Venetian Masquerade (18 page)

“Well…all right! It will be fun.”

“There is so much material, we could make costumes for the children as well.”

“We’re going to be busy!”

“We certainly are!”
And my mind will be occupied,
she thought, trying to push away thoughts of Alessandro.
How am I going to face him when he arrives at New Year?

Carmela was ecstatic to be asked to help make costumes and arrived the next morning with a basket of sewing paraphernalia, a box of costume patterns, an enormous pair of scissors, and a folded cutting board covered in squares. She remembered Maria buying the material, which had been ordered to make curtains and never used, but she said it would be perfect for what they had in mind. The years seemed to drop off the elderly lady as she took the measurements of Amy and Sonya and helped them choose designs to flatter their svelte figures, and then she shooed them away while she drew up the patterns to scale.

Whilst Amy and Sonya were reviving themselves with a cup of coffee, the two chefs arrived to discuss menus and to make sure the new equipment they had asked for had arrived. There would be forty guests for dinner for New Year’s Eve, and if everything went to plan, they were keen to open the restaurant before the end of January.

“People know we’re coming here, darling,” they told Amy “You’ll be rushed off your feet.”

Amy hid a smile at what seemed like their arrogance, but to her amazement, the next day, the phone started to ring. Word had indeed got around, and customers were lining up to book tables. So, she agreed the restaurant would open for business on the third of January—just a week away—and called all her prospective staff together to tell them the news.

“I must be mad!” she said faintly to Carmela the next day while having a dress fitting. “It’s three weeks ahead of what I was planning; then we have the gala, the costumes to finish, and after that, a hotel to run.” She was filled with panic.

“It’ll be all right, Amy,” the old lady assured her with a pat on the arm “All this was meant to be, just you wait and see.”

It had been four days since Alessandro had called her, and although Amy had picked up the phone a dozen times to speak to him, she had never quite plucked up the courage. She knew he would be busy, and he was obviously still angry with her. With only two days to New Year’s Eve, she too was rushed off her feet with last-minute preparations.

“If you’ve finished nipping and tucking my dress, Carmela, I really must go and sort out the bombsite which passes for the office. I’ll do some sewing on the dresses this evening if you leave me some instructions.”

“You can go. Slip it off carefully.” Carmela slid her creation off her shoulders, and Amy stepped carefully out of it.

“It’s going to be the most beautiful dress I’ve ever worn,” she told Carmela. “Wait till you see the black jeweled mask, white wig, fan, and the rhinestone shoes to go with it.”

“You’ll be the belle of the ball.”

The small office—a converted fuel store behind the kitchen—was awash with paperwork—orders and invoices everywhere, unwashed cups, and an overflowing rubbish bin. Amy was desperately trying to put the important things in files while answering the phone, and the computer was making an unaccustomed beeping noise. She looked a wreck; her hair was a tangle, there were dark shadows of tiredness under her eyes, and she was wearing a pair of aged jog pants and baggy sweater. Then Alessandro walked in.

As always, her stomach did a back flip at the sight of him, and she seemed to forget how to breathe. Quickly, she ended her call and ran her fingers through her hair, thinking that once again, Prince Charming had caught poor Cinderella in her rags.
Where was her fairy godmother when she was needed?

He said nothing for a moment but simply leaned on the doorframe, arms folded, and looked at her. Naturally, he was immaculate in a cashmere sweater over an open-necked white shirt, with snug jeans accentuating his delectable body. His dark hair had been cut shorter, and it made him look younger, almost boyish.

“Do you need a hand?” he asked at last.

“No…thank you.” She stuffed the remaining papers in a drawer and turned off the computer.

“You look exhausted.”

“I am. We’re opening the restaurant ahead of time; there’s a lot to organize, but I think we’re on course. I didn’t know you were arriving today.”

“I managed to rearrange some meetings last week and got away a day early.”

“Well…that’s good…isn’t it?” She cleared her throat, not knowing what to say or think. At last, she raised her eyes to him and saw only softness and love.

“Come here, Amy,” he commanded her, and slowly, she moved from behind the desk and came to stand in front of him. He lifted her chin and looked into her tear-filled eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Wordlessly, he kissed her and then took her into a deep, healing embrace. The warmth of his body, the scent of him as he held her, the beat of his heart under her cheek left her weak with relief. This was a moment she had feared might never come, and for a while, she was incapable of doing more than stand there, her arms around him, fighting for control of her emotions.

“Come for a walk?” he asked at last.

“Yes. I’ll get my coat.”

Hand in hand, they walked along the canal to the waterfront, and when they came to a bench, Alessandro pulled her to sit beside him.

“I need to tell you some things about my background, Amy, things which have wrongly been kept secret because my…mother…is terrified of scandal.”

“I know she is. She berated me for turning up with your child and is obviously still very angry about your divorce.”

“She has been angry at me from the moment she set eyes on me. You see, she isn’t my real mother. She either couldn’t or wouldn’t have children, and how my father has tolerated her foul temper and spiteful nature for so long, I really can’t imagine.”

“So…you were adopted?”

“No. My father had an affair with a young woman who worked at the house. I believe he was truly in love with her, and she became pregnant with me. He apparently asked Dolores for a divorce, and she threatened him with the biggest scandal he could imagine. She said she would say he was a violent husband and that she would reveal some rather unsavory business dealings in which he had unfortunately been involved and which, at that time, would have destroyed him and possibly even put him in prison. It was outright blackmail, but he gave in to her on condition that when I was born, my mother and I would live nearby, that I would have his name, and that she would never stop him having contact with us.”

“What happened?” asked Amy, totally intrigued.

“When I was born, my mother died of a hemorrhage. My father was devastated and naturally took me to live with him and Dolores. As it happened, Dolores had been away for several months and returned a few days after my birth—so my father insisted that they could pass me off as her baby since no one had seen her for a while anyway. I’m sure most people knew what had happened, but in ‘polite society,’ nothing was said, and I was accepted as their child. But she hated me all my life. She still does. That’s why she bullied my father to tell you those lies and send you away. She thought you were below her class and that her friends would look down on her if I married someone who wasn’t on the ‘A’ list. And anyway, she couldn’t bear the thought that I might be happy.”

Amy stared out across the lagoon, thinking that in her story, it was Prince Charming who had the wicked stepmother.

“I am sorry, darling.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I had no idea what a minefield I was meddling with. But your father…he obviously adores you.”

“Yes, I’m sure he does. He’s always had my best interests at heart, but Dolores has dominated him and blackmailed him for forty years. He taught me the business and handed it over to me when he retired. Since then, it has tripled in value, and now it’s clean of anything underhanded. However, since he left the business, I have had little contact with either of them, just the odd duty visit. So you see, I have a lot to learn about how families and friendships work. No one ever taught me, and when I came here and saw you with your friends, and how you were with James and Donna, I just craved to be a part of a family.”

“And I kept running out on you.”

“Papa!”

“James.”

The little boy came running along the towpath with Donna and Sonya in tow and flung himself into Alessandro’s arms. “Have you come to stay, Papa?”

“For a few days.”

“Oh.” His little face fell. “Will you take me to football? There’s a game tomorrow.”

“Of course…if that’s all right, with your Mama?”

“Of course it’s all right. Shall we all go back to the house? It’s getting cold.”

Companionably, they sauntered back, and as they drew near the villa, now with its proud sign “Hotel Maria,” they noticed a removal van outside Constanzo and Simona’s house next door.

“They are moving to their new flat today,” said Sonya. “We shall miss them.”

“Well, they’re not moving far, and they are joining us for New Year and for the gala night,” added Amy.

“I’m going to say goodbye,” yelled James, dashing inside.

“You would never believe he had been so ill,” marveled Alessandro.

A moment later, he reemerged, dragging Constanzo by the hand, closely followed by Simona.

“We have lived here for fifty years,” she told them. “But I am glad it is going to be a family home again—and now I shall only have a small place to clean. The bad news is that I shall also have Constanzo under my feet all day.” She smiled at Alessandro, and he moved forward quickly to take her hand.

“Who bought it?” asked Sonya.

“A lovely young family. You’ll like them.”

“I am sure you will be very happy in your new home,” Alessandro said, shaking Constanzo by the hand.

“I hope so too,
Signor
. Thank you.”

“We’ll see you the day after tomorrow.” Amy hugged them both. “Good luck. Come on, everyone. I wonder when the new people will be moving in?” she mused as they gathered in the large kitchen. “I should have asked them.”

After mugs of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream had warmed everyone up, Sonya and Donna went home, and James, who had suddenly drooped after so much activity, nodded off on Alessandro’s lap. Together, they put him to bed for an afternoon rest, and then Alessandro insisted Amy should sit opposite him at the kitchen table.

“If I sit close to you, I can’t think straight, and I really want to sort out the plans for the project in Rome. Look, these are the drawings by the architect, which we know will be passed by the authorities; they are desperate to develop the area, which was very run down, and this is just the sort of project they want to encourage.” They pored over the plans, and Amy was delighted with them.

“Good,” grunted Alessandro with satisfaction. “Now, if you will just sign all these papers, we can get on to much more interesting things.”

“Like what?” she asked mischievously, taking his proffered pen.

“Just sign, woman, and then you’ll find out,” he growled.

“My father told me never to sign anything I hadn’t read,” she teased him.

“If you are going to sit there and read all those documents, I think I shall go insane!”

So, she signed everything he put in front of her, aware only of a growing need in both of them, which would not be denied any longer.

The following morning, the day before New Year’s Eve, Alessandro rose early. Amy rolled over sleepily and tried to pull him back to bed, but with a groan, pleading with her to release him, he extracted himself from her arms.

“If you knew how adorable and sexy you look right now,” he murmured, “you would understand what a strong act of will it is taking to leave you. But I have some important things to organize this morning if I am to take James to football later.”

“What things?” she asked.

“Just business. Can I use your office to make some phone calls before I go out?”

“Yes…but surely everyone has gone home now for the holidays?”

“Not the people I need to talk to.”

“You’re being deliberately mysterious.”