Chapter Eleven #2
‘Where are we?’ she asked, and the stranger chuckled.
‘I’m surprised you haven’t guessed. At a jeweller’s,’ Rocco replied. ‘If we’re engaged, then you need a ring.’
Rocco was quietly satisfied to see Lily’s eyes widen, a faint flush rising on her cheeks.
That was not all he had in store for her tonight, but for now, he needed to ensure that their relationship had a formal mark to it.
It drove him—to put a ring on her finger.
Stake his claim, when for so many years the mere idea was something he fought against. It was in many ways a conflicting sensation, even though he’d come to terms with it.
That whilst nothing about the idea of marriage had changed for him emotionally, a baby mandated the legal act.
And that act required a suitable engagement ring.
He would not have anyone assert that this marriage was rushed, pre-emptive or ‘shotgun’.
To the world it would be presented as the perfect romance.
Meeting at a ball. The instant attraction.
Love.
Even if there was no love here. Still, that’s what the world, and their child, would always be led to believe.
The white lies told to protect them. So why did the thought cause his belly to knot and roil?
His head feel too full, like he’d forgotten something and it was knocking at a door deep in his subconscious, wanting to be let out.
‘There really isn’t a need,’ she said. He surmised what Lily wanted to add.
Because that’s not the type of relationship we have.
Rocco ignored it. This marriage was for their child’s protection, yet it was easy to deny a bond if it didn’t have all the usual trappings of a real engagement.
She’d wear his ring on her finger, to proclaim her as his—officially, formally, till they could marry.
The steps required to effect that as soon as possible, already in motion.
Their child would be born within wedlock, and the world would see only what they showed it. The love story. As for the truth? It was only for them.
‘There is. You should always be assured of my commitment to you …’ He didn’t add the words and our child because they were implied.
Also, the baby hadn’t been officially announced.
Lily was not quite at twelve weeks and whilst this jewellery company had impeccable credentials spanning over one hundred years, Rocco didn’t trust anyone with news as important as this.
‘This shows it to the world in a way that’s incontrovertible. ’
Her cheeks pinked again, a beautiful blush of colour.
‘Signor Grossi is one of the finest bespoke jewellers in Rome. I’ve asked him to make some selections for us, in the hope there’s something here you like.’
Rocco had told Signor Grossi of the colour of Lily’s eyes, like bathing in a tropical sea. Her skin, beautiful and pale. The jeweller had suggested blue stones and diamonds. Whilst Rocco had no doubt what they’d be shown today was the best, he’d told the man there was no budget.
He would not put a price on his child’s security. The baby would grow up knowing its father always gave its mother the finest of everything.
‘Please,’ the jeweller said to Lily. ‘Come and see.’
He walked to one of the countertops and pulled a tray from underneath, its surface draped in inky velvet.
‘I’ve chosen with certain specifications for which I thank Signor Silvestri. However, I have slipped in an outlier or two, which I felt might intrigue you.’
Signor Grossi drew back the velvet cover to reveal an array of magnificent stones—vibrant blue sapphires, azure aquamarines, diamonds that blinded in the perfect lighting. Each one was dazzling and incomparable. All befitting a Silvestri bride.
‘Oh, wow. They’re incredible. Where do I even start?’
Rocco stood close beside her. ‘Start by trying on each one.’
She looked up at the jeweller, reached out, hesitated. ‘May I touch?’
‘Of course. An engagement ring isn’t right if you fear it. Try everything. If nothing suits, let me know if I can find anything else. I’ve never failed in the quest to supply the perfect ring yet.’
Lily began to try the rings on. Tentative at first, then with more certainty.
Slipped on each of the flawless gems. Discarding some immediately, lingering over others.
She’d begun with an incomparable pink diamond, clearly one of the outliers Signor Grossi had talked of, then the sapphires.
She could have worn any of them, twisting her hand beneath the light as they sparkled with uncommon fire.
Not one failed to look blinding on her elegant hand.
Yet none called to him to slide it onto her finger.
Of course, in the end it wasn’t about him.
It was about the woman standing beside him.
Whatever she wanted, he’d buy for her, if it cemented his claim.
She took each off gently and reverently, laying them back into their place.
At last, she returned to the pink diamond, trying it on again and twisting it to the light.
Raking her teeth over her plump and kissable lower lip.
‘I don’t know. I can’t decide. They’re all so beautiful. But I’ve had a diamond …’
Rocco clenched his teeth. When she’d been engaged before, was what he was sure she’d wanted to add.
If it ended him, he would exorcise the memory of her past engagement from her consciousness.
No diamonds, then. He didn’t want anything reminding her of an unhappy time.
Their engagement was about the future, not the past.
‘I’m sorry. I know you must have opened the shop late just for us,’ she said to Signor Grossi. ‘I don’t want to keep you away from your family.’
Lily was so kind, considerate. Rocco reached out to place his hand on her back, to reassure, but those sentiments weren’t what their relationship was built on so he withdrew it.
Anyhow, there was no need for her to worry.
The jeweller would stay open long into the night so that he could proudly announce, when the news of the engagement was no longer embargoed, that he’d provided the engagement ring for Rocco Silvestri’s future bride.
‘Signora Rutherford, I have many rings here. If one of these doesn’t suit, I’ll find another,’ Grossi said, not with disappointment but with enthusiasm, as if he relished the challenge.
‘I’m not sure. The pink’s really pretty, but it just doesn’t feel—’
‘Perfect,’ Rocco finished for her.
Lily looked up at him, her eyes a magnificent liquid blue no gemstone could ever match. Why had he even tried? Lily nodded.
‘It doesn’t matter, farfallina,’ he murmured. ‘We can take as long as you wish, or come back another day if you can’t decide.’
‘Farfallina?’ The jeweller’s eyes lit up. ‘Wait here.’
He disappeared into the back of the shop and a few minutes later returned with a burgundy leather ring box.
‘This is an uncommon gem, and an unusual cut,’ Signor Grossi said. ‘Not everyone would be interested. But you seemed drawn to the pink rather than the blue, and I thought of this.’
He opened the box and Lily gasped. Inside was a large oval stone in a wash of peaches, pinks and reds, surrounded by diamonds in the palest lemon yellow.
‘This is a padparadscha sapphire,’ the jeweller explained.
‘It always reminded me of the colour of mountain butterfly wings. A beautiful stone, valued for its unique hues. It’s one of my most treasured rings, however, not everybody is interested in such a bold statement. Try it. See if you like it.’
He held out the ring, a depth of colour like Rocco had never seen before. It was as if a sunrise had been caught in a gemstone. The dawn of a brand-new day. This was a ring he itched to place on Lily’s finger.
‘Let me,’ Rocco said, taking the jewel from Signor Grossi. A bold statement was what he had been looking for. It seemed they’d found it.
Lily held out her trembling hand. Rocco steadied her cool fingers in his before sliding the ring onto her finger. A sense of certainty overtook him. A calm, like he’d found a missing piece of a puzzle and slotted it into place.
‘What do you think?’ he asked.
‘I can’t think of anything more beautiful.’
Rocco could … Lily. He smiled at her, his heart overfull in a way that was almost painful.
He rubbed at his chest, trying to ease this sensation that was overwhelming and unfamiliar.
It meant nothing. Any human with a shred of feeling would take pleasure in this moment.
Time to seal another step in this deal. He leaned down and covered her mouth with his, kissed her until time stopped.
Here in the jeweller’s, with her hand on his chest and his ring on her finger, Rocco couldn’t imagine anything more perfect than this.
Lily couldn’t take her eyes from the glorious ring on her finger.
The colour rich and warm as the most magnificent of sunsets.
After a few candid photographs on Rocco’s phone to commemorate the moment, they’d left Signor Grossi’s with his promise to design their wedding rings.
Their car was nowhere to be seen because Rocco said he had more surprises for her, and the driver would meet them later.
She had no idea where they were going as they strolled through streets still busy with people.
Tourists, most likely, given this was high season.
Now she felt part of it all, grounded in the moment rather than separate as she had on the way here.
It was as if the city was alive, with them at its centre like a beating heart.
Holding on to two secrets. The baby, and their engagement.
A warmth filled her, settled deep inside.
As rich and glowing as the ring on her finger.
She wanted to shout her news to everyone.
Stop people in the street and say, please congratulate us.