Blessing in Disguise

by Danielle Steel

  They found the driver easily at the Florence airport, and he spoke perfect English. Jack oversaw all their bags. He had brought one small rolling bag for his trip to Rome, and Isabelle had two big suitcases for her clothes, and a third one full of Christmas gifts for the children, Oona, Gregorio, and a handsome silver box for his parents. They would be at the farm for Christmas too. His mother was a charming, aristocratic woman, and his father always followed Isabelle around with lust in his eyes and a roaming hand that found her bottom or a breast at every opportunity. She did her best to avoid him, though not always successfully. He was persistent, and had pursued her with Italian perseverance for the past five years, since Oona had married Gregorio. All Isabelle hoped was that Gregorio didn’t turn into his father as he got older. Gregorio made it obvious to everyone that he ran the show, which irritated Isabelle, and seemed disrespectful, although he loved Oona.

  They drove for an hour in the Tuscan countryside in a light rain, as Jack admired the scenery, and Isabelle dozed for a few minutes. The sun broke through the clouds as they got there, and the car drove through the gate, and headed to the main house. It was a seventeenth-century building that had originally been a monastery. There were ancient trees bordering the driveway, pastures, a barn where they kept horses, and another larger one that housed their dairy facilities, and there were vineyards on the gently rolling hills.

  “This is really wonderful,” Jack said, impressed. It was a big place, and Gregorio took it all very seriously. He was very proud of their grapes and their wine.

  “Oona loves it,” she said almost sadly as they pulled up in front of the house. There were three big dogs outside. They began barking, and a moment later a young woman came out looking like a caricature of a pregnant woman, with a toddler on her hip. “That’s Massimiano, he’s a terror,” she said to Jack, as Oona approached the car, beaming, with the dogs swirling around her. Two little boys shot out of the house with a young girl following them at full speed.

  Isabelle got out of the car and put her arms around her daughter as all three children started shouting.

  “Nonna Bella, Nonna Bella!” She kissed each of them as Jack smiled at the scene. It was total chaos, but of the very best kind. He was startled by how beautiful Oona was, and he guessed that Isabelle must have looked just like her at the same age. Her hair was a shade closer to red than her mother’s, with a strawberry blond tint to it, and two of her sons were redheads. Massimiano on her hip had white-blond hair like his mother and grandmother as children. She took him from Oona, who lumbered after the two other boys, and a minute later, all three of them greeted Jack politely and made little bows and shook his hand. He was enchanted by them, and then followed them all into the house, which had an enormous living room filled with stylish modern furniture and contemporary paintings. The place was fabulous and had twenty-foot ceilings. It looked like something in a magazine. They went to the kitchen afterward, where Oona pulled out platters of sausages and cheeses she had prepared for them.

  “Gregorio will be home in a few minutes. He had to go to the village.” She offered her mother and Jack wine, which they both declined, still having jet lag, and gave them apple cider from the farm instead, and a cup of espresso each. The boys scampered off to play after chattering to their grandmother in Italian, and Oona translated easily, and rattled off something in Italian to them. None of her children spoke English yet, and Isabelle hoped they would. Gregorio wanted them to learn French first, which he thought was more important.

  Jack was looking around the house and the terrace while Oona chatted with her mother, who was still stunned by the size of her daughter with the twins she was carrying.

  “Are you supposed to be walking around? Shouldn’t you be in bed with twins?” Oona laughed at the idea.

  “Of course not. I haven’t had any problems. They’re not due for another two months, at the end of February. I was out on the tractor yesterday. Do you want your assistant to stay here tonight, Mom?” she offered.

  “That’s sweet of you. He’s going back to Florence tonight, and to Rome tomorrow while I’m here. Then we’re going to Paris for some auctions.” He had met up with the boys by then and was having a lengthy conversation with them in pantomime. He was laughing as hard as they were.

  “He seems nice. Are you that busy that you needed someone?” She had always been so averse to having anyone work for her that Oona was surprised when Xela told her their mother had hired him.

  “He’s actually turned out to be very good,” Isabelle said casually.

  “What does he do for you?”

  “A little bit of everything from changing lightbulbs to sending packages, meeting clients with me. It’s been a pleasant surprise, and it really works.” Oona smiled and they went back outside after a young man they had working for them carried Isabelle’s bags to her room. She stood smiling as she watched her grandsons climb all over Jack. They loved how tall he was. And while they were watching, a devastatingly handsome man appeared with dark hair, green eyes, broad shoulders, long legs, in a black turtleneck sweater, jeans, and riding boots. He was fatally sexy-looking, and Oona looked as though she would melt as soon as she saw him. She was as in love with her husband as she had been the day they’d met.

  “Ciao, Gregorio,” Isabelle said warmly as he came to hug her with a broad smile.

  “Ciao, Mamma.” He greeted her and kissed her cheek, and then held out a hand to Jack. “Don’t let my sons abuse you,” he warned him, “their mother allows them to be very badly behaved.” He gave Oona a scolding look, and corrected the boys in rapid Italian, and they calmed down a little. “Their mother lets them do anything.”

  “That’s not true,” she said, looking adoringly at her husband, who put an arm around her and pulled her close and then rubbed a hand across her belly.

  “How do you like our gemelli?” he asked, referring to the twins. He spoke flawless English, and had taught Oona Italian himself. “We’re hoping for two more boys. You need men on a farm.” He laughed and showed perfect teeth. He looked like a movie star or a model, and together they made a striking couple.

  “You’re hoping for two more boys,” his wife corrected him. “We need some girls around here.”

  “Next time,” he said confidently, with the self-assurance that always got on his mother-in-law’s nerves. He didn’t doubt for an instant that he was master of the ship and his wishes were supreme. And his comment told her what they had wondered on Thanksgiving and Isabelle suspected, that he wanted more children. It seemed like a lot for Oona to deal with, but she didn’t seem to mind. And her figure always bounced back the moment she had them. When she wasn’t pregnant, she was lithe and as thin as her sister Theo, and until now, she had gotten pregnant every time very quickly, with ease. Gregorio believed in her nursing them until she got pregnant again. He was a very old-fashioned man, and very Italian. Independent, free-thinking women were not part of his life experience, and he and Xela had not gotten along the few times she had visited them. And he thought both of Oona’s sisters odd not to be married at thirty-two and thirty-seven. He had married Oona at twenty-one and was ten years older than she.

  He showed Jack around after that and walked him to the barn, showed him their dairy operation, and then took him to the horse barn, which was impeccable.

  “You should stay for a few days,” he encouraged him and Jack looked embarrassed. He was an employee after all.

  “I don’t want to intrude on the family,” he said discreetly.

  “On the way back then, before you leave. I insist.” How Isabelle might feel about it was immaterial to Gregorio. He liked Jack’s look and style, and could see that he was intelligent and interesting. “I’ll take you to the vineyards and our winery when you come back,” he said proudly.

  “I’d like that,” Jack said politely and wondered when he should leave. He walked over to Isabelle, who was ta
lking to her daughter, and spoke to her quietly. “Do you want me to get your computer set up?”

  “I’d like that a lot.” She smiled at him, and showed him to her room.

  “This is a fantastic place,” he said, getting her laptop computer out of her briefcase.

  “I know, it’s just so far away. I feel like she lives on another planet sometimes,” she said softly and sat down on the bed. “Like Theo. They both live a million miles from New York and have such full lives where they are. I’m happy for them, but I miss them so much. I try to come here two or three times a year, so I can bond with the kids. But I don’t speak much Italian, and they see Gregorio’s mother several times a week. It’s hard to compete with that.”

  “You don’t have to,” Jack said quietly, connecting her computer. He had gotten the WiFi code from Gregorio. “You just have to be you. I’m sure you’re much more glamorous than their other grandmother.”

  “She’s quite something,” Isabelle said admiringly. “And proximity counts for a lot with kids their age. Out of sight out of mind.” He felt sorry for her and she looked tired. She always felt like an outsider here, even if Oona was happy to see her. “I’m going to miss you when you’re in Rome, Jack.” He had only worked for her for six weeks, but she had gotten used to him rapidly, and seeing him five days a week. The weekends seemed oddly quiet now when he was off.

  “I’ll miss you too, but you’ll be fine. Just watch out for all the little steps.” He had noticed that there were many of them, and the stone floors would be unforgiving if she fell. He didn’t want her to get hurt. But she’d obviously been there before, and was used to them.

  “I’ll try not to break anything before you get back.” She smiled.

  “You can always call me in Rome if you want me here earlier.”

  “I’ll be okay. Just not as pampered as I’ve been lately. I may actually have to make my own cup of tea.” He laughed and as soon as the computer was set up, they went back to Oona, Gregorio, and the children, and Oona invited him to stay for dinner. He hesitated, not wanting to be rude, and Gregorio insisted. Jack looked to Isabelle for approval, and she nodded, smiling at him, so he agreed to stay, and said he’d go to Florence immediately after. He didn’t want to overstay.

  They had dinner in the old monastery refectory, at a long sixteenth-century table they’d found in Sicily. Gregorio lit a fire in the fireplace, and the children were in bed by then. It was a warm cozy scene as the four of them had dinner like old friends. And after an unforgettable tiramisu Oona made from her mother-in-law’s recipe, though not quite as well as his mother, Gregorio said, Jack got up to leave. By then, he had understood what bothered Isabelle about her son-in-law. He always had a little negative comment to make about his wife, while seeming to praise her. She never did anything quite well enough. He obviously loved her, but put her down either openly or subliminally, and Jack thought she was a spectacular woman. Gregorio was lord and master, and Oona was his willing slave. It annoyed Jack for her too, but she seemed totally oblivious to it.

  “He’s a handful, isn’t he,” Jack said to Isabelle in a low voice, as she walked him to the car, after he thanked Gregorio and Oona for dinner.

  “You noticed.”

  “I like him, but he must be the most macho guy I’ve ever met,” and Oona lapped it up, which was the troubling part.

  “And a huge narcissist,” Isabelle added softly. “It makes me want to slap him sometimes for the things he says to her. Or her, for putting up with it. She never dishes it back to him.”

  “It doesn’t seem to bother her,” Jack commented as they stood by the car and the driver waited. The kitchen staff had given him dinner so he was content. “Take good care of yourself, and have fun here. And Merry Christmas,” Jack said, smiling at her. He had helped wrap the presents she’d brought with her, and given her a beautiful book on Renaissance art he had noticed she didn’t have. She had given him a warm cashmere muffler he said he loved, and Sandy had exclaimed over.

  He waved to her as they drove away, and she went back into the house, feeling lonely without him for a minute. He was good company, and Gregorio raised an eyebrow as soon as she got back.

  “A new lover perhaps, Mamma?” he asked her lasciviously, and she was instantly irritated by him.

  “Hardly. But a very good assistant,” she said dryly.

  “I’m glad he’s nice to you, Mom,” Oona said sweetly. “Someone needs to take care of you.”

  “You should marry him,” Gregorio said, sipping an espresso with a brandy near at hand. “A younger man is always good for a woman your age. It will keep you young.” Isabelle didn’t bother to comment, and a few minutes later, Oona went to their room. It had been a long day for her, and Isabelle was grateful to go to hers, have a bath, and climb into bed. She had an email from Jack, thanking her again for bringing him on the trip. She was touched by how grateful he always was. She checked some other emails, and a few minutes later she went to sleep.

  And at six o’clock the next morning, two little boys woke her up jumping on her bed, and she pulled them sleepily into bed with her. They chatted to her and each other awhile in Italian, and then she went down to breakfast with them. Their babysitter was already in the kitchen with Massimiano, and Antonio and Marcello sat next to him and helped feed him.

  “Two more babies are coming to live here soon,” Marcello told him solemnly in Italian, and Oona translated for Isabelle. “They’ll be very noisy at first. We hope they won’t be girls. Girls make even more noise.” Isabelle could imagine Gregorio saying it to them.

  She and Oona went on long walks together and had some good time to talk. She had no secrets from her mother, and she was totally content with her Tuscan life and domineering husband. She thought the sun rose and set on him.

  His parents came from Florence two days after she arrived and stayed for dinner, and as always Umberto, Gregorio’s father, kissed her on both cheeks, and his hand barely grazed her breast as he did. Nothing had changed. And he did it right in front of his still quite lovely wife, who paid no attention to his flirting with Isabelle. She was used to it.

  They entertained the entire family on Christmas Eve, some of whom lived nearby, and others who came from Florence. The refectory table was crowded with relatives, parents, and children, and Isabelle always felt a little bit lost among them, but Oona introduced her to everyone and explained who they were. Isabelle had seen most of them before, with a few new additions, and half a dozen added infants since her last trip six months before. She was planning to come back in March this time, after the twins were born. She wanted to let Oona settle in with them for a few weeks first, although she would have loved to be there when they arrived. They had all liked the presents Isabelle had brought, and the days sped by like minutes. Isabelle could see how much more tired her daughter was only two weeks later. She still had six weeks left, but the doctor had warned her that twins often came early. And Isabelle had a feeling they would. Oona wanted to have them at the little clinic in the village, and Gregorio insisted they go to Florence the moment she went into labor, and for once Isabelle agreed with him. She wanted Oona at a city hospital too, for a delivery that might be complicated. But Oona didn’t seem worried about it at all.

  “You’re happy, sweetheart? Everything’s okay?” she asked her one afternoon as they walked past the orchards that produced delicious plums she had tasted before.

  “I’m fine, Mom. It suits me here. I couldn’t live in New York again. Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe I grew up there. It seems so foreign to me now, and this is home.” Isabelle could see it, and it made her sad at times. She had lost her baby to Gregorio and his family, and she wondered what Declan would have thought of it. She suspected he would have been pleased for his daughter. It was hard to imagine strong, youthful, wonderful Declan as a grandfather. But she didn’t feel like a grandmother either, except wh
en she was here, with the evidence in front of her.

  Jack came back two days before she was due to leave, at Gregorio’s insistence, and he took him all over the farm, in his truck, on foot, and on horseback. Gregorio was in love with his land, almost as much as with his wife and sons. A love of the earth was in his blood.

  Isabelle was sad to leave, she hated to be away from Oona when she had the babies. She had been there for the first one, but not the two others. And Oona and the children stood and waved, lined up outside the house, as they drove away. Isabelle’s eyes were filled with tears, and instinctively, Jack reached over and touched her hand.