Chapter38
Roses, More Roses, and a Bath Interrupted
Meanwhile, back at Villa D’Avalos
Armenia watched as David bounded back into the barouche, struck by how much he looked like his older brother.How much he behaved like Donald had all those years ago when he was on his Grand Tour and had courted her niece, Nicoletta, in good faith.
At first, she had merely thought Donald was placating her niece.Doing her bidding because he was able to bed her—what young man would turn down the opportunity to experience sexual congress whilst on his Grand Tour?But she soon realized Donald had done so because he truly wished to make Nicoletta his wife.
How wrong she had been about Donald back then!The memory of the heartsick man’s last night in Catania came back to her in a flash.The anger she had felt at what her brother had done.The rage she experienced when she learned Nicoletta would be marrying the much older Marchese Montblanc.How stunned she had been when Nicoletta later explained the motivation behind it all.
As her natural father, Montblanc saw their “marriage-in-name-only” as the means of ensuring he had an heir, and it gave Nicoletta the opportunity to live with her real father, a man far more caring than Enrico D’Avalos had been.
The cur.
As a result of machinations, Montblanc had his heir—his very own grandson—because of Donald.Nicoletta was left a titled lady with a fortune.And now they were happily married with another child.
Not only was he a doting father, Donald had proved his ability to manage multiple properties as well as the Montblanc fortune.He wasn’t a spendthrift, even if he did tend to spoil his wife.Armenia was fairly sure he would spoil Amalia even more.
She was quite sure David would be much like his older brother in that regard.That is, if he did decide to court and marry Vittoria.
When Nicoletta had confided in her the week prior—to inform Armenia of her in-laws’ impending arrival and her plans to act as a matchmaker for her niece, Armenia had been hesitant.
David was terribly young to be considering marriage, but then Donald had been about the same age when he first courted Nicoletta.
The crack of the coachman’s whip brought Armenia out of her brief reverie, and she lifted a gloved hand to wave as the horses took the barouche from her courtyard.One of her own footmen saw to closing the wrought-iron gate, and before she could turn to go up the marble step to her front door, DeLuca had the door open for her.
Before she had even crossed the threshold, the scent of roses assaulted her nostrils.
“Roses?”she said, her attention going to a huge bouquet in a vase in the middle of the round table in the entry.
“Sì.They were delivered earlier this afternoon,” he replied in Italian, taking her parasol from her grasp.
Armenia stepped up to the bouquet, her gaze darting about the red blooms and surrounding greenery in search of a card.She plucked the tiny white envelope and quickly unfolded it.
I thought of you all night long.I look forward to our dinner this evening.~ Patrick
Clutching the note in her gloved hand, Armenia inhaled softly.
“They are not the only ones,mia donna,” DeLuca said.
She turned to stare at the servant.“What’s this?”
“I put the second delivery in the vase in the dining room?—”
“The second delivery?”she repeated.
He nodded.“They came at noon.Then the next bouquet arrived a short time ago.I put those in the vase in your sitting room.”
Armenia blinked, finally allowing a tentative smile.“I shall have to discover who those might be from,” she said, moving to the stairs.“Has cook everything she needs for this evening’s dinner?”
He nodded.“All is in readiness, signora.I was about to go down to the cellars for the wine.”
“Very good.Send Marcella to my apartment.I need to bathe and dress for dinner,” she said.
“Sì, signora.”He hurried off towards the servants’ quarters.
Armenia followed the scent of roses up the curved stairs to the first floor corridor.The cloisonné vase in the dining room featured another bouquet of red roses, the note resting against the base.She quickly unfolded it, a gloved hand going to her mouth when she read the masculine scrawl.
