Two days pass,both riddled with hostile remarks and thick tension around the house. Neither Rocco nor Enzo is around, so Lucia continues to openly spite me every chance she gets.
For the most part, I try to stay in my room to avoid anyconfrontation, but the more time goes by, the more I realize I can't hide forever. Nor can I just exist within these four walls with nothing to do.
As I decide my next course of action, a member of the staff notifies me that there will be a banquet tonight. To officially announce the marriage and save face in front of the other families and important guests, Rocco has decided to throw an all-out fete to present Enzo's marriage to the poor Marchesi girl as a success—an intentional decision and not one borne out of necessity.
My presence being mandatory, there's nothing else to be done but await a further humiliation. I can already hear the echoes of laughter and the gazes of pity—isn't that all I've ever received so far?
Sometime in the afternoon, Ana comes by, bringing me a dress for the evening.
"Signor Enzo instructed me to give you this."
I take the box from her hands and lay it on the bed. Inside is a bright red dress that glitters in the light.
My mouth opens in shock as I look at the most beautiful gown I’ve ever seen. I don't waste any time shedding my clothes to try it on. I go to the mirror and take in the beautiful color and cut. It's simply exquisite.
The cleavage area is a little too exposed for my liking, but the dress molds to my body, giving me some shape.
I look like a woman.
I'm amazed by this simple transformation. The dress is mid-thigh length, and while I've never worn anything so short before, I know it is the fashion in big cities.
There's a pair of shoes, too, but they are a tad too big.
Not wanting to seem ungrateful or whiny, I go to the bathroom and search for some gauze to stuff into the front of the shoes so they won't slip off my feet.
Maybe it’s because I'm feeling more beautiful than I've everfelt before, but I'm suddenly giddy, and I can't wait for Enzo to see me in this. It is his present, after all.
A couple more hours pass, and I start seeing cars pull into the driveway from the window in my room.
I'm a little uncertain because more and more people are arriving, but no one's told me to come down yet.
When I'm finally at the end of my patience, Ana appears once more and invites me downstairs.
I will myself to walk straight, the shoes incredibly uncomfortable even with the stuffed material. We reach the bottom of the stairs, and she shows me toward the ballroom.
A little disappointed that Enzo didn't come to get me himself, I push my chin up and step inside.
It takes me less than a second to realize everyone is staring at me—and why. All the women and girls are wearing ankle-length dresses in muted tones, with a few daring convention by wearing black. No one is showing any skin.
I catch Enzo's eye from across the room, and he's scowling at me. Just a few strides and he's in front of me, taking me by the arm.
"What the fuck are you wearing? Have you gone mad?" he roars in my ear, his voice for my ears only.
"But…" I'm about to tell him that it's his fault, that he was the one who gave me the dress. But as my eyes move around the room, I meet the satisfied smile of Lucia, and I realize I've been played.
All the humiliation I envisioned is already happening, and Lucia is gloating on the sidelines.
I should have questioned the package.
I'd been so enthralled with the dress—my first of its kind—that I hadn't stopped for a second to think it might be a trap.
And now, as everyone stares at me accusatorily, I try not to slump my shoulders in defeat or lower my head in shame.
"I like the dress," I tell Enzo with confidence. If I can't escapetheir scrutiny, I might as well wear my shame with pride. "It's a beautiful color."
"It also makes you look like a tramp. God, Allegra, where the hell did you get this?" His words are clipped, his eyes focused on my cleavage. "Go change. I won't have you walking around like this." His fingers bite into my arms, but I push him off, plastering a nonexistent smile on my face.
"I'm already wearing it. And not everyone seems to dislike it." I raise an eyebrow at him, nodding toward the men looking at my body appreciatively.
