Feeling damp and gritty, I wanted to clean up before lunch. My hope was I could scoot into the kitchen and grab some sandwiches for Lexi and myself, avoiding the dining room.
While these plans pulled together in my mind, the elevator stopped. Gregorio opened the door and we stepped out.
Marco stood at the door to the dining room with a young, dark-haired beauty. They were having an animated conversation. She wore crisp white slacks and a white top accented by a trailing blue and green scarf that moved with her slender body. Her laughter sounded like a breeze teasing crystal wind chimes.
“I forgot Gabriella was coming.” Gregorio rammed a hand through his long curls before running it down his wrinkled breeches.
Who the heck was Gabriella?
7
Staring down the corridor at the most feminine woman I’d ever seen, I wanted the floor to swallow me. Cobwebs clung to my hair from our foray into the dungeon. My beige slacks and blue top were wrinkled from the heat. Hair that would not stay in the barrette tickled the base of my neck. I was a brown pigeon while Gabriella was an exotic tropical bird. Lexi seemed entranced by the newcomer. But Gregorio? Not so much.
All smiles, Marco gestured to us. “Come and meet Gabriella.”
Oh, how I wanted to be back in that elevator, pushing the button for the second floor. But no, I was an employee. As I inched forward, my smile felt stiff. This was how I’d felt meeting the parent of a troubled student on Parents Night. Only Gregorio wasn’t the troubled student. No, I was thinking of Marco. The man was full of surprises.
“How wonderful!” Gabriella whirled toward us. Her scarf floated on the air while her long dark curls tumbled in distracting abundance. “So happy to meet you. I’m Gabriella di la Fontagna.”
“Christina Newhart.” I extended one hand. Gabriella looked very young. “And this is my daughter Lexi.”
Before I knew it, Lexi was doing a light bob, as if she were greeting the Queen of England. I choked on a laugh. We both needed a class in royal courtesies. “Pleased to meet you, I’m sure,” Lexi said. Face reddening, she darted her eyes to me and I smiled.
“Yes, of course. How sweet.” The tropical bird seemed fascinated by Lexi’s purple hair. Maybe vivid colors were Gabriella’s thing. But a nod was apparently all Lexi merited. With another swirl of that fanciful, floating scarf, she held both hands out to Gregorio. “Gregorio, my darling. How nice to have a school mate!”
Face brick red, Gregorio kept his hands jammed in his pockets. “Gabriella.” One word was all he could handle? Her graceful hands flitted to her scarf.
“Oh, my. Guess I don’t even get a hug.” She regarded Marco through thick, lowered lashes.
Marco gave a suppressed sigh, as if Gregorio needed more training. Was that going to become my job too? The more time I spent with Gregorio, the more I realized he was a sweet boy going through a difficult time. The isolation of the castle and his tragic past sure weren’t helping things.
Day by day, I was being fed pieces of life at the castle. Right now, it seemed to be very complicated. Did Gabriella know Marco’s background? Did she realize his last wife had been imprisoned in the tower?
“Gabriella’s come for lunch.” Marco turned to me, dark eyes flashing. “You’ll join us?”
But I was already edging down the hall toward the elevator. “Oh, sorry but we have plans.” The words came out sounding stilted and ridiculous.
Marco and Lexi both turned to me with astonishment. But the satisfied look on Gabriella’s face kept me from hustling off. She didn’t want me to stay. So I was staying. “Well, if you insist.”
“But of course. Excellent. We will have a nice lunch, no?” Marco waved a hand to the dining room. Trailing behind Marco and Gabriella, I studied her. The girl didn’t shop in Macy’s or Nordstrom. Oh no, I pictured this young woman sitting next to Beyoncé at the spring shows in Milan. My beige pants tightened around my waist and my flats felt scuffed and boring.
“The doors are open.” Lexi came to a stop.
“What?” Yes, indeed, the french doors of the dining room had been opened to an outdoor patio. Sheer drapes billowed invitingly from either side of the doors. We stepped out into mild summer sunshine. A long plank table with eight chairs spanned the stone patio. The fountain featuring some god, maybe Neptune, filled the air with sparkling moisture. The sun’s rays were splintered by the leafy trees that towered above us with historic majesty. Marco gestured. I slid onto a chair with Lexi on one side and Marco on the other.
Across from us, Gabriella cozied up to Marco. With a long-suffering sigh, Gregorio took a seat next to her. Of course, it was way past a decent lunch time in the States. The boy was probably starving. Marco’s mother arrived, looking regal in one of her long, flowing ensembles the color of the sky. Gold earrings hung from her ears, and another astonishing jewel hung from her neck, this time an opal. A servant stepped forward to seat her at the other end of the table.
“Mother, you’ve met Gabriella.”
“Of course.” Ama snapped open a napkin. “I knew both your father and your grandfather.”
Was the comment meant to accent her youth? Gabriella’s smile wavered.
“Yes, of course. So nice that our families know each other.” Marco continued with the conversation. “Gabriella was driving past.”
The Queen Mother’s delicate brows lifted. I had to agree. How does one simply happen to be in the neighborhood of a castle? I thought back to the boat and the dock––the whole process used to arrive at the gates.
Marco seemed totally unaware. Maybe women stopped by every day. While waiters filled water goblets and served wine, he chatted with Gabriella about Gregorio’s studies––as if he really understood what we were doing. I refused to get upset. When I felt Gregorio’s eyes on me, I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. This gorgeous, airy day with a gentle breeze wafting all sorts of wonderful scents from the garden called for carefree conversation. The boy seemed to relax under my encouragement.