If looks could kill, I’d be a dead man. Gabe watched Dani’s reaction turn from shock to confusion to awareness and finally to sheer outrage, all manifest in the movement of her magnificent eyebrows. She seemed to have no desire to make a scene in front of his aunt, but he’d probably hear plenty from her once they were alone.
“Welcome home, signorina.” Fausta Lombardi’s voice held no trace of warmth. She was wearing a dark crimson robe, her hands clasped primly in front of her. “The family has been expecting your arrival for some time. We didn’t realize my nephew would be escorting you.” She looked at Gabe pointedly, her expression stern. “Indeed, we had no idea the two of you were even in touch with one another.”
Dani shot Gabe a look of true venom. “We wanted it to be a surprise.” She practically spat out the words.
Fausta glanced at Gabe before saying, “You may leave your luggage here. Follow me, please.” She escorted them into the entry hall of the palazzo—an imposing, but ultimately empty space. The floors were highly polished mahogany and the rough-textured, cream-colored walls displayed stark religious artwork: a madonna and child on one wall, a large crucifix on another. Dani seemed to have forgotten both Gabe and his aunt as she gazed at the austere furnishings. Her demeanor was guarded, her expression wary. He didn’t like the sensation that she was far away.
“Does it seem as though you never left?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “As if it were yesterday.”
Fausta, who had been watching them, finally spoke. “You will come with me, please, Daniela. I will show you to your room. You will find it has not been changed significantly since you were last here.”
Dani drew a sharp breath. “No! Ah, no. I prefer to be near…Gabriele.” She placed her hand on Gabe’s forearm. “You…understand, Fausta, no?”
What? Where had that come from? Gabe looked at Dani, expecting her to say “Just kidding,” but although she had the decency to blush, her eyes told him emphatically not to say a word. He bit his tongue and smiled sheepishly at his aunt.
“If you’d rather we stay at a hotel…”
Fausta visually skewered the two of them and pursed her lips. “This is most irregular. I do not think Signor Forcelli would approve—”
“I am not looking for Uncle Santo’s approval,” Dani interrupted. “He’s the one who asked me to come. If he wants me to stay, then he’ll have to accept Gabriele as well.”
“I was speaking of Signor Forcelli the Elder, your Uncle Aldo,” Fausta said calmly. “As you know, he is quite religious in his outlook. But I suppose we can put you in a suite in the north wing, where your grandmother resides when she visits. It will perhaps afford you the…privacy you seek.” She allowed the word to hit its mark before adding, “I must first have the rooms aired out, however.” She pulled a small cell phone out of her pocket, dialed a number and spoke quietly into it before snapping it shut again. “Come this way, please. You may wait in the library.”
Dani felt like she’d been thrust in the middle of a bad gothic novel. She’d expected a small hug, or at least a warm hand clasp from the long-time family housekeeper and estate manager. Dani remembered Fausta Lombardi as a starkly beautiful woman with a regal bearing who took care of the entire Forcelli household, as well as her own family, with quiet, graceful competence. She was the mother of Dani’s closest childhood friend Agnese, and she’d often served as a parent, albeit a strict one, when Dani’s own had been so often absent. She was still fully in charge, apparently, but her beauty had hardened into a stone-like countenance. Dani had been gone from La Tana for the last twelve years. What had happened to sour Fausta during that time?
More importantly, what was Dani to make of the bold-face liar standing next to her? Once Fausta left them in the upstairs room, she turned to Gabe. Although she barely reached his chin, she shoved him in the chest. “How dare you not tell me you were related to Fausta!” she said. “All this time, and you’ve known about my family from the beginning!”
Gabe didn’t deny her charge, but tried to rationalize his behavior. “Look, I tried to tell you, honestly, but the timing was never right. You were always too busy telling me to get lost.”
“Oh, that’s bull pucky,” Dani shot back. “Don’t you dare try to make this somehow my fault.You had plenty of opportunities to come clean with me. The question is, why didn’t you?”
“‘Bull pucky’? Who says ‘bull pucky’?” Gabe tried on one of his trademark lopsided grins.
Dani sharpened her glare. “Don’t try to change the subject. You held valuable information back from me and I want to know why.” She stopped as the full implication of his betrayal hit her between the eyes. “It’s not a coincidence that you moved to Little Eden, is it?” She waited, hoping against hope there was some reasonable explanation. “Is it?” she repeated, her voice breaking.
He looked at her, opened his mouth, and then closed it without saying a word.
Oh god, there’s more to this, Dani thought. There’s more to him. Suddenly her eyes filled with tears. On top of everything else, finding out that Gabe was a fraud was just too much. She had never felt so completely alone.
Gabe lightly caressed her upper arm. “I’m not one of the bad guys. Really.”
Dani looked up into his face, searching his eyes for some indication that he spoke the truth. He looked sincere, but how could he be if he’d kept his connection to her family a secret ever since they’d met? She retreated into the realm of facts. “Why don’t I remember you?” she asked tartly.
“I moved to the U.S. when I was ten. You were, what? Six? Seven? By that time my mother had been ill for a while and I’d spent most of my free time with her. I never lived at La Tana, so it’s no wonder you don’t remember the times I visited.”
“Why’d you leave Italy?”
A look of regret, and maybe shame, crossed his face. “My mom was getting worse, and my parents felt it best that I not be around her. So my dad took me away.”
His tone was bitter; apparently he hadn’t wanted to leave.
“So Agnese would be your cousin.”
“Yes,” he said, “although I haven’t been in contact with her.”
“I don’t remember much about your mother, except that she was very sick.”
Gabe turned away, seeming to look at the books on one of the many shelves in the room. “Yes she was. After I left I only saw her one more time…at her funeral.”
Dani’s impulse was to comfort him, but she refrained. He wouldn’t want her pity; besides, she was still angry with him. He couldn’t be trusted. “So you and your dad just took off and left Fausta to take care of your mother, is that it?”
Gabe winced and she regretted her words. He’d been just a kid, for heaven’s sake; he wouldn’t have had control over his life, just as she’d had no control over hers.
Gabe’s voice was flat. “Yes, that’s exactly what happened. Fausta took care of my mother just like she took care of Agnese and the members of your family. It’s what she does.”
He was right. The titles “housekeeper” or even “estate manager” fell way short of describing the role Fausta had played in all their lives. “Where is Agnese now, by the way? Did she marry? Does she have kids by now? We wrote for a while after I left, but then she stopped.”
Gabe shook his head. “No. Agnese never married. In fact, I’ve heard she lives in a convent now and sells a skin care line for the Sisters. Does pretty well.”
“A convent? Is it the same school she and I went to? That’s the last thing I pictured her doing. She was so pretty and so nice, even when we were going through that awkward pre-teen stage. I assumed someone had snatched her up.” As she said it, it occurred to Dani that neither she nor Gabe had been “snatched up” either. Dani had her own reasons for remaining single, but what about Gabe? Why had a hunk like him stayed a bachelor for so long?
There was an awkward silence, which Dani filled by plopping herself down on one of the leather couches in the large, cold room. “I couldn’t care less about a stuffy room at this point,” she groused. “I’m ready to drop.”
Gabe sat down on the sturdy coffee table in front of Dani. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and looked her in the eye. “Speaking of which, what was that ‘I prefer to be near Gabriele’ routine all about? I know you’re pissed at me, but you’re not planning on smothering me in my sleep, are you?”
The thought of Gabe and “sleep” and what those images conjured up caused Dani to momentarily lose focus. She reeled in her thoughts and reasoned that while she now knew she couldn’t completely trust Gabe, he was the lesser of two evils—and there were evils in this house; she just didn’t know exactly what they were. The fact was, she did feel safer around him, however misguided the feeling. She moistened her lips before speaking. “I don’t know, temporary insanity, maybe. I just…I just want to keep an eye on you, that’s all.”
Gabe looked at her intently and she knew…she knew he didn’t buy that excuse. He put his hand on her knee and squeezed it gently, saying nothing, for which she was extremely grateful. It was the first agreeable thing he’d done since they’d left San Francisco, and her eyes began to tear up again. She reached for her bag to see if she had any tissues left. Gabe reached into his back pocket and handed her a handkerchief.
“Do guys still carry these?” she asked.
“This guy does…and yeah, it’s clean,” he said.
Dani snickered, glad to break the tension. They’d reached a semblance of detente when Dani heard Fausta’s voice.
“Your rooms are ready now. Please follow me.”
No one said a word as Dani and Gabe followed Fausta up a wide marble staircase to the third floor and down two long hallways before reaching a set of ornately carved double doors. Fausta opened them to reveal a sophisticated yet inviting sitting room that brought back positive memories for Dani of the times she had spent there in the company of her grandmother, Nonna Stella. According to Dani’s mother, shortly after Nonno Ciro had died that terrible night twelve years ago, Stella had declared her independence from the Forcelli family, which consisted of her three grown sons. She’d moved to an elaborate penthouse at the Stella d’Italia Verona hotel. Apparently she rarely returned to La Tana, which was probably why Fausta had authorized the use of the matriarch’s suite.
Dani noticed that her bags, as well as Gabe’s, had been brought up and were sitting side by side near the door. A wistful sensation passed over her, which she quickly suppressed.
“The bedroom is through that doorway.” Fausta gestured absently as she walked over to the large bay window across the room and pulled the drapes closed. “And there is a small alcove to the right which contains a daybed—” she paused and looked at Dani over her shoulder, “—should you require it.”
Dani felt herself blush and avoided looking at Gabe as she busied herself with her luggage. “Thank you, Fausta. Can you tell me…what time is the funeral mass today?”
“It has been scheduled for three p.m. and of course the burial will occur in the family cemetery here at La Tana at six. There will be a buffet in the Great Hall for invited guests afterward. The chef’s menu is quite impressive.” She opened her cell phone and began tapping it, continuing to watch the screen as she spoke. “I do not know if you are aware, but we kept the vigil as private as possible, given the awkward circumstances. Nevertheless the outpouring of condolences and the involvement of the press have been substantial. Fortunately we have been able to control the message fairly well, and I believe we will be able to ensure that all is in place for an effective service.”
Puzzled, Dani turned to Gabe, who returned her look of bewilderment. Fausta was talking about her father’s funeral as if it were a hotel opening! Unbidden, her eyes welled up again and she noticed Gabe raise his eyebrows, willing her without words to keep it together in front of Fausta. She nodded slightly, and sighed.
“Then we’ll—I’ll…uh, we’ll be able to sleep in.”
“Yes, signorina. You’ll note I have had a refreshment tray sent up to you, and breakfast will be served until eleven a.m. Now if you have no further need of me, I’ll bid you goodnight.”
“Of course. Thank you. Oh, Fausta? How is Agnese? Is she here?”
“No. Not at the moment. Goodnight.”
Silence reigned in the wake of Fausta’s departure. Dani didn’t bother to fill the void, instead concentrating on finding her sleep shirt and toiletries bag.
Gabe watched her for a minute, saying nothing.
“What?” she finally asked, exasperation and fatigue coloring her tone.
“Nothing. Just…you look tired.” He watched her steadily as he walked toward her. When he drew close she held her breath, only to let it out in a discreet whoosh as he leaned down to pick up his bag. “I’m gonna crash on the daybed, okay? We’re both running on empty.”
“Um, yes. Of course. Sure. I’ll just…” She gestured toward the bathroom. “I’ll just use the…”
“…bathroom. Got it.” Gabe smiled slightly, then turned and checked out the fruit and cheese tray Fausta had provided. Selecting a ripe pear, he bit into it as he walked over to the alcove, kicking off his shoes along the way. As if she didn’t exist, he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it out from his pants. He emptied his pockets, reached for his belt and paused, finally noting that she hadn’t moved from her spot. Their eyes locked.
“I’m going,” she said.
He nodded. “Buonanotte, bella.”
Gabe awoke from a restless sleep to the muffled sound of someone pleading. He automatically checked the lighted face on his watch. It was four thirty in the morning; he’d been asleep for less than an hour. As the fog of sleep cleared and he remembered where he was and who he was with, he heard the sound again. It was coming from the bedroom. He shot up and knocked on the door.
“Dani?”
She didn’t respond, but the plaintive sounds continued. He tried the doorknob and gave a small prayer of thanks that at least Dani hadn’t mistrusted him so much as to lock him out. He opened the door slowly and in the near darkness he saw her shifting restlessly in the large four poster that dominated the room.
“Dani,” he called in a slightly louder voice.
Again, she didn’t respond. Dressed in an oversized pink T-shirt and nothing else, she had kicked the covers off the bed. Gabe tamped down the desire to join her; now was not the time to be imagining her sweet legs wrapped around him.
He approached the bed and leaned over. Dani’s cap of curls was slightly damp. He repeated in a slightly more forceful tone, “Bella, wake up. It’s just a—”
“What are you…No! No! Don’t…hurts…No…please!”
Gabe froze. Dani wasn’t talking to him. Tears running down her cheeks, she was rigid, straining against unseen bonds, talking to someone else. Pleading with someone else. Someone only she could see.
Someone who had hurt her.
Terribly.
Gabe sat on the edge of the bed next to her and began to gently stroke her face.
“Daniela,” he murmured. “You’re okay now. It’s Gabriele. I’m here, sweetheart. It’s okay.” He kept up the soothing mantra, hoping to get through to her without jarring her awake and scaring her to death.
She didn’t awaken fully, but after several moments she did respond to his calming words and touch. She heaved a sigh and rolled to her other side, curling into a more relaxed sleeping pose. Gabe pulled the covers over her, brushed her curls back and kissed her on the forehead. He left the room quietly, poured himself two fingers of Chivas from the sideboard and sat down to wait for dawn.