The American Contessa (12 page)

*****

Whittaker
.
 
She was going to see Whittaker.
 
Of all people.
 
Luca felt like
he’d suffered a blow to the gut.
  
She
was going from his bed to that … that vulgar … coarse …
American
.
 
And not only that,
Carmina approved.
 
He felt sick, no
angry, no … lost.
 
Gaby, his Gaby had
lied to him.
 
Since when was she yours,
you
idioto,
the voice in his head
furiously spat.

His
pulse beating rapidly, Luca tried to control his rage.
 
He wanted to punch someone, preferably
Whittaker.
 
Breathing heavily he turned
from the doorway and bumped into Carmina exiting the room.

“Luca.
 
Why are you hiding in the shadows?” she
questioned with a grin.
 
After noticing
his pallor she became concerned.
 
“Why,
what’s wrong?”

“Why
don’t
you
tell
me
?” he probed with a glare.
 
Running his hand through his hair in frustration, he grunted at her and
stormed off towards the stairs.

*****

Gaby
entered the bedroom and found Luca staring glassy-eyed at the bed.
 
What the hell was he thinking?
 
Was he regretting what had happened between
them already?
 
He had told her that he
felt the need to bolt after their night together, but the feeling had
passed.
 
Had it come back with a
vengeance and he was now looking for an escape route?
 
No.
 
That couldn’t be.
 
Half an hour
ago, he didn’t want to get out of bed.
 
In fact, she had to tear herself out of his grasp to get dressed.
 
Things couldn’t have changed so quickly.
 
But then, Luca’s moods had a way a changing
with the wind.

 
“Didn’t you have to go to work this morning?”
she quietly asked.
 
He visibly tensed at
her words.
  

“Trying
to get rid of me?” he replied cynically, without looking in her direction.
 

Gaby
was completely confused by his coldness.
 
“Why would I want to do that?” she answered in puzzlement.

“Oh,
I don’t know.
 
Maybe you have plans for
today.”
 
He turned to face her with eyes
of steel.
 
“Do you Gaby?
 
Do you have plans?”

“Nothing
that couldn’t be postponed if you’re not busy,” she replied carefully.
 
She couldn’t help but feel he’d been lying in
wait for her in the bedroom.
 
The poem
Will you walk into my parlour, said the
spider to the fly
came immediately to mind.

Gaby
came towards him and he took a step back.
 
He looked ready for a fight, and not completely in control of his
emotions.
 
Okay then.
 
Better to face the oncoming storm, let it
blow through and hope that it wouldn’t make too much mess in its wake.

“You
could postpone it, huh?” he said from between clenched teeth.
 
“I wouldn’t want you to miss something
special
!”
         

“Why
do I feel like we’re talking in riddles?
 
If you have something to say Luca, why don’t you say it, and then we’ll
both know,” she remarked in irritation.

Quick
as a dark and dangerous animal, he lunged at her and pulled her to him.
 
Grabbing her face between his hands, he
wrenched her face up to his.
 
“Gaby,” he
rasped, “The thought of you with another man drives me crazy.
 
I want to be the only one.
 
I have to be the only one.
 
Tell me you want me, and only me.”

Gaby
frowned at him, “I do want only you,” a little bewildered at his admission.

Luca
pushed her from him angrily.
 
“How easily
you can lie.”
 
Turning from her, he
strode to the window.
 
“Go!
 
Go to your lover.”

“My
what
?”

He
snorted and looked at her in disgust.
 
“Go to Whittaker.”
 
At her blank
look, he grunted, “I know about your plans to meet with David Whittaker this
morning.
 
I must say you had me going for
a while there.
 
I didn’t think you liked
him at all.”

“I
don’t,” she replied calmly.
 
Suddenly,
realisation set in.
 
He’d heard her
conversation downstairs with Carmina, or rather, part of the conversation.
 
The idiot thought she was meeting David
Whittaker!
 
It was almost laughable,
except for the look on his face.
 
That
wasn’t funny at all.
 
In fact, it was a
little scary.

“What
was it Shakespeare said?
 
She doth protest too much.
 
Anyway.
 
Thank you for last night, it was most enjoyable.
 
But not so much that I’d be inclined to
repeat it.”
 
Looking back out the window,
his shoulders dipped in defeat.

Gaby
stared at him in disbelief.
 
“Are you
done?”
 
When he didn’t answer, she sighed
in aggravation.
 
“Well, you’ve had an
energetic morning, haven’t you?”
 
With no
response, she soldiered on, “What with all the jumping to conclusions you’ve
done, no wonder you look exhausted.”

Luca
continued to gaze out the window, ignoring her.
 
Completely annoyed, she walked over to the window and tapped him on the
shoulder.
 
“Do you mind?
 
I prefer for someone to look at me when I’m
talking to them.”

Turning
to confront her, she could see the strain in his face.
 
“You’re a fool Luca Manetti.
 
Before you get carried away and say things
that can’t be taken back, you should get your facts straight.”

The
fury in his eyes was almost terrifying.
 
Gaby was sure nobody had ever called Count Luca Manetti a fool.
 
“Go on,” he said with controlled rage.
 
“Why don’t you set me straight then.”

“All
right.
 
Sure, I planned to go see David
this morning …”

“A-ha,”
he chimed.

She
folded her arms in front of her.
 
“The
statue of David.”

“The
… sta …,” he stuttered.

“Yeah,
the statue,” she replied with a grim face.

Immediately
his face softened and he moved a step toward her.
 
“Gaby,” he said softly.
  
Feeling his warm hand touch her arm, she
ripped it from his grip.
 
Luca stepped
back from her in dismay.

“No,”
she said.
 
“It’s not that easy Luca.”

“But
I didn’t know you meant the statue!” he replied nervously.
 
“I’m sorry.”

“So
am I,” Gaby replied miserably, walked to the door and turned.
 
“Your anger scares me Luca.
 
I can’t keep worrying that anything I may say
or do could set you off.”

Exhaling
shakily, his face was mixture of pain, regret and fear.
 
“I know I have a quick temper and I’m sorry
if I scared you.
 
But my feelings for you
are so strong, that sometimes I have a hard time controlling them –good or
bad.
 
I’ve never felt this way or this
much before Gaby.”
 
Shrugging wearily he
sat down on the bed.
 
“I know in my heart
you would never be with someone like Whittaker, but my head has trouble
trusting anyone, even you.”

“But
without trust, there’s no hope for any sort of future between us,” Gaby sighed,
the jubilation of the night before a distant memory.
 
“I can’t honestly see how this can work
Luca.
 
Maybe its best I leave Italy now
and not wait till the end of summer.”

“No!”
he demanded, rushing to her side.
 
Reaching for her, but realising his touch was unwanted and pulling his
hands away, he implored, “Please Gaby.
 
I’ll do anything.
 
Please stay.”

“We’d
only make each other miserable in the long run.
 
Don’t you think?” she said unsurely, leaving the room.

**********

“It’s
not funny Carmina.”

“Of
course not.”
 
Carmina stifled a
laugh.
 
“He actually thought you were
cheating on him with David Whittaker?”
    

“Yep,”
Gaby replied glumly.

“
Odio
.
 
When my brother acts the fool, I must say he goes at it
whole-heartedly.
 
You’re not seriously
thinking of leaving, are you?” Carmina enquired, closing her suitcase.

“I
don’t know.”

“Then,
at least, don’t go until I return.
 
I’ll be
back with our
Nonna
in a few days for
the donation of the library books and then we can talk more,” Carmina said
calmly.
 
“Maybe you and Luca can work
things out by then.”

Gaby
exhaled sharply.
 
“I don’t know about
that.
 
He doesn’t trust me.
 
And trust is not something you can make
someone feel.
 
You either do or you don’t.”

Holding
up her finger to make a point, Carmina added, “Don’t forget, trust is something
you can earn too.”

She
nodded in agreement.
 
Maybe Luca
could
learn to trust her –in time.
 
Pity it was in such short supply.

“Carmina?”
 
Luca’s head popped around the corner of
her bedroom door.
 
“Oh, I’m sorry.
 
I hope I’m not interrupting,” he said
clumsily.

“My,
but aren’t I popular today,” Carmina mocked.
 
“Come in brother.”

Gaby
and Luca eyed each other warily.
 
Standing up, Gaby made a charge for the door.
 
“I was just leaving,” she said on her way.

“Please.
Don’t.
 
This really concerns you too,”
Luca solemnly stated.
 

Pacing
the floor, he looked from one woman to the other, stopped to speak, didn’t,
then continued pacing.

Carmina
finally spoke, “Luca, you’re going to wear a hole in the rug.
 
Say what you want to say, for goodness sake.”

Stopping
in the middle of the room, he looked down at the floor, unable to meet their
eyes.
 
“I know … I know that I have a
problem.
 
With anger and well ... a lot
of other things.
 
And I know that …
Carmina has wanted me to see someone who could possibly help for a long
time.”
 
He let out a long breath.
 
“Well … I’m ready.”

Gaby
and Carmina swapped looks.
   
Luca then
turned to face his sister.
 
“So arrange
it please Carmina.
  
Just let me know
when and where, and I’ll be there.
 
I
don’t want to be this way anymore.”

Carmina
moved towards him and hugged her brother tightly.
 
“Luca, I’m so glad,” she sniffed, the tears
welling up in her eyes.
 
“Now, if you’ll
excuse me, my car is waiting, and I think you two have some talking to do.”

Grabbing
her suitcase and heading for the door she winked back at them with glistening
eyes.
 
“You two behave.
 
And if you have any making up to do –use your
own room!
 
Ciao
!”

Gaby
snorted in a most unladylike way at Carmina’s comment.

“Gaby,
can we talk?” he asked softly.

“All
right.
 
Why don’t we sit down?”
 
As Luca made a move towards the bed she stopped
him.
 
“Not on the bed, buster,” she
snapped.

“Okay.
 
Where?” he asked patiently.

“Over
there,” she replied sternly, pointing to the window seat.

Gaby
took a seat on the bench and Luca sat meekly down beside her, careful not to
brush his knees against hers.
 
He was
going to do whatever it took to win her over again.
 
Glancing at her, she looked distant and
aloof.
 
This wasn’t going to be
easy.
 
“Um …,”