“I don’t care where we are, just so I’m with you,” Jane said, and kissed him. It was almost verbatim what Valerie had said to Saverio before she left.
Valerie waited patiently until two in the morning to call Saverio again. She got him just as he woke up at eight A.M. in Florence. And he was wide awake the minute he heard her voice.
“How was it? What did he say?” he asked immediately, concerned. He knew that if Phillip objected vehemently, it would dampen Valerie’s enthusiasm for their plans. She didn’t want to upset or hurt her son.
“He was terrific,” she said happily. “He looked shocked for about four seconds, and then he said he was happy for us and I deserve it, and I can tell he means it.” She sounded elated and relieved, and Saverio lay in bed and smiled. It was the only thing he had been truly worried about. The rest they could figure out with a little jet lag and a lot of air tickets. He’d been thinking of buying a plane, for business, and that would make things easier too. But even without one, he was certain the relationship would work. They were both old enough to realize how lucky they were to have found each other, to treat each other well, and to know what they wanted and needed and were able to give each other.
“I’m so happy,” he said, beaming at his end. Phillip was the only obstacle he had feared, and could have made life miserable for his mother if he wanted to, and been nasty about it, possibly in defense of his father’s memory. Instead they had the approval of all their children, which meant a lot to both of them, and made everything easier.
“Now hurry up and come over,” she said, and sounded like a woman in love.
“I will be there in two weeks,” he reminded her, and they chatted for an hour after that, both of them forgetting how late it was for her. It just felt good to be alive and in love.
Chapter 26
WHEN SAVERIO’S FLIGHT arrived from Rome two weeks later, Valerie was waiting for him at the airport, and he took her in his arms as soon as he emerged from customs. He kissed her, and they smiled at each other. It made others smile as they saw them and walked by. They were so obviously in love, and happy to see each other.
Saverio was wearing a well-cut dark blue suit and looked very distinguished, and she was wearing a chic black cotton dress in the heat of the New York Indian summer.
They walked out of the airport, with their arms around each other’s waists. They were in no hurry, just happy to be together. The two weeks apart had felt like months to them.
“I bought a plane yesterday,” he told her, and she laughed, and told him he was crazy. But she knew that he had bought it for business, for him and his children to use on their trips for the gallery, to see important clients and buy new paintings all over Europe.
They were having dinner with Phillip and Jane that night, at La Grenouille, to welcome Saverio to New York. They were going to have drinks at her apartment first, and then go uptown for dinner. They had a lot to celebrate – Phillip and Jane’s new jobs, her relationship with Saverio, and whatever else they could think of.
And when he saw it, Saverio loved her apartment and the atmosphere she had created. It was small, but like a warm embrace. It was a piece of her history, and she didn’t want to give it up. And he was interested in all of it and admired her art and her eclectic collection of objects. He had two houses and an apartment in Italy. They would have her place in New York, and best of all, they had each other. They had all they needed. Their life together was a gift. Their meeting each other at all had been a blessing. They had come together through a series of what seemed like miracles now, which included not only them but everyone on their path, each in some special way that met their needs.
The miracles could be explained as destiny, blind luck, or coincidence. But magic had occurred. A woman who had vanished from their lives and virtually disappeared had touched them all in miraculous ways and brought them together. Marguerite had worked magic in their lives in the end, and blessed each of them with immeasurable gifts.
About the Author
Danielle Steel is one of the world’s most popular and highly acclaimed authors, with over ninety international bestselling novels in print and more than 600 million copies of her novels sold. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; and Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved.
To discover more about Danielle Steel and her books, visit her website at www.daniellesteel.com
You can also connect with Danielle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial or on Twitter: @daniellesteel
Also by Danielle Steel
BLUE
PRECIOUS GIFTS
UNDERCOVER
COUNTRY
PRODIGAL SON
PEGASUS
A PERFECT LIFE
POWER PLAY
PURE JOY:
The Dogs We Love
WINNERS
FIRST SIGHT
UNTIL THE END OF TIME
A GIFT OF HOPE:
Helping the Homeless
SINS OF THE MOTHER
FRIENDS FOREVER
BETRAYAL
HOTEL VENDÔME
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
44 CHARLES STREET
LEGACY
FAMILY TIES
BIG GIRL
SOUTHERN LIGHTS
MATTERS OF THE HEART
ONE DAY AT A TIME
A GOOD WOMAN
ROGUE
HONOUR THYSELF
AMAZING GRACE
BUNGALOW 2
SISTERS
H.R.H.
COMING OUT
THE HOUSE
TOXIC BACHELORS
MIRACLE
IMPOSSIBLE
ECHOES
SECOND CHANCE
RANSOM
SAFE HARBOUR
JOHNNY ANGEL
DATING GAME
ANSWERED PRAYERS
SUNSET IN ST. TROPEZ
THE COTTAGE
THE KISS
LEAP OF FAITH
LONE EAGLE
JOURNEY
THE HOUSE ON HOPE STREET
THE WEDDING
IRRESISTIBLE FORCES
GRANNY DAN
BITTERSWEET
MIRROR IMAGE
HIS BRIGHT LIGHT:
The Story of my son, Nick Traina
THE KLONE AND I
THE LONG ROAD HOME
THE GHOST
SPECIAL DELIVERY
THE RANCH
SILENT HONOUR
MALICE
FIVE DAYS IN PARIS
LIGHTNING
WINGS
THE GIFT
ACCIDENT
VANISHED
MIXED BLESSINGS
JEWELS
NO GREATER LOVE
HEARTBEAT
MESSAGE FROM NAM
DADDY
STAR
ZOYA
KALEIDOSCOPE
FINE THINGS
WANDERLUST
SECRETS
FAMILY ALBUM
FULL CIRCLE
CHANGES
THURSTON HOUSE
CROSSINGS
ONCE IN A LIFETIME
A PERFECT STRANGER
REMEMBRANCE
PALOMINO
LOVE: POEMS
THE RING
LOVING
TO LOVE AGAIN
SUMMER’S END
SEASON OF PASSION
THE PROMISE
NOW AND FOREVER
GOLDEN MOMENTS*
GOING HOME
* Published outside the UK under the title PASSION’S PROMISE
For more information on Danielle Steel and her books, see her website at www.daniellesteel.com
TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS
61–63 Uxbridge Road, London W5 5SA
www.transworldbooks.co.uk
Transworld is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at glo
bal.penguinrandomhouse.com
First published in Great Britain in 2016 by Bantam Press
an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Copyright © Danielle Steel 2016
Cover photographs © Alan Ayers
Danielle Steel has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologize for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781446487754
ISBN 9780593069066 (cased)
9780593069073 (tpb)
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Property of a Noblewoman Page 28