The American Contessa (15 page)

“I
get it.
 
Really I do. But what was all
that about some Cristina woman; her being a good match for you,” Gaby stated,
playfully punching him in the shoulder, “Like you’re a sock or something.”

Luca
chuckled at her remark.
 
Trust Gaby to
tell it like it was.
 
With her by his
side, he felt like he could do anything, or take on anyone.
 
What was he worried about?
 
His Grandmother didn’t have the power to stop
him from seeing Gaby.
 
He was his own
man.
 
She could try and cause trouble,
but really, what could she do?

*****

Tapping
on the door to his Grandmother’s bed chamber, Luca was filled with dread.
 
Considering they spent most of their time
together making polite conversation and never delving into anything other than
prerequisite small talk, her summons could only mean one thing.
 
He was in for a lecture.
 
Or a tongue-lashing.
 
Or more likely –an ultimatum.
 

He
knew that if push came to shove, that he would tell his Grandmother in no
uncertain terms that Gaby was non-negotiable.
 
He wouldn’t stand for any interference in her regard.
 

“Come
in.”

Luca
took a deep breath and entered with trepidation.
 
“You wanted to see me
Nonna
?”

“Yes,
I did,” she replied authoritatively.
 
“Sit.” Motioning to the chair opposite her, Luca did as he was told.

“This
Walker woman.
 
What’s going on Luca?
 
You can’t possibly be serious about her.”

Nothing
like cutting to the chase, Luca thought.
 
Guess he shouldn’t beat around the bush either.
 
“I love her
Nonna
.”

Looking
genuinely shocked she spoke calmly but surely.
 
“You
love
her?
 
You barely know her.
 
And since when has love factored into any
relationship a Manetti has ever had.”

“I
can’t help how I feel,” he said getting up and pacing the floor in front of
her.
 
“Love will factor into it this
time.”

“Don’t
tell me you’ve proposed to this … this schoolteacher?”

“Not
yet.
 
But I plan to.
 
If she’ll have me”
 

“If
she’ll have you?
 
Luca, you’re out of
your mind!”

 
“Yes, yes I am.
 
And I’m quite certain I’ve never been
happier.”

“And
this woman.
 
This
American
.
 
Does
she
love you?
 
Or your title and fortune?”

Low
blow.
 
He stopped pacing and faced her
once again.
 
“I’d like to think I’m quite
lovable for myself alone
Nonna
.”

“Of
course you are
caro
.
 
But remember what happened to your
father.
 
Led around by the nose by that
so-called actress.
 
I warned him, but no,
he wouldn’t listen to me.
 
To allow such
trash to enter the family like that –it was an abomination.”

“I
won’t have you saying such things.
 
My
father’s relationship was just that –his relationship,” he snapped.
  
“I love Gaby and I trust her.
 
She would never do anything to knowingly hurt
me.
 
She is nothing like my mother.”

His
Grandmother was completely unruffled.
 
“And how would you know?
 
You
didn’t even know your mother.
 
And she
cared so little for you; she left without as much as a backward glance in your
direction.”

Luca
flinched and was silent.

His
Grandmother stood and placed her hand on his shoulder.
 
She could feel his immediate tension at her
touch.
 
“Luca.
 
I’ve never seen you this way.
 
This woman is making you act most unlike
yourself.”

He
shook his head.
 
“No.
 
I think maybe I’m more myself than I’ve ever
been.
 
I like the way I am around her
–she makes me happy.
 
She makes me want
to be a better man.”

“Ha.
 
You’ll always be better than others – you’re
a Manetti!” she sniffed.
 
“I heard that
she wants you to go to a counsellor.
 
No
Manetti has ever or will ever need a psychiatrist.”

Luca
smiled knowingly.
 
“Your spies are
correct.
 
She thinks it would benefit me
to talk to someone.
 
Carmina thinks it a
good idea, too.”

“May
I remind you that Carmina is
not
a
Manetti.”
 
Noticing that she was getting
nowhere with him, she softened her tone, “Listen to me Luca.
 
You hardly know this woman.
 
If you’re smart, you won’t make any sort of
commitment to her until you do.
 
The
event tonight will show whether or not she can fit in with the people you know.
 
If not, isn’t it better to find out now,
rather than later?”
 

Leading
him to the door, she spoke calmly and coldly, “Don’t make the same mistake your
father did.
 
You are a Manetti.
 
It’s a noble name to live up to.
 
Don’t disgrace it with any more … missteps.”

*****

The
party was in full swing when Gaby ventured out of her bedroom.
 
She could hear the faint rumbling of voices
from the main reception area as she descended the stairs.

Luca
had tried to hurry her along all evening, but she had purposely kept him
waiting while she fiddled with her hair and makeup.
 
He finally gave up and left her to greet his
guests, telling her that he expected her downstairs “pronto”.

The
incessant fear that she would disgrace him in front his Grandmother and friends
had her shaking in her way-too-high heels.

Her
dress was the personification of class.
 
It harked back to the days of
Grace
Kelly
and
Audrey Hepburn
with its
simplicity and elegance.
 
Made of silk,
it was strapless, floor-length and the exact same shade of emerald green as
Gaby’s eyes.
 
Her hair was done in a
stylish, loose French chignon, and as she made her way to the bottom of the
staircase, all eyes were on her.
 

Immediately,
Luca was by her side.
 
“I’m sorry to have
kept you waiting,” she said simply, somewhat embarrassed by all the attention.

“Nonsense,
you were definitely worth the wait,” he whispered in her ear.
 
“As much I’d like to keep you to myself this
evening, I guess I’d better introduce you to some people.
 
They’re all dying to meet you.”

“Let’s
get this party started then,” she replied with grin, linking her arm with his.

As
the evening progressed, Gaby was engaged in conversation in turn with a wealthy
Swiss banker, a famous Italian actress and the French Ambassador.
 
They were all extremely impressed that,
although she was an American, she could speak in both Italian and French
fluently.
 
Through it all Luca stood at
her side, smiling and proud that she was such a big hit. Gaby had to admit that
she thought she carried it off with much aplomb.

The
cold eyes of Luca’s Grandmother watched her from across the room and Gaby did
her best to ignore their glacial stare.
 
Talk about if looks could kill!
 
As the throng of partygoers thinned toward the midnight hour, Luca
tugged her toward the terrace and the moonlight.

Pulling
her into his arms, he kissed her till they were both shaking with need.
 
“You were wonderful tonight.”

Gaby
put on her best
Mae West
impersonation, “I’m always wonderful at night,” she winked and wiggled her hips
enticingly.
 

“You
amaze me,” he murmured in her ear, “How can you look like such a lady, but have
such a wicked sense of humour?”

“Just
lucky I guess,” she replied tartly, turning to face the view from the
balcony.
 
Gaby’s smile fell as she contemplated
the icy looks she’d received all evening from the Contessa.
 
She’d never be a lady or a proper consort for
a Count in his Grandmother’s eyes –that was for certain.
 
Luca put his arms around her from behind and
she sank back into his embrace.
 
“She’ll
never accept me, you know.
 
I’d hoped to
make her like me, but I don’t think there’s anything I can do or say to change
the way she feels.”

“She
doesn’t know you the way I do.
 
If she
did, she’d love you too.”

Gaby
shivered.
 
She had the terrible feeling
that something calamitous was about to happen and there nothing either one of
them could do about it.

“Cold?”
he asked, squeezing her tighter.

“No.”
 
She turned on her heel and faced
him.
 
“Take me upstairs Luca.
 
I need to be with you.
 
I need you to hold me,” she pleaded.
 

“With
pleasure.”

When
Gaby received the message from Luca’s Grandmother to meet her in the library,
it had her stomach flipping in nervous anticipation.
 
The woman was nothing if not completely cold
to her, and no good could come of meeting her alone, especially in the
library.
 
She’d been avoiding that room
like the plague.
 
There had been no word
that the necklace had been found, so she assumed it was still in there
–somewhere.
 

She
hadn’t seen Luca all day.
 
He’d called in
the early afternoon to say he had to work late to catch up on the work he’d
missed by spending the last few days with her.
 
Gaby sighed at the memory of the sweet words he’d said over the
phone.
 
He missed her.
 
He loved her.
 
And when he got home, he’d show her how much.
 

At
loose ends, she’d gone to dinner with Carmina to pass the time.
 
When she returned around eleven, she poked
her head in his room and there was still no sign of him.
 
Concerned, she quickly checked with Carmina
who told her that Luca was notorious for getting lost in his work, and that she
shouldn’t worry and just go to bed.

She
was about to do just that and had started to undress, when one of the servants
knocked on her door and gave her the note about meeting in the library.
 
Without Luca there to comfort or advise her,
she’d decided to meet his Grandmother head-on.
 
There was no way around this.
 
If
she was to become a fixture in his life, she had to find a way to co-exist with
the family matriarch.
 

So
with resolve in her mind, Gaby grabbed the door handle to the library and
pushed it open.

Upon
entering the room, the old Contessa was nowhere to be seen.
 
Books littered the room, evidently sorted
into piles for the historical society, piles to keep, and piles to give
away.
 
From what Gaby could see, the
volunteers were still carefully wrapping and packing books in boxes for
donation.

Idly
scanning the books on the table in front of her while she anxiously waited,
Gaby’s heart stopped in shock.
 
The title
stood out like beacon in the night.
 
Crime and Punishment
!
 
Oh.
 
My.
 
God.
 
It couldn’t be.
 

Gaby
licked her lips, she couldn’t believe it.
 
But there it was, right in front of her.
 
Her fingers itched to touch it.
 
Reaching out, she lightly fingered the spine of the book.
 
The temptation to open it was great, but fear
of the consequences stopped her cold.

“It’s
quite a mess, isn’t it?”

Gaby
swung around in fright.
 
Luca’s
Grandmother stood right behind her in the doorway.
 
She surveyed Gaby from head to toe, and
entered the room.
 
“Of course, it’s
better that the books go to the
Societa
and into a climate controlled environment, than stay here and disintegrate.”

Trying
to calm her raging anxiety Gaby smiled at her.
 
“I’m sure they appreciate your generous donation.
 
As a teacher, I can understand the importance
of books.
 
It would be a shame to lose
anything of historical value due to something as simple as improper storage.”

Narrowing
her eyes at Gaby she replied, “
Hmm.
 
It’s funny that you should mention how
important books are to you?”
 
She picked
up a book out of a box on the floor.
 
“Looks can be quite deceiving, can’t they?
 
This book is quite valuable, historically and
monetarily, but it looks just like all the rest.
 
What is it they say “you can’t judge a book
by its cover?”
 
How very true that is,
isn’t it?”

“Something
tells me that you didn’t ask me here to discuss the preservation of books,”
Gaby said suspiciously.
 
“Why exactly am
I here?”

The
old Contessa held her ground.
 
Although
she was decidedly shorter than Gaby, she more than made up for it in
determination.
 
“I’m making sure that
history does not repeat itself, my dear.”

Exhaling
loudly Gaby looked her directly in the eye.
 
“I’m not like Luca’s mother.
 
I
want you to know I happen to be in love with him and he’s told me he feels the
same way.”

Wide-eyed,
the older woman looked surprised, “Oh.
 
You think I’m referring to Luca’s mother?”

“If
not, then what exactly are you talking about?” Gaby questioned.
 
The direction of their conversation was
making her feel a little sick inside.

“I’m
talking about your Grandfather, Clinton Walker.”

“How
did you kn…”

“My
dear.
 
Once I found out that you were
more than simply Carmina’s houseguest, did you think I wouldn’t have you
investigated?”

“You
had me …”

“Yes.
 
And I must say, you surprised even me,
turning out to be the Granddaughter of Clinton Walker.
 
You see, I remember Clint quite well.
 
Quite the reputation with the ladies, and
quite the reputation for other … more sordid activities.
 
It seems that you’ve inherited a lot of
Clint’s ability to mix lust and larceny.”

Gaby
eyes went swiftly to the book on the table.
 
Did she know about the book?
 
The
cunning old biddy could very well know everything.
 
Perspiration trickled down Gaby’s back in
dread.
 
She was struck dumb.
 
She had no idea what to say.
 
Turning her back on the Contessa’s frosty glare,
she tried to think of a way to explain.
 
Should she acknowledge the truth and hope for the best.
 
Gaby swallowed hard.
 
It was over.
 
It was all over.

“Have
you been looking for
this
?” the
Contessa startled her out of her thoughts.

Spinning
back around, Gaby saw that she held up a bright and sparkling object in her
hand.
 
There was no doubt that it was the
infamous Manetti necklace.
 
“Seen and
heard enough?” the old woman said mysteriously.

Gaby
inclined her head quizzically. “What?” she said in a daze.

“Yes.
 
Quite enough,” came the harsh reply echoing
from the second story of the library.
 
As
Luca descended the stairs, Gaby’s heart was in her throat.
 
She’d seen him mad before, but somehow this
was beyond mad.
 
This was so angry that
it defied description.
 
His eyes wouldn’t
look her way, and she knew right there and then that nothing she could say
would make him forgive her.
 
But she had
to try and explain.

“Luca
…” she stammered.

He
held up his hand to halt her from speaking.
 
“I want you out of this house.
 
Now!” he said with controlled rage, still not meeting her eyes.
 

Gaby
let out a sob.
 
“Won’t you even let me try
and explain?”
 
The tears immediately
started to fall and she swiped at them with her hand.

His
Grandmother beat a hasty retreat towards the door of the library with a
satisfied gleam in her eye.
 
“Goodnight
Luca.
 
Put this in the family safe for me,”
she said quietly, handing him the necklace.
 
Turning to Gaby she smiled, “Goodbye, my dear.”

With
her departure Gaby was more than a little scared of what Luca might do.
 
Although she didn’t really believe he could
be violent, he may well forcibly throw her out of the house with his own two
hands.

Slowly
he looked from the necklace to her stricken face and shook his head in
disbelief.
 
“You’re quite the little
actress, aren’t you?
 
Tears?
 
Or are you just sorry you got caught?”

Gaby
cringed at his remark.
 
“Luca,
please
let me explain.”

“Just
answer me this one question.
 
Did you or
did you not come to Florence for the necklace?”
 

Frowning,
Gaby looked away.
 
She could lie and say
she didn’t, but that wasn’t true.
  
How
could there ever be anything real between them, when the circumstances of their
meeting were based on something so despicable.
 
She had to make him believe that her feelings for him trumped any notion
of taking the necklace.
 
Looking back at
him, she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Luca
watched the emotions pass over Gaby’s face.
 
He couldn’t believe it.
 
He’d
hoped to God that she would deny it, even if all the evidence showed her to be
a liar.
 
He could literally feel his
heart breaking in his chest.
 
Piece by
piece, crumbling and turning to dust.
 
It
was all a lie.
 
Everything!
 
She had used him to get into the Villa for
the necklace.
 
That was what she’d wanted
from the beginning.
 
“Your silence speaks
volumes,” he quietly commented.

“Would
you believe it if I told you I no longer want the necklace.
 
That I would never have gone through with
taking it.
 
That I want you more?” Gaby
asked, blinking back the tears.

“Sure.
 
Why settle for a necklace, when you could
have a title and all the money you could ever need.”
 
Her gaze turned speculative and her eyes
widened.
 
“Yes.
 
I was planning to ask you to marry me.
  
Was
being the operative word,” he hissed.

Gaby
reached for him, but he pulled away angrily.
 
“I trusted you Gaby.
 
I believed
in you.
  
You made me love you.
 
But not just me.
 
Carmina loves you too.
 
Like a sister.
 
You deceived us into thinking you cared.
 
For what?”
  
His lips twisted in a sarcastic smile and he held up the necklace.
  
“For this?”

“Luca.
 
I wanted to tell you.
 
Really I did.
 
In the beginning it didn’t seem to matter because you behaved so
horribly towards me and I didn’t really know you.
 
And in the end it mattered too much, and I
knew I’d lose you if I did.
 
Please
believe me, I do care.
 
I love you both.”

“Yes.
 
But you love money more,
don’t you
?” he stated, his voice cracking.
 
“Love it enough to steal from the very people
you claim to love.”
 
Taking a deep
breath, Luca reigned in his hurt and settled on coldness.
 
“You’re a liar and a thief, and I want you to
leave.”

“You
won’t let me say anything?”

“Nothing
you could possibly say would make any difference,” he bit out from between
clenched teeth, “Now please leave, or I will have to call the
Polizia
.
 
Evidently a common occurrence with your family.”

Gaby
looked at him with daggers.
 
Oh!
 
Did he really want to go there?
 
He wasn’t going to give her any sort of
chance to explain.
 
He knew
everything!
 
He’d made his decision and
it was if a switch had been turned off and there was no way to turn it back
on.
 
He wanted her gone, and now.
 
Well, he could attack
her
all he liked, but there was no way she’d let him speak about
her family that way!

With
her hands on her hips Gaby glared at him.
 
“What do you know about my family anyway?
 
Yes, my Grandfather was a thief and yes, he
asked me to come here and take the necklace.
 
But do you care why?
 
No. What do
you know about financial struggle or hardship?
 
To you that necklace is a trinket.
 
Something to stash away in the family safe and forget.
 
But for me it would solve so many problems of
which you have no idea, and could never comprehend.”