“How will you know what size to have him make the boots?”Patrick asked, preceding David into the workshop.The odor of leather and polish filled their nostrils.
“I held her feet in my hands,” David replied, pantomiming his moves from the night before.
“You obviously liked her feet,” Patrick teased, waggling his brows.His attention was caught by a few pairs of boots and slippers on a nearby shelf.
Although it took several minutes to make the shoemaker understand what he wanted, David was soon holding wooden carvings of various sized feet.He finally settled on one of a particular length but explained that it wasn’t wide enough where the toes should go.
Another round of negotiations ensued, and soon the shoemaker had a drawing of a foot that suited David.Before he had a chance to pay the man, a young woman took the drawing and began transferring the measurements to a piece of leather she had stretched out on a workbench.Her brother was already working on the soles, a set of one-inch heels set off to one side.
“Color?”
“Uh...black.”
“Three o’clock,” the shoemaker said.
“Three o’clock,” David repeated.“Please, keep the pattern.If this works, there will be orders for more,” he said.
Nodding his understanding, thecalzolaijoined his children in the construction of Vittoria’s half-boots.
Meanwhile, Patrick and David made their way out of the workshop and to the nearby intersection.“How did you get here?”David asked, not seeing another town coach.
“I walked.My apartment and office are near Piazza Navona.”
“Would you like a ride?I borrowed a town coach to get here,” David offered.
“Thank you, but I will walk.”
“Might I ask when you’ll propose?”David asked as the tiger opened the coach door for him.
Patrick nodded.“She has invited me to dinner this evening.”
“So...during the dessert course?”David guessed.
“I doubt I’ll make it to the first course,” Patrick replied, his grin broad.
“Good luck, Mr.McAdams.”
“To you, too.If this works, we’ll be part of the same family.”
He watched the town coach as the wheels clattered on the black brick street, glad for the serendipitous meeting.Although he remembered Armenia’s list of places best suited for marriage proposals, he had already decided he preferred the privacy of her home.
Heading north, he found the florist Giovanni had mentioned and placed an order for red roses to be delivered to Villa D’Avalos as soon as they could.Seeing they had a dozen more, he ordered those be delivered at noon.He wrote notes for both with instructions on which ones were to be used for each delivery.
His hand gripping the ring box through his top coat pocket, he made his way to his office, wondering the entire time how he would manage to get any work done that day.
