Chapter12
A Walk is a Bit Bumpy
Meanwhile...
Arm-in-arm, Nicoletta and Donald and their guests departed the courtyard of Palazzo D’Avalos and headed in the direction of the river.Once again, David was forced to offer his arm to Vittoria when his uncle and cousins paired up with their wives.
Vittoria allowed an audible sigh but threaded her arm through his elbow.“Are you sure you wish to be seen in the company of a tart?”she asked in a hoarse whisper.
David gave a start, surprised she would even speak to him.“I’m not sure if you are aware, but tarts come both sweet and sour,” he said.
She furrowed her dark brows.“What are you saying?”
Chuckling softly, he said, “I have a confession to make.”
“There is a church very close,” she countered, waving a gloved hand in the direction of a gothic building featuring a pair of ornate spires.
For a moment, David was confused until he realized she was speaking of a confessional in a Catholic church.“No, not that sort of confession.One meant only for you,” he replied.
She inhaled softly.“Tell me,” she urged.
David cleared his throat, his gaze going from her to the building they were passing.“Had I arrived to the ball only a few minutes earlier than I did last night, I might have employed tactics similar to those that hadSignoreLuciano leading you to that alcove.”He paused them a moment so he could study the architecture of the buildings on both sides of the narrow lane in which they walked.
Vittoria narrowed her eyes.“So...you admit you are a rogue?”
He waggled his brows as if to reinforce words that could only confirm her suspicions about him being a rake.
“Only to suffer the same fate as him?”she went on, a look of triumph suffusing her face.
“HadIbeen the one joining you in that alcove, you would have been enjoying the encounter, I assure you,” he claimed.“You would not have given a thought to injuring my person, but then, I would have made sure your indiscretion went unnoticed by everyone in attendance.”
Vittoria huffed.“You… you insufferable?—”
“I prefer my tarts sweet, by the way,” David added, a grin bringing a dimple to his lower left cheek.
“Then I suppose I must be sure to be forever sour in your?—”
“Oh, Vittoria, shall we show our guests our favorite staircase?”The query came from Nicoletta, who, with her husband, was walking alongside Donald’s parents.Behind them were Randy, Diana, Tom, and Helen.Several in their party looked back at Vittoria.
She blinked.“Sì.Perhaps someone will enjoy a dip in the fountain there,” she replied, directing a glare at David.
He gasped.“I have not found the heat especially oppressive, but if you’re feeling faint, my lady, I could certainly assist you in a thorough dousing if you’d like.”
Vittoria’s mouth dropped open as her eyes turned to slits.“You wouldn’tdare,” she countered in a hoarse whisper.
“Continue to test me, and I’ll...”Although he seemed about to continue, David suddenly sobered when he noticed Randy had turned to glare at him.“You are correct.I would not.”He didn’t add that he could certainly allow his imagination to come up with a suitable image that would keep him entertained should he ever be bored—Vittoria D’Avalos, sitting in the middle of a marble fountain, not only drenched, but suffering the indignity of a nearby statue peeing on her.
Not on her head, though.He found her coiffure especially fetching, the single lock of hair on her shoulder making him wish he could slide his hand beneath it so he could feel the silken strands against his bare skin.
Perhaps he really did need to seek out a priest in a confessional.
The two ceased their conversation as they followed the others to the Piazza Trinità dei Monti and the Spanish Steps.
“David and Vittoria seem to be conversing rather well,” Nicoletta said, her comment directed to her husband.
“That is no surprise to me,” Donald replied.“Everyone finds David rather amiable.I’m not sure what you have in mind for them, though.”
Nicoletta grinned as she squeezed his arm.“I think they would make aperfectmatch,” she claimed.“Don’t you?”
