The Tuscan Tycoon’s Wife

that refined dining was a mystery to her, and despised her accordingly.

‘That’s great,’ she said desperately. ‘It looks lovely, Gina.’

‘The food is ready to serve, signorina.’

‘In that case-I suppose I should bring people in.’

She did this by conveying the message to Leo and letting him make the announcement. She knew she should have done it herself, but she would rather have ridden a bull than stand up in that company and invite them into ‘her’ dining room. She began to wonder when there was a flight back to Texas.

Things improved a little when she found herself talking to Dulcie. They swapped stories about ‘life before Calvani’ as Dulcie teasingly put it. Dulcie was thrilled by Selena’s background.

‘I’ve always loved Westerns,’ she said longingly. ‘You mean you do real Wild West stuff? Roping and riding and such?’

‘Riding. I don’t actually do roping-although, I can. This guy showed me how. Said I was pretty good.’

‘Are you going to do roping at Grosseto tomorrow?’

Selena shook her head. ‘Women don’t do that in rodeos. We just do barrel racing.’

Dulcie’s eyes were mischievous. ‘Do you think the Grosseto organisers know that?’

Selena grinned. ‘You’re wicked,’ she said appreciatively, and Dulcie nodded.

From the other end of the table Guido and Leo watched their womenfolk with satisfaction.

‘We always do it,’ Guido observed.

‘What’s that?’ his brother asked.

‘Uncle Francesco has a saying that the Calvanis always choose the best, the best food, the best wine, the best women. We did well, brother. Both of us.’

The meal was superb. The count congratulated Leo’s cook and the atmosphere became genial. This lasted until the subject of the wedding came up, and the count immediately declared that of course it must take place in St Mark’s Basilica, in Venice.

‘Selena and I thought the parish church in Morenza would suit us,’ Leo said.

‘The parish-?’ The count seemed lost for words. ‘A Calvani, marry in a village?’

‘This is our home,’ Leo said firmly. ‘It’s what Selena and I both wish.’

‘But-’

‘No, uncle,’ Leo said firmly.

He would have said more but the countess laid her hand on his arm and said something Selena didn’t understand, except that she caught her own name.

‘All right, all right,’ he said placatingly. ‘I won’t say any more.’

He patted his wife’s hand and responded in the same language she’d used.

You didn’t have to be a genius to know what they’d said, Selena reckoned. The countess couldn’t think what the fuss was about. St Mark’s was too good for Selena Gates. And the count had agreed with her.

Luckily everyone wanted an early night, to be ready for the pleasures of the following day. Normally Selena slept easily, but tonight she lay awake for hours, wondering what she was doing here.

They left early for Grosseto, the family to take up position in a hotel room Leo had booked for them, which overlooked the procession. Leo and Selena went straight to the meeting place from where the procession was to start.

Today they were both dressed to kill, in the finest available from Delia’s stall, cowboy shirts, buttoned to the neck, colourful cowboy boots and belts with large silver buckles. When Leo had rammed a stetson squarely on his head, and Selena had settled hers on at a rakish angle they were ready for the parade.

It was quite a parade. The town band had turned out in force, well rehearsed, and if it sounded a little too Italian to be authentic nobody cared for that. The horse-men, or butteri as they were known locally, had the rough splendour of men who lived hard lives and performed the difficult feats of roping and riding not only in performance but in their everyday lives.

After the parade everyone moved to a nearby field for the contests that would take up the afternoon. First off was the bucking-bronco contest. Leo had elected to enter this, and did creditably without winning. Then the barrels were set up, a voice from a loudspeaker told the crowd all about Selena and predicted that she would do the circuit in no more than fourteen seconds.

This gave her a real challenge as the barrels were set just too far apart for that, and Peri lacked experience. The two of them gave it all they had, taking fourteen and a half, which didn’t stop the announcer yelling, ‘Fourteen seconds,’ as she finished. And the cheerful crowd took his word for it.

If she thought the day was over she had a shock coming. Next came the calf roping, and some mischievous person had entered her in it. Guido always swore that it wasn’t him.

Like Leo she managed well enough not to lose face, and the afternoon ended in a riot of good fellowship. The Calvanis cheered her to the echo, all except the countess, who applauded, but quietly, and left Selena wondering what she was really thinking. ‘Brash and unladylike, I reckon,’ she thought. ‘Can’t be helped.’

There were a dozen food stalls selling local specialities, and they all consumed freely, even the countess, who tucked in with gusto.

‘She comes from these parts,’ Leo explained. ‘She doesn’t often get the chance of good Tuscan eats.’

But by the time they reached home everyone was hungry again, and Selena’s thoughts had flown back across the Atlantic.

‘I could just do with a hot dog,’ she sighed.

‘We could make some,’ Gina said. ‘What do we need?’

‘Sausages and rolls.’

‘Rolls we have. Sausages I must send for.’

‘But it’s late, the shops are shut.’

‘I will send Sara. The butcher is her uncle.’

In half an hour the little maid was back with her uncle’s finest. Selena made hot dogs, Tuscan style, and everybody pronounced them excellent.

Even the countess ate two, Selena noticed. And she smiled at her, and said, ‘Grazie, Selena.’

Afterwards, as they drank coffee and sipped wine, Dulcie said to her, ‘Do you know, you’re just the way I expected.’

Selena was startled. ‘You knew about me?’

‘When Leo came back from Texas he couldn’t talk about anything else but you, how he’d met you, and you were wonderful, and he didn’t have your number any more. He was going crazy. If you hadn’t come over here, I’m pretty sure he’d have taken off to find you.’

Selena looked up to find Leo’s eyes on them. He was grinning, embarrassed, but too good-natured to mind being laughed at.

‘So now you know,’ he told Selena.

‘Go on,’ she ribbed him, ‘I knew anyway. Always reckoned you couldn’t resist me.’

He slipped a friendly arm about her.

‘On the other hand,’ he mused, ‘It was you who came looking for me.’

‘In a pig’s eye I came looking for you. I came for the rodeo.’

‘Sure you did.’

‘Sure I did.’

‘Well, it’s over now,’ he said, ‘so you can go back.’ But his arm tightened as he spoke.

The others were watching them, smiling.

‘Then I’ll go,’ she said defiantly.

‘Fine. Go.’ The arm tightened.

‘I’m going.’

‘Good.’

‘Good.’

‘Oh, get on with it and kiss each other,’ Guido said in exasperation. ‘I need a drink. Ouch!’ He rubbed his ribs which had collided with a wifely elbow.

After that everybody sat up much too late, unwilling to let a happy occasion end. Toast followed toast until they