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WHEN I LOOK ON YOU a moment, then I can speak no more, but my tongue falls silent, and at once a delicate flame courses beneath my skin, and with my eyes I see nothing, and my ears hum, and a wet sweat bathes me and a trembling seizes me all over. — Sappho
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ON THE OUTSKIRTS of Florence, Italy, the car carrying Eden Kingsley turned off the narrow street and onto a long shaded driveway. Eden looked out the window as the car climbed the hill to the villa. She could see the red dome of the Cathedral Duomo and Giotto’s Campanile standing like a tall sentinel beside it in the distance. The entire city, with all the colorful marble on the buildings, the statues, and art everywhere seemed surreal to her, even though she had seen it before when she visited with Rafe.
As the car moved forward the sprawling villa came into view. The villa had a grand entry with arches, columns and other architectural details Eden knew Rafe could name but, to Eden, it looked like a miniature palace or one of the many museums she had seen in Florence. She nervously wiped her sweaty palms on her pants then straightened her clothes as the car slowed to a stop in front of a large archway too narrow for the vehicle to pass through.
“Miss,” said the driver in heavily accented English as he looked back at her, “you walk from here. It is a nice walk through the garden just there,” he said and pointed her in the direction she should go. “I wait.”
“Thank you,” said Eden softly as the driver got out of the car and opened the door for her. She picked up the canvas bag and the notepad beside her and slid out of the car. She put the pad in the bag then took a breath and began her walk through the garden to see Gabri De Angelis.
Eden was nervous because she hadn’t told Gabri she was coming, and Eden didn’t know how she would be received by him. She hadn’t heard from Rafe directly at all. Rafe had sent gifts for Bronte, and several times a month, Katheryn forwarded video clips of Rafe talking to Bronte or reading her a book, but there had been no messages specifically to her during the six months of Rafe’s absence from their lives.
She sent emails to Katheryn to forward to Rafe, but she had no idea if she got them, so Eden sent them to every email account she knew Rafe had ever had. Most of the accounts were undeliverable, but a few were, so she used them hoping Rafe would respond but without result. Thinking back, some of the emails she regretted sending, but she had been desperately trying anything to get a response.
After her trip to New York with Julia, and then talking with her Dr. Cathcart, Eden felt she had to make the trip to Italy and find Rafe to bring her home. Julia insisted she come with Eden, but only after she was unable to talk Eden out of it. Eden convinced Julia to stay at the hotel with Bronte today because Eden wanted to talk to Gabri alone. She hoped that if Rafe was there, Gabri would let her talk with her today. If she was in a sanatorium or somewhere else, she hoped he would tell her where so she could see her.
She needed to see Rafe and talk to her about so many things. She hoped Rafe somehow might have some small amount of love for her left, and she would agree to come home. She looked up and saw she was already at the entrance. She straightened herself again, went up to the large ornate door, and rang the bell.
“Buon pomeriggio,”[1] said the woman who answered the door with a smile.
“Boun pomeriggio,” Eden answered back nervously then glanced at the notepad she had taken out of the bag. “Uhm, Eden Kingsley, un amico dall'America, a vedere Gabri De Angelis,” she said and tore the page from the notepad and handed the women the paper with her information on it.
The woman took the paper, examined it, and then peered at Eden with confusion. “Americano?” she repeated and watched as Eden nodded and shifted nervously.
“A vedere Rafaella Salvaggio,” Eden said hesitantly hoping she was pronouncing the words correctly.
“Venite, venite,”[2] the woman said and beckoned Eden into the villa.
Inside, Eden found herself overwhelmed by the marble floors and columns, painted ceilings, enormous ancient paintings and statuary, gold-leafed furniture, and a massive spiral staircase built as a focal point and leading to a mezzanine above. It was as if she had walked into the house of royalty, and she wasn’t even sure how to move in the space.
“Venite,” repeated the woman as she smiled and led Eden into an opulent waiting room. She motioned to the couch and said something Eden couldn’t understand before leaving the room.
Eden sat down, afraid to move or touch anything. She had no idea Gabri lived in such a lavish home and felt intimidated by it. She took a deep breath then let it out slowly and tried to focus on one thing, the reason she was there—Rafe.
