Secrets of the Heart (Brie's Submission Book 20)

by Red Phoenix

  “I hope you respect my position.”

  “I do respect it.”

  But I don’t like it, she thought to herself.

  “Good.” He paused for a moment. “I hope Dante is proving an adequate host in my absence.”

  Brie glanced at Dante. “His arrival was certainly a surprise.”

  Her phone started buzzing. Brie looked to see Sir was calling her.

  “I apologize, but I must take this phone call, Gino.”

  “Of course. Until we speak again, Brianna.”

  She hung up with him and immediately answered the call. “Good morning, Sir.”

  “It’s good to hear your voice, babygirl.”

  “How did Nonna’s diagnostic tests go yesterday?”

  “Very well. Dr. Ricci feels confident the surgery will correct the issue. Because of a cancellation they were able to schedule her surgery for tomorrow.”

  “So soon? That’s incredible, Sir!”

  “It is fortunate. Nonna is anxious to return home, as am I. Neither one of us cares for hospitals.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, Sir,” she answered, shuddering involuntarily as she thought about his stay at the ICU. “Please give Nonna a hug and a kiss, and tell her how much I love her.”

  “I will, babygirl. Before I go, tell me how things are going with you.”

  Brie caught him up quickly, sharing her excitement over the letters and Alonzo’s first recording in America, as well as her frustration at not being allowed to make copies of anything. But, the moment she mentioned that Gino had left and Dante had taken his place, Sir stopped her.

  “Is Dante with you now?”

  Brie looked at Dante and smiled. “Yes, he is.”

  “Let me speak to him.”

  Dante gave Brie a surprised look when she handed him the phone. He looked concerned as he listened to Sir. He then nodded to her before leaving the room to continue the conversation.

  Brie was stunned, wondering at the strange turn of events.

  When he returned, Dante handed back her phone. “Your husband is speaking with Signore Mancini now and will call you after.” Giving a bow of his head, he told her, “Please excuse me, Signora Davis. I must pack.”

  “You’re leaving?”

  “Sì,” he answered, before exiting the room.

  Brie sat down slowly, a knot growing in her stomach as she waited for Sir to call her back. When her phone rang, she immediately answered it. “Sir, Dante says he’s packing. Is everything okay?”

  “I just spoke to Gino because I wanted to know why he left so soon after you arrived.”

  “I did find it odd, Sir. However, it has given me free reign to go through the boxes at my own pace. I had no idea Dante was coming until after he arrived.”

  “Yes, Dante explained that neither of you were informed about the arrangement, which seems strange to me. If Gino planned to leave, he should have informed us before we made the arrangements. And, as far as sending Dante in his stead, no matter his intentions, that should have been discussed with you as well.”

  “I wholeheartedly agree, Sir.”

  “So I’ve asked Dante to return to Venice. Gino’s arrangements seem unnecessary and complicated, and I feel it’s best that Benito comes to get you.”

  “Now, Sir?” she asked in surprise.

  “No, he’ll be arriving in the morning to pick you up.”

  She looked at all the boxes in disappointment. She hadn’t expected to leave them behind so soon. “I sure wish Gino would allow me to make digital copies so I could continue the research once I leave here.”

  “I discussed that as well with him. Although his fears seem unfounded, I respect his reasoning and must honor it.”

  Staring at the open boxes, she confessed, “There’s so much here, Sir. I actually hate to leave.”

  “We’ll return at a later date when I can join you. I’m interested in going through them myself.”

  Brie loved the idea of going over the materials together and gushed, “Oh Sir, you are going to be inspired by all the history Gino has preserved here.”

  “I’m certain I will be,” he chuckled lightly. “Make the most of the time you have left, babygirl, but don’t forget to eat and get the rest you need.”

  She laughed. “I will, Sir.”

  “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, babygirl.”

  Brie looked at the boxes after she hung up, grateful she had a little more time before she had to part with the treasure trove of materials.

  Dante entered the study shortly after the call. “I’m about to leave. Is there anything I can get you before I go, Signora Davis?”

  “No, but thank you. I’m sorry this was such a waste of your time.”

  “It was not. I was inspired by my stay here and have a new mask in mind. I plan to start work on it as soon as I return home.”

  “That sounds wonderful.” Before he left, she told Dante, “I’ve appreciated your company.”

  “As have I, Signora Davis. Give your husband my best. I look forward to meeting your bambina someday.”

  “Maybe the next time we meet you will have found your Venetian girl.”

  He smiled. “Buongiorno, Signora Davis.”

  Once Dante left, Brie was struck by how lonely the immense mansion seemed—even with servants.

  Rather than dwell on it, she went back to the letters and started reading.

  Having spoken with Dante, Brie now recognized similarities with Alonzo’s history and his. Gino often sent Alonzo on tours, causing him to be separated from his family for extended periods of time.

  Whenever Alonzo mentioned his loneliness in the letters, he always followed it up with the belief that his God-given talent required sacrifice—the same sentiment Dante had shared with her.

  But, there came a point when Alonzo questioned it. After several letters explaining his need to return to his mother, Alonzo finally sent a short, angry reply.

  Gino,

  God would not want me to abandon my mother right now. He would never require such a sacrifice!

  I’m not ignorant of the hit I will take professionally for backing out on this tour, nor the financial burden it will place on you, but I don’t care.

  You called me selfish, but I vehemently disagree. I am a son first, and a violinist second. I would suffer hell before I forsake my mother.

  If this ends your support, so be it.

  I could not live with myself if I deserted my mother when she needs me most.

  ~Alonzo

  There was a gap in the letters for two months. Brie had no idea what had happened to Nonna since it wasn’t mentioned. Whatever the case, Gino must have reconciled with Alonzo because the next letter was much different in tone.

  Gino,

  My family is devastated. After so much loss, it seems unfair that my mother must suffer through it again.

  I need a few more months before I can consider your proposition. However, I’m interested in the charity event in Rome and I am committing to that without hesitation.

  Despite your generous offer, I insist on paying you back for the financial debt you incurred. The choice to cancel the tour was solely for personal reasons. Please take out a percentage of my future earnings until I have paid in full.

  Your friendship is important to me, and I refuse to let money get between us.

  Once I am certain that my family no longer needs me, I will reach out to you concerning the American tour.

  Sincerely, ~Alonzo

  Three months later, after Alonzo agreed to the tour, the frequency of the letters increased. Brie felt as she read them that she was a part of Alonzo’s journey as he prepared for his first tour across the ocean.

  But the tone of his letters changed once he reached America. Brie suspected she knew the reason why. When he’d written, I may be falling in love with this country, she was certain that it was not the country he was falling in love with, but Ruth.

  Reading on through the letters, Alonzo hinte
d that there was a young woman, but it wasn’t until Gino traveled to America to meet her that Alonzo opened up about Ruth in his letters.

  Gino,

  Now that you’ve met her, I no longer feel the need to hide my feelings from you.

  I thought I was in love before, but it does not even compare to this. The fact she feels the same for me…I cannot describe the ecstasy.

  The moment I laid eyes on her, I was struck by our instant connection. It felt as if I had known her forever even though we were strangers.

  You will laugh, but I knew it was fate when I was playing on stage that first night and I looked out into the crowd and our eyes met.

  Ever since, I have been on an emotional high. I can’t get enough of her!

  I know you feared that Ruth would disrupt my life, but she has inspired me. I have never felt this level of connection to my violin and my music has never sounded as sweet.

  If this is what love can do, then I pray you find your perfect woman soon. I want you to know such happiness, my friend.

  ~Alonzo

  Brie was unsure how Sir would feel after reading his father’s letters. She wondered if it would bring him comfort, affirming what he remembered about his mother growing up. Or would it break his heart, like it was breaking hers now?

  Brie put down the letter, a feeling of melancholy washing over her. Needing a break from it, she decided to take Gino up on his offer and wandered through the mansion.

  She took her time as she explored each hallway, running her hands over the pieces to commit them to memory by sight and touch. She appreciated what a privilege it was to do so.

  But she eventually ended up going back to the painting of the little girl. On a whim, she took a picture of it, wanting to recreate the scene in a photo when Hope was older.

  Before returning to the study, one of the servants intercepted her. “I’ve come to inform you that dinner is served.”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t eat right now. I’ve got too much to do.” She realized it sounded like a poor excuse, considering she was currently wandering through the hallways.

  “I apologize, Signora Davis, but I was told I cannot take no as an answer.”

  Brie remembered her promise to Sir so, rather than fight it, she dutifully followed the man back to the dining room.

  She had to laugh as she sat down at the enormous table all by herself.

  The woman from the night before walked in with two covered dishes, placing both of them in front of her.

  She removed the first lid with the same flourish as she had the night before. This time, Brie discovered a Caprese salad—one of her favorite dishes—and that made her smile.

  When the woman lifted the second lid, Brie’s smile grew wider. It was a bowl of pasta carbonara, another favorite.

  It was too much of a coincidence not to suspect Sir must have ordered the meal. Knowing that her Master had orchestrated this special dinner opened Brie up to spending time to enjoy it.

  Sadly, eating alone was definitely not near as much fun. When the woman came in to pour her another glass of wine, Brie asked if she would leave it. The woman nodded, putting the bottle on the table, before exiting the room.

  After eating her fill, Brie got up from the table and grabbed the wine bottle.

  “Thank you for another exceptional meal,” she told the cook as she left, holding up the wine bottle in appreciation before heading back up the stairs to the study.

  Once inside the room, Brie stared at the box of letters. Alonzo was no longer a concept or the remnants of someone else’s memory but a real, living human being captured in time.

  However, those letters also left her feeling unsettled because of the questions reading them had produced. Brie’s heart ached as she wondered what terrible thing Nonna had suffered years ago.

  Even more disturbing was Ruth. Brie couldn’t fathom what had made Sir’s mother change from the loving person she seemed to be in those letters to the heartless beast she’d eventually become.

  Despite those unknowns, and the tragic future he would face one day, Brie was inspired by Alonzo Davis’s passion for music, his loyalty to family, and the way he had embraced life.

  People needed to connect with this side of him—the young man behind the violin before he became a world-famous talent.

  She knew that connecting with his fears and triumphs would affect the audience on an emotional level. It was Brie’s hope that through this film, Alonzo would be remembered not for the heartbreaking way his life had ended, but instead for the extraordinary soul he was.

  Brie held up the wine bottle to make a toast. “To you, Alonzo Davis. Faithful son, devoted husband, and father to my soulmate. It’s nice getting to know you.” She took a swig of wine straight from the bottle and heard the ping of a text.

  Looking down at her phone, she saw it was from Sir.

  Are you in bed yet?

  She grinned. Not yet, Sir. But I will head there now.

  Sleep well, babygirl.

  Brie took several more swigs of wine before leaving the study. She finished the rest of it as she headed to her bedroom, stopping along the way to make a toast to every painting she passed.

  When she finally came up to the room, she noticed that the door adjacent to hers was slightly ajar.

  Curious, she set the empty wine bottle down in the hallway before taking a peek inside.

  This room had the same type of bed, but the color scheme was brown and gold with dark wood throughout. Just as she had with her own room, Brie explored each piece of furniture, admiring the workmanship and artistry of each. Tipsy on the wine, she assured herself that it was okay because Gino himself had given her permission.

  As she walked over to a wooden chest with a large metal lock, situated at the foot of the bed, Brie noticed a painting on the wall.

  It gave her the chills.

  The painting was of a solitary woman looking sideways, her hair partially covering her face as the breeze played with it. She was staring off into the distance with a slight smile on her lips. The woman seemed familiar to her, but Brie wasn’t certain why.

  A writing desk caught her eye and she gravitated toward it. That’s when she saw a list written for the staff in Gino’s handwriting.

  Brie backed away slowly, her heart racing.

  Suddenly aware that she had invaded his private bedroom, she snuck out of the room, shut the door quietly behind her, and breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that no one had caught her. Picking up the wine bottle, she escaped into her own room and locked the door.

  Even with his permission to explore the entire mansion, Brie knew Gino would never condone snooping in his bedroom—even if only by accident. As to why the door had been left ajar, Brie could only speculate.

  The last thing she wanted was to offend the man who had offered up his home and his wealth of materials to her. His willingness to share them had opened up Alonzo’s world to Brie in a way she never dreamed possible.

  Brie settled into bed with her heart still racing. Now, however, it was racing out of excitement. Her documentary wasn’t going to be simply a list of facts set in a sequential timeline that focused on his musical career.

  No, her film about Alonzo was going to be epic!

  The Cottage

  The next morning, Brie finished re-boxing the last of the materials, her mind consumed with all the letters she had yet to read and the performances she had yet to watch. She didn’t know when she would be back, which made it difficult because it felt as if she was leaving a piece of her heart behind.

  As she headed to the door, she turned back, glancing at the boxes one last time. “Until we meet again, Alonzo.”

  Sir’s cousin Benito was waiting for her downstairs. He’d arrived early so they could meet Sir at the hospital before Nonna’s surgery.

  His outward demeanor reminded her of Sir in that he appeared cool and collected, but it was easy to tell he was anxious about Nonna by the way he kept tapping his fingers on the dashboard
of the car as he drove.

  “Are you okay?”

  He chuckled. “No, Brianna. If anything bad happens to Nonna…” He glanced at her with tears in his eyes.

  Brie knew that Nonna was the matriarch of the family, but it wasn’t until this trip that she’d understood how everyone loved Nonna with equal devotion. Brie wondered what her secret was, knowing how rare it was for someone to evoke such deep loyalty from so many.

  Wanting to ease Benito’s mind, she told him, “Sir explained to me that the operation won’t take long and she’ll be able to come home with us tomorrow. There’s no reason to worry.”

  He laughed miserably. “I can’t help it.”

  She noticed that he closed his hand into a fist to stop himself but, before long, he was back to tapping his fingers on the dashboard.

  Brie quickly discovered as they drove along that Benito was not much of a talker—at least not when he was worried.

  Luckily, Benito had the heart of a drummer, so to entertain herself, she started dancing in her seat to the beat of his rhythm. By the time they arrived at the hospital, she had Benito laughing at her exaggerated dance moves.

  Helping her out of the car, Benito told her, “Most women nag me incessantly to stop tapping even though they know I can’t when I’m worried.” He grinned. “But you? You danced to it.”

  “Hey, you kept me entertained the entire trip.” She shrugged. “So, it was good for both of us.”

  Brie noticed Benito falling behind as they walked up to the building. He stared at it with a concerned expression and started wiping his hands against his pants.

  “I don’t like hospitals, either,” she told him, taking his arm. “But Nonna needs us.”

  “Sì.” He took in a deep breath and went to open the door for her. Brie watched his countenance change as they walked and by the time they’d located Sir, he exuded an air of calm again.

  Sir walked up to shake his hand. “Thank you for bringing her safely to me.”

  Benito glanced at Brie and smiled. “We had fun on the drive.”

  Sir opened his arms to her. Brie moved into his embrace and sighed gratefully. There was nothing better than the feel of Sir’s strong arms around her.