God Save the Queen (17 page)

Chapter 25

Benvenuto a Roma

              “Miss, would you like more ice for your drink?”

             
I looked up from my fashion magazine and shook my head no. If I had any more ice, I’d be a Popsicle. Plus, I’d be too cold to enjoy my first glimpse of sunny Italy.

             
It was true. This wasn’t a dream from which I was going to awake. It was happening. We were headed to Rome! Well Rome for a day and a half, and then Sicily for about two days. The “we” in this case included me, Kevin, Terrence, Barnes and Antonio. I tried to get Mari and Avery to accompany us as well, but LaGard wouldn’t hear of it. They had too much going on, what with planning for the ball and such. But it was all right. I promised them I’d make sure that Barnes and Antonio wouldn’t give so much as a passing glance at any pretty Italian girls--not that they would even be tempted, with two beauties waiting for them at home.

             
Soon we landed in Rome and the sun was shining ten times brighter than it had been in St. Petersburg. It was only good luck that I’d remembered to bring sunglasses, since I’d gotten out of the habit since moving to Russia. I was comfortable in my red sundress that somewhat resembled the one I had worn when I first met Michael, only a little more carefree. But I did grab the matching hat just so I could call it an ensemble.

             
Once we got in the limousine that awaited us, Kevin immediately asked where we were staying. I looked at him in surprise. “Beats me. I thought you knew.”

It turned out that
Terrence was the only one who did know our destination, and he wasn’t revealing anything. So while Kevin and Antonio sat trying to figure out where we were headed, I followed Barnes’ lead and watched the scenery whisk by outside.

             
I recognized some sights, like the massive Spanish Steps and the Pantheon. We also passed by the Vatican and I saw swarms of people lined up in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Pope. Then we started to get near the Trevi Fountain and I was amazed at the intricate detail of each figure on the fountain. I saw people coming in and out of shops and it gave me a little twinge, knowing that they were able to live a normal life, while I was locked up in a cab with two bodyguards, a personal assistant and a royal consultant.

             
We finally reached the hotel and I was struck by how small and quaint it was. I caught Terrence looking at me in a questioningly, while Barnes, Antonio and Kevin got us checked in. “Do you not like it?” he asked me with a sharply arched eyebrow.

             
I looked up at the old building and nodded. “Terrence, I love it. It’s so small and unpretentious, almost humble-looking. I really need this. You don’t even know.”

             
“So the elaborate settings of the palace are getting to you, are they?” He smiled and raised his other eyebrow. I nodded.

             
Suddenly Kevin appeared in the doorway. “Hey, guys, we’re all set.”

             
As we followed the bellboys carrying my suitcases to my room, I noticed a small sign with an arrow pointing up toward a little stairwell. You don’t have to speak Italian to figure out was
terrazzo
means. Yes, I decided, I would definitely have to check out the rooftop terrace.

             
My room was small and furnished with understated elegance. Just the way I wanted it to be. It had light pink walls with vertical cream stripes. The headboard of the bed and the sheets matched everything perfectly. I had my own bathroom and enough closet space. Barnes and Antonio set my luggage down just as I walked in.

             
Kevin looked around the room and said with an approving nod, “Well, not too shabby. I think Terrance did a good job, don’t you?”

When I didn’t answer right away he turned around and caught me slipping
off my flats. “Anya,” he said in a warning tone, “don’t you dare even
think
about--”

             
I was out of the room before he could finish. I didn’t know why I was acting like this. I mean, Barnes and Antonio couldn’t afford to lose me again. But I didn’t care. I guess I was all jazzed up about being in a new place and out of the stuffy palace. Maybe I was just happy that I was getting away from everything and experiencing life like I should be. I turned the corner and sprinted up the stairs. I heard the thudding of heavy feet behind me as I ran up the stairway two steps at a time. I heard someone slam against the wall as I reached the top of the steps. I stepped out onto the terrace roof and stopped dead in my tracks. Before my eyes lay the most beautiful sight I had ever beheld.

             
The sun was setting behind me, with shades of red and purple making a dramatic backdrop. But what caught my eye was the building in front of me. There in front of my hotel (how could I have missed seeing it?) stood the Coliseum, the symbol of Rome itself. It was so close that I imagined if I had wanted to, I could get a running start and at least touch it.

             
I felt the bodies of three men brush hard against me as I stood there. Then Kevin took a deep breath to scold me but stopped once he caught sight of what was in front of him. Antonio sighed and I even heard the usually mute Barnes give an approving grunt. Then I felt Kevin’s hand on my shoulder as he said,
“Benvenuto a Roma.”

*
              *              *

             
The official reason I was in Rome was to have dinner with the representatives’ son, Gianni, who just happened to be about my age, three years older I was sure. I was hoping that maybe he lived up to the Italian supermodels I had draping my walls back at my house in the States, so I went out and bought myself a little black dress for the occasion. Once I was dressed and ready to go, I walked out of my bathroom to where Barnes, Antonio and Kevin had been waiting, and watched all three of their jaws drop in perfect unison. Normally I didn’t dress as elegantly as this: a little black dress, a little bit more makeup, and heels that were considered a lethal weapon in some countries. I was dressed to impress.

             
As soon as everyone stopped gawking, Antonio and Kevin resumed hunting for any good stations on my television. It was sheer coincidence that my suite was the one that had free cable TV, so they were going to be “watching my room” while I was gone.

             
Barnes, the perfect gentleman, offered his arm as we were about to leave. He was all dressed up in a causal tux and nice shiny shoes. He even had styled his hair. I picked him to accompany me on my date because I knew he wouldn’t say anything that would offend me, or Gianni. Actually, I knew that he wasn’t going to say anything at all.

             
Just as we were leaving, Kevin quickly looked up from his TV and yelled, “Don’t do anything Michael wouldn’t do!” I turned to give him a snide look. and smiled to him, and saw Antonio intently flipping through the channels. Then he suddenly got serious as he pointed at the screen. “Go, go, Power Rangers! Look, Kev! Go, go, Power Rangers!”

             
Kevin suddenly rubbernecked toward the TV and started yelling, “
No Way!
I haven’t seen this in years.” I rolled my eyes and thought to myself as I I walked out the door,
What do girls see in these guys?

*
              *              *

             
Bar none, It was the worst date I had ever been on in my entire life. Gianni was a half-hour late to the restaurant. As he made his way toward me in the reception area, I noticed that he was a little disheveled and staggered a little when he walked. Oh well, I told myself, at least he’s pretty good-looking. But that was before he opened his mouth. Not only did his breath reek of alcohol and cigar smoke, but what followed was astounding.

             
“Ahh, you must be
Miss
Anya! Very … very nice to meet you. They said that you were pretty, but they did not say your chest was just as wonderful.” It wasn’t bad enough that he said this loud enough for everyone in the front of the restaurant to hear. He also had to outstretch his arms like a game-show prize girl toward the subject itself. I stood there with my mouth open in appalled shock, but that didn’t stop Gianni from stumbling toward me and puckering up for what I feared would be a great big sloppy kiss.
As if,
I thought while swatted him away, Barnes took a step forward, his face stern and menacing. Gianni’s bodyguard stepped forward and slightly pulled Gianni back and whispered in his ear. Then Gianni said, “Ah,
si,
you’re right, Greco. Let us … go to our table.”

             
When we got to our table, Gianni thought it would be funny to yank back my chair just as I was about to sit down. I fell to the floor with an outstanding thud, which must have been the highlight of his evening, because I’d never before heard such a bellow of laughter. Barnes helped me up as I glared at Gianni, but he was too busy snapping his fingers at passing waiters to give his drink order. Dinner was horrible too. Gianni insisted on ordering for all of us. For Greco and Barnes he ordered the cheapest entrée on the menu--spaghetti with marinara sauce. For himself, he ordered a rack of lamb in a cherry glaze with green beans. He ordered a very small green salad for me, and when I told him I was very hungry after a long trip, he told me I could stand to lose a few pounds. I was deeply offended. I was keeping my shape by using the royal gym religiously, and I was proud of that. After dinner he ordered dessert for everyone but me. I got black coffee. I tried to get my own dessert, but the waiter didn’t speak English and Gianni sure wasn’t going to help me there.

             
After many mindless discussions about all of Gianni’s successes, and watching him down a few more drinks, it was time for us to leave. He was generous enough to walk me out of the restaurant arm-in-arm while Barnes and Greco paid the bill, but the stagger in his step that was only slightly visible at the beginning of the night was now a full-blown drunken stumble. I rolled my eyes as he tried to walk in a straight line to the hotel. A few times I even had to support him when he almost passed out
while walking
.

             
We finally made it to the entrance of the hotel. It was the awkward moment when the date was over and you both said goodbye about a million and one times. In this case, however, I wondered if Gianni was sober enough to remember he was even
on
a date, and this was the end of it. His head was downcast, whether because he was drunk or ashamed, I didn’t know which. Still, I couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for him. He’s embarrassed, I concluded, and out of compassion I decided to seal the evening with a quick peck on the cheek .

             
But as I leaned in, everything took a turn for the worst. Gianni suddenly grabbed my face. Unable to do anything, my face was pulled to his and he crashed his lips onto mine. My stomach turned as I smelt and tasted the booze on his breath. After what seemed like forever my hands found his chest and I pushed him off with a tremendous amount of force. He flailed back and luckily enough Greco was there to catch him. Gianni looked up at me in confusion as I glared at him. “Good night,” I hissed.

Greco, always one step ahead of the rest of us,
had already hailed a cab and was pouring Gianni into it. Before he got into the cab after him, though, I pulled him toward me and whispered, “Look, I don’t know if you speak English or not, but listen to me. Get that boy to a rehab. Pronto.”

             
He gave me an OK sign and hopped into the cab. As it pulled into traffic I rolled my eyes. At that was when I saw Antonio and Kevin looking down from the balcony of my hotel suite. They must have just witnessed the Goodnight Kiss of the Damned and were doubtless laughing their heads off at my expense. Once they saw me looking back at them, they quickly disappeared from the window, but the damage was done

             
I turned back to face Barnes and saw that he too had an amused look on his face, and I didn’t appreciate his silent laughing at the moment. I glared as I walked by and put my hand up to ward off any explanations.

             
“Can it,” I muttered.

             
I stormed up the staircase and barged into my suite. There Antonio and Kevin sat on my bed, giving me a phony “back already?” look. Just two innocent boys watching TV. You could practically see the cartoon halos over their heads. Only I was able to see past the angel bit and see the devils laughing on their shoulders. As I walked past them, heading toward the bathroom, Kevin snickered, “So … how’d your date go?”

             
The slam of the door behind me answered his question.

Chapter 26

Sicily
 

              The next morning we jetted off to Sicily to visit Terrence’s friend, Aldo. The good news was that there was absolutely no business involved in this trip, which was exactly what I needed after my disastrous and exhausting evening with Gianni. The bad news was that I wasn’t the only one who remembered my date from hell, so Kevin, Antonio, and Barnes found it completely necessary to tease me throughout the flight. Well, Kevin and Antonio anyway. Barnes was
mentally
teasing me, I could just feel it.

             
“So, what would you say, An?” Kevin asked me. “Worst date in the history of dates, including both A.D. and B.C.?”

             
“Aw, Kevin, don’t ask her that,” Antonio said, giving Kevin a playful punch in the arm. “I’m sure she doesn’t want to be reminded how revolting that guy was. Like when he pulled the chair out from under her just as she was sitting down.…”

             
“Right, was that before of after he wouldn’t let her have dessert?”

             
“Before
and
after, I think. Did Barnes tell you what he said about her chest, mate?”

             
“Oh, of course. What a way to start the night off, huh? Shocker that it only went downhill after that.”

             
“That’s a great opener, though. I’m going to try that on Avery. ‘Hey, Avery, your chest is looking ravishing this evening.’ How fast you think she’ll jump me?”

             
“Will you two cut it out!”

             
The drive to Aldo’s was beautiful once I got the two idiots to shut up. For the next half-hour I enjoyed the blissful peace and quiet of the countryside outside the window. When we arrived at Aldo’s villa I was overcome by the breathtaking views. It sat high on a hill, overlooking his vineyards and olive groves.

             
We were immediately greeted by Aldo with open arms. He embraced Terrence as the old friend he was and continued down the line, embracing Barnes, Antonio and Kevin in the same fashion. Once he got to me, he waited for Terrence to introduce us before he swept into a deep, swift, and elegant bow and said, “Glad to have you at my humble abode, Your Highness.”

             
I blushed as he regained his composure. I still wasn’t used to the whole ‘Your Highness’ thing and truly was still a little uncomfortable with it. I had gotten most everyone in my court to call me Anya or Miss Anya, but I wasn’t able to stop people like Aldo who weren’t aware of my discomfort until it was far too late.

             
“Please call me Anya. And it’s wonderful of you to let us stay here.”

             
We quickly had a tour of the villa, which was made of stone and stucco and was once owned by a count who had fought against the fascist regime. Although I
thought
I had paid attention in Sergeant K’s class, I was still unaware of most everything historic that Aldo referred to, but I still managed to nod convincingly at appropriate intervals.

             
Once the tour was over, Aldo quickly showed us how we would entertain ourselves for the remainder of our stay. He had a swimming pool, basketball, handball, and tennis courts, and a field perfect for soccer. In the basement he had a pool table and a home movie theater. He also showed us the library where I considered hibernating for the rest of the trip. That was until Aldo showed us the stables.

             
“Our horses are gentle and love to be taken for rides,” he said, patting a horse he called Don (short for Don Giovanni, he would tell me later). “But I haven’t been around much lately because of business and such, so they’re just itching to get out.” Don whinnied as if in fervent agreement. He was a Sicilian breed called Sella Italiano, Aldo told us, and had a lustrous, dark brown coat.

             
“Where could we take them?” I asked, knowing that the rest of our stay here would be accompanied by beautiful weather. A horseback ride would be ideal.

             
“Oh, my dear, you can take them wherever you want. But I would recommend letting
them
take
you
to the Lake of the Lady.”

             
I raised an eyebrow. “Lake of the Lady? Where’s that?”

             
He pointed out into the fields. “Go past the olive groves over there and you’ll reach the edge of a forest. Once in the woods the horses will take you to a lake, which we’ve named Lake of the Lady.”

             
Before I could ask why it was named that, Aldo explained. “You see, it was believed that Venus herself left magical remains in the water. If someone jumps in, then their life will forever be filled with love and beauty. Many people have gone there, jumped in and have been married within the year. If you are to go, my dear, I would recommend taking Donna Anna here.” He approached a slightly smaller Sello Italiano with a gorgeous chestnut coat and patted her on the nose. “She knows the way well. I would also say that you should bring with you one of these boys.” He nodded to my three traveling companions standing next to me. “You know, to keep you safe.” His tone, however, did not back up his statement. He seemed to be teasing me.

             
Then he suddenly clapped his hands together. “Well! That’s the end of the tour. I expect all of your things have been brought to your rooms. Dinner will be served in an hour, so you’d better bring an empty stomach, for tonight we feast!”

             
Then he grabbed Terrence by the shoulder and I heard him whisper, “So tell me about this cook. Was Joanne her name?”

*
              *              *

             
Dinner was glorious. We all got stuffed to the bone by Aldo, and then listened to him and Terrence talk about their time in the army together. We got a brief history of how grapes and olives need to be grown, which was actually fascinating. Finally, we all joined together in a merry little Sicilian jingle, after which we all slugged our weary selves up the stairs.

             
Before returning to my room, however, I took a little detour. I knocked on Kevin’s door and quickly stepped into his room. He knew something was up when a smile bigger than Russia itself was spread out across my face.
              “All right, what are you up to now?” he asked, sitting on his bed with his arms crossed.

             
“Well, I was just wondering what you were planning to do tomorrow.” I decided not to try and sound all sweet because Kevin knew me better than that.
              “I’m not really sure, actually. I was thinking maybe I’d go play some basketball.”

             
“Or go to the Lake of the Lady with me?” I asked, filling in his pause.

             
“Or maybe watch a movie?”

             
“Or go to the lake with me?”

             
“But what I was thinking … if you wouldn’t mind … You want to go to the Lake of the Lady with me?”

             
I jumped up and down. “Yeah! So you’ll go?”

             
Kevin nodded and then sighed. “Why do you want to go there anyway?”

             
I shrugged before responding. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s supposed to help your love life and face it, Kev, both yours and mine are dead, so it can’t hurt.”

             
“But you understand it’s just a myth, right?”

             
“What does it matter? It either works or it doesn’t.”

             
He rolled his eyes. “Fine. We’ll leave here at eight. Then we’ll have the whole day to spend afterwards, all right?”

             
“Oh, thank you, thank you!” I said, seizing him in a hug. Then I got up and ran out the door. “Don’t forget your bathing suit!”

*
              *              *

             
The next morning we were up at seven-thirty and ready to go at eight. The stable hands already had our horses saddled, so there was nothing to do but get on and go. It took an hour for us to get to the edge of the forest, so Kevin and I passed the time by snatching olives off the passing trees and throwing them at each other. I can’t remember how that led to our talking about my upcoming coronation, but it seems we talked about everything under the sun that day .

             
“You’re not the least bit nervous?” Kevin asked, looking over with a concerned face.

             
I shook my head. “No, not yet. I guess it hasn’t really sunk in. But I’ll probably be freaking out on my birthday.”

             
“Yeah. That’s usually when people begin to freak. You know, last minute.” There was a quick pause and he continued. “Speaking of it, what do you want for your birthday? I mean other than a glitzy crown and the usual stuff that comes with becoming an empress. What do you really want?”

             
“I don’t know actually. I mean, I never really had to tell anyone what I wanted for my birthday before. They’d usually remember something I’d said I liked, or …” I paused a moment, not really wanting to finish the sentence.

             
“Or what?”

             
I shrugged. “Or they wouldn’t know it was my birthday.”

             
“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t they know? You don’t get prezzies if you don’t blab to everyone when your birthday is.”

             
“The truth is …” Another pause, another thing I didn’t like talking about. If anyone other than Kevin had asked, I’d have changed the subject before now. “The truth is, I don’t want people to know. I don’t like celebrating my birthday.”

             
“Why not?”

             
“Oh, it just brings back a lot of personal memories. Ones that I don’t like remembering.”

             
“All right, then,” Kevin said, giving me a sincere, unembarrassed smile and stopping the conversation gently. We continued in silence for another five minutes before reaching the edge of the forest. It wasn’t an awkward silence either; that’s how comfortable I’d gotten to be with Kevin.

             
“So what should we do?” I asked. I wasn’t sure if we were going in the right direction and I sure didn’t want to get lost.

             
“I think we should listen to Aldo,” Kevin said, getting off his horse and grabbing his reins. “We should let Don and Donna Anna lead us.” He stretched his hand toward me.

             
I was hesitant to grab it. I wasn’t sure if it was the sun or something else, but this wasn’t the Kevin I knew. He wasn’t what I’d call the spontaneous, throw-your-cares-to-the-wind kind of guy, but I gave him my hand anyway. He gently lifted me off my horse, and handed me the reins as well.             

             
“Shall we?” he asked as the horses began to lead the way. We followed, and Kevin asked me, “Why would anyone name their horses Don and Donna Anna? Could get confusing.”

I told him what Aldo has told me early that morning, that “Don” was short for Don Giovanni, an opera by Mozart. And Donna Anna was another character in the same opera.

“Fascinating,” he said with an exaggerated yawn. I swatted him for that one.

As we continued in
to the woods I got a little background on Kevin as well.

             
“So you grew up with how many sisters again?”

             
“Four,” he laughed, “and it was a living hell. They would always dress me up for tea parties and games of House and my name would be Katrina. I was always the ugly one that no one talked to, or else I ended up dying of some terrible disease. My dad was the only one who would save me from this nightmare, but he worked a lot, so I was stuck in my sister’s Hello Kitty dress about thirteen hours a day.”

             
“Poor kid,” I said, trying unsuccessfully to conceal my laughter. “But it had to have gotten better when you got older, right?”

             
“Yeah, once they grew out of the princess stage. But now they’re all grown up and married. Some of them have a family, so now they can dress up their own kids.”

             
“So you’re an uncle?”

             
“Yes, I am. Why, is that weird to think of me like that?”

             
“Oh no!” But I couldn’t help smiling as I thought about Kevin holding a little baby in his arms. “I just … well, I never knew this stuff about you before.”

             
Kevin sighed as a dark cloud seemed to pass over his face. “Anya, there are some things you’ll never know about me.” I was just about to ask what he meant by that, or if he was serious, but the horses started to whinny and we looked up to see that we had reached our destination.