She’d turned to him, taking his face between her hands.“It’s your finest work, Marco. The world will sing your praise long after we are both long dead. The third and final painting chronicles our love, and the series is complete. You have given us immortality, my darling.”
Iris’s soul sang with yearning as she remembered their passionate lovemaking afterward. She inched closer to the painting until she stood directly before it. She whispered, “Come to me, my love. Please take me home.”
The French doors flew open, and the drapery billowed from a blustery breeze that carried the fragrance of roses, but Iris did not move. She brought all her powers of concentration and every nerve in her body to bear on the painting. She willed the man who’d created it to appear. The canvas rippled as if waves washed over its surface.
The figure of Marco in the painting came to life, and slowly he turned. He was naked from the waist up, and the desire in his gaze sent a surge of heat and tremors throughout her body.
“Amore mio, I love you with my very soul. But there is something we must do before we can be together. The contessa must be destroyed, and her evil must be stopped once and for all.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks. “I don’t know if I can do this. I’m afraid, Marco.”
“Do not be afraid. We are so close to being free of her. I will be here waiting for you, and we will never be parted again.”
“But what if she gets hold of this painting? She will control the portals, and I will be lost in time forever.”
“You must not let that happen, Iris. You and your friends are the only ones who can stop her absolute evil from spreading. Together, you will defeat the contessa. I will do everything I can to keep the portal open for you and Gabriella if she wants to return to the future. I sense the sorceress’s presence; she is here in this villa.”
“I sense her, too. I suspect she’s stolen an identity and changed her appearance. I think it is the Baroness of Blythe Hollow, but I must be sure. I could never live with myself if I destroyed the life of an innocent woman.”
“Of course not,tesoro mio. Youmust find a way to confirm her identity. Search her room. I am certain you will find the proof you need.”
“I know she is here, and I will find the proof. But how will we destroy her? The power she wields is formidable, and I fear I am not strong enough.”
“The way will open to you, but you need the help of your friends, and this…” He held up his hand, and the ruby ring shot rays of light into the room. There had been no diminishment of its magical power, and Iris drew strength from it. She closed her eyes and absorbed its warming energy.
And then, as suddenly as he’d come to her, he was gone. She opened her eyes and was alone again, gazing at a beautiful painting.
Chapter Eighteen
Populonia, Italy
October 20, 1902
The carriages madeslow progress, but Jack enjoyed the sensation of Gabriella’s shoulders and thighs pressing against his when the carriage hit a rut in the road. The effect on him was arousing, and he was grateful for the blanket over their legs for warmth.
They’d set out just after dawn, and Gaby sat rigidly, staring straight ahead, careful to avoid looking at him. Still, he could see the pale blue vein in her temple throbbing, and he contemplated what she might be thinking. Did his nearness affect her the way it did him? He could not imagine her feeling indifference, as he now and again detected an inhalation of breath that might indicate uncontained excitement.
Her response to him the other night was undeniably passionate, and he refused to think otherwise. Visions of their lovemaking had haunted him last night, and he’d tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep, reliving in his dreams her responses to his touch, her feverish kisses, and the arousal in her eyes. These were not reactions she could have faked. Hell, he’d felt the spasms in her body when she climaxed.
Yes, her letter had stung and wounded his ego, but deep in his heart, he didn’t think she meant a word of it. This war of conflicting emotions held him enthralled, and nothing in his life could compare with the feelings she evoked in him. It was why he wanted to strangle her one minute, and the next he wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless.
For once, he was glad of Aunt Kitty’s meddling and insistence that Gabriella join them on this outing. Gaby had used every excuse possible, but Kitty would not hear of it. In the end, she had persuaded Gaby to accompany them to the ancient coastal town of Populonia to visit the Necropolis of San Cerbone, where they would see the Etruscan tombs and then enjoy a picnic.
At the last second, Iris had bowed out of the excursion, her reason being another headache. For Jack, it had been fortuitous, for it meant there was room in Kitty’s carriage. It foiled Kitty’s plan that would have had him riding in the same carriage as Cynthia, the baroness, Stefano, Constance, and Lord and Lady Remington.
Using the excuse that he wished to converse with Inspector Doumaz about a discovery in the catacombs of Paris, he’d jumped into Kitty’s carriage and taken what would have been Iris’s seat next to Gabriella.
He’d startled her, and the delightful flush that tinged her cheeks was his reward after having to endure a long, tedious evening the night before that culminated with his and Kitty’s performance of Brahms’s Cello Sonata—which, despite his drinking, went off without a hitch. Music came easily to him, but not so love. At Gabriella’s appearance in the dining room, he’d sobered instantly—and could not help looking in her direction as he played.
She had slipped away before he’d had a chance to speak to her after the recital. And he’d returned to his room, feeling angry and frustrated.
Allegretto’s painting was another reason for his anxiety. He hadn’t decided whether to sell the painting, and Stefano was exerting pressure on him to decide on a course of action.
At breakfast, Stefano had whispered in his ear that he thought there might be a bidding war for the painting. From the baroness’s comments, Stefano had ascertained that she and Constance Shipley would be inclined to pay whatever amount he asked to obtain the storied Allegretto.
Stefano’s revelation was stuck in Jack’s head.
“Just think, Jack, you’ll have enough money to regain your patrimony, and you’ll be free from the need to marry. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your avoidance of making a commitment to Miss Maxwell, and I am not the only one who has noticed. Be careful.”
