The Princess Bride

by Rebecca Winters

  Ally’s spirits plummeted, but she didn’t dare let the housekeeper know how the news had affected her.

  “That’s fine. If Paolo is willing, I’ll take the girls to the river as planned and have another picnic.”

  Bianca looked relieved. “That’s good for Sofia. I’ll get everything ready.”

  “Let me help. I don’t have anything else to do.”

  “Bene.”

  They worked in harmony while sounds of a violin lesson being given drifted through the house to the kitchen.

  Bianca smiled. “Sofia is very happy since you came.”

  “She’s a lovely girl.”

  “Gino is happier, too. Everyone is glad you are going to stay.”

  Only until July, Bianca…

  Ten minutes later Sofia and Leonora came running into the kitchen.

  “Ally? Have you seen Rudolfo? Leonora wants to watch my cat do tricks.”

  “Have you checked the terrace? He likes to sun himself on the swing this time of day.”

  “That’s right! Come on, Leonora.”

  They dashed out again.

  The two women exchanged an amused glance.

  “I’m going upstairs to change into my swimming suit.”

  “While you do that, I’ll call Paolo and have him bring the car around.”

  “Thank you for making me feel so welcome, Bianca.”

  “It’s my pleasure, signora.”

  As she left the kitchen, she turned to Bianca. “Please call me Ally.” Bianca nodded and waved her off.

  The trip to the river turned out to be an all day affair. Toward evening Ally asked Paolo to drive them into Remo where they enjoyed a pasta dinner al fresco before driving Leonora home.

  By the time they returned to the farmhouse, Sofia looked pleasantly tired. They’d all picked up some sun.

  Sofia gave Ally a hug. “Thank you for a wonderful day. Now I’d better go see how Papa is doing.”

  “I’m sure he’s missed you.”

  Despite the fact that Gino hadn’t been able to join them, it had been a wonderful day.

  After reaching for the picnic basket, she started for the kitchen door. That’s when she heard the sounds of a car coming into the courtyard. When she looked around she saw an unfamiliar sports car pull into the detached garage. It was Gino!

  He looked impossibly attractive in a light gray suit and tie. Her heart skipped a dozen beats.

  He walked toward her with his gaze narrowed on her face.

  “I’m sorry about today, Ally. It couldn’t be helped.”

  “You don’t have to explain to me. It’s fine.”

  “I called the house just now. Bianca said Sofia and Leonora had a fabulous time with you at the river.”

  “We did.”

  “Even before the violin lessons started, my niece felt a bond with you. After today her attachment to you is much stronger.”

  “Then it’s good I’m leaving at the end of the month. I can’t let her become too emotionally dependent on me.”

  “She already is.” His voice sounded like it had come from a deep, underground cavern.

  “I wish you hadn’t said that. It worries me how vulnerable she is right now.”

  “I’m glad you recognize it because the end of June will be here before we know it. She’ll be crushed if you talk about leaving.”

  Ally sucked in her breath. “But that was our arrangement, Gino. If I were to stay longer, it will only hurt her more when I have to go.”

  “That was Donata’s pattern. Come and go at will, regardless of Sofia’s pain.”

  Heat swamped her cheeks. “How dare you compare me to Donata! I’m not Sofia’s mother, but if I were,” her voice trembled, “I’d love that child and do everything in my power to help her feel safe and happy for the rest of her life!”

  He took a step closer. “I believe you really mean that.”

  “Of course I do. I already love her,” Ally admitted before she realized she’d said too much. “Who wouldn’t?” she cried out to cover her mistake.

  “Her own mother, for one,” Gino responded with bitter irony. “Her own father for another, although through no fault of his own. That leaves me, her uncle, who might not be able to protect her much longer.”

  Ally stared at him mystified. “Bianca said you had to leave on some urgent business for Marcello.”

  “I lied.”

  Her hands curled into fists. “If you’re trying to scare me, you’re doing a good job of it.” He still didn’t say anything.

  “Gino—” she exploded. “I’m starting to get really frightened.”

  “That makes two of us. Give me an hour to shower and say good night to my family, then meet me on the terrace. We have to talk.”

  In a few swift strides he was gone.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  TREMBLING with anxiety, Ally followed at a slower pace. After putting the basket on the kitchen counter, she went upstairs to shower, too. A day in the hot sun had made her messy and sticky. But Gino had upset her so much, she went through the motions of washing her hair and getting dressed without conscious thought.

  He said he needed an hour. She gave him another fifteen minutes before going down to the living room.

  The French doors to the terrace were ajar. With her heart pounding so hard she felt slightly sick, she stepped outside. The first thing she saw beyond the patio furniture was Gino’s tall, masculine silhouette standing there in the darkness. The only light came from a slip of a moon that had just appeared above the horizon. Once again she was reminded of the way he’d looked to her the night he’d taken her to jail—like the fierce, proud falcon of his namesake.

  He made an intimidating presence standing there with his legs slightly apart, his arms folded. He eyed her with frightening solemnity. She put a nervous hand to her throat.

  “It’s obvious something terrible has happened. Tell me what it is.”

  His mouth had become a tight thin line.

  “So far Sofia knows her mother died in a car accident. Period. That’s all I want her to know.”

  “I realize that. Let’s hope and pray she never learns the true circumstances. At least not until she’s a lot older.”

  “That’s the idea,” he bit out, “but something’s come up beyond my ability to control, let alone stop.”

  The blood in Ally’s veins started to chill. “What is it?”

  “A few days ago the first stories about the accident came out in the paper with the usual sensational lies attached. This time they took the tack that foul play was involved.”

  She frowned. “Foul play? It was an accident! One of the Swiss authorities drove me to the bridge and explained what happened. He told me the blow to both their skulls had been caused by the bridge’s beams when the car plunged into the river.”

  “Ally—” he said in a tortured whisper. “This is going to be hard for you to hear. The forensics report on the car came back a few days ago. It proved that the brakes had been tampered with.”

  She reeled. “What?”

  “I’m afraid it means someone wanted your husband and Donata out of the way permanently.”

  She shook her head in disbelief. “Who?”

  He drew in a deep breath. “In the words of the police, a jealous husband or wife who caught the two of them together and committed a crime of passion at the height of their pain.”

  “But that’s preposterous! Marcello is incapacitated, and I was home in Portland when the accident happened.”

  “That’s true,” he muttered.

  It took a minute for his words to sink in. When they did, her head flew back.

  “They’re not trying to say you did it?”

  His face became an inscrutable mask. “Based on past lies generated by Donata herself, the prosecutor is convinced I’m guilty. He’s already building his argument to present to the judge. It’s a process not unlike your grand juries in the States. If the judge feels the prosecutor has a strong case, it’ll go
to trial. If I’m convicted by a jury, I could go to prison for life.”

  She couldn’t credit what he’d just told her.

  “On what evidence?”

  “For one thing, I went on several overnight searches in January looking for Donata. I can’t prove that I wasn’t in Switzerland at the time the accident occurred.”

  “But that’s not proof of anything!”

  This couldn’t be happening…

  As her thoughts darted ahead to the possibility that he might be arrested, she clung to the side of the patio swing for support.

  “If that happened, who could possibly take care of your family? It would kill Sofia!”

  Silence followed her outburst. Her gaze flew to his once more.

  He stared at her for a long moment.

  “If anything happens to me, I only know one person beyond all else I could trust to do the right thing for both of them.”

  “W-who is it?” She didn’t think it could be a distant relative or he would have mentioned it sooner.

  “A woman I’m planning to marry in a few days.”

  Marry?

  Ally wasn’t able to hide the gasp that escaped her throat.

  If she’d been shot, the pain inflicted couldn’t possibly have hurt her the way this shocking piece of news did. She still hadn’t recovered from being in his arms when he’d kissed her senseless in the movie theater.

  For a moment she’d thought—

  Oh, what a fool she’d been to think they’d meant anything to him beyond getting rid of the other man who’d been annoying her.

  “I see.” She struggled to keep her voice steady. “Does she know you’re suspected of a crime that could put you in prison?”

  “Yes.”

  Suddenly Ally had difficulty forming words. She swallowed a low moan.

  “Does Sofia know her?”

  “Yes.”

  It had to be one of his girlfriends. “Does Sofia like her?”

  “Yes.”

  Ally refused to face him. “Then why haven’t you married her before now?”

  Her question rang in the night air. She hoped no one in the house heard her.

  “The time wasn’t right.”

  “But now it is? Just at the moment when you could be arrested and taken away?”

  “Yes. There’s no other way.”

  She forgot her promise not to look at him and swung around in his direction.

  “Don’t you think that’s unfair to this woman?”

  “Totally.”

  “Stop being so glib, Gino. I’m trying to have a conversation with you.”

  One of his black brows lifted. “I thought we were having one.”

  Red stained her skin. “You know what I meant. But all you do is answer in monosyllables.”

  Again there was no response.

  “Does Sofia know what you’re planning?”

  “Not yet. I thought we’d tell her together in the morning.”

  “You mean the woman you’re going to marry will be here so the two of you can talk it over with Sofia?”

  “Yes. I hope that puts your mind at ease. Now you won’t have to worry about my niece clinging to you.”

  “I was worried about it for her sake, not mine,” she defended quietly, hurt to the quick by his comment.

  “I’m well aware of that fact, Ally. So let’s agree you’ll go on giving her lessons until the wedding.”

  “But if that’s only in a few days, then I’ll leave at the same time, and—”

  “No. You won’t be going anywhere. I’m planning to take Sofia on our short honeymoon. After we get back, she’ll resume her lessons.”

  The mention of a honeymoon tore Ally up inside.

  “I—I’m sure Sofia will love being with both of you, but when you return, your wife won’t want another woman in the house. I’m sure if you talk to the owner at the music store in Remo, he’ll supply you with names of several violin instructors who would love to teach your niece.”

  He shifted his weight. “I’m afraid it’s too soon to be switching teachers on her. You’ve become her heroine. No one else will do.”

  Afraid to hear anymore she said, “If that’s all, then I’ll say good night.”

  “Not yet,” he muttered. “There’s something important we still haven’t touched on.”

  “What?” She needed to be alone where she could give in to this fresh new pain.

  “The matter of an attorney for you.”

  The shocks just kept coming. “I don’t understand.”

  “My friend Carlo informed me the prosecutor hasn’t ruled you out as a coconspirator.”

  She blinked. “On what grounds?”

  “That you conspired with me to get revenge on your husband and Donata. Maybe you didn’t do the actual deed, but you’d be held equally to blame under the law. The insurance policy your husband took out on you before he left for Switzerland in January could have provided an additional motive for you to join forces with me.”

  She shook her head in utter bewilderment. “How did he know about the insurance?”

  “Yesterday the prosecutor’s office talked to the detective in Oregon who’s been working with you on your husband’s disappearance. The case against you isn’t nearly as strong, but I’m afraid you’re going to need legal counsel, too.”

  Ally had gone numb inside. “When I get home, I’ll retain one.”

  “How will you do that on your salary? You won’t be able to afford the kind you need.”

  She lifted anguished eyes to his. “What else haven’t you told me about the case?”

  She heard him draw in a deep breath. “My attorney, Signore Toscano, said that your appearance in Switzerland the other day would lead the prosecutor to think you’d flown over to visit the scene of the crime you and I planned. It’s not unusual for a criminal to do that.

  “He suggested that since you’re already here in Italy, and haven’t yet contacted a criminal lawyer, he believes it will be to our advantage if he represents both of us.”

  “But, Gino— That’s impossible! Besides the fact that I could never afford him, it would be a conflict of interest. In order for him to represent both of us, I’d have to be your wife.”

  “Exactly.”

  “But you’re getting married soon.”

  “That’s right. If you’d asked me, I would have told you the name of my bride-to-be. She’s an American named Allyson Cummings Parker from Portland, Oregon.”

  The shock of his words propelled her into the swing. She sat down with such force, it rocked back and forth.

  He came to stand in front of her and stopped the motion with his hand. When their legs brushed against each other, he made no move to allow her breathing room.

  “I know your heart, Ally. When you discovered what your husband had done, you felt compassion for Marcello and didn’t hesitate to fly here to talk to him.

  “Even at the height of your own pain, even at the risk of getting into trouble by defying me, you put Marcello’s welfare ahead of your own.

  “I’ve never known a man or woman with your kind of selflessness and courage.

  “No matter how I treated you in the jail, you wouldn’t break down because you didn’t want to repeat anything to the wrong ears. I owe you everything for your discretion.”

  “No, Gino. Any woman in my position would have done the same thing.”

  His eyes glimmered with a strange light. “No. You’re one in a million. Now I have a way to repay you.

  “If we’re married, then we can’t be forced to testify against each other. My money will ensure the toughest defense attorney there is. Best of all, if anything happens to me, you’ll be there to raise Sofia and watch over Marcello.

  “Once you take my name, you’ll inherit all that I possess, and you’ll be given power of attorney to run my brother’s affairs until Sofia turns eighteen and takes over her birthright.”

  He leaned closer, bringing his face within inches of hers.
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  “Before you come up with a dozen reasons why you can’t marry me, tell me exactly what there is for you to go home to. Certainly not a husband who was unworthy of you.

  “If it’s a matter of leaving the orchestra, we have excellent orchestras here. Any conductor hearing you would hire you on the spot.

  “Sofia told me about your mother. If you’d like her and your aunt with you, we have a whole palazzo for them to stay in.

  “Sofia also told me you wanted a family, but your husband died before that could happen. I’ve seen the way you interact with my niece. She’ll fill your heart the way she fills mine.

  “If you and I have to stand trial, I’ll testify that you had nothing to do with the accident, which will only be the truth. If I have to go to prison, and it’s still a big if at this point, it will help me to survive knowing my brother and niece will be in your care. You’ll be a wealthy woman who can do with the money as you see fit.

  “Should the real culprit be apprehended and brought to justice, then we’ll reassess our situation and go from there.

  “Don’t dismiss this out of hand, Ally. I love my family more than my own life.” His voice shook. “You’re the one person I trust to watch over them and see to their needs like you would your own family. There’s a goodness and purity in your character that sets you apart from the other women I’ve known. Sofia could never go wrong under your guidance.

  “As for Marcello, your gentleness to him the second you realized his condition was a revelation. Both Bianca and Marcello’s nurses have remarked on it.

  “They like you very much already. All the staff will be faithful to you should I have to go away.

  “Think about it tonight, Ally, and we’ll talk in the morning before breakfast.”

  He brushed her lips with his own, then left the terrace.

  Ally sat stationary in the swing, unable to make a sound. She’d never heard anyone pour out their soul to her the way he’d just done.

  Though Gino needed her to say yes to his marriage proposal, what he was really asking was that she enter into a sacred trust with him.

  He wasn’t offering his love. How could he? He hadn’t known her long enough for that miracle to happen—if it could at all.