“One time, a lion escaped from its hold—Scarlett Gorgeous hypnotized it when it found her dancing in the snow,” Maggie Beautiful said.
“You did?” There was no denying the shock in my voice, and I could feel how wide my gaze was on her.
Scarlett grinned when she noticed my face. She shook her head. “All I did was show it respect. Love and respect.”
“Are there more lions?” I asked.
“No. They’re all back where they belong. In the wild.” This from Scarlett. She seemed satisfied at this. Then she brought up how Luca encouraged all the wives to find a charity they could represent. She said she felt strongly about championing the very animals that represented this family.
“That’s really cool,” I said. “I’d love to do something with children who have no one. Maybe even older people who have no one either.”
“I can sense that about you,” Maggie Beautiful said. “Maybe not a healer like our Tito, but a healer with your smile and warmth. You draw people in. Make their hearts and spirits feel safe. I’m touched, too, you know.” She tapped her temple.
“That’s really beautiful, Maggie Beautiful,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
“You should do those things,” Scarlett said. “I’m sure Luca will love you taking the initiative. And as the future queen of this family, I’m sure Italy will think it’s wonderful too.”
“I’d do it because I love it,” I whispered, “not for approval.”
Ermanno zipped in front of us. His breathing was labored, but he didn’t tire easy. He had been behind us, talking to one of the younger soldiers, and he must’ve realized how far ahead I’d gotten. He always wanted to stay close. He gave us his best smile and fixed his hair as he walked backward for a second.
“You are so handsome, Ermanno,” Maggie Beautiful said to him. “You’re going to break so many hearts. Isn’t he, dolls?”
Scarlett and I both agreed, and Ermanno’s cheeks turned cherry red before he turned and started walking ahead of us, his shoulders squared. The three of us looked at each other and grinned. No one was better for his ego than Maggie Beautiful.As she did with all her grandsons, she made over Ermanno too. Shorty was likable.
“I have to say,” I whispered, “I made a good impression on Luca on the island. I’m not sure that impression lasted.”
Maggie Beautiful stopped walking, and Scarlett and I paused with her.
“Why do you say that, doll?”
Scarlett fixed her with a look, though Maggie Beautiful was looking at me. “Tell her, Maggie.”
“You know why Luca doesn’t care for me anymore?” I asked.
“He does,” Maggie Beautiful said, “care for you. It’s just that…well, I asked something of him, and ever since, he’s been…paranoid.”
“You’re not sick then?” I glanced at Scarlett, and then my attention went back to Maggie Beautiful.
She shrugged. “I haven’t been feeling all that well, and yes, before you lecture me like my daughter did—” she narrowed her eyes at Scarlett “—I’m going to get checked out. My history—” she motioned to her breasts “—demands it. But.” She tapped her front tooth. “I hate how this family is always going for the throat of other family members. I get it when it’s other branches.
“Sometimes they just like to cause trouble, I think, but…I can’t stand the thought of Brando at war with Rocco, or one of my grandsons at war with another. It chills me to the bone. I’m not the favorite queen of the Fausti family, since my husband was married when he met me—an arranged marriage, like the one your husband had, but that’s neither here nor there.” She waved a hand.
“What I’m meaning to say is this…I’m not favored, but I still carry favor with my husband. One of my rights as his wife is to request something from him. My mother-in-law, the late Grazia Angeli, asked Marzio to stop the fights in the colosseum and among our line. This is why it was a race between Brando andRocco and not swords when they first met. My husband brought swords back. That’s his right. I don’t want them either. I don’t want any man of the same blood to be able to shed the blood he shares. I want all the challenges to stop.”
My hand went out to Maggie Beautiful’s arm. The thousands of dollars’ worth of bracelets and rings she wore hit the light and glinted. “That’s an amazing thing to ask, but I don’t understand why Luca would take that out on me. I’m not asking.”
Maggie Beautiful looked at Scarlett, and Scarlett nodded to her. It was an encouraging move.
Maggie Beautiful sighed. “It’s not that simple. The request usually comes on the death bed. I don’t want to leave anything to chance.”
“Since you haven’t been feeling good,” I summed up.
“Yeah. Who knows what can happen tomorrow? One minute you’re here—” she snapped her fingers “—the next you’re gone. I don’t want to spend eternity rolling over, fraught with anxiety, knowing there’s a chance one of the men I love could kill another man I love, or someone like that dope, Francesco, could seriously wound one of my men by underhanded moves.”
“I still don’t understand what this has to do with me.”
Maggie Beautiful took my hand and squeezed. “My husband is trying to wrangle the future,” she said, her gorgeous hazel eyes, a different color than mine, holding a sincere apology. For the first time, I noticed, or maybe felt, a weight that I hadn’t before. “He’s attempting to predict it. He thinks me asking for this…favor means I’m dying. No matter how many times I remind him we’re all dying, he’s…paranoid now that my days are numbered. There’s nothing worse for a Fausti man, if his love is great, to lose his wife first.”
