‘Oh, my dear ones…’ Emotion was rich in Matteo’s voice. ‘How happy you have made me! Now I can leave this world content.’
His eyes grew misty, and Luca could see his focus going, his concentration fading. He understood more clearly now, after what Bianca had told him over dinner the night before, how the powerful anti-cancer drugs he was on could cause brain fog and other such complications. It helped him understand why Matteo had become so unrealistically obsessed with this passionatedetermination to ‘protect’—as he saw it—the niece he had only so recently discovered.
Luca could see his frustration, his bitterness—his deep sorrow that he would be leaving her so soon. Compassion filled him, making him glad that he had urged Bianca to go along with Matteo’s sad, pitiful fantasy.
He felt his glance go sideways to Bianca, who was saying something comforting to her uncle. It was still extraordinary to think of her as Matteo’s niece. Thoughts flickered in his head. What if he’d known that six years ago? What if she had known it? The questions hovered…unanswered.
Matteo’s eyes cleared, refocusing on Luca, and Luca turned his gaze to him.
‘Now that the engagement is official,’ Matteo was saying, his voice enthusiastic, ‘you must show Bianca where she will be living. Why not drive her there tomorrow?’
Blankness moved across Luca’s face. Urgently, he tried to think of a reason why that was impossible.
It was Bianca who came to his rescue.
‘Zio Matteo, tomorrow won’t be possible. Luca has told me he must return to his office for a while.’
Matteo’s face fell. ‘No, no, my boy! Tell them this is a special occasion! Of course you must show yourfidenzataher new home!’ He turned to Bianca. ‘The Palazzo D’Alabruschi is an architectural historic gem, my dear. You will love living there, I know.’
Bianca took Matteo’s hand. ‘I wouldn’t dream of leaving you,’ she said. ‘You must not think of it. I shall continue to live here.’
‘But only until you are married!’
Bianca smiled. ‘Until then I shall be here with you,’ she said soothingly. ‘I am sure Luca’spalazzois beautiful, but it can wait.’
‘But you must see it as soon as possible!’
Matteo was getting agitated, Luca could tell, and he intervened.
‘I shall defer my return to Rome and take Bianca there tomorrow,’ he said calmly.
Matteo subsided. ‘Bene, bene—then it is all decided.’
The exchange seemed to have exhausted him, and he closed his eyes. Luca could see he was sinking into sleep. Carefully, Bianca reclaimed her hand and got to her feet.
‘I’ll get Paolo,’ she murmured, moving to the door.
Luca followed her out to the landing. Matteo’s nurse slipped into the bedroom to check on his patient, and Bianca turned.
‘There’s no need to show me your home,’ she said. ‘Just tell me enough about it to give my uncle the impression that I’ve seen it.’
Luca gave a half-shrug. ‘What is that English expression? In for a penny, in for a pound? You might as well see it for yourself. It makes no difference.’
‘I have no particular interest in seeing it,’ she responded tartly. ‘It has no relevance for me, after all. Nothing about you, Luca, has any relevance to me other than your connection to my uncle and this deplorable, distasteful lie we’ve embroiled ourselves in! Even if wehavedone so for Matteo’s sake.’ She slid the emerald and pearl ring from her finger. ‘Here—take this. It’s served its purpose.’
Luca shook his head impatiently. Her tone of voice had irritated him, as had what she’d said.
‘Of course you have to keep it—for the duration, at any rate. Matteo will expect it.’
She gave an annoyed sigh, but folded the ring into her hand, not replacing it on her finger.
‘I’ll set off now,’ Luca said. Irritation still filled him. ‘I’ll call for you at eleven tomorrow.’
‘As you wish,’ she acknowledged indifferently.
Her gaze levelled on him expressionlessly. As though both simultaneously evaluating him and rejecting him. An impulse to rile her, unsettle her in that disconcerting evaluation, filled him.
Before she could realise what he intended, he helped himself to the hand that was not clutching the ring he’d bestowed upon her that morning. ‘Until tomorrow then,’ he murmured, raising her hand to his lips with deliberate exaggerated gallantry, pressing her fingers as he did so.