Chapter 10
The Morning After a Ball
The following morning
From her seat in the breakfast parlor of Villa Montblanc, Barbara watched as a phalanx of footmen passed by the arched doorway, their direction suggesting they were on their way to the front door. “They’re here,” she said with excitement.
Will glanced up from the Italian news-sheet he had been attempting to read. “They must have awakened rather early,” he remarked, knowing immediately she referred to Donald’s family.
David was already on his feet. “I’m off to meet my niece,” he announced. “With any luck, I’ll have her playing cards before the week is out.” He disappeared from the breakfast parlor.
Everyone else in the room scoffed in surprise, but soon they, too, rose and hurried to follow David. The coaches had already come to a halt in the courtyard when they emerged into the bright sunshine.
The carriages weren’t carrying Nicoletta, Donald, Antony, and Amalia, though—merely their trunks. “Donna Montblanc sends her regards,” a servant explained in halting English. He held out a folded paper. “We are to wait for you and take you to the Palazzo D’Avalos.”
David opened the note and quickly read it before announcing, “It seems our hosts don’t plan to come here until later in the day. They have requested we join them for a late breakfast at Palazzo D’Avalos before we go on a walking tour of Rome.”
“Why, that sounds delightful,” Barbara remarked. “I’ll only be a moment. I shouldn’t need more than a hat and a pelisse on such a fine day.”
“Me as well,” Diana and Helen said in unison, following the matron back into the house.
“Mayhap a parasol, too. The sun is rather bright,” Helen added as she blinked several times.
“Gentlemen, we need hats,” Will said, following the ladies back into the villa.
Fifteen minutes later, they filed into the carriages and set off for Palazzo D’Avalos.
Meanwhile, in Vittoria’s bedchamber at Palazzo D’Avalos
“After such a successful ball last night, it’s important you be seen in the company of visitors to our city,” Nicoletta said, watching Vittoria’s lady’s maid iron another curl into her hair. She held Amalia in the crook of her arm, the babe happily jabbering.
Vittoria glanced at her aunt’s reflection in the mirror over her dressing table. “Are you referring to your husband’s family?” she asked, her suspicion evident in how she narrowed her eyes.
“Sì. Donald and I are going to take them on a walking tour, but we’ll have the coaches follow us in the event the sun is too much. Will you join us?”
Sighing in resignation, her niece lifted a shoulder. “I will if I can wear my newest walking gown.”
“It is why we had the modiste make it for you,” Nicoletta countered. “I expect our guests to arrive within the hour—”
“The hour?” Vittoria repeated in shock. “I still have to dress, and I haven’t had a bite to eat since before the ball last night.”
“There is coffee and cornetti on its way,” Nicoletta assured her. “But we’ll have a real breakfast before we depart. Oh, and you might wish to leave that lock of hair down in front of your shoulder,” she suggested, waving a finger to indicate her own coiffure. “Much like you did last night.”
The lady’s maid paused with said lock held aloft, a hairpin held in anticipation of it being added to the ornate coiffure she had started a half-hour earlier.
“Why?” Vittoria asked, turning her head to regard her aunt directly.
Nicoletta simply winked and took her leave of Vittoria’s bedchamber.
Amalia fell asleep in her arms as Nicoletta made her way downstairs. The familiar clatter of horse hooves in the courtyard had her hurrying to the entry at the same time the butler opened the doors to admit Donald’s family.
“Oh, me first,” Barbara murmured as she reached out to take Amalia from Nicoletta’s arms.
“You are welcome to her,” Nicoletta said, grinning at the sight of her guests. She giggled softly at hearing her mother-in-law’s cooing as Barbara held the babe. “I do hope you’re all comfortable in your rooms at the villa?” she asked, turning a cheek so David could kiss it.
“The accommodations are far finer than what we could ever imagine,” Diana assured her. She glanced over at Randy. “We certainly didn’t require an entire apartment for only the two of us.”
“That’s the only way they come,” Nicoletta replied, letting out a squeak when Will pulled her into an embrace.
“I wasn’t able to greet you properly last night at the ball,” he said, as he released her from his hold. “Is my son treating you right? Is he being a good husband?”
She nodded. “The very best, Papa,” she replied.
Donald appeared from the stairs, Antony holding onto his hand. His shout of welcome set off another round of greetings. “Are you settling in over at the Montblanc house?” he asked, shaking hands with his cousins after he let go of Antony’s hand so the boy could bow to their guests.
Antony was quick to run to Will, who lifted him into the air before settling him onto a hip with a complaint about how tall the boy had grown in the year since he had last seen him.
“We are, and if you don’t kick us out, Helen and I would like to stay for the rest of our lives,” Tom teased.
“I already told Nikky we didn’t require an entire apartment,” Diana said. “After our accommodations on those river boats in Egypt, our bedchambers seem almost too large.”
“They’re all like that, I’m afraid,” Donald said, offering his arm to Nicoletta before leading the group further into the residence. “I believe the Malgeri were once a very large family, and several generations all lived under the same roof.”
Although there were individual guest rooms in the Villa Montblanc, there were a number of multi-room suites suitable for married couples. Even David had been led to one, which had him claiming he was tempted to host a guest or two of his own in the massive suite.
His comment was met with chiding glances from both his mother and from Randy. “Careful, cousin,” Randy warned. “After last night, you already have a reputation as a rogue,” he added.
David scoffed in response. “It wasn’t me.
It was Don Diavala,” he claimed. “Conte Tucci’s heir,” he amended when Randy raised an eyebrow at hearing the nickname.
“Other than dance with her, I didn’t try anything untoward with Lady Vittoria.
I swear it.” He lowered his voice, intending for only Randy to hear his next comment.
“I wouldn’t have anyway,” he said with a sneer.
“Oh?” Barbara asked, moving so she stood closer to her youngest son. “I thought she was a rather lovely young woman.”
“If you only knew,” David said under his breath.
As everyone paired up and made their way into the parlor, Donald cleared his throat. “We haven’t yet had our breakfast—”
“We were in the middle of ours when the coaches arrived,” Tom interrupted.
“—so we thought to host you for one here before taking you on a walking tour,” Donald finished. They took seats around the large parlor, the women opting for one of the long settees. “However, we are waiting for one last person to join us before we go in.”
“My brother sends his regrets. He had business at his latifundia today,” Nicoletta said.
“His farm,” Donald clarified. “We’re waiting for the young lady of the hour.”
“She’ll be down in a moment,” Nicoletta said, grinning as Barbara finally gave up her hold on Amalia so that Diana could have a turn holding her youngest cousin. “When she gets to be too much, please tell me, and I’ll ring for her nurse,” Nicoletta said.
“I want a turn,” Helen said.
“And you shall have it, but only after my arm grows too weary,” Diana said, her gaze on the baby who had awakened during all the commotion. Apparently Amalia was unbothered by it, though, her gray eyes wide as she stared at Diana. A tentative grin appeared, which had Diana gasping in surprise.
“How is it you are so good at holding a babe?” Randy asked from where he sat in an adjacent settee, his brother flipping up his topcoat’s skirt to settle in next to him.
Diana glanced up in surprise. “I am a woman,” she stated. “We come by it naturally. My work in archaeology proves it.” She rearranged Amalia so the girl was perched on her lap, eliciting a squeal of delight from the year-old babe.
Randy ignored Tom’s attempt to jab an elbow into his ribs, but it was Tom who was awestruck when Diana placed Amalia into Helen’s arms. He watched as his wife held the babe, one of her fingers stroking the girl’s cheek as she spoke quietly and grinned in delight.
One of Amalia’s arms escaped the blanket in which she was wrapped, and it waved about before settling onto Helen’s breast, the tiny fingers gripping the bodice of her gown.
“Oh, I want one,” Helen said, lifting her head to discover her husband was watching her.
Tom blinked, well aware everyone around the room was suddenly staring at him. “And you shall have one, my sweet, but do remember, we have to be married in an Anglican church before it’s born,” he reminded her.
Although he and Helen had been married by the former chaplain of a British ship whilst they were in Egypt, he knew the marriage wouldn’t be considered legal in England.
Any offspring would be illegitimate. As soon as they were back on British shores, he intended to secure a marriage license and see to it they were properly wed.
Helen displayed a pout. “Oh, I know,” she replied, her attention back on the babe.
Meanwhile...
Having consumed a cup of coffee and part of a cornetto, completed her toilette, and finished dressing, Vittoria headed to the parlor.
She nearly froze on the threshold upon seeing Nicoletta’s family-by-marriage—seemingly all of them—seated in the velvet settees and upholstered chairs scattered about the room.
She recognized Donald’s parents from having met them the night before and wasn’t surprised to see that Antony was seated next to his grandfather while his sister was enjoying the attentions of one of the young women.