by Carol Grace
“I almost went to one myself, so I know how it feels to have the prospect hanging over one’s head. I never went but I came close. After my father died my step-mother wanted to send me away to boarding school. She definitely wanted to get rid of me. Not that I assume that is your motive. I know you think it’s the best thing for the twins. I confess I was just as adamant as Gianna and Caterina about not leaving home, even though my home was not a castle on a beautiful lake with a turret, gardens and a pool.”
“I’m trying to understand,” he said and she had to believe he was. “But since I went away to school and enjoyed the camaraderie of the other boys and the sports there, I’m at a loss. What did you do to avoid this terrible punishment of boarding school?” he asked with a tinge of sarcasm in his voice.
“I…I don’t remember,” she said. She was not about to confess that she staged a mysterious illness at the last minute. Why should she confess her misbehavior to him? He already knew enough about her. “I’m glad to hear you’ll be here on Wednesday,” she continued. “I have prepared the girls for the interview, but that’s all I can do. We’ve practiced and I’ve coached them on their behavior and attitude. They know that is what you want for them, but what they say and do in the room with the school officials is out of my control.” And yours, she wanted to add, but didn’t. Surely he knew that.
There was a brief silence. She pictured him in an deluxe hotel room, sitting at a desk or perhaps relaxing on a king-sized bed, or at a small table with a glass of an Italian sparkling wine. Was he lonely or did he appreciate the solitude after living with the twins and a house full of servants? He probably didn’t miss home or the twins and certainly not her.
I hope your mission has been successful,” Sabrina said at last.
“I think so. One never knows. I sometimes wonder if I was really needed at all, and ask myself why am I here in Rome at the Palazzo Hotel?”
“Will you have a chance to get out and see Saint Peter’s, the Vatican and the Baths of Caracalla?” All the sights she’d dreamed of seeing before she left the country.
“Not this time. We’ve had non-stop meetings. I’ve narrowly escaped a cocktail party in the hotel bar downstairs. Instead I’ve ordered dinner to be brought to my room.”
“What a shame,” she murmured.
“Or course if you were here I might be tempted to go out on the town,” he said, “just to show you the sights.”
Sabrina’s heart sped up. Did he really say Of course?“There are some places I’d like to visit,” she said trying to calm down. Be reasonable, she told herself. He doesn’t mean it. “Not only the ones I mentioned but the places I’ve read about like the Trastevere, the fountains, the Spanish Steps…”
“After a few thousand years, they are in no danger of disappearing. They will all be waiting for you here, along with the Forum and the Piazza Collona,” he said. “And my favorite gardens at the Villa Borghese. Ah, there’s a knock on the door. I will see you soon, Ms West. Good night.”
Ms West. So they were back to formalities. It shouldn’t bother her, but it did. She felt let down, as if she’d been floating on a breeze imagining herself and Vittorio walking down the Spanish Steps, having coffee in the Trastevere or admiring the frescoes in the Vatican, or the flowers in his favorite garden then suddenly falling back to earth with a thump. Just because he hadn’t called her Sabrina. What was wrong with her? She hung up the phone and went to the balcony of her room to gaze at the lake, to remind herself how lucky she was to be here. It should be enough. The room, the house, the emerging respect from the girls, the food and the atmosphere. She had no business longing for something else, for something more but she did. After all, she was only human.
Chapter Seven
Vittorio returned home on Wednesday morning. After talking to Sabrina on the phone, there had been a collapse in negotiations. The last few days he’d had to work hard to save the bank’s reputation and was sleep-deprived, mentally exhausted and wanted to escape to the quiet of his book-lined study. But there was the interview that he absolutely, definitely wanted to go well. The girls needed a firm disciplinary hand and demanding academic requirements. But if the girls were gone away, that would mean Sabrina had to leave. That’s not what he wanted. He liked her. He liked having her in the house, at the pool, at the dinner table. He just liked her.
The girls were on the terrace looking down at him and waving. He couldn’t remember the girls ever greeting him with enthusiasm after a business trip. Why should they? He wasn’t a very big part of their lives. And why today when they faced the possibility of going to boarding school at his request? Maybe because they were determined to fail the interviews. He wouldn’t put it past them to thwart his efforts whatever way they could.
“Welcome home, Papa,” Caterina called.
“It’s our interview day,” Gianna shouted.
“Yes, I know,” he said. Sabrina was standing at the front door in white linen pants and a yellow shirt the color of sunshine looking like she belonged there. He had a momentary vision of what it would be like to have a wife again, someone to greet him upon his return. Not that his ex had done that. As he found out later, she made the most of his absences. He realized with a start what he’d been missing. A reason to come home. Could that reason be his nanny?
It made no sense at all, but what he wanted to do right now was to kiss her again. That kiss at the pool the day he left had haunted him every since. He’d wanted to kiss her the first day he saw her get off the ferry dripping wet, her clothes plastered against her ripe curves. Right now he wanted to take her in his arms, hold her tight and taste her lips. He wanted to whisper in her ear he was glad to be home. Of course he didn’t. She’d be shocked. She was his nanny. She was a professional. And his children were hanging over the balcony watching their every move. They would get the wrong idea.
“Welcome home,” Sabrina said breathlessly as if she had read his thoughts.
He stopped and took a deep breath while the world he’d left behind faded away. He hadn’t been gone that long, and yet something had changed. Was it him or was it her? She looked like she was dressed for casual summertime, like she belonged here at the lake and he in his business suit, felt like he didn’t belong.
He had no time to go to his room to change or even to his office to leave his briefcase, because the committee from the school arrived on his heels, a man and a woman who were shown into one of the small rooms off of the reception area of the villa. He called the girls to come down and introduced them. The school personnel firmly closed the door behind them which left him and his nanny standing outside the room in momentary silence.
He tossed his briefcase on a chair, took off his suit jacket and tossed it aside, then rolled up his sleeves. He had questions for Sabrina but she asked first.
“How was your trip?” she asked.
“Fine,” he said. “We covered up a potential scandal just in time.”
“And you said the banking business was boring.”
He gave a half smile. He had said something like that and she remembered. “There are days when it’s a little too exciting. After I spoke to you we learned one of the bank officers absconded with some money which explained the shortfall. My team and I persuaded him to give it back. So no scandal and no arrest. The man was in deep financial trouble. If he had told us that before we would have made arrangements for a loan. There was no need to take the money.”
“How civilized,” she said with a look that indicated her surprise.
“Did you think we’d haul him off to jail and risk our reputation as well as his?”
“I had no idea. Does this happen often?”
“Not at our bank.”
The maid came into the room with a tray of bruschetta, toasted French bread topped with fresh tomatoes from their garden and sprinkled with basil and chives along with two glasses of white wine.
“Thank you, Francesca,” he said taking a seat in a large leather chair. He waved an arm at S
abrina. “Sit down. We may be here for a while.”
“I hope things are going well in there,” she said with a slight frown.
“Because your job is on the line?” he asked, taking a glass and swirling the wine before he took a drink. He knew how she felt about boarding school for his girls. Wouldn’t she be as happy as the girls if they failed the test?
She shook her head. “Because I know it’s what you want. All I can say is that we practiced for the interview. They made all the right answers to the questions I posed. Whether they are doing the same in there, I can’t say.” She glanced anxiously at the closed door to the study. “I confess I would like to be a fly on the wall.”
“No need. I’m sure we will get a full report, if not from Gianna and Caterina, then from the interviewers.”
“If they don’t pass…what will you do?”
“I’m not sure. I just assumed you would succeed where the others had failed. If I was wrong, it’s my fault.”
The look on her face told him what he already knew. She didn’t want them to succeed. She’d wanted them to fail because she didn’t approve of boarding school. They three of them had conspired against him. He’d been blinded by his interest in her as a woman. He’d gotten carried away for the second time in his life. He’d allowed himself to believe she would do what she’d been hired to do, but she hadn’t.
The door opened and the school representatives came out looking harassed, with sleeves rolled up and blinking rapidly. Vittorio recognized that look. The girls had a way of doing that to people. Especially when they acted as a team. Getting rid of nannies or getting their own way with the servants. They hadn’t changed. They’d gotten Sabrina to buy into their plan of staying home. But how would they get rid of her? How would he get rid of her when he didn’t want to?
It only took a short few minutes to learn what he’d already suspected. The representatives said the girls were not Academy material. Not now. Perhaps in a few years of careful supervision at home. He walked them to their car and thanked them for coming. Then he returned to the Great Room of the villa.
The girls were gone.
“I’m sorry. You must be disappointed,” Sabrina said. “Naturally I expect you to terminate my employment.”
He frowned. Was this his chance to fire her? And if so, what would he do with the girls? And what would he do without her?
“As you said, a condition for my staying was that I would help to prepare them for entrance to the school. I’ve failed you. I’m sorry.”
“But you’re not sorry they weren’t accepted.”
“I confess. You know my thoughts on that matter. I still think I’m right, but you are their father. It’s your decision. But according to our agreement, I will tender my resignation. You hired me to prepare them for the Academia. Naturally I’ll stay until the end of the week, but I haven’t done my job, and I understand the consequences.” Sabrina blinked back tears. She hadn’t realized until that moment what it would mean to her if the twins didn’t get accepted. She had to keep her word. He was sure to keep his.
“We’ll discuss this later,” he said briskly.
Sabrina left the room rather than give in and tell the prince she’d stay no matter what. The idea of leaving the girls and this house and yes, leaving their father was enough to make her stomach churn and her knees shake and the tears just seconds away.
That night she ate with Gianna and Caterina in the kitchen as usual, although Vittorio was back. She didn’t know what her place was or where. Either did the twins. Vittorio knew and he’d made it clear by having the cook prepare a tray for him in his study. Obviously he didn’t want her company nor his children’s. “His loss,” she muttered to herself.
“Was Papa very angry?” Caterina asked after pushing the pasta with Bolognese sauce around her plate. “Because we’re not going to the Academia?”
“He was disappointed,” Sabrina said.
“It’s not your fault,” Gianna said with a glance at Sabrina.
“He shouldn’t blame you,” Caterina said. “And make you leave. Now that we’re not going away, we need you to take care of us. To play games and tell us stories.”
Sabrina looked at them and realized they had probably overhead the conversation where she’d offered to resign.
“We don’t need a nanny, we need a mama,” Caterina added.
“I’m afraid that your father’s engagement to Ms Bellasandro has been broken.”
They clapped their hands. There was no mistaking the smiles on their faces. Smiles and applause but no surprise which made Sabrina think they’d planned this breakup or at least hoped for it.
“Do you like our papa?” Caterina asked when they’d finished their pasta and the fruit course had been served.
“Of course. He’s very….” Sabrina struggled to find the right word.
“Rich, he’s very rich. That’s why Aurora wanted to marry him,” Caterina said. “You could have anything you want if you married him.”
“I’m a nanny. I’m not going to marry anyone, least of all your father,” she explained. “We had an agreement that I would coach you for your entrance to the Academia. Now that you’re not going, there’s no reason for me to stay.”
Gianna chewed on her finger nail. “Who will take care of us?” she asked.
Sabrina didn’t have a ready answer for that. She hated to say it, but she assumed Vittorio would look for another boarding school. The Academia wasn’t the only one around.
“He wants to get married,” Caterina said. “That’s why he asked Aurora.”
“Why can’t you marry him?” Gianna looked at Caterina and they both stared at Sabrina, holding their breath, their mouths open, their eyes wide.
“Well, because I don’t belong here. I have my family and a house and a job back in California.” They didn’t need to know anything about her stepmother, step-sisters or the job. “If you don’t need me, I should really leave.”
They frowned. Then they jumped up from the table and ran upstairs. Of all things, Sabrina had not expected this. The girls actually liked her enough to want her to stay and marry their father. If only it was that simple. She’d done what she’d come to do, win the girls over. If only she’d won over Vittorio also. But all he wanted was for her to get them into boarding school. That much was clear now. She had succeeded where the others had failed. Then why didn’t she feel happy? Where was the sense of accomplishment she should feel? Why did she feel like crying?
Fortunately she hadn’t made the same mistake as the last time. She wasn’t in love with the twins’ father. She liked him. She found him attractive. She thought they had forged some kind of bond. But she knew better than to fall in love by herself again. Before she slid down that same dangerous slippery slope, she was better off resigning. Which she’d done.
A few days went by. She drove the girls to the lake each day. She went to the sailboat races and cheered for the twins. Vittorio didn’t come. Vittorio went to work. The girls had an invitation to spend the weekend with a friend from their sailing camp. In the morning she caught Vittorio and asked him if he approved, and he said yes. He looked distracted.
“Is everything all right at the bank?” she asked as he walked past her on his way to his car.
He only nodded. Not even an answer.
That night the girls asked the cook to fill a picnic basket to take with them to their friends’ house where they would spend the holiday weekend. The whole town was celebrating St. Anne’s Day. Everyone but her and Vittorio. Vittorio came home and was on his way to his home office. Sabrina wondered how long she could last. How could she justify a maintaining a nanny position there? A chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce drove up in front of the villa to pick up the girls. But where were they?
Sabrina was eating dinner by herself in the kitchen. What a far cry from dinner with Vittorio last week in the dining room. What had happened? If she had it to do over again, she would pay the price. She had her memories. She got up from the
table as Caterina came racing into the kitchen.
“It’s Gianna,” she screamed. “We were playing in the tower and she fell down the stairs.”
“The tower? You know you are not allowed….” Sabrina grabbed Caterina’s hand and they ran to the circular staircase that led up to the crumbling turret. They bumped into Vittorio on the narrow steps way who’d heard Caterina’s cries and was echoing Sabrina’s lecture.
“You have no business…I’ve told you over and over…You know…How many times have I told them not to play there,” he said as he took the steps two at a time. “It’s too dangerous.”
The three of them reached the tower room panting and out of breath after racing up the three stories on uneven steps. The room was small. There was a bed and an attached bathroom, obviously unused for ages. Plaster was peeling from the walls. The narrow windows had views of the lake and the rest of the villa.
“Where is she?” Vittorio demanded. There was no Gianna to be seen. Suddenly Caterina ran out, the door swung shut and there was the sound of a bolt sliding across the ancient wooden door from the outside.
“What’s going on?” Sabrina asked, her voice sounding hollow as it echoed off the brick walls.
“Caterina? Gianna?” Vittorio called loudly.
On the other side of the door were a cascade of giggles.
“This is not funny. Let us out,” he said sternly.
“Not until you promise to marry Sabrina,” Caterina called in a muffled voice.
“Bye-bye, Papa. We’ll be back on Sunday. We left you a picnic basket so you won’t starve.”
The next sound they heard was that of footsteps on the stone stairs. From the window Sabrina watched helplessly as the girls got into a chauffeur-driven car that belonged to the Van Veblan family. She yelled their names but her voice was lost before it reached the street. Before the car pulled away, she saw small hands reach out the window and wave.
