Venetian Masquerade (19 page)

With a grin, he went into the adjoining bathroom and turned on the shower. Amy, unable to resist the sight of him naked, flung off the bedclothes and went to join him.

“You wretch.” He pulled her into the steamy cubicle.

It was probably one of the longest showers in history, but eventually, they emerged. Alessandro dressed quickly and left a smiling Amy to do the same.

Somehow, she managed to refocus her mind on the myriad details which still had to be attended to and managed to keep an excited James from over-tiring himself before the big match.

Sonya and Donna arrived a short while later, and as the children went off to play, Sonya inspected her friend with frank curiosity. “You have the look of someone who spent a lot of time in bed but got very little sleep,” she said, smiling.

Amy giggled and blushed. “I really don’t know where this relationship will go,” she admitted, “but if I have to settle for what we have, I will.”

“He’s never mentioned marriage?”

“No. But it really doesn’t matter anymore. You know he had a bad experience, and well, now that I know a bit more about his past, I can understand why he might be rather reticent about marrying again—at least for some time. But I do think he loves me, and that is really all I care about.”

“I am glad for you. Now, we have to tidy up; those darling chefs will be here soon.”

“Yes…I’m delighted with them, but I shall miss having the kitchen to myself. They have definitely made it plain that it will be their territory and that I will be there under sufferance. Getting under their feet will cause tantrums.”

“Gabriel’s coming over this afternoon, so for now, I shall go and help Carmela with my dress. She’s taught me so much about sewing, and now I really quite enjoy it. Wait until you see what we have in mind for the children.”

True to his promise, Gabriel arrived at lunchtime with bags of decorations for the dining room. He popped his head into the office, where Amy was still battling with her new filing system, and she smiled happily at him.

“Ah ha! I take it Alessandro has arrived.”

“Gabriel!” she remonstrated with him. “Didn’t I ever smile before?”

“Not often. Is Sonya here?”

“Yes, she’s helping Carmela with her dress. Gabriel…”

“Yes.”

“You and Sonya…do I sense a change?”

Gabriel suddenly dumped his bags and came to sit opposite Amy in the cramped office. “I can trust you not to breathe a word to her, can’t I? I just need to talk to you, Amy. You see…I can’t stop thinking about her. She haunts my dreams, and when I’m with her, I just want to grab hold of her.”

“Then, why don’t you?”

“I’m not getting the right signals. I don’t know how she feels.”

I do
, thought Amy,
but I promised not to tell. However, some promises should be broken…
"Gabriel, for goodness’ sake, ask her out tonight. Donna can sleep over here on James’s top bunk, and you can spend some time alone together.”

“I’m afraid to ask her, Amy. If she doesn’t feel the same, I risk ruining an important friendship.”

“Gabriel…I had exactly the same conversation with Sonya.”

“You did?” he said, brightening up.

“Just ask her.”

“I will. Thank you, sweetheart.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek just as Sonya walked into the office.

She looked from one to the other, puzzled.

Amy rose and, with a cheeky grin at her friend, left the office, closing the door behind her.

Alessandro reappeared just in time to snatch James and rush off to the football match. The little boy was beside himself with excitement, and Amy had a lump in the throat as she watched them jump into the small launch Alessandro had hired which was waiting with its driver on the canal outside Hotel Maria.

Sonya came up to her as she watched the boat roar away, and there was a definite sparkle in her eyes. "Do you mind if Donna stays over tonight with James? I can hardly believe it, but Gabriel has asked me out to dinner.”

Amy hugged her gleefully. “I’m so glad. It’s about time!”

Arm in arm, they walked back into the villa, where the phone was ringing.

Amy picked up the receiver, and her smile faded to a frown. “Lucia…yes, this is Amy. What is it?” She replaced the receiver a few moments later and sat heavily in a chair.

“Bad news?”

“Yes, it’s Giovanni, Alessandro’s father. He has had another stroke and isn’t expected to survive.”

“Does Alessandro have a mobile phone with him?”

“No. He left it on my desk; he said it was his time off and he didn’t want to be interrupted.”

“Then we have to wait until he gets back. Perhaps you could book him a flight for later this evening?”

“No. He will always get a seat if that’s what he decides to do—he could even charter a small plane—but I am not interfering again. Lucia said Dolores was insisting he return immediately and was shouting and screaming at her down the phone. He may not choose to go back to that.”

“She sounds a witch.”

“She is.” Amy briefly told Sonya about Alessandro’s relationship with Dolores.

“Poor guy. Well, at least now he has you and James.”

“But we live here, and he lives in Rome. And I don’t see how that can change with his business commitments. But that’s a problem for another day. Go and bring Donna’s things over, and then you can spend a couple of hours pampering yourself before this evening.”

“I feel quite nervous,” she said. “Supposing it doesn’t work…”

“Sonya! I happen to know that it will. He’s as mad about you as you are about him. Just go and have fun—you deserve it, and so does Gabriel.”

“Thank you, Amy. I do love you.” She tripped off down the road with a bounce and lightness in her step which brought a warm smile to Amy’s face.

“I hope your life is more straightforward than mine,” she said to herself, wondering how Alessandro would react when he returned home with James.

They didn’t come in until after seven o’clock, and by that time, Amy knew that Giovanni had died peacefully in his sleep. Gently, she sent James to the kitchen and gave him and Donna some supper before taking Alessandro into the living room and shutting the door.

Alessandro looked at her questioningly, and she went to him and put her arms around him. “Alessandro, I couldn’t contact you, but I have to tell you that your father died about an hour ago. He had another stroke this afternoon.”

For a few moments, he stood holding her without saying a word, but then he drew back and looked at her. “I am so glad now that you did what you did. He and I were reconciled, and he met his grandson. Thank you, my love.”

“Will you go back to Rome tonight? Dolores is apparently in a terrible state.”

“I will call her, but she will have her cronies with her for tonight. There is nothing I can do, so no, I shall leave tomorrow, and I expect the funeral will be the day afterwards, as is the custom.”

Amy poured him a drink and sat beside him. “Does this change things for you?”

“The company is now legally mine, with an obligation to give Dolores an allowance for her lifetime—a very generous one—and the house is hers until her death, when it reverts to me. None of it seems to matter very much right now. I can’t believe my father is dead.”

They sat staring thoughtfully into the firelight until the children burst in and climbed onto them, demanding a game before bedtime. Amy tried to discourage them, but Alessandro shook his head at her and took them upstairs for a story. He put them both to bed, and when he came down, they ate supper together before going to Amy’s bed, where, for once, they lay quietly in each other’s arms all night. Alessandro slipped away very early to return to Rome, and Amy had no idea when she might see him again.

Chapter Fifteen

G
abriel and Sonya arrived mid-morning to collect Donna. They both had a glow about them, and Amy had no doubt that Gabriel had not returned to his own flat the night before.

Amy told them Giovanni had died and that their New Year’s Eve gathering for the new staff would go ahead without Alessandro. The chefs had already taken over the kitchen, and it was almost impossible for anyone else to go in there without being frowned on.

“I shall have to have a kitchenette fitted into my apartment somehow. I can’t even go into the main kitchen to make coffee!” Amy fretted.

“Perhaps you should look for an apartment like mine,” suggested Sonya. “At least then you would be away from the hotel some of the time.”

“Maybe, but I can cope for the time being? I gather you two had a good evening?” The fact they could barely stay more than two inches from each other and kept touching told her everything she wanted to know.

“We did.” They exchanged a glance, and Amy felt she was distinctly in the way.

“You can leave Donna here for the day, if you have…other things to do. But be here at seven sharp for dinner. Otherwise, I won’t be accountable for the behavior of my chefs.”

“Amy, I promise we will—and thank you.” They floated away, and James and Donna stood watching them from the door.

“I think Gabriel is going to be your papa,” said James. “Then we’ll both have papas.”

Donna looked a little doubtful. ”Does that mean he will live with Mama and me?”

“I don’t know. My papa comes and goes. I wish he did live with us.”

Amy shooed them off to play in the living room and went upstairs to the bedroom, where Carmela was working on the costumes.

“I have a couple of hours free. What shall I do to help?” she asked.

“You can put the trimming on the cuffs of your dress. Are your hands clean?”

“Yes, I just washed them.” Amy struggled to keep a straight face. “Carmela, I do hope this is not too much of a chore for you. I didn’t expect you to do so much work.”

“I’m happier than I have been for a long time, my dear. It’s good to feel useful again and to do something creative. You are going to look quite stunning in this dress.”

The two shades of gold she had so artfully combined shimmered in the sunlight, and the sequins and diamante beads attached to the bodice sparkled.

“It’s gorgeous,” Amy gasped. “Can I try it on?”

“Yes, but lock the door. It would be a shame for anyone to see it before it’s finished.”

The eighteenth century-style bodice, which pushed her breasts up to two delightful curves, had to be laced up from behind, and the long, full skirts of pale gold with the over panels of darker gold fell in graceful folds. Carmela pinned a few places needing to be slightly altered and then stood back with a smile of satisfaction. “You look like Cinderella.”

“And you are my fairy godmother.”

“What is Prince Charming going to wear?”

“I don’t know. He’s being very mysterious about the whole thing. I just hope he will be able to get here for the gala. Now that his father has died, he will have a lot of legal things to sort out, and he’s already rushed off his feet.”

“Of course he’ll be here. You should have more faith in him, Amy. Now, slip off that gown and let me show you the costumes I am making for the children.”

The elderly lady proudly held up a blue and gold dress for Donna any little five-year-old girl would adore. It was Little Bo Peep personified. For James, there was a suit with blue trousers and a gold jacket. “He will need long white socks, buckle shoes, and a tricorn hat, but you should be able to get those from the costumier.”

“And for Sonya?”

“Only half finished yet, but a similar design to yours in blue. She looks ravishing in that color.”

“She would look ravishing in any color right now—she’s in love.”

“I know. Isn’t it wonderful? She’s perfect for Gabriel—just as you are perfect for Alessandro.”

Amy’s eyes suddenly filled and overflowed, and Carmela came and put an arm around her. “I can’t bear it when he is away. But my only option is to move to Rome to be with him, and I don’t know how I would survive there.”

“My advice is to take one day at a time. And tonight is the start of a new year, with new hope for all of us.”

“You’re right, dear Carmela; now hand me that lace and let me make myself useful.”

The chefs arrived at mid-day, together with their kitchen help, and soon, there was a lot of noise, raised voices, and banter between them as they began to prepare the meal they had planned for the evening.

At seven sharp, the guests began to arrive. Carmela, Antonio, Sonya, and Gabriel moved amongst them, making introductions, offering champagne and putting everyone at ease. Cesare Minnelli, who was to manage the day-to-day running of the hotel, stood with Amy, inspecting the staff, and professed himself to be satisfied with her choice.

“I know some of them from other hotels, and they are good. We will do well,” he proclaimed. He was a small, rotund man with a moustache and an infectious laugh, which rang out around the room, causing everyone else to smile.

At seven thirty, they all gathered at the tables in the new dining room, and Amy gazed around, almost unable to believe they had achieved so much in such a short time. The lovely room had been transformed from the dingy, dusty salon she had inherited less than four months before into an Art Deco palace.