She gave him a suspicious look.“Always.”
David blinked.“Well, then why did you wear them?”
It was Vittoria’s turn to blink.“They are what is worn,” she replied.
“Well, surely there must be a shoemaker who can craft you a pair that don’t cause you pain,” he argued.
“I rather doubt it,” she said on a huff, her attention on one of the buildings they passed.
“Must be why Donald insisted he rub Nikky’s feet every night,” he murmured absently.
Vittoria’s eyes rounded, her gaze turning to him.“What is this?”
David lifted a shoulder in response.“I think he learned to do it from Father,” he said, as if he was talking to himself.“Something about the return on effort far greater than the cost.”
Visibly swallowing, Vittoria seemed to display even more color than she had only the moment before.“I cannot imagine of what it is you speak,” she said, once again turning her attention to something outside of the barouche.
Determined he find something of interest to the both of them, he asked, “Have you ever been to England?To see your aunt in London?”
Once again, Vittoria blinked and seemed to struggle with how to answer his query.“I have not.”
“But you have traveled?Outside of Rome?”
She seemed uncertain of how to answer before she finally lifted a shoulder.“I have been to Naples, Messina, Taormina, Catania...”She shrugged again.“And Roma.”
“That’s all?”he asked in surprise.
Her chin rising defiantly, Vittoria was obviously offended.“It is enough,” she stated.
“How old are you?”
Her eyes once again rounded as a scoff sounded.Before she could put voice to a scold, David held up a gloved hand.“Apologies.I did not mean it...like it sounded,” he stammered.“I merely expected the daughter of a conte to be moreworldlyis all.”He knew if looks could kill, he would have been dead earlier that morning.Now he was wishing the floor of the barouche would open up to allow him to escape the equipage.
“How worldly wereyouat eighteen years of age?”she asked.
David blinked, his mouth opening and closing as if he were a fish.“Oh,” he finally responded.“I had only traveled in England at that age,” he admitted.“Oxford, London, the Cotswolds.Derbyshire.”He stopped and struggled to remember any other places he might have been.“Oh, and Bath, of course.”
One of Vittoria’s brows arched.“Of course,” she mocked.
Sighing, David was about to give up on attempting further conversation when his attention was drawn to a structure on the horizon.“Is that...is that the Colosseum?”he asked in awe.
Vittoria followed his line of sight and said, “It is.”
“Will we go see it on the morrow?”he asked, wincing when they passed by a building that prevented him from seeing the ancient site of gladiatorial battles.
“I believe that is the plan,” she replied.“You will need to climb a number of stairs if you intend to go to the top.”
“We can go inside?”he asked, turning his attention back to her.
“Of course.”
“Have you been?”
She lifted a shoulder.“I have.”
David scoffed softly.“You were not impressed?”he guessed.
For a moment, she seemed unsure of how to answer.“If I did not know its main purpose for existing, I think I would have enjoyed it far more than I did,” she replied.“It’s quite large, with excellent sight lines from nearly every seat, and views of the city and the Forum from the arched openings.”
