Cecilia's Secret

by Patricia Gallinetti

  “Umm…. Francesca, what are you going to do now?”

  She shrugged, she had been dreading this moment.

  “I really don’t know Marco, I was hoping I could stay here for a while, I can help you in lots of ways. I can do the cooking, I am a good cook also I can do your washing and ironing and plenty of other things for……” Her heart skipped a beat Marco was holding up his hand.

  “Shhhh!” He said. “I want you to stay,” She let out the breath she was holding.

  “Not because you can cook and clean, He stated. “It is because I have always admired you,” He looked very sheepish. “I would very much like it if you would make your home here,” he continued “I have been a lonely man since my wife died,” He paused. “This morning,” he said, “When I was walking with the two little boys I realized what has been missing in my life – Family.”

  She gasped with relief.

  “Marco, I would love to stay here, I have nowhere to go. All my papers and the children’s birth certificates and the little money Piero and I did have. All gone,” she continued “I don’t even know where his family live.” She had tears in her eyes and she got up and hugged Marco.

  He cleared his throat, looking pleased.

  “That is settled then. You can have the big bedroom with the children, I will move in another bed there for Giorgio and Bernardo can share with you.” He then said. “In the wardrobe in your room, are all my wife’s clothes, I have never thrown them out, you are welcome to anything you want,” He looked at her and continued. “She was bigger than you, but if you are clever with the needle I am sure you will be able to fix them up for yourself,” He was silent for a moment. “There is an old sewing machine out the back, in the shed, it has not been used for years, can you use such a thing?”

  “Of course, Marco, I am in fact very clever with sewing,” Francesca was excited. God had answered her prayers and she hoped in her heart Cecilia would know that Bernard was safe and loved. “Can we go and have a look at the sewing machine Marco please? Maybe if it has been left too long it is not useful anymore.”

  Marco nodded and going inside he fetched his torch and proceeded to walk around the back of the house.

  Giorgio and Bernardo were happy little boys and thrived on the sea air, they adored Achille and Diana and the feeling was obviously reciprocated. The four of them were inseparable. There were times when Marco had to go into the nearby village for supplies, he had no car and his horse still had not returned, but he at least he had Francesca’s faithful old pushbike.

  After a year Marco eventually asked Francesca to be his wife and she happily accepted, they were married in the village with a few friends attending. Marco adopted the two boys, officially changing their names to Mosca. As their birth certificates had been destroyed there were no questions asked and Bernard was known to all as Francesca’s son.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Italy - 1944

  C ecilia woke suddenly with a sob, it was morning and Chiara was standing by her bedside holding the usual cup of coffee.

  “Cecilia, you must have been dreaming, you were tossing and turning, my friend,” she handed the cup to Cecilia. “drink this and then I will help you to the bathroom, you can take a nice shower, I don’t know if there is hot water, but maybe we will be lucky,” She grinned. “I have found some underclothes and a dress, all clean but not new.”

  Chiara helped Cecilia shower and dress, she felt much better and returned to her ward, there was no more conservatory, the bomb attack had blown all the glass out. Thank God, she had gone outside with Chiara. Patrick arrived and gingerly held out a bedraggled bunch of flowers.

  “The best I could do.” he said sheepishly

  “Patrick” she replied, “They are the most beautiful flowers in the world.” They both laughed, just as Chiara walked into the ward and came over to Cecilia’s bed. Her fellow patients also chuckled.

  Looking around the ward Cecilia sighed and thought that people were beginning to come out of their daze after the bombing two days before.

  “Oh Cecilia,” said Chiara “It is so good to see you laughing, this handsome man must be a special friend, Si?” Smiling she looked at Patrick.

  Cecilia translated and introduced Patrick. He stammered in quite bad Italian

  “Piacere Sister” (Pleased to meet you Sister.)

  Chiara beamed and told Cecilia, she would return later, and bring her some lunch, she turned to Patrick apologetically saying in very broken English

  “Scusi Signore, I am sorry, no lunch for you, there is not enough.”

  He understood and held out his hands, palms up.

  “Please, do not apologise Sister I realize the situation.” The nun bowed her head and left. Patrick stayed for an hour and told Cecilia he would visit her again the next day, he bent over and kissed her tenderly and walked out the room waving to the other patients.

  Patrick’s visit cheered everybody in the ward and Cecilia was especially happy.

  Thank you, God. was her thought.

  Patrick visited Cecilia as many times as he could, if his work didn’t keep him away. Cecilia had been in the hospital two months and the Doctor said she would most probably be able to leave at the end of September. Cecilia had a visit from the hospital Administrator. He informed her apologetically that she would have to think of leaving soon, she could stay another month but they needed the bed and she should be fully recovered by then. He asked her kindly if she had somewhere to go.

  “I understand perfectly Signore, it is kind of you to ask, I have a friend who will help me I am sure.” He beamed and sighed with relief.

  “Right, I am very pleased to hear it, Caio Signora.” When he had left, Chiara came in looking very solemn.

  “Oh Cecilia, what are you going to do?” She lamented

  “Never mind Chiara, Patrick and I have already discussed this, I realized I couldn’t stay here forever, Patrick has already been looking around for a room for me,” She leaned forward and took Chiara’s hand. “I want to thank you for caring for me, you have been my shining light in all this mess, you are a wonderful friend and no matter what happens, I don’t want to lose contact.”

  “No, No, we will always be friends,” replied Sister Chiara “No matter where in the world we are, we must keep in touch.” She was very emotional and sincere.

  The next day when Patrick arrived he had good news for Cecilia, he had spoken to an older woman who lived on her own, near the Ponte Vecchio. She had a small apartment with two bedrooms, for rent, the bathroom was down the passage and Cecilia would be able to move in soon. It was nearly the end of September 1944 when Cecilia finally left the hospital and moved into her rooms. She could see the Duomo from her window. Mrs. Bianchi was her landlady, a very pleasant woman of about sixty, she explained to Cecilia that she was a widow and she had two sons who both lived a distance away, one lived in Bologne and the other in Milan. She had five grandchildren and the lord be praised she said rolling her eyes upwards; they had all survived the bombing. When Patrick left after helping Cecilia settle in, Mrs. Bianchi invited Cecilia down to her apartment for tea and they sat talking. Mrs. Bianchi asked if Cecilia would stay for supper and she accepted with delight.

  Cecilia slept like a baby and the sun streaming into her room the next morning caressed her face, she jumped out of bed and went to look out the window, over the roofs, she could see the devastation of the bombs, thank goodness, the Ponte Vecchio had been saved and the Duomo was also safe. The war was not over yet but the Germans had pulled out of Florence and the allies were now in charge, maybe the citizens of Florence were in for a slight respite.

  Patrick knocked and she was ready to accompany him to a nearby café for coffee and croissants.

  Life for Cecilia was not perfect but it had improved. Remembering little Bernard, she blamed herself for coming to Italy, maybe he would be with her now growing up and enjoying his life instead he was in an unmarked location maybe under the river, she would never know
. After Cecilia and Patrick drank their coffee, they strolled around Florence. Cecilia studied the faces of the people, they were all looking gaunt and dazed.

  ‘Most of them have given up not knowing what next to expect,’ she thought. Cecilia felt sorry for them all, she wished she could do something to help and she said as much to Patrick.

  “Well,” he replied “I think most of us think the same, but there is just so much we can do. From the news that has filtered through, there has been immeasurable suffering throughout Italy and the rest of the world,” He hesitated and then went on “Cecilia? I want to ask you something, but I don’t know how to begin.”

  Cecilia said. “Come on Patrick, this is me you are talking to, out with it.”

  They found a small park, there were a few forlorn trees huddled in the middle of the park and a broken fence with a gate hanging by a thread. They sat down on a lone bench and Patrick, (as usual) sat silently. Cecilia was patient, she knew Patrick would eventually get to the subject.

  “Cecilia,” Patrick turned to her and took her hands, “I know you are married, we don’t know if Liam is still alive and maybe we will never know, but I wonder if you would marry me? Please?”

  Cecilia smiled. “You know, Patrick, I was going to ask you the same question today, I was just a bit hesitant in case you weren’t interested,” She went on “Liam may be alive or dead, I don’t really care, if we get married, here in Italy, who is to know? I may be committing bigamy or I may not, besides I have already decided I am going to change my name.”

  He turned to Cecilia and smiled. “Change your name, what to?”

  She shrugged.

  “Don’t know, have you a suggestion?” she looked at him, he was smiling and he looked so happy.

  “What about Scott? The same initial and maybe you can change it officially, here in Florence. What do you say?”

  Cecilia felt her stomach clench with excitement. “Do you really think we can do this?” she asked Patrick. “You know,” She went on. “I don’t have any papers or a passport to prove who I am.” She put her finger to her lips. “I wonder what happens in this case.”

  “Well” Said Patrick standing up “Leave it to me, when I get back to headquarters, I will make some enquiries, maybe somebody will know something,”

  He put out his hand and helped Cecilia up, pulling her towards him; he kissed her tenderly, not a passionate kiss, time enough for that. “Come on, let’s go and buy you some food and cups and saucers and a kettle and anything else you may need.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Italy – Present Day

  A nnie stopped talking and looked around at everybody, they were all fascinated by what she was revealing.

  She smiled and said. “Now we know why and how Cecilia changed her name. Nana was mystified and we both wanted to know how Cecilia could give a false name on Nan’s birth certificate, she is going to be happy to solve yet another mystery.” She smiled again mischievously “As far as anyone knew in the rest of the world, their marriage was legal and above board.”

  Denise said. “Annie, don’t forget that you have an appointment with the Lawyer tomorrow, are you still going? I don’t think he can tell you more than you already know,”

  Annie nodded “Right, maybe I should cancel the appointment, and make plans to go to, where was it, The Maremma?

  Vincenzo answered. “There are different towns in The Maremma,” he said “All the towns in Tuscany and Grosseto were under attack by both sides until about April or May 1945, Francesca must have reached Marco’s farm about the end of July 1944 and according to Cecilia they survived and Bernard is still living. We must make plans to go there; it only takes about two hours or less maybe,” He turned to Cecilia. “I don’t think they will have many records still in existence, or wherever the records were kept in those days, but we can go to the Carabinieri. (Police) I am sure they will help us,” He looked at Annie “Agreed?” she nodded happily. “Well” replied Vincenzo “I think the best to do is go online and see if we can pick up a phone number and then we can take a trip to the Maremma, there is quite possibly a place there to go to for more in depth information,” he stood up and stretched. “In any case, it’s getting late, and we are all tired, we must have something to eat and all have a good rest and in the morning, I will see what our next move will be.”

  He turned to look at Annie and smiled.

  “Annie, I think you should inform your folks and tell them what you’ve found out. I’m sure your Nana will want to come for a visit?”

  He looked at Riccardo, who seemed perfectly happy with his son’s statement.

  “Now, if everybody agrees, I am going into town to Giovanni’s for pizzas” he raised his eyebrows “Bene?”

  Annie looked up at Vincenzo and nodded, looking around she saw Denise and Riccardo also nodding in agreement, she said to Vincenzo

  “Do you think I should tell my family now Vincenzo, not wait for more information?”

  “I think you should tell them, now.”

  Annie nodded and said.

  “OK maybe you are right. Yes, I am going to tell Mum and she can decide if she wants to let Nana in on everything. Maybe Mum will want to wait until we actually contact Bernard.”

  Vincenzo turned to Annie and smiled.

  “Would you like to come with me to get the pizzas? I have ordered them so they should be ready when we get there.” Annie nodded, delighted to accompany Vincenzo. She knew she had fallen in love with him, and she hoped he felt the same way about her, she was sure he did think of her as more than just a friend.

  As they drove out and reached the main road, where they would turn right to go up the hill towards Tavarnelle, he turned the car left at another road and came to a quiet street which was a cul-de-sac, an ancient church stood in a small clearing. He drove into the open parking area and turned the engine off, and then he looked towards Annie and smiled.

  “Vincenzo, what a lovely old church, why are we here anyway?” she asked

  “I just want to have you to myself for five minutes,” He replied and put his arm around her shoulders to draw her nearer. “This church is called Pieve di San Pietro in Bossolo it was built in the 13th Century. There’s a small museum inside, we can visit it one day when everything is settled with your family.”

  Annie caught her breath. Was he hinting at more than a passing friendship?

  “Let’s get out and we can walk to that little wall, it’s quite a magnificent view.” He said, opening the car door. They walked past the church to the left and sat on the wall, it was still light, and the sun was just going down. Annie took a deep breath, rows and rows of grapevines stretched up the hill, she caught a glimpse of a white house amongst the Cypress trees. Annie thought

  Oh! I love this place, I don’t know how I am going to leave here and go back to my humdrum life, she glanced sideways at Vincenzo, more to the point leave Vincenzo, maybe never to see him again.

  Vincenzo was gazing at her and he said with a slight frown. “Annie is there something wrong?”

  “Uh - No Vincenzo, not really,” she replied, “Just thinking that I never want to leave here, I have grown to love it.”

  He chuckled and standing up he turned and lifted her by her elbows, he put his arms around her and as she looked up he bowed his head and kissed her tenderly, his kiss deepened and her body reacted. Her desire mounted, she had never felt this way before, and this man had cast a spell over her. Finally, he lifted his head and smiled down at her. She sighed, her eyes still closed.

  “We had better go and fetch those pizzas before everybody starves and the pizzas get cold. Giovanni’s Pizzas are the best in this area and he will never forgive us if we let them spoil.”

  When they arrived back, Riccardo had brought down a bottle of wine and the friends discussed the next day’s plans.

  “I still have a lot to tell you guys,” said Annie looking around at them all, “Before we find Bernard I must finish Cecilia’s story.” they all agr
eed to meet in the morning.

  Vincenzo and Riccardo left with Leo and the two ginger kittens following.

  Annie decided to go online and send an email to her folks, telling them what she had found out.

  She told them to book their flights and asked Louisa to make sure Nana brought “Pete” with her.

  Grinning, she would like to see her mother’s reaction when she read that.

  CHAPTER TWENTY- SIX

  Italy - 1944

  “C ome on Cecilia” said Patrick pulling Cecilia up “Let’s get back to your room, we have a lot of plans to make, I want us to marry as soon as possible.”

  She giggled and taking his arm, they prepared to walk back to Madame Bianchi’s house. Madame came out to meet them.

  “There is somebody waiting in your room Cecilia, she told me she is a friend.”

  “Oh, it must be sister Chiara,” Said Cecilia turning to Patrick with a happy smile. “We can tell her our news, I am sure she will be pleased, come on.”

  Cecilia raced up the stairs and bursting into her room she shouted

  “Chiara, Chia…. Oh my God!” she shrieked “IDA, IDA oh thank God you’re alive.”

  Ida and Cecilia grabbed onto each other, both sobbing, thankful they had survived and were together again.

  Cecilia pulled away and still holding onto Ida she examined her friend.

  “Ida, you have lost a lot of weight, what happened to you?”

  Ida sighed and sat down. “It’s quite a story and you don’t look too good yourself, we seem to have a lot to tell each other,” She turned and looked at Patrick, who was standing watching them with a pleased smile.

  Cecilia gasped “Sorry, Ida this is Patrick and Patrick as you may know” she smiled “This is Ida.”

  After they had talked a while Patrick excused himself.

  “I can see you two have a lot to talk about, I’ll come back later and we can get some supper,” he looked at them both “If that is alright?”