Chapter 5
Five
Emilia
“E milia, darling, would you please just listen to reason?!” my mother pleads. I want no part in what she is throwing out there as a solution.
“It is absurd,” I reply. “Completely loco . I will not marry James, Mother.” (Crazy)
“Emilia, please, this is the only way to prevent handing you over to the Romanis. Can’t you see? This will solve the problem.”
Her eyes track me as I pace in front of her. I can’t believe James would dare ask to use a favor for my hand in marriage. The man is delusional. I can’t stand him… with his piercing green eyes and chiseled jawline. Most women would probably jump at the chance of marrying him, though. He comes from money and is the ideal bachelor. Me? I just want to punch him in his face. How dare he?! Like I’m some object to be won; he’s no better than Anthony in my mind.
“Mother, I will do anything you ask, but marrying James is off the table.”
“Emilia,” a faint voice sounds from the room across the hall. We must have woken my father. I wince at the idea. He is so frail, I feel horrible for waking him up.
I push the door open and walk into the dark room, the only light coming from the bedside table. “Yes, Papá ?”
“Emilia, come sit with me…What is all this arguing about, my principessa ?”
As I wander over to his bedside, I pull in the chair beside the bed and take his offered hand in my own.
“ Papá , I don’t want to worry you over this, it’s nothing…”
“Emilia, it could be nothing if it upsets you so much.”
“ Papá ,” I continue, tears building in my eyes. I sniff them back, refusing to give James my tears. “Mother wants me to marry James. Anthony Romani has demanded my hand in marriage as payment for the death of his brother. She thinks this will save me.”
“My principessa . I love you dearly, but I do not wish for you to fall into the hands of a Romani, especially that one. Why do you fight so hard on this? James is a good man; he has always been there for our family.”
“But Papá , he is so much older than me, twelve years to be exact!”
“So? Did you know your mother is ten years younger than me, Emilia? You may not love him, but you may grow to. It is how it was between your mother and I. And I love her dearly.”
I exhale the breath I was holding. “ Papá …” Before I can continue, he starts coughing. I hand him a tissue from the bedside table, which he accepts with a shaky hand. When he pulls it away, it is tinged with blood. My heart clenches. He’s getting worse every day, and there is nothing any of us can do, except wait for death to claim him.
“ Principessa , if it’s the last thing I wish for, I wish for you to marry James. To save our family and to save yourself from that Romani scum. Do not fight me, Emilia. Please. Let it be known, as my dying wish.”
I gasp and shake my head, falling silent. There is nothing more I can say. I would give him the world if he asked me for it, and he knows it. I hang my head in defeat.
“If you wish it, P apá , then it will be so.”
I lean forward and give him a kiss on the forehead. My mother is waiting in the doorway. Sighing, I stand up and make my way over to her.
“I guess you win, Mother.”
She grabs me by my shoulders, leveling her eyes with my own. “I am not winning if you are unhappy, Emilia. Please do not hate us. This is for your own good. In time, you may come to see that.”
Brushing past her, I make my way down the stairs and out of the house. I am resigned to my fate as tears build in my eyes. Wiping them away, I make a call to Matteo and Lorenzo.
* * *
Today I’m going dress shopping. It’s a beautiful, sunny Saturday; it warms my skin but does nothing to warm my soul.
If I had my way, I’d be getting married in a black lace dress, just to shove it to James and make it apparent how I view this marriage… a sham. But no, Mother says I have to look the part. Happy and in love, otherwise the Romanis will know the marriage is a way to escape from their grasp. Apparently, one of the old rules set up between the two families is that no daughter or son can be used for bargaining if they are already married. The sacred vow of marriage is a law upheld by both families, and the only thing more precious to each family is children.
Mother predicts they will probably have someone undercover attend the wedding to ensure it’s the real thing. Let them come. I want Anthony Romani to be seething when he hears of it.
Stopping at the local boutique in town, I start browsing their selection of dresses, but before I can get too far, a woman approaches. She looks nice enough, Latino, light brown hair done up in a bun, wearing a black pencil skirt, a white blouse, and black heels. Her name tag says “Olivia.”
“Good morning, ma’am, is there anything I can help you find today?” she asks, smiling sweetly as she takes in my attire. I opted for my black skull crop-top today with my camo leggings and black sneakers. I probably look completely out of place here.
“I am looking for a wedding dress that will stop a man in his tracks. Something elegant but with a hint of sass.”
She looks me up and down. “Ohhh, yes that would fit you so well. I might have just the thing for you, one moment.” She hurries off to a back part of the store. Continuing to browse, I find nothing catches my eye. All the dresses are very princess-like. I feel more like a viper in a pit. I want lethal beauty to be dripping from every fiber of my being.
She returns shortly with a bundle of dresses on her arm. “Right this way, please.”
She leads me to the fitting rooms, and I take the dresses from her. They are surprisingly heavy. “If you would try each one on and let me know what you think. I have a good feeling about the ones I picked out, though. If you need help getting the back of them done up, just let me know. I’ll be right outside your fitting room.”
I thank her and head into the large fitting room nestled into a corner of the store. The first two dresses I try on are an immediate no, and I don’t even bother getting the backs done up. The third dress is promising so I set it on the “maybe” rack. The fourth dress… well the fourth dress is beautiful, in a badass sort of way. The dress is a pearl white, mermaid-type gown and has a halter-style top with an open plunging neckline. The back is open and a very daring slit runs up the left thigh. After exiting the fitting room, I ask her to zip up the back of the dress and tie the straps around my neck. The dress hugs every curve of my body. The slit up the thigh would make easy access to my thigh holster, too. One can never be too safe, especially given our circumstances.
“This is the one,” I tell her while giving myself a look in the mirror.
“Perfect, and seeing that this is a floor model, you’ll get an extra twenty percent off the sale price.”
After going back into the changing room, I peel off the dress and place it back on the hanger, leaving the room with the dress in hand. Olivia takes the dress from me and places it inside a gown bag, then leads me to the front register. Making my purchase, I can’t help but to feel a hint of trepidation. I’m getting married tomorrow. Not for love, but for convenience. I never thought this was the route my life would take. I always imagined I would settle down with a man I love with my whole being. If it weren’t for my father making it his dying wish, I would never in my life marry James. He knows I despise him. What does he hope to get out of it?
With the dress in hand, I leave the boutique and make my way back to my vehicle. I get the sense eyes are watching me, but as I look around, I can’t spot what has piqued my intuition.