by Julia Talbot
His heart speeded up. “No.” Holding up a hand, Jacob went on, “But I will stop writing the thesis on why he wrangled with the church. And I'll stop working on Venetti under the aegis of the church as well. As a matter of fact, I'm prepared to resign. But only if you do this. And I get it in writing that it's done. Otherwise, I stick around under Miggliozzi-Rossi grant money and become a great big pain in your butt.”
The look on Fermozzi's face was thunderous. Jacob held his breath. There was a huge chance that Fermozzi would call his bluff. Jacob could almost see the wheels spinning in the man's mind. Then Fermozzi nodded slowly, and Jacob let go of that pent up breath with a whoosh.
“Very well,” Fermozzi said. “But I want your resignation in writing as well. Along with a written promise that any and all Church materials you used during your research will remain private.”
“Done.”
And it was done, just like that. It took another hour to get the paperwork done, and Fermozzi said he would send a copy of the signed pardon as soon as the Bishop passed it through. Jacob left with the whole deal signed and sealed in his hands. He wanted to throw up. He had just resigned from the priesthood, given up the only life he'd known since college. He'd done the right thing, his gut told him that, but he was terrified that he wouldn't know what to do next. Not only that, but he'd stooped to the worst sort of blackmail to get what he wanted. He had a lot of praying to do.
The ride back to the palazzo was a blur. When he got there, he carefully tucked all his papers away, and told one of the maids to wake him before dinner. Then he stripped and huddled under the covers in the twins’ big bed and shook.
He dressed for dinner that night, pulling on Gianni's clothes without thinking. Just as automatically he reached for his collar, and swallowed hard when it wasn't there. It was tucked away in his suitcase now, and he had no right to it. Shaking that thought off, he picked up his papers and went to the gold salon for drinks.
So different from the first time he'd been here, Jacob thought. The family acted like he was one of them, not a guest, and the conversation was relaxed instead of stilted. He understood these people so much better than he'd ever hoped to, and he felt like he had a place with them.
The look on Cecilia's face when he told them about what he'd done was worth every bit of it. Astonished joy was a good name for it, and she threw he arms around him and hugged him. He hugged back happily, and when he drew back Cecilia put a hand to his cheek. “I know how much you gave up, Jacob. But you did the right thing. You know that, yes?”
And he did. Much as it scared him, much as he knew it would be hard to do, probably the hardest thing he'd done, Jacob knew it was the right thing. In his mind, where the shadow of Matteo Venetti had lived for all these weeks, it was quiet.
Epilogue
The painting was nothing out of the ordinary. Typical of its time, rather flat and static, the portrait of the woman with the blue-green eyes was really nothing special. Except that it was the centerpiece of the showing of Matteo Venetti paintings that Jacob Ellory had arranged. The showing was invitation only, set inside the vast ballroom of the Palazzo Miggliozzi, and all of the glitterati had paid huge ticket prices for charity to be there and see it.
The showing was being held to celebrate two events; the reinstatement of Matteo Venetti into the Roman Catholic Church, and the birth of the new Miggliozzi heir, Marcantonio. It was, Jacob reflected, a very good night.
He stood between Damien and Gianni, who had simply refused to give him up, and surveyed his success. Terri caught his eye where she stood several feet away, smiling at him. She had worked hard to make sure this showing went off without a hitch, and they were both relieved. He was amused to see Vanni dancing attendance on her, standing with one arm wrapped around her waist.
The Miggliozzis joined him, Cecilia handing him a glass of wine, Marco taking Jacob's hand in both of his to shake. “It turned out wonderfully, Jacob,” Cecilia said. “I would never have thought when you first came to us that any of this would have happened.”
Bumping hips with the twins, Jacob grinned happily at her and raised his glass in a mock toast. “Well, you know what they say, Cecilia. The Lord works in mysterious ways.”
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