The Italian Sister (The Wine Lover's Daughter, Book 1)

by Christa Polkinhorn

  The mood had been somber and sad. Sofia felt depressed and even guilty. She knew it wasn’t her fault but she couldn’t help thinking that she had inadvertently caused a major tragedy in the family.

  Luisa had invited her and Nicholas to have a light dinner with them. Sofia turned the invitation down. She was exhausted from the physical and emotional strain and wanted to be alone. She wondered how Donna Santucci felt. They hadn’t seen her since the upheaval. Julietta said she was upstairs and that she would stay with her this evening and sleep at the main house.

  At her house, Sofia made herself a cup of herbal tea, hoping it would calm her down. She sat in front of the floor-length glass door to the patio and stared into the approaching evening. Normally, she loved watching the sun set and the colors spreading over the fields and woods. Tonight, the beauty of the landscape was lost to her.

  She was relieved that the criminals had been found. But she certainly wasn’t happy at the outcome. It made her reassess her whole involvement in this estate. Now she felt as removed from everyone as she had in the beginning. It was even worse now. When she first came here, she knew it would take time to connect with the family. But there was hope and for weeks that hope had been nourished by an ever increasing feeling of closeness.

  Now, the closeness was gone. Even her relationship with Julietta had changed. How could it not have? Because of Sofia’s presence, her grandfather had been arrested and indicted and would most likely end up in jail. His close friend, Umberto, was dead. Julietta hadn’t given Sofia the feeling that she had a very close connection to the old Santucci, but he was, after all, her grandfather, her nonno. And Donna, Santucci’s wife, must feel terrible now. Sofia knew that Luisa didn’t much care for her stepfather. But Edoardo must feel crushed. His father was a criminal, and it all came out because of her, Sofia. She’d seen the despair in his eyes.

  All these thoughts made Sofia feel more and more unhappy. She was too distraught to cry; she felt cold inside. And she missed her father. Perhaps Henry could have prevented this disaster. Then again, it was her father who was indirectly the source of all the misery. Had he been more honest early on, perhaps a less stormy and problematic relationship between her and the Italian family would have had a chance. But for this, it was too late. It was now up to Sofia to deal with this whole mess. But how? Should she give up the two vineyards, give her part of the estate to the family, to Julietta? She could just leave and go back to her old life in California. She remembered Nicholas’s offer to become his partner. But she didn’t know if he still wanted to work with her. She seemed to bring bad luck to everybody.

  Too upset to think clearly and with a headache coming on, Sofia got up to go to bed. As she was climbing the stairs, there was a knock at the door. It was Nicholas.

  “Sorry for dropping in like this. I can come back another time, if you’re too tired.” As he looked at her with his kind, warm eyes, something in her broke and tears flooded her eyes.

  “It’s okay. Come in,” she said with a sob.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, don’t mind me. I’ll be okay.”

  He entered hesitantly. She pointed at the living room and suppressed the tears. “Would you like a glass of wine? I could go for one … after all the turmoil.” She wiped her eyes and smiled.

  “Sounds good to me, if you’re up for it.”

  Sofia got two glasses and a bottle of wine. She sat on a chair next to Nicholas and poured. When she handed him his glass, he lifted it, and smiled at her “cheers.” He put the glass down and shook his head.

  “‘Cheers’ may not be the appropriate term at this point. I know you must feel bad, but at least the terror and the guessing are over with. I don’t think, we’ll see much of Silvio Santucci anymore,” Nicholas said.

  Sofia nodded. “It’s going to take a while to deal with this. I can’t help thinking that I’m in part responsible for the tragedy. If I hadn’t been here, this would never have happened.”

  “True, the old guy wouldn’t have attacked you, but he eventually would have hurt someone else. He’s insane, Sofia. He needs to be put away for good. He could’ve killed someone. What about Julietta? You guys were driving around in your car.”

  Nicholas put his hand on her shoulder. “In fact, you did them a favor. You coming here did bring his hostility and hatred out in the open for everyone to see. You got hurt in the process and because of it, he’s being put away to prevent him from committing another crime. You don’t need to feel bad.”

  “I know, but I can’t help it.” Sofia shrugged. She sipped her wine. “I know I’m not responsible for what he did, but it does make me reevaluate what I’m doing here, what I want to do with my property … with my future.”

  “Well, that’s of course something you need to decide for yourself. Just remember, you do have other options. My offer of becoming my partner back in California still stands.” He gave her a warm smile.

  “Thanks, Nicholas. I’m so relieved this is over with. I began to suspect everybody. It was horrible not knowing whom to trust. For a brief moment I even suspected you might have something to do with it. When I saw you having a cheerful talk with Silvio Santucci, I got suspicious. And then, the other night, I overheard a snippet of conversation when you and Edoardo walked around my house.”

  Nicholas wrinkled his forehead, as if trying to remember. “What did we talk about?”

  Sofia waved her hand. “It’s not important. I shouldn’t even have paid attention to it.”

  “I’m trying to remember …” Nicholas gave her a questioning look.

  Sofia sighed and felt embarrassed. “You said something about … shooting and killing something or someone to protect the fields. And for a moment, I thought that maybe you meant me. You know, protect them from me. And then Edoardo said he couldn’t do it. He would go to jail. Oh, it’s so stupid when I think about it now. I was getting so scared. I misinterpreted everything. I’m sorry.”

  “Huh? Shooting you to protect the fields?” Nicholas looked at her dumbfounded, then he grinned. “Oh, I see, oh, my God. Now, I get it. Helping the family to get rid of you to protect the grape fields from you.”

  Nicholas burst out laughing. “Oh, my dear,” he guffawed. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh at you. I know a lot of bad things have happened today, but this is hilarious.” He slapped his thigh.

  “I remember now. Edoardo complained about one of the vineyards that had some major damage and it was clearly from an animal. He suspected the wild boar that’s been roaming the neighborhood lately. They can be a real pest and create a lot of destruction. So I asked him if he couldn’t shoot it. But he has no hunting license and they are quite strict here. If you get caught shooting an animal without a license you could really end up in jail. We talked about different other methods like building fences and all that. See, this is the first year, wild boars came that close to the property, so they aren’t really prepared for it.”

  Sofia sat down and covered her face with her hands. “Oh, God, I should’ve thought of this. Julietta and I actually saw the boar when we picked porcini a few days ago. This is so embarrassing. I should’ve never suspected you. You never gave me any reason to distrust you.”

  “Don’t feel bad,” Nicholas said. “Had I gone through what you went through, I would’ve been distrustful of everyone as well. Besides, it was exactly the goal of the old Santucci to make me look suspicious. You know, Edoardo told me that before Umberto died, he told him that the plan was to run you down, then drive back, put the car back to where it was before. They wanted to make it look like I was the culprit.”

  “It’s all so insane.” Sofia took a deep breath. “I may just take you up on your offer about California. I could hand over the property here to the family.”

  “Why hand it over?” Nicholas shook his head. “Perhaps, you could come to an agreement, where they work the vineyards and get part of the proceeds from the wine, and you could sell some of the wine in California. That way
everybody would profit.”

  Sofia nodded. “I’m sure there’s a way. I would have to talk to Adriano Gori, the lawyer, about it. He may have some suggestions.”

  “See, you already feel better. You’re making plans.” Nicholas put his arm around her and pulled her close. Sofia faced him and was intrigued again by his dark-brown, shiny, warm eyes, which reminded her of dark honey. His face was close enough that she smelled his discrete but pleasant aftershave. He gave her a questioning look, then smiled and kissed her lightly on the cheek. His lips brushed over hers and she closed her eyes. He embraced her. His body was firm, warm, and comforting, an invitation to let go and plunge into the waves of passion that washed over and through her, a passion that had been lingering for some time but was kept at bay by the disturbing events of the past weeks. And now, she wanted him but felt that somehow it wasn’t the right time with all the family disasters around them. They kissed for a long time, then he pulled back at little and gently touched her cheek.

  “I love you, Sofia, and I want to make love to you,” he whispered. “But I want it to be on a quieter, relaxed day. I ….” He hesitated.

  Sofia hugged him. She was surprised at his sudden confession, yet she knew deep down it was right. She’d had feelings for him for a while but hadn’t been able to give in to them because of her distrust. She kissed him again lightly, then pulled back. “I love you, too. But I agree we should wait. It wouldn’t be right today.”

  He got up and pulled her up. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right by yourself tonight.”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I need some time to think things over, you know about the vineyard here and everything. But no matter what I decide, I would love to work with you in California.”

  Nicholas’s face lit up and his eyes gleamed. “Great, that would really be wonderful.” They hugged. As Nicholas stepped outside, they saw Luisa walk toward them. Now, Sofia was relieved they hadn’t given in to their passion. It would have been extremely awkward if Luisa had come to the door and somehow realized they were having sex on the day her family had fallen apart.

  Chapter 41

  “Are you all right?” Luisa asked as she stepped inside. She walked up to Sofia and hugged her.

  Sofia, surprised at the warm gesture, felt a knot in her throat. “I don’t know what to feel.” She waved Luisa to the sofa and sat down in the chair across from her.

  “Sofia, it is over. You can relax. I am so sorry we put you through this. It is just not right.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Sofia said. She got up and brought another glass from the kitchen and pointed at the bottle of wine on the coffee table. “Want some?”

  Luisa nodded and gave a weak smile. “Yes, thank you.” She watched as Sofia poured the wine. “It is our fault. We tried to ignore the fact that my stepfather has serious mental problems.” She took a sip of wine. “You know when the thing with the manipulated brakes happened, I thought immediately of him and also of Guido. It is sad to say that I even suspected my own son. But Silvio was gone and Guido was in Rome, so I figured it could not have been them. I just did not think my stepfather was devious enough to ask someone else to do it for him. And his oldest friend of all people. It is very sad.” Luisa’s voice faltered.

  “What’s going to happen to him?” Sofia asked.

  Luisa sighed. “We do not know yet. Edoardo hired a good lawyer. We will also ask Mr. Gori what we should do. What we would like is that instead of jail, although he certainly deserves it, he would be put into a mental facility. There he could get the treatment he needs. You know, I never warmed up to my stepfather, but he was not always a bad man. At first, when he married my mother, we were quite happy together. But as he got older, he became more and more unpredictable and erratic. I know some of it has to do with what happened to him during the war. But you cannot blame everything on the war.” Luisa took another sip and shook her head. “He needs to be supervised but jail would just kill him.” She gave Sofia a questioning look.

  Sofia got up and stepped to the floor-length window. “He obviously needs help and I agree, jail would probably not be the right place.” Sofia had heard horror stories of treatments and conditions in Italian jails, but of course, she didn’t know if they were true. “I just hope this whole thing isn’t going to destroy your family. How is Donna?”

  Luisa got up and stood next to her. They were gazing at the peaceful landscape outside, so unlike the inner turmoil Sofia was feeling.

  Luisa exhaled deeply. “She will be all right. She has had a difficult time with her husband. Believe it or not, she is relieved. I mean, she is relieved that he is away from her. Of course, she feels sad about the whole thing. It is her husband after all. But she will be okay.”

  It was quiet for a while. They were both watching the fields and woods fade into the descending darkness. A strip of purple grazed the horizon, before it slipped into the night.

  Sofia took a deep breath. “It’s so beautiful here.”

  “Yes.” Luisa put her hand on Sofia’s shoulder. “It will be okay.”

  “What about Edoardo? It must be hard on him.”

  “Oh, yes, it is. He is torn apart inwardly. He, too, has had his problems with his father. But it is his father and he loves him, in spite of everything.” Luisa shrugged. “You know how it is. You watch your parents or children make mistakes, even commit crimes, but they are still your family. You stick up for them. Family is very important in Italy.”

  Sofia nodded. “Yes, I know. It’s also important where I come from. Perhaps different, but … when I found out about my father’s secret life, I was really angry and upset. But I can’t stop loving him. After a while, I was happy to find out I had a family far away. My father and Aunt Emma were the only close family I had left. When he died, it was hard.”

  “I understand.” Luisa put her arm around Sofia. “We are your family, too. I know it is not the same as your family in California, but we love you and we are very happy you are here. Do not forget this.”

  Sofia looked at her. Luisa’s large, black eyes shone with kindness. “Thank you. I can’t believe you still care for me after all this upheaval, but I’m happy to have you for a family.”

  They hugged and Luisa gently brushed a tear from Sofia’s face. “You should rest now. We will not be working tomorrow. Take a day off.” As she was at the door, she looked back and smiled. “I like Nicholas. He is a great man. You two make a beautiful couple.”

  Sofia opened her mouth, but she was too surprised to say anything. “How did you know?” she finally whispered.

  Luisa gave a quick pearly laugh that was so unlike her normal serious demeanor. “Ah, Sofia, I was young once, too.” She opened the door. “Anyway, Julietta and I decided she would stay at the main house for a while to give you some privacy.” She laughed again.

  “I cannot believe you,” Sofia said, grinning. “I thought you Italians were strict Catholics.”

  “Little did you know.” Luisa waved at her and left.

  Sofia let herself fall on the sofa and shook her head. Then a feeling of joy flooded her. Things would be all right after all. She wanted to talk to Edoardo though, to let him know that she didn’t bear a grudge. Of all the members of the family, she felt most sorry for him. He’d changed from the time she first met him. He’d been cold, even disapproving of her. But in time they had warmed up to each other. He’d been supportive and had encouraged her, even praised her work at the vineyard. She hoped they could remain friends and he wouldn’t withdraw from her again.

  PART SIX: THE GRAPE HARVEST

  Chapter 42

  The herbal and earthy smell of dew-soaked grass marked the full arrival of fall in Tuscany. The October mornings were cool, even nippy, but during the day, the sun warmed and dried the fields. Now, the workers at the vineyard got ready to pick the last two fields of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. They began to work as soon as the sun dissipated the dew.

  When Sofia left the house to go to the vineyard, she saw
Edoardo and Julietta sit on the flatbed truck, getting ready to drive to the first field. Julietta, who had a day off from school, waved at her. Sofia climbed onto the truck and Edoardo greeted her with the flicker of a smile.

  “How are you?” he asked.

  “A little better.” Searching for words to express her inner dichotomy, she sighed. “I’m relieved and also sad,” she said. “Sad about what happened to your family. I’m sorry about your father.”

  “Sorry?” His voice was gruff, then he shook his head and said more kindly: “You should not feel bad about him. He almost killed you.”

  “I feel bad because no matter what he has done, he is your father and this tears apart your family.”

  Edoardo stopped the truck at the side of the road next to the vineyard with the Cabernet Sauvignon grape varietal. He faced her. “We will get through this. We are a strong family. Do not worry. Yes, it hurts me that my father did this. But it hurts me even more that I refused to see the signs. You were hurt badly during the accident. You could have been killed. Umberto was killed. I guess I should be grateful you are well again and nothing worse happened to you. I was an imbecile.”

  It was the longest speech Edoardo had ever made and the most emphatic. His facial color had darkened and Sofia thought she saw his eyes tear up. He turned his head and looked toward the grape field.

  “You’re not an imbecile,” Sofia said. “It’s natural that you didn’t want to believe your father was capable of doing something like this. It’s your father after all. Nobody wants to believe that one’s parents are capable of evil. That’s hard. I don’t blame you. Really.”

  Edoardo turned to face her again. “Thank you. You are very kind.”