .’

  ‘And I told her I was engaged.’

  Kate sucked in a sharp breath. Jamie’s potential for bluntness was legendary, and this was only going to play out one way. ‘And?’

  ‘She wanted to see a photo. So I showed her.’

  Kate’s eyes widened. ‘You showed her a photo of Brad?’

  ‘Who else was I gonna show her?’

  ‘I know but. . . well, she’s so traditional!’ Kate frowned. Signora Conti had seemed strangely unruffled when they’d returned from their walk. In fact, she’d returned beaming and more affectionate towards Jamie than ever before. Could it be that she’d somehow misunderstood what Jamie had told her? Or had she actually been OK with it? ‘She got it? That you’re engaged to a man?’

  He nodded. ‘I told her right out that I’m gay.’

  ‘What did she say?’

  ‘She said she thought it was a sin to be with another man.’

  ‘But she was OK when you got back. She was happy.’

  ‘Yeah, she was cool with it.’

  ‘She was?’ If Kate’s eyes could have gone any bigger, they would have taken over her face. ‘But she said it was a sin.’

  ‘Sure. But I said that if God made everything then he made me and he made me gay for a good reason, because surely God didn’t mess up.’

  ‘Wow – that’s telling her!’

  ‘But there was no animosity. She was cool – started to laugh. She said that God might mess up and being gay was still a sin, but God loved everyone the same, even sinners, and so she would still love me too, even though I was a huge fuck-up.’

  ‘She said that?’

  ‘Not the fuck-up bit. But pretty much the rest.’

  Kate shrieked with laughter. ‘Oh my God! I cannot believe you had that conversation with her! And you came out unscathed!’

  ‘What was she gonna do, have me shot? And I was the one with the wheelchair at my fingertips. Maybe I’d have tipped her out onto the road if she’d given me a hard time.’

  Kate shook her head, staring at Jamie in wonderment. ‘You’re bloody amazing, do you know that? Truly one of a kind.’

  ‘You haven’t heard all of it yet. I asked her what else she thought was sinful. I figured, while we were on the subject of theology, it might be fun to set the fox on the henhouse.’

  ‘You had a complex theological debate with your rudimentary Italian and her three English words? This I have got to hear.’

  ‘Hey, enough of the rudimentary! My Italian is better than yours.’

  ‘Which is crap, so that’s no recommendation. You know what I mean. Continue.’

  ‘I wouldn’t say it was complex, but we got by OK and we understood each other. I know one thing that’ll wipe the smile off your face.’

  And it died, Kate suddenly serious. What the hell had Jamie said now?

  ‘She knows about your divorce.’

  A silence descended on the room, all the more palpable in contrast to the laughter of previous moments, as Jamie let this information sink in and Kate could find no reply for it.

  ‘Who told her?’ Kate finally managed to croak. As if she needed to ask, but it seemed like the natural first response, the only response she could give.

  ‘Nobody. At least she says so. But she sees and understands more than you think and maybe it would be wise to remember that.’

  ‘So nobody told her? She just worked it out? I find that hard to believe.’

  ‘That’s what she says.’

  ‘Was she angry?’

  Jamie gave her a warm smile. ‘Stop worrying. She was cool about it.’

  ‘She was? Are you sure you didn’t accidentally swap her wheelchair for one containing a woman who lives in the twenty-first century and have this conversation with her instead?’

  ‘No!’ Jamie laughed. ‘She loves you, so why wouldn’t she be cool with it?’

  ‘But I thought it was a sin. Maria said the church thought it was adultery, having it off with a divorcee who wasn’t annulled or something or other.’

  ‘I think it is.’

  ‘Then she doesn’t mind us sinning? I mean, me making her son sin. Oh, God; that sounds so weird! I sound like a Satan worshipper or something!’

  ‘She says it’s OK because she knows you’re not sleeping together yet. I think she’s hanging on to see if. . . well, basically, to see if you stick around. Then she’s going to see the priest about getting your annulment sorted.’

  ‘She told you this? She’s going to just toddle off, no consultation, and see if the priest can make me pure again? Bit presumptuous.’

  Jamie chuckled. ‘Don’t look so riled. I’m sure she’d have mentioned it to you first. But if you’d said no, then you might have found yourself in hot water.’

  ‘What about Alessandro? Does he know about any of this?’

  ‘I guess you’d have to ask him that.’

  Kate shook her head. It was hard to take it all in. ‘I can’t believe she thinks we’re not sleeping together. I mean, who would think that?’

  ‘Maybe she thinks Alessandro is a good Catholic boy.’ Jamie raised his eyebrows. ‘Clearly not as good as Mamma would like him to be. Or maybe she just doesn’t want to acknowledge the possibility. But I say what she don’t know won’t hurt her; she’s happy believing that, so why don’t you two just keep it between yourselves?’

  ‘Do you think she was angry? Because we didn’t tell her?’

  ‘I guess she realised you were too scared to. She’s a smart cookie, and maybe her kids should give her more credit. She’s more open to change than anyone realises, and she may seem like a Victorian but she’s got eyes and ears and she knows that the world is changing pretty quickly. She may worry about the moral welfare of her kids, and she may want them to be good Catholics, but she also knows that she has to shift her attitudes to fit in with what life is like now.’

  Kate cradled her coffee mug, thoughtful as she breathed the aroma in. In light of all this, she was almost more uncertain of herself around Signora Conti now than she had been before. Far from being reassured by the news, as she suspected Jamie had hoped she would be, she was more worried and perplexed than ever.

  Chapter Nine

  Kate placed a mug on the table next to Signora Conti, who looked up from her seat with an affectionate smile. In the mug floated a wedge of lemon; the sharpness of the fruit with the sweetness of honey and the peaty aroma of whisky fragrancing the steam that curled into the air from its depths. Signora Conti smacked her lips appreciatively as she lifted the cup to breathe it in. Kate suspected that she was well and truly on the mend now, but since returning from hospital, she’d taken quite a fancy to Kate’s hot toddies and despite Maria’s disapproval had asked for one almost every day. The Conti home was strangely peaceful, with just her and Signora Conti in – everyone else either at work or doing family duties. Kate liked the banter and good-humoured chaos of their huge family but rather liked it this way too.

  ‘Grazie.’

  ‘Prego,’ Kate replied.

  Whatever had been said and whatever it had meant on the day she and Jamie had come to a new understanding of the world during their unex
pectedly philosophical walk together, Signora Conti had been nothing but lovely to Kate. Lovelier, perhaps, than she had been before, though she’d always shown generosity and courtesy despite her initial doubts about Kate’s relationship with Alessandro. Kate had pulled herself together and decided on the more pragmatic approach of continuing to visit and nurse Signora Conti as if nothing had happened, counting on the fact that her almost-mother-in-law would do the same. If she’d gone this long without mentioning the divorce, then perhaps it really didn’t bother her as much as everyone thought it would.

  Kate had spoken to Alessandro about it too, as Jamie had suggested she should, but he had been at as much of a loss as she was. He’d had no idea that his mother had guessed and was even more confused by her non-reaction. But where Kate had fretted, he had taken it as a good omen that meant positive things for their relationship.

  Kate glanced at the clock. It had just gone eleven in the morning, and Alessandro would be home from his night shift soon. Her heart still picked up speed when she thought about seeing him, and she wondered if that would ever stop. She had certainly never waited for Matt’s return from work with such anticipation so she had no frame of reference to gauge it. But then she hadn’t detested Matt’s job quite so much. She was proud of Alessandro, of course, but she hated the unsociable hours, the constant worry that something bad would happen to him, the days when he would come home after something bad had happened to someone else that had shaken him to the core – not often, but she was beginning to get used to the fact that they were a reality – when he would seem so pained and so vulnerable that she wished she could wrap him in her arms and keep him safe until the world had stopped hurting him. He saw the good side of Rome, but he often saw the dirty underbelly too, and Kate wondered some days just how he stayed so positive and forgiving in the face of it all.

  The next moment the key sounded in the lock and he appeared before them. Often, he changed from his uniform and came home as a civilian, but today he was still wearing it, and so Kate guessed that the night hadn’t gone well and something had him running late. But though he looked weary, there was still a warm, sexy smile for Kate, and then he made a beeline for his mother, whom he greeted far more affectionately with a kiss and a hug and words of solicitude. Kate knew why he had done that and she didn’t mind; it was like having a toddler and then a new baby arriving – far more important to reassure the former that the arrival of the latter would not diminish their parents’ love for them than to plant a seed of jealousy that could grow into one hell of a weed.

  When he eventually stood up he turned to Kate and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. Their relationship had changed – in front of Signora Conti at least – and if his mother wanted to believe that they had still yet to know each other in the biblical sense then they had decided to encourage the belief by appearing that way around her. It seemed pointless to rock a boat that was lovely and stable just as it was. And if Signora Conti didn’t believe it, they certainly didn’t want to annoy her into doing something about it by pushing their luck.

  ‘It was a hard night?’ Kate asked.

  ‘An arrest, very late in the shift. . . much paperwork.’ He dragged a hand through his hair and let out a ragged sigh. ‘It is nothing; I am only tired. How is Mamma?’

  ‘She seems really well today,’ Kate said. ‘Abelie was going to study at home, but she wouldn’t have got much done so I told her I’d be able to manage if she wanted to go to her friend’s house.’

  ‘She has her whisky,’ Alessandro said, looking over at Signora Conti with a fond smile. ‘I think she will never stop drinking that now.’

  ‘I don’t think one every now and again will harm,’ Kate said. ‘My gran swore by them. After all, there’s vitamin C in the lemon, hydration from the hot water, anti-inflammatories in the honey and the whisky helps to thin your blood. Which is a good thing apparently,’ she added in reply to his questioning frown.

  ‘I believe you, little nurse.’ He smiled. ‘I am sorry – I will have to sleep soon.’

  ‘It’s OK. I didn’t expect anything else. When Abelie is back this afternoon I’m going to see Shauna Davies. . . at Piccolo Castelli.’

  His expression darkened.

  ‘I know how you feel about that,’ Kate said. ‘I still think it’s worth taking a chance on. I have to try at least, and she’s been very patient waiting for me to start when she could have just employed someone else who could’ve started sooner so I owe her the courtesy of turning up when I said I would. I promise I won’t let the training go on for too long before I press her for a final decision on employing me. Besides, the more I think about it, the more I feel it’s something I really want to try. I think I might quite like showing people around houses for a living, and I think I might be good at it.’

  His features softened into a faint smile. ‘You are thinking about this a lot.’

  ‘Yes. I can’t keep dipping into a pot of money borrowed from my sister, and I don’t want to. I’ll keep my eye open for other job opportunities, of course, but your mother is almost well again, and apart from the odd sewing job there’s no excuse for me to be sitting around in my apartment waiting for work to come to me. I need to be out doing something. If nothing else, sitting around will drive me mad before too long.’

  ‘If your days are full of work, how will I see you?’

  ‘You don’t work every night. It’ll be horrible for me too, but we knew this would happen. We’ll just have to make the best of what time we do get together.’

  There was a pause. ‘I see you will not be stopped.’

  ‘No. Even though that makes me sound like an evil overlord trying to take over the world.’ He gave a confused frown and she laughed. ‘Never mind. Thank you. It means a lot to me that you’re agreeing to this.’

  ‘I did not need to agree – you would have gone anyway.’

  ‘I would, but I’m happier doing it this way.’

  ‘Will you return before I work tonight?’

  ‘If you want me to. I only need an hour or so to go through some arrangements with Shauna to start next week. I was planning to see Jamie for dinner later this evening but that will be after you’ve gone to work.’

  ‘Va bene. I will sleep now and we will talk later.’

  Kate threw a cautious glance at Signora Conti, who had turned her attention to the newspaper and was making a very good pretence of not listening to them. After Jamie’s revelations, she no longer trusted just how much Alessandro’s mother was taking in. ‘Here or at mine?’ she asked, lowering her voice and then instantly realising that it would just encourage his mother to listen harder.

  ‘I will come to you,’ he said. ‘For a little while and then I will have to go to work.’

  For the first time since she’d known him, Kate got the distinct feeling that the prospect of going to work made him sad. Even on days when he’d been less than enthusiastic, he faced it with a stoic positivity, a necessary evil that it was pointless complaining about, a job that needed to be done and one that he was proud to do.

  ‘Are you sure everything’s OK?’

  He nodded. ‘I will see you later.’

  There was no more talk. Kate watched as he trudged away to his bedroom.

  It was half an hour after he’d gone to bed that Kate opened the door to find Orazia on the step.

  ‘I have come to see Signora Conti,’ she said stiffly.

  Despite their forced courtesy of late, Kate would still have very much liked to slam the door in Orazia’s face. But she stepped back to admit her. ‘She’s in her chair,’ she said, flinging her arm out to indicate that Orazia would find Signora Conti in her favourite seat by the living-room window. Perhaps pointless, as Orazia and anyone else who knew Signora Conti well would have known where her favourite chair was.

  Kate followed Orazia down the hallway and watched at the living-room door as Orazia bent to kiss Alessandro’s mother, swapping pleasantries and bestowing a large fruit loaf of some kind on he
r. Whatever it was, Signora Conti uttered a squeal of delight and told Orazia that they must cut into it immediately. She made to get up but Kate stepped forward.

  ‘I’ll do it,’ she said, holding her hands out for the loaf.

  ‘I will take it to the kitchen,’ Orazia said. ‘We will have coffee with it. Would you like to try some, Kate? I can make three coffees.’

  Kate blinked, taken aback by the offer. It was coming from Orazia but it seemed genuine enough. It was unfortunate that this was the one time she couldn’t stay to take her up on it, because this might have marked a turning point for Kate and Orazia, and she felt keenly the missed opportunity. But she’d already arranged to meet Shauna and she couldn’t stay.

  ‘I would have loved to,’ she began, ‘but I have to be somewhere in an hour. In fact I was just getting ready to leave when you turned up.’

  ‘Ah, then it is lucky I am here to keep Signora Conti company.’

  ‘Oh, but Alessandro—’ Kate stopped, a sudden realisation hitting her. Alessandro was the only other person in the house. He was in bed right now, but he would be up in a few hours. Abelie wasn’t due back for ages. Did Orazia know this? Was it why she’d turned up at this particular moment?

  Kate shook herself. Stupid and paranoid – this situation was getting more ridiculous by the day. Here was Orazia, offering the olive branch, and Kate was still suspicious. She might be here with Alessandro home and Kate missing, but Signora Conti was there too, and what on earth were they going to do with such a formidable chaperone in situ, even if Alessandro was tempted?

  ‘Alessandro is in bed,’ she said, forcing herself to be mature and rational about the whole thing. ‘He’s just finished his shift.’

  ‘I know this,’ Orazia replied sweetly. ‘I saw him leave the Questura.’

  ‘But I suppose he’ll sleep for a few hours.’

  ‘This I know too,’ Orazia said. ‘I will not wake him. I will stay here with Signora Conti and we will talk and eat and take coffee. Do not worry. Go to your meeting and all will be OK with us.’