Epilogue
Most days now, we eat in the bright, cool sunken conservatory, around the big table. Since Jago’s departure, the mood of all the domestic staff, old and new, has cheered up beyond recognition.
I stop to chat with Tilly, the new kitchen maid, on my way down breakfast. She and the other kitchen staff are working extra hard while we search for a replacement housekeeper.
The boys don’t help the process with Alessio’s demand for a butler, and Carlo’s insistence that we hire from the suburb, where he has a school foundation going. Bruno says that he doesn’t mind but, he naturally prefers all staff and personnel to have military training.
So, meanwhile the kitchen brigade are all overworked, and as the new girl, Tilly seems to get in the crossfire of everyone’s complaints. Still, we made a small raise in everyone’s pay and the all the discussions and negotiations are good natured. From my point of view, this old Gothic pile should be turned into a museum or a weekend venue for spooky haunted house thrills.
If I could choose, I’d implode the whole ugly thing and bury my dark secret under the rubble.
This place is big enough to house the cast and crew of a vampire epic. Not a growing family. Although, we are starting out as a larger small family than most.
What I want is for the boys and me to move into a new house. A house big enough for the four of us, plus guests. And babies, of course. Oh, yes, all of the four of us — I so love to say, ‘the four of us.’ It still gives me tingles.
We all want babies. Many babies. But I want to have them in a modern house.
This place feels like everything is run by steam with copper pipes and huge crank handles.
I have plans. I will be meeting with architects later today.
When I get to the conservatory, a muscular rumble of low voices echoes among the clink of cutlery and china. The men’s argument sound incendiary and I wonder if it will remain verbal, or if there will be new crockery and glassware to buy, yet again.
At first, they don’t see me in the doorway.
Carlo’s tone has an edge like a stiletto blade. “How big a thing do you need to make out of it, Alessio?”
“Yeah, come on.” Bruno rises, trying to shut the conversation down. He has the instinct of a peacemaker. It’s just a shame his first thought is to do it by flattening everyone else. Alessio is his current target. No surprise there. “Everyone knows we’re going to do it, and everyone understands. That’s all fine. It doesn’t need to turn into a moonshot.”
“I’m saying that it matters.” Alessio’s neck is reddening. “It’s important, not only that we do it, but how people see it. We have a position here.”
Carlo sighs. “Oh, big boy. Remind us again of our position.”
Bruno says, “Yeah. Do that.” With a glance at Carlo, he says, “The late arrival hasn’t lectured us on who we are yet.”
Carlo looks at his watch and nods toward Alessio, “Not this morning. It’s nearly nine and you haven’t brought it up all day.”
From the top of the steps in the doorway, I say, “Boys?”
Silence falls. All three men turn to look up at me, like three big labradors who’ve been caught raiding the pantry.
They’re quiet for a moment. They lower their heads and peer up at me.
Alessio speaks first. “These idiots don’t think it matters how people see this family.”
Bruno’s eyelids lower. A clear sign that his limited patience is nearly all used up. “We don’t have to prove ourselves all the time. Everybody knows that we’re the Fortuna’s. We are the ‘F’ word.”
I ask all of them, “What is this all about?”
Bruno’s voice drips with sarcasm, “It’s about Alessio needing to feel powerful and important and like he’s a big noise.”
Alessio’s chest puffs and his neck reddens.
He says, “It’s about these two idiots not wanting to grow up and take our position in the community seriously.”
I shake my head. “Carlo?”
“It’s about the Christmas party.”
“Ah.”
Bruno says, “Alessio wants to invite everyone from the whole of Seattle, and half of Congress, as well as setting up an olympic ice-skating rink,”
Carlo lets a grin slip across his face. “He can’t decide about entertainment, though. I think he wants either Taylor Swift or the Rolling Stones, for some reason.”
Alessio shoots back, “As far as I can see, Carlo, you would have us all in a dark room playing video games, hunched over screens and eating takeaway pizza.”
He looks back to me, “And what Bruno wants is every jock from Washington and Oregon to convene for a fancy-dress kitch-fest ending in a mammoth all-night drinking contest.”
I hold up a hand. All this before breakfast. I haven’t even had coffee yet.
“Well, you can all relax. We’re going to have a traditional Christmas party with my daddy in his house. We’ll have decorations and a tree, cakes, children’s party games, and mulled wine with cinnamon. And Daddy is going to play Santa.”
All three men get up to rush around me. I’m instantly surrounded by hard muscle and heat.
“Lucia,“ Alessio envelops me in his arms. “You could tell me anything. I light up when you tell me what to do.”
My heart swells and glows as he kisses me. I feel so loved, I could burst.
Bruno hugs and caresses me, “You’re the magic we all needed from the start. How did it take us so long to find you?”
Feeling my throat clog, I stroke Bruno’s face.
Carlo tells me, “I fucking love you, Princess,” and he takes a long, lewd kiss.
Bruno and Alessio applaud, before they close in for the same.
My princes, my kings of darkness. Together, we can take the world.
I have such plans.
linky