He shook his head. “The thing is, I made a promise to help you get comfortable with me first.”
“Can’t you tell that’s what’s happening?”
“I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you. I don’t want to make any more mistakes with you like I did in the beginning.”
How ironic that she was learning how to do what he did and live in the moment. In fact, that was what she intended to do until they left the chalet. For now she would pretend Stefano could really love her as she loved him. Once they were back in the real world, she feared all would be different.
Lanza stood up and went into the kitchen to start dinner. Stefano took the fox downstairs. When he came back up, he undid a package marked salmon he put in the microwave to thaw. “I’ll freshen up and be back.”
While he was gone, she set the table with wine and candles, and made some bruschetta for an appetizer. When she noticed he’d come back to the living room freshly shaven, she turned on the grill and cooked the salmon. The steaks only took a few minutes. Finally, everything was ready including the coffee.
“La cena è pronta, Stefano,” she called to him.
“Meraviglioso.” He came into the kitchen and took their laden plates to the table without glancing at her.
She followed with the tray of coffee and cups, drinking in how incredibly appealing he was, wearing navy trousers and a white pullover. No man in Domodossola or Umbriano could measure up to him, not in looks or charisma.
Tonight was like déjà vu, but instead of dumplings, he wolfed down the bruschetta so fast she had to bring more to the table. He lifted his head. “You could open a restaurant, Lanza. Do you know that?”
“That’s been a dream of mine for a while.”
He’d already made inroads into the fettuccine and salmon. “How so?”
“Recently, I’ve urged father to have a soup kitchen constructed in the western part of the city next to the new housing for the homeless and immigrants. He thinks it’s a good idea, but there are other needs that have more priority. It’s a case of raising more money.”
She smiled at him. “Perhaps because you’re his new son-in-law, you could talk him into allocating some funds as an experiment. Maybe match them with donations from some of our wealthier citizens. I’d love to at least get it started and run it until I can find volunteers who’ll be happy to work there full-time. Many people everywhere would help if given the opportunity.”
He stared at her in surprise. “You’d really like to take on that kind of responsibility?”
“A soup kitchen is only one of my interests.”
Stefano put down his fork. “What else?”
She was flattered by his interest and plunged away. “I told you about Duccio, who taught me how to play cards. He, like so many of the disabled naval veterans still do, needed housing and better health care. They’ve fought for our country and we have a moral obligation to pay them back.”
“Alberto never told me you were a philanthropist at heart.”
She sipped her coffee. “Don’t assume I’m a Mother Teresa–type with a list of a dozen causes that are underfunded and don’t have the right people with organizational skills. But you can’t live in this world without seeing problems. I would hope that’s true, even if I’m a royal.”
“So what did you and my brother talk about if it wasn’t about the needs of the people?”
“Between elaborate breakfasts, lunches and dinners, we rowed on the lake out in back of the palace and went horseback riding. Our conversation centered mostly on his duties for your father and my schooling.
“We both agreed we got annoyed with our tutors. Instead of learning Latin and studying the Punic Wars, we would have much preferred to get into the latest inroads in technology and become computer savvy. He once told me that if he’d been granted one wish, he would have become a space scientist.”
That brought a sad expression to Stefano’s face. “I remember when he was given a telescope that was set up in his room. He’d look through it all the time and should have been allowed to pursue his studies in science.”
She swallowed hard to hear his pain. “Now he’s in heaven, where he’s learning amazing things.”
“I’d like to believe that.”
Lanza eyed him directly. “Don’t you believe in an afterlife?”
“Do you?” He turned the question on her.
She wondered if her answer was important to him, wishing it didn’t matter. “Definitely. This beautiful world wouldn’t have been created only for everything to end once we’d lived out our lives here. After what we learn, it wouldn’t make sense not to take that knowledge to the next world.”
* * *
As he’d been thinking ever since he’d married Lanza, Stefano thought she was the most intriguing female he’d ever met in his life. There were so many parts that made up the whole of her; he knew he hadn’t even skimmed the surface.
After holding her in his arms and kissing her earlier, he also discovered she was the most desirable woman he’d ever been with, and he’d been with a lot of them over the years. His heart still hadn’t recovered from the shock since her mouth had opened to the pressure of his. Her response had shaken him to the foundation.
The two of them had experienced an overwhelming surge of passion earlier that had been real. But he shouldn’t have acted on his desire this soon when he’d told her they’d give their marriage time until she was ready for intimacy. The chemistry between them had made it almost impossible for him to let her go.
Following that thought came a sensation of guilt when he realized that his own brother would have been the one to make love to her if he hadn’t died. He closed his eyes tightly. What he needed to do was shut off those thoughts.
With a sharp intake of breath he said, “After that fabulous meal, I’m going to do the dishes while you relax. When I’ve finished, are you up for another game of cards before we go to bed?”
“Yes.”
He eyed her in amusement. “I was thinking of playing Briscola. Let’s play for higher stakes.”
“You’re on.” Her eyes glowed like gems.
Stefano’s mind went back to the planning stage of this supposedly quick trip to the mountains. After two days his intention had been to take her on a sterile drive to the Mediterranean while they made desultory talk trying to get to know each other.
Not in his wildest dreams would he have imagined being snowed in with Lanza enjoying a domestic scene like this with a wife who thrilled him. Eager to join her, he finished up in record time, but when he went to get the cards, he saw that she’d already taken them from the breakfront and was looking at the back side of one.
“What’s caught your eye?” He sat down next to her.
“The drawings of clubs and swords. And of course denari for gambling. But I guess that’s not unusual considering it was the warriors who passed time playing cards until their next war.”
Everything she said was unexpected and kept him fascinated. “What would you have drawn?”
“I have no talent, but my sister Fausta does. She would probably have designed the heads of dogs and birds. She’s a wonderful artist and could sell her work.” Lanza looked up at him. “If you’re ready, I’ll deal.” The glint in her eye told him she was prepared to do battle and would give him no quarter.
At the end of three rounds, he’d won the first two, but she won the last one. “Bravo, Lanza. Let’s go another round.”
“I’m in, but I swear you’re better at this than I am. Do you play cards a lot during your downtime at the mining camps?”
“Hardly ever. Mostly I eat and sleep after putting in twenty hours work a day.”
“Do the wives join their husbands at the camps? I’m talking about your managers.”
“No. There’d be nothing for the women to do.”
“Does
that mean you would never take me with you?”
He stared hard at her. “I can promise you wouldn’t be happy. It’s not a place to be if you don’t have a job there.”
“Could you give me one? I enjoyed learning about the things you told me in your emails. Your work is so important I’d like to be a part of it if I could. At night we could be together whether it’s in a tent or sleeping in the out of doors. The six weeks you have to be gone on your various trips wouldn’t matter if we were together.”
Stefano couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What if you became pregnant?”
“Then I’d travel with you until I couldn’t.”
“Your family wouldn’t approve.”
“But you’re my husband. I vowed to honor you.”
Perhaps it could work since his wife wanted her freedom. All along she’d maintained that was what she craved. With Stefano’s influence, his new father-in-law might not be averse to Lanza traveling with him once in a while.
To have his wife at the mines and go to bed with her every night would be heaven for him. But he’d have to figure out a job she could do. It was something to think about.
They played another round, and she won. “Now that I’m the winner, will you promise to figure out a job for me to do when you have to leave for your next mine visit?”
“That will be in Argentina.”
“Hmm. I’ve never been there, but I’ve studied Spanish with my language tutor.”
“I promise to see what I can do.”
She got up from the floor. “It’s been a wonderful day. I’m going to say good-night and hope you get a good sleep.”
Stefano didn’t want her to go to bed yet, but after he’d brought a halt to their lovemaking, what did he expect? He sat there in shock while she left the living room.
The thought of her traveling with him and having his baby was exciting to him. If any woman was meant to have children it was Lanza. He knew she wanted him. He had proof of that in the way she’d clung to him. Otherwise, she would have pushed him away and run to her bedroom the second he’d put his arm around her.
In hindsight Stefano recognized that a part of him had put off marrying anyone and having children because he hadn’t met Lanza yet. But there was more to it. Deep inside he’d known he couldn’t escape the fact that he’d been born royal. Bringing a child into the world wouldn’t exempt it from being titled, no matter how he much he wished it otherwise. But he didn’t feel that way any longer.
Their marriage had already made a big change in him. The more he thought about it, the more he admitted what a coward he’d been. For the first time in his life he felt shame at what he’d done by running away. He’d left it to Alberto and his sister to carry on. To his chagrin, his actions had resulted in unintended consequences.
Lanza honestly hadn’t believed he’d wanted children. How could she when he’d made it clear they would be living separate lives when he wasn’t helping her father? By promising her fidelity to him, she’d set herself up to exist in a childless marriage. How selfish was that!
He’d hurt her in ways he’d hadn’t dreamed of and now he had a huge problem to repair. As he got ready for bed, Stefano realized this was going to take time to fix, including figuring out a job she could do if she went with him on his trips. So far he’d practically kissed her into oblivion and was already aching to get her in his arms again.
After a restless night, he got up early, took Fausto outside where he could eat and play, then made a big breakfast. Not wanting to knock on her door when she didn’t come to the dining room, he phoned her.
“Are you up? I’ve made breakfast.”
“I just washed my hair and am drying it.” All that glorious hair... “I can’t come for a half hour.”
“Fine. I’ll keep it warm for us.”
“Thank you.”
While he waited, he walked back to his bedroom and got on the computer. He spotted Enzo’s email first.
Hi, Stefano. Electricity will be restored by the end of the day. No news yet on the road opening. Hope you two are all right.
Stefano smiled to himself. They were more than all right.
He knew what his friend was really asking. The last time the two of them had gotten into a serious talk, Enzo knew Stefano was dying inside over having to marry his brother’s fiancée.
In fact, he’d been dreading it and couldn’t face a vacation in the sand and sun with a woman he could never love. He and Lanza had been on the same wavelength about a beach vacation being the place if you were in love.
He’d brought her to the chalet because it had been his wedding present to Alberto, but he hadn’t believed she would like it here. With the diversion of a driving tour, they’d somehow be able to get through the two weeks of ennui.
It was incredible how wrong he’d been about everything. Nothing was as he’d assumed or imagined.
You’re a great friend. It’s all good news, amico. Thanks for keeping me posted. S.
No doubt Enzo would be in shock when he received this email. One day soon Stefano would confide in him about the true state of his feelings over his marriage.
He pressed Send and moved on to the next message. Farther down he saw a return message from Alicia Montoya.
Tell me it isn’t true that you’re married, Stefano. I asked the head boss. He said it was, but nothing else. I don’t understand.
Stefano had kept his royal identity a secret all these years except from his head mining engineers. Unfortunately, Alicia couldn’t let this go.
Alicia, I am married to a woman I met very recently. It was sudden and I’m happy. I hope in time you will be, too.
He wouldn’t respond to her again.
Once that was sent, he checked his other messages before going back to the living room. Lanza had gone to the kitchen to take their plates out of the oven. She was wearing a pair of tan pants and a print blouse.
Stefano couldn’t take his eyes off her figure or her hair. She’d put it in a becoming braid that made her look younger than her twenty-three years. Whether on top of her head, flowing over her shoulders or fixed like this, she was a vision.
He took one of the plates from her. “How did you sleep?”
Her eyes swerved to his. “Too well.” They walked to the dining room table and sat down. “I awakened with aches and pains from our workout yesterday and the day before. Today I’m going to lie near the fire and read.”
“Sounds good. After we eat, I need to make some repairs around the chalet. The wind loosened some of the shutters and there’s a basement window that needs fixing.” They tucked into the scrambled eggs and sausage he’d cooked. He was glad to see her appetite hadn’t suffered.
“Where’s Fausto?”
“Outside somewhere.”
“Was he still in his box this morning?”
Stefano nodded. “I think he learned his lesson about staying put so he wouldn’t get trapped again.”
“He’s a little rascal.”
“I agree. By the way, Enzo wrote. We’re supposed to get electricity by this evening.”
“Yes. I heard as much on the radio a little while ago, but they still haven’t cleared the road covered by that avalanche.”
“Lanza, if you’re anxious to leave, Enzo will have a helicopter sent for us.”
“Oh, no!” she cried immediately. “I mean... That is...unless you’ve grown restless.”
That little outburst was worth its weight in gold to Stefano. There was the proof that she loved it here as much as he did. It revealed another truth to him. This intimate time with his enticing wife had grown on him to the point that he didn’t want to budge from his favorite spot.
CHAPTER TEN
LANZA NEVER WANTED to leave the mountains and was embarrassed to have reacted so strongly. The longer they stayed away from everyone, the h
appier she would be. Once they were back at the palace, the world would descend on them. While they were here, she had Stefano to herself.
She feared he could never love her the way she loved him. But she cherished the fact that this would probably be the only time in her life when they would have this kind of privacy. It was incredible that no one knew where they were except Enzo. If they were trapped here for a month, she’d love it.
After clearing the table, she went back to the bedroom for her spy novel and came out to the living room once more to lie on the couch and finish the book. Her only problem was her inability to concentrate. Snatches of earlier conversations sent her down one road after another, each tidbit of information giving her insight into his character.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw their Christmas tree, the one he’d brought home for her when he didn’t have to. Fausto’s blanket still sat in front of the fireplace. Stefano had made the box into a home for the fox with bowls of food and water. It was right there that he’d kissed her close to senseless. Her body still throbbed from the sensations that had sent her spiraling to a different universe.
Love’s first kiss, the famous line delivered in angry mockery from the lips of the evil queen in a certain childhood fairy tale, had taken on new meaning for her. She’d never get over what his hands and mouth had done to her. The feel of his hard body was a revelation. Lanza had been transformed into a different person. That was Stefano’s doing.
By midafternoon Lanza grew restless and got up from the couch. She would have to finish the story another time. The Vacherin and Gruyère cheeses in the fridge had been calling to her. She could make up a pot of fondue au fromage. They could eat it with one of the loaves of French bread from the freezer.
Stefano had been outside a long time and no doubt was hungry. His supply of wines included Kirsch cherry wine, a perfect one to add flavor. She got busy grating cheese and hurried downstairs to the freezer so the bread could thaw in time for dinner.
Lanza had always enjoyed cooking, but had never cooked on a regular basis in her life until now. Of course, even if she couldn’t boil water, that wouldn’t have bothered Stefano. He knew how to cook and had been fending for himself for years. But it made her happy she could do her part while they were cut off from the world for a little while. She adored him and couldn’t do enough for him.
The Princess's New Year Wedding (The Princess Brides Book 1) Page 10