Kidnapped and a Daring Escape (35 page)

    
He grabs both suitcases and walks away from the reporters. A couple
follows a few steps and then turn back. He sets the cases down next to
her, holds out his hand, shakes hers and says in a low voice: "
Ciao
Gabriela, I’m André."

    
This time she is utterly confused and it shows in her face.

    
"No, I’m not deaf-mute."

    
She raises her hand to her mouth, stifling her hilarity, not succeeding
and turns her back to him, shaking with laughter. Recovered, she faces
him again, her whole face still a picture of bemusement. When she wants
to talk, he puts his index finger to his mouth, and she nods.

    
He now walks back to Bianca, takes her hand, and pulls her out of the
circle of reporters. When some protest, he makes some more signs he
thinks could convey the meaning of ‘leaving by car’ — pretending to
hold a steering wheel and guiding. A few try to follow. He turns back to
them, holding both hands palms out in front of him. This gesture,
underlined by the sternness of his face, and his athletic built leaves no
doubt about its meaning. More cameras flash. In the meantime, Bianca
is hugging Gabriela, laughing and crying at the same time. Again
cameras flash from a discrete distance this time.

    
André picks up the suitcases and whispers: "Let’s go."

    
The two sisters let go of each other. Gabriela informs them that
Antonio is waiting in the car. She leads the way. Several reporters follow
them out to the car, taking more pictures.

    
Antonio stows the two suitcases in the trunk of a huge black Mercedes, while André follows the two sisters into the back seat. Pulling the
car door shut, he sighs: "Good riddance."

    
As Antonio eases into the traffic, Bianca cannot hold back her laughter
any longer. Her sister immediately joins her.

    
"Oh André, this was priceless," she cries. "You really always do the
unexpected. I almost gave you away before I caught on to what you were
doing. Oh no." She explodes into renewed laughter.

    
"It will now be all over the papers that your rescuer is deaf-mute,"
Gabriela says with apparent glee. "I can’t wait to see the embarrassed
faces when they find out that you had them on. Is he real, Bianca?"

    
"He is more real than anybody I’ve ever met."

    
"You know, today’s issue of
Il Messaggero
features your escape on
the front page: ‘Bianca Pacelli escapes kidnappers,’ while
La Repubblica
has it on page 3: ‘Tycoon’s daughter freed.’ You have become famous."

    
"See Bianca, I warned you this would happen if you escaped, but you
insisted on doing it anyway," comments André, grinning.

    
She boxes him. He tries to defend himself by hugging her.

    
"You did no such thing. You were too busy stealing that money," she
exclaims.

    
"Didn’t I warn you? How remiss of me."

    
"Did you really steal 100,000 dollars?" Gabriela asks. "And why did
you give it all away rather than keep it?"

    
"It had served its purpose, as Bianca will tell you one day, and I was
sick of carrying that heavy bag around."

    
Bianca turns to her sister: "Gabriela, watch out. André will pull your
leg the moment you relax."

    
Gabriela studies both critically for a moment, her eyes coming to rest
on their clasped hands. "Is there something going on between you two
that I should know?"

    
"I like that expression — something going on between us two,"
repeats André, humming the words like the opening line in a song. "Very
poetic, right, Bianca?" He brings her hand to his lips.

    
She blushes.

    
"Oh, oh, oh," Gabriela exclaims, "I see big trouble ahead. This will be
interesting. You realize that mother summoned over a hundred people to
a welcoming party and to celebrate your reunion with the professor?"

    
It amuses André that her sister also refers to Franco as ‘the professor’.
So he wasn’t the only one, although he stopped when he saw that it hurt
Bianca.

    
She presses her jaws together, the look in her eyes turning hard. "I will
not marry Franco."

    
"You will not marry the professor?" her sister mimics, turning it into
a question.

    
"Stop calling him that. And yes, you heard right."

    
"And when will you drop that bombshell, dear sister?"

    
Bianca looks at André, as if appealing for help.

    
"I think it will become abundantly clear before the day is over," he
remarks caustically.

    
"I can’t wait to see that. I never understood what you saw in that
pompous man."

    
"To tell you the truth, I can’t understand it either."

    
"You know he only arrived yesterday and already asked papà for a
loan of 200,000 euros."

    
André senses that Bianca is on the verge of disclosing more than he
wants, so he quickly interjects: "Did he say what for?"

    
"My father said something about urgent repairs to the Visconti’s
castle."

    
"I guess he wants to prepare the bridal suit for the wedding night."

    
Gabriela laughs, gasping: "Probably," while Bianca elbows his ribs.

    
"Are you spoiling for a wrestling match, my beautiful Amazon? I’m
afraid it will have to wait until we are in bed tonight."

    
"Oh, oh, I see," Gabriela cuts in, laughing again. "I should have
guessed that it has already reached that stage. How did you two meet or
did you only meet after you were taken hostage?"

    
Bianca tells her. When her sister asks about the rescue, she replies that
she will tell her in detail later, that it will take too long to do it justice
now. Gabriela gives her the latest gossip on friends and acquaintances.

    
The limousine is climbing into the hills south of Rome. André gets a
glimpse of Lago Albano and the Pope’s summer residence, Castel
Gandolfo. A few minutes later they drive through an ornate metal gate
into a large circular area fronting a sizable, late 19
^th
century-style
mansion. Two sets of steps curve up to a terrace and the wide double-door entrance. André guesses that eighty to a hundred people are
assembled on the terrace, all in festive attire. Most turn to watch the car
come to a halt in front of the steps. Many are holding champagne flutes.
Several white-livered waiters with trays circulate, offering full glasses to
others. There is a television crew on the terrace itself, a bit to the side but
in front of the crowd, and another on the level of the car. Both are
filming.

    
"Here we go, Bianca," André murmurs, as he gets out of the car and
holds out a hand for her, giving her an encouraging smile. Gabriela is
already sauntering up the stairs. When Bianca seems to hesitate, he
murmurs: "Go, hug your parents."

    
She gives him a grateful look and also runs up the stairs. On top, she
first hugs her father, who pats her back, and then she briefly embraces her
mother. From the voice on the phone, André imagined Bianca’s mother
to be a somewhat plump woman in her late forties. Instead, she looks
much younger, a good figure, elegant in her well-tailored dress and high
heels.
Is that what Bianca will look like twenty years from now?
he
wonders.

    
He sees Franco take a step forward, expecting to be next, but Bianca
goes to the other side to an elderly couple — one of her grandparents, he
guesses. The old woman is crying and repeatedly hugs her.

    
As he walks up the steps, he notices that the driver only removes
Bianca’s suitcase. So, I’m to be driven back to Rome, he reckons. At the
top of the stair he is only three or four feet away from Franco. He
watches the man’s face change from a forced smile to a squinting frown.
He goes past him, coming to a halt in front of Bianca’s father.

    
Bianca rushes back. "Papà, this is André Villier, my rescuer."

    
"Honored to meet you,
signore
," André says, and offers his hand.

    
Mr. Pacelli shakes André’s hand, but his face shows that he is
puzzled. He turns to Bianca. "I … the TV coverage of your arrival said
that
Signor
Villier was deaf-mute."

    
"André was just pretending. He didn’t want to be bothered by the
reporters. He loves playing jokes on people. His hearing is better than
mine, and his speech is very articulate."

    
Her father turns back to André, releasing his hand. "Please, accept my
apologies,
Signor
Villier, I could not know."

    
"
Signor
e, I should apologize for causing the confusion."

    
Her father now introduces his wife and Bianca’s paternal grandparents, and then turns to Franco. The man has armored himself again with
a dignified expression.

    
"And this is
Professore
Visconti from the University of Rome. He is
my daughter’s fiancé." He speaks with visible pride.

    
"We have already met,
signore
," answers André. He notices that
Franco does not offer his hand, nor would he have taken it if he had. The
man only bows his head a bit — the smallest of acknowledgments. Mr.
Pacelli looks from one to the other and back, seemingly surprised, and
then says: "Bianca, I’m sure you can hardly wait to receive a kiss from
Franco."

    
The moment has come, muses André, how will she react? He feels for
her. But to his surprise, she is prepared.

    
"That can wait for a more private moment, papà." Then she glances
briefly at Franco, her face revealing nothing, and simply says: "Hello
Franco." She remains at André’s side.

    
This time her father shows his surprise by creasing his eyebrows
deeply. "I don’t understand." He first looks at Franco, then at her. "Have
you two had a quarrel? … I would have thought, Bianca, that after your
horrible experiences you should be glad to see Franco."

    
Franco intervenes: "
Signor
Pacelli, poor Bianca’s reaction is completely understandable. I think we should all show infinite patience
toward her. The trauma she suffered takes weeks, even months to heal."

    
Bianca again ignores him and replies to her father: "No, papà, we did
not quarrel, and explanations can wait a bit longer."

    
Her father once more glances from one to the other, shaking his head
in dismay. Getting no further reaction from either, he turns back to
André.

    
"
Signor
Villier, I have only seen a brief newspaper report on the
rescue of my daughter from these horrible communist rebels. So I don’t
really know how you managed to do this. But, however you did it, I
would like to express the heartfelt thanks of a father. I am sure I speak for
all people present here, our many friends and acquaintances, the Pacelli
family and the illustrious family of
Professore
Visconti."

    
He again shakes André’s hand. The latter lets the accusation against
FARC go unchallenged.

    
Mr. Pacelli now beckons to a waiter nearby who is carrying a tray full
of champagne glasses. The members of the immediate family each take
one. Mr. Pacelli offered a glass to André and Bianca and says with a full
voice: "Let us drink in celebration of my beloved daughter’s safe return."

    
He raises his glass, taking a sip. Everybody follows suit. Once more
he signals. A man in a butler’s uniform approaches, holding a tray with
an envelope. A sudden wind gust almost blows it off. He just manages to
put his hand on top at the last moment. Mr. Pacelli removes a paper from
the envelope, while the man takes two steps back. Ah, here comes the
check Bianca promised, reflects André. The whole thing seems to be
staged to the last detail, with the television crew recording every second
of it.