Surprised by Love (11 page)

    
Connie held back deliberately.  Give Nonna time with Alessandro. 
After some moments, Nonna reached one hand to Connie.  “You come here,
cara

Connie…” 
Somehow, tiny Nonna managed to get one arm around each of them, and they
remained like that—surely the first group hug Nonna had ever been a part of.

Gently,
Alessandro led Nonna and Connie to the marble steps.  When he saw how out
of breath Nonna was, he lifted her in his arms and climbed the steps quickly,
Connie beside him.  Glancing at Enrico, he said, “Good to see you,
Enrico.  I think my Nonna has overdone things a bit, let’s get her sitting
down until the guests arrive.”

“
Certamente,
Signor Conte,”
said Enrico. 
“The reception does not begin for
another half hour.  Maybe that will be sufficient time for the
Signora
Contessa
to recover?  Her tablets are in her little handbag.”

Alessandro
turned stricken eyes to Enrico.  “Tablets?  She hasn’t said anything
about tablets—”

Enrico
nodded conspiratorially.  “They were prescribed by Dr. Bevilacqua about
three months ago,
Signor Conte.
 Heart.
To be taken as
needed.”

“And
you can recognize when they are needed?”

Enrico
nodded.  “Yes, Sir.”

Quickly,
Alessandro said in an undertone, “Then please watch my Nonna and never mind
your other duties for the reception, get someone else to look after the food
and drink.  Nonna’s health is more important than how quickly some guest
can be served with champagne.”

“I
will,
Signor Conte. 
I understood from what Dr. Bevilacqua said in
my hearing that the heart condition is not serious, but needs to be watched.”

“Is
Dr. Bevilacqua coming to the reception?”

When
Enrico nodded, Alessandro went on, “Then I’ll have a word with him, I need to
know exactly what problems there are with Nonna’s heart.”

 “Of
course, Sir.
 
I’ll tell him that you wish to speak to him
privately.”

Alessandro
nodded.  “Thank you, Enrico.”  He turned to Nonna.  “I intend to
get to the bottom of this.”

Chapter
10.

They
had meanwhile reached Nonna’s small sitting room with French doors to the
parklike surroundings, and windows all around.  Alessandro set Nonna down
carefully in the centre of a big sofa with a view of the gardens.  “Don’t
give me such a fright again, Nonna!  You mustn’t overdo things.”

 “What
were you whispering with Enrico about?  He is a worrier by nature, don’t
pay any attention to what he says.  I’m fine, Sandro.”

 “Yes,
so fine that you were out of breath from rushing down the steps to us. 
I’ll have a word with Dr. Bevilacqua, and if you don’t behave I’ll insist that
you come with us when we have to fly back to Ocean Breeze, so I can watch over
you.”

Connie
glanced up.  “What a great idea, Alessandro!  Nonna will love it
there.”

Alessandro
smiled gently at Nonna.  “You heard my
fidanzata
.  She is
right, it is a great idea.  My penthouse can be reached only by an
elevator, there are no steps anywhere.  Much safer for you.  Will you
give this some serious thought?  And you can bring Olivia.”  Turning
to Connie, he explained, “Olivia is Enrico’s daughter.  She has been
Nonna’s
cameriera
for ages
.
”

Nonna
smiled fondly at her grandson.  “Have you never heard the old adage that
you mustn’t transplant an old tree?”

 “Nonna,
you’re not a tree!  And think of it as an extended visit.  If you get
too lonesome for your villa, I’ll fly you back.  Meanwhile, I’ll have a
word with Enrico, have an elevator installed to take you to the top floor—I
never again want you to climb stairs, is that understood?”  He frowned,
wondering what else he could do to the villa to make it safer and less tiring
for Nonna.  He was glad that Enrico had remained in the room, waiting to
hear what they would drink.

“Enrico,
did you hear what I said to Nonna about an elevator?”

“Yes,
Signor Conte. 
I’ll give the work in hand immediately.  And I
should tell you that when the
Signora
Contessa
wants to go to the
bedroom floor, we seat her on a chair, and two of the staff carry her up. 
The same when the
Signora Contessa
wants to come down.”

 “Good. 
Thank you, Enrico.  Listen, how about making ramps where Nonna now has to
take a few steps up or down?”

 “Ramps. 
Yes, Sir
. 
I’ll have that seen to as well.”

 “Meanwhile,
if you could find us a bottle of
Bianco Prima Classe?”

 “It
is waiting in the wine cellar, Sir
.” 
Enrico nodded and left the
room to get the wine. 

****

They
had been sitting for some time, sipping wine, and Alessandro was glad to see a
little color returning to Nonna’s thin cheeks.  Their peaceful interlude
suddenly came to an end, when the purr of car engines was heard distantly, and
hasty footsteps were heard in the hallway.  Enrico going to the entrance
to greet the guests—and unobtrusively check that they had a printed invitation from
Nonna, which she had insisted on to keep gatecrashers to a minimum.

 “Time
for us to be on deck, Nonna,” said Alessandro, scooping her up in his
arms.  “We won’t form a receiving line, we’ll just be in the reception
room to greet the guests—mostly they’ll be our relatives, right?”

Nonna
nodded, and Alessandro went on, “You will greet them from your big chair. 
No more standing for you.  Connie and I will be standing beside you.”

They
greeted their relatives happily, and some non-relatives with a bit more
reserve, particularly the women, who barely acknowledged Nonna, anxious to
display their charms for Alessandro—who had his left arm firmly around Connie’s
small waist, and showed no interest in these women.  Which did not
discourage them from lingering, flirting, making suggestive remarks in a low
voice.

Alessandro
invariably interrupted them, firmly introducing his fiancée, who received the
same scant attention as Nonna. 

Eventually
these women had to move on, under pressure from new arrivals.  Connie would
grin at Alessandro, and he would smile back at her, happy that she had not let
these women faze her, let their pretensions get to her.

One
small, beautiful woman was intent on making an entrance—and a scene, it seemed
to Connie.  Enrico touched the woman’s arm. “
Signora,
may I see
your
invitation?”                  

“I
am the
Contessa
Bracciano!  I don’t need an invitation to a
reception for Alessandro,” she bit out furiously, trying to shake off Enrico’s
hand—which remained lightly but firmly on her arm, preventing her from erupting
into the room.  From the doorway, she yelled, “When Alessandro had to go
to America, he went there from
my bed! 
And now his Nonna is giving
an engagement reception for him and some American stranger?
We
are
engaged!  Whatever he got up to in America is just playtime.  One day
I’ll forgive him his straying, but…”

Quickly
Alessandro’s uncles Roberto and Armando came to Enrico’s aid.

The
woman was pushed back through the door into the hallway, and given over to two
of the security guards which Alessandro had had the foresight to have present
at the reception. 

“Don’t
make yourself a laughing stock,
Signora,”
one of the men said. 
“The
Conte
di Montedalcino is engaged to be married to the lady beside
him.”

“I
am engaged to him!  As I said, he went to his plane from my bed,” the
petite
contessa
insisted, hoping her furious yells would be audible in
the reception room.  No such luck.  The villa was solidly built, and
its doors were of heavy oak.   

“If
the
Conte
visited you for a brief time, that meant nothing to him,” the
guard remarked.  “He is a handsome man and women throw themselves at him
all the time.  Sometimes we have to remove them for him.  Don’t give
yourself airs, when all you’re doing is admitting that you once had a brief
fling with him—that is to say he had meaningless sex with you—understand that
well.”

“Yes,
and go home now quietly, or we will have you arrested,” said the second
security man.    

“I’ll
go for now, but I’ll have that American upstart removed from my rightful place
at Alessandro’s side,” the
contessa
raved on.  The security men
shrugged at each other and set about removing her firmly from the villa and its
grounds.

All
the same, they would report the woman’s threats to have the
Conte’s
fidanzata
removed from his side.  Protective steps would be taken.

The
rest of the reception went pleasantly, and no further incursions by discarded
women took place.  

Afterwards,
Alessandro and Dr. Bevilacqua had a serious talk about Nonna’s health. 
Somewhat to Alessandro’s surprise, the doctor was in favour of Nonna flying to
Florida with the engaged couple for an extended visit.

“She
loves you so much,
Conte. 
Being able to see you daily will do her
more good than buckets of pills, my considered opinion.”

“Then
that is what I will arrange.  Thank you, Dr. Bevilacqua.”

****

At
Nonna’s request, Alessandro and Connie stayed to dinner.  As they were
finishing their dessert, Alessandro touched on his discussion with Dr.
Bevilacqua.  “It is his considered opinion that an extended visit to
Florida would do you more good than handfuls of pills.  So I will arrange
to have you fly with us.  Dr. B. has kindly promised to make sure you’re
in good shape for the trip.”

“But
Sandro…  You are busy there with work, I would only be in your way…” Nonna
lamented.

“Were
you planning to come with us to board meetings, conferences, Nonna?”

Nonna
frowned.  “Of course not, Sandro.  But…in the evenings, you will want
to go to Connie’s apartment?”

Before
Alessandro could say that Connie lived with him, she said hastily, “Actually, I
usually have dinner with Alessandro.  I’ve been living in a suite at the
Hilton, until Marcella—that’s my lawyer—has completed the purchase of a condo
for me.”  She smiled at Nonna.  “Alessandro will see me home.”

“And
I won’t wait up for him,” Nonna almost giggled.

****

When
they were alone, being driven home by Aldo, Alessandro asked idly, “Why did you
give Nonna that fairy tale about you having bought that condo?  Why didn’t
you just tell her that you live with me?”

“Because
it would’ve upset her,
caro. 
She is an old-fashioned lady, and no
amount of you telling her that engaged couples share a bed these days will make
that acceptable for her.  She’s of a generation where women withheld their
bodies from their suitors, as they believed that, the moment a man had got what
he wanted, he would abandon the woman.”

“I
never would, tell me you know that!”

“Of
course I know that.  If I believed that old wives’ tale, I wouldn’t have come
to sleep in your bed, would I?  But I think for Nonna’s sake we will have
to pretend that we don’t make love—yet.”

When
she saw Alessandro frown, she coaxed, “How bad can it be?  We’ll make love
when you see me home, and when we are on business trips we will live in your
suite.”

“Stand
by for an unbelievable number of business trips, then.”  He frowned again.
“You know how often we make love.  There can’t be anything like that while
we live this blameless life for Nonna’s sake.  We get to make love when I
see you home.  With you, once is never enough for me—you know that.”

Connie
gently took his hand, caressing his long fingers.  “Nonna said archly that
she wouldn’t wait up for you.  You can stay as long as you want,
Alessandro.”

“I
don’t like it,” he said stubbornly.  He took his fingers from hers, taking
her hand in a firm grip, bringing it to his lips.  “We’d best arrange to
get married very soon.”

“You
want us to get married just so that I can sleep in your bed?  Isn’t that a
bit over the top, Alessandro?”

“Since
you are convinced that Nonna lives by 19
^th
century standards,
 getting married seems the only option open to us to live our usual life
without causing her to raise her eyebrows.”

 
“I wouldn’t mind if she just raised her eyebrows, but I’m afraid Nonna would be
seriously upset to know that we live together without benefit of clergy, as it
were.  In her day that was simply unheard of.”

“That’s
why I said, let’s get married.  When we are back in Ocean Breeze, I’ll
speak to Tom.”  He hesitated a moment.  “Wait.  Do you want to
get married here or there?”

“Your
decision, Alessandro.  Your family is here, your friends are there. 
I have no family anywhere, and a handful of friends in Ocean Breeze. 
Anywhere is fine for me—if you still think it’s a good idea for you to marry
me.”