by Fanny Finch
“After all, travel is good for daughters to gain culture, for wives to have a break from boredom, and for husbands to find financial gain,” the Earl explained.
It seemed to make sense to Mr. Caulfield, but to Mattia it sounded foolish. Yes, if he were to go to London, a large reason would be to gain patrons. But it would be the patrons that enabled him to stay in London and that was really what he wanted.
He wished to see the world for the world’s sake, not for the sake of business.
When the Earl of Rudford had met Mattia at one of the museums just the day before, Mattia had never imagined how greatly his life would be impacted by the meeting. He had by then all but lost hope that his dreams would ever come to pass.
Nevertheless, here he was: not only having found himself a wealthy patron, but a wealthy patron who was also very eager to share his find with others.
The Earl was a man who seemed to have a great appreciation for the arts. This was not something that Mattia had seen often from those who came from abroad. They were generally more interested in appearing knowledgeable and cultured than actually being so.
And yet the most thrilling aspect was that the Earl had then chosen to introduce him to another family that he could paint in the days to come. But this family was not just a simple job for him. No, there was much more to it.
Mr. Caulfield had requested a portrait from him after the strange departure of his wife and daughter. Mattia enthusiastically agreed to do the portrait, but found himself disappointed to realize that the father had no desire to have a family portrait, but rather just the one of himself.
Mattia was shocked at how large Mr. Caulfield wanted the painting to be. Generally, the size of canvas he was asking for was used for paintings of an entire man with a landscape behind him, but Mr. Caulfield wished this size for a painting of only his shoulders, neck, and head. But he would give Mr. Caulfield whatever he wished for.
Truly, however, the real work of art was Mr. Caulfield’s daughter. Miss Caulfield was entirely lovely. When he had first seen her, he thought he was in a dream.
Mattia could hardly believe his eyes. Was this woman a vision? Was she a creature from a painting? Perhaps she was a mythical mirage.
But no, she was real. She stood before him and gave him some sort of new life that he had never known before. This young woman, this Georgette Caulfield, was a living being, one which would ever hold him captive.
He wished for her to return from wherever it was that she had wandered off to. He wanted her to come back, to spend more time with him. He wished to get to know her.
Those large, orb-like green eyes were beautiful. The natural redness upon her cheeks was entirely charming. Her figure was elegant but womanly. And the hair that she tried to keep pinned up, hair nearly as dark brown as his own, seemed so full that it might burst free at any moment.
She would be a delight to paint. She would captivate him in every way if he had the fortune of getting to sketch her onto the canvas and fill in the lines.
Better than any flower or any sky, she was an artist’s dream.
Mr. Caulfield, however, was only going to be in town for a week and, in that time, Mattia was still going to be working on the portrait for the Earl of Rudford and would have time only for the head portrait of Mr. Caulfield. It was a great shame.
How ever limited he was, Mattia was still thrilled by two facts. The first, of course, being that he had found more wealthy English clients. And the second being that this allowed him to meet the young woman with the pink, rosebud mouth.
“I fear we are boring the lad,” Mr. Caulfield remarked then, and Mattia noticed that he was being watched by the two men.
“Oh, forgive me. There are times when I find myself distracted by my thoughts and how I intend to go about my work. I was imagining your portrait, Signor,” Mattia explained.
It was not exactly a lie, as he did often do this, but he also knew that in that moment, it was not Mr. Caulfield he was imagining painting.
“Well, that is a man of hard work, to be sure. My lord, I believe you have found a gem in this artist fellow of yours. Do you think you really can spare him for a few days to paint me?” Mr. Caulfield asked.
“It would be my pleasure to do so. I shall be here a bit longer than you. Not by much, but enough that I am able to delay my own piece by a day or two,” the Earl said generously.
“I am entirely thankful for it,” Mr. Caulfield replied.
Mattia watched the exchange but remained quiet. In some ways he felt as though he was being traded as a commodity among the men. But he could not allow himself to be offended by it.
These were patrons of his now. They were the men who could change his future.
When he had been so close to giving up, Mattia had finally been found by the right man. The Earl of Rudford was the rescuer of his dreams, he was the one who could open the door to the hopes Mattia had for his future.
“Well now, I am afraid that we must be off,” the Earl said then, suddenly realizing what time it was.
“Yes, and we as well. I believe my ladies are ready to dine,” Mr. Caulfield remarked, noticing that his daughter was returning.
Mattia looked at her immediately and noticed that she had a rather ill expression on her face. It was as if she might faint at any moment.
He wondered if something had occurred or if she was much disturbed by that letter she had received.
“We are actually planning to dine out as well. Mr. Ricci has suggested a place that he says will give us plenty of space and privacy with excellent food. Do you wish to join us?” the Earl offered, to Mattia’s delight.
He had chosen a rather small restaurant where they would be able to dine on lovely Italian food.
But it was also a place where he knew he would not be seen by any of his father’s friends or acquaintances. He was known to the owner of the place as the poor artist that he preferred to be known as.
It was hardly that he wished to appear as if in poverty, but Mattia was desperate to not make a name for himself based on that of his father.
He wished to be known for his art, as opposed to his family. He wished to be more than that.
“We should be delighted to join you!” exclaimed Mr. Caulfield.
“Well then, it is settled. The six of us shall dine together,” the Earl of Rudford declared.
Mattia looked once more at Miss Caulfield. He was going to be dining with her. He would be able to get to know her better, surely. This would be a small, quiet dinner and it would enable him the chance to see who she really was.
Taking two separate cabs, one for the men and one for the women, they made their way to the place.
When they arrived, it was clear that Miss Caulfield and her mother were at odds, and Mattia wondered if something had taken place on the short journey, some sort of exchange between them.
Whatever it was, he could sense that she was bothered. But still, whenever they made those brief moments of eye contact, he saw a softness in her.
During dinner, Mattia was asked all manner of questions about Italian art.
“If you want to see the greats, I must recommend Florence. Many will tell you Venice, but Florence is the place for art. The very air you breathe in the city is filled with creativity and excitement. I cannot imagine a man going to Florence and not feeling inspired,” he informed them.
“It sounds magnificent,” Miss Caulfield said, perhaps one of the first times she had spoken during the whole evening.
Her governess nodded as well. “Oh yes, it is quite breathtaking,” she agreed.
“You have been there?” he asked.
Miss Franklin nodded, looking to her employer. Mr. Caulfield was giving her a glare as if to remind her that it was not her place to make conversation at the table. She was a mere employee and had no business speaking out amongst them all.
“Well, I am very glad you have had such an opportunity. I do hope that your charge and her family have the same chance to see th
at magnificent city,” Mattia said politely.
Miss Caulfield grinned at his use of her word to describe it. He grinned back, hoping that it would go generally unnoticed by the rest of those seated with them. But soon the food arrived and it did not matter.
“That is quite a lot of cheese!” Mrs. Caulfield noticed, looking at the plate before her.
Mattia nodded. He was surprised that she had not expected it. It was not as though the English didn’t have cheese. But then again, he knew that his country’s meals were different from those in England, and he knew very little about their food.
The Caulfields certainly seemed to enjoy every bite, and it made him happy to see.
The restaurant was intimate, lit dimly within the honey-colored walls. Wine was brought out to garnish the meal and it was evident that the Caulfields were not opposed to this. Of course, their daughter and the governess were allowed none.
“You have chosen well for us to dine, Mr. Ricci,” commented the Earl of Rudford.
“I was going to say the very same,” Mr. Caulfield supplemented.
Mattia could sense that Mr. Caulfield was trying to gain the Earl’s approval the entire evening. But as he had been attempting to do the very same for the past two days, he could not judge the Englishman.
It had been simple to enter into conversation with the Earl of Rudford, and once he learned that Mattia was an artist, everything got easier.
But still, he wondered if the Earl would remain in his circle for his artwork, or if he would forget him the moment the portrait was complete. Would he cast him aside and move on to England without another word as so many had done?
Upon the conclusion of the meal, Mattia waited to say his farewells. It was most difficult to say goodbye to the young woman he had just met that very evening who had already become a part of his dreams.
He hoped that he would see her again frequently as he visited the Earl at the apartments, but he could not be sure.
If he was not fortunate enough to see her again, would he really be able to forget her?
Click on the link below to find out how the story continues!
http://fannyfinch.com/amb013
Also by Fanny Finch
● Book 1: Saving Lady Abigail
● Book 2: Engaging Love
● Book 3: A Forthright Courtship
● Book 4: A Love Worth Saving
● Book 5: Love Letters to A Lady
● Book 6: The Duke’s Cautious Governess
● Book 7: A Lady’s Choice
● Book 8: An Earl for Her Hopeless Heart
● Book 9: Last Chance for the Charming Ladies
● Book 10: A Second Chance for the Broken Duke
● Book 11: A Fiery love for the Reluctant Duchess
Book 12: Enchanted by the Mysterious Marquess
Book 13: The Redemption of the Puzzling Governess
Book 14: A Night Rose for the Duke
Book 15: The Portrait of a Rebellious Lady
Book 16: A White Rose for the Marquess