The Tuscan Tycoon’s Wife

This was seventy years ago, you understand. Not like now.

‘When I was a child-my mother died, and I was put to work in the house. Always I was told-I was lucky to have food and work. I was a bastard. I had no rights. I was taught nothing.

‘It was Maria Rinucci who saved me. These lands-her dowry when she married Count Angelo Calvani. She was sorry for me-took me to Venice with her. That was how I met my Francesco.’

A glow came over her face as she turned to look at the count, watching her, smiling.

‘If you could have seen him then,’ she said, returning his smile, ‘how young and handsome-he loved me, and of course I loved him. But-no use. He must marry-great lady. He ask me. I say no. How can he marry me? For forty years I say no. And then-I understand-I make big mistake. And now I come to tell you-don’t make my mistake.’

‘But Liza-’ Selena stammered ‘-you don’t know-’

‘Don’t be stupid,’ Liza said flatly. ‘Of course I know. I tell you. People think it must be-wonderful to be Cinderella. I say no. Sometimes-a burden.’

‘Yes,’ Selena said in relief at finding someone who understood. ‘Yes.’

‘But if it’s your destiny,’ Liza said fiercely, ‘you must accept that burden-else you will break Prince Charming’s heart.’

She took her husband’s hand. He was looking at her with a world of love in his eyes.

‘People see us and they think how romantic that our story had a happy ending,’ Liza said, a little sadly. ‘But what they do not see is in here-’ she indicated her breast ‘-my bitter regret that our love was only fulfilled at the end. We could have been happy long ago, I could have had his children. But I wasted all those years because I made too much of things that didn’t matter.’

Leo had come quietly forward until he was standing beside Selena. Liza saw it, and smiled.

She had one last thing to say to Selena, and now her words began to come easily, as though she had found the key.

‘In all your life, nobody has valued you, and so you did not learn to value yourself. Then how can you understand Leo, who values you more than anything in the world? How can you accept his love, when you think you are not worthy of love?’

‘Is that what I think?’ Selena asked, dazed.

‘Has anyone else ever loved you?’

Selena shook her head. ‘No. Nobody. You’re right. You grow up thinking that you’re not entitled to much-’ she saw Liza nod in a comprehension that included only the two of them ‘-and when Leo loved me I kept thinking he’d made a mistake, and he’d wake up soon and realise that it was only me after all.’

‘Only you,’ Liza echoed. ‘Only the woman he adores. Only the first woman he has ever asked to marry him. And, I think, the last. Don’t harm him as I harmed my Francesco. But trust him. Trust his love for you. Trust your own love for him. Don’t make my mistake, and throw away your happiness until it is almost too late.’

Selena turned to Leo and found him looking anxiously into her face. The enormity of what she’d nearly done to him shook her and she couldn’t stop the tears coming.

‘I love you,’ she said huskily. ‘I love you so much-and I never understood a thing.’

‘You just didn’t know about families,’ he said tenderly. ‘Now you do.’

She was wanted. The whole family was opening its hearts and its arms to her-she, who’d never had kin that she could recall-not who’d wanted her, anyway.

‘Marry me,’ he said at once. ‘Let me hear you say it.’

She never did say it. She could only nod vigorously while he took her into his arms and held her. Leaning down so that his chin rested on her head. Recovered treasure.

‘I’m never letting you go again,’ he said.

They set the wedding for as soon as possible, before winter closed in. Count Francesco was so delighted to be welcoming Selena into the family at last that he yielded about St Mark’s, and happily agreed that the village church in Morenza was the only suitable place.

The date was booked at the little church, and a flurry of cleaning got the house ready for guests.

For the groom there was the entire Calvani family, but now they were Selena’s family too. Selena had invited Ben, the loyal friend who’d kept her on the road long enough to meet Leo, and his wife, Martha. She sent them the tickets, and on the day she and Leo drove to the airport to collect them.

This wedding wouldn’t have been complete without the Hanworths, all except Paulie, who found something better to do. Leo went to meet them alone, leaving Selena with Ben and Martha, catching up on old times.

‘I’d better give you this before I forget it,’ Selena said casually, handing Ben an envelope.

‘How much?’ Ben yelped at the size of the cheque he pulled out.

‘That’s all the money I must owe you going back a few years. Do you think I didn’t know how you pared the bills down? And you couldn’t afford it.’

‘Can you afford it? You must have won every race in sight.’

‘It’s not all winnings. I’m working for Leo now, with his horses.’

‘He pays you?’

‘You bet he pays me. I’m very good at my job. I don’t come cheap.’

‘Well, I guess you found your right place. You always did have a way with horses. Look what you managed to do with Elliot. Nobody else could have done as well with him.’

‘Oh, Ben, don’t. The one thing that isn’t perfect was that I just abandoned Elliot.’

‘I thought he was being cared for by that Hanworth fellow who’s coming this afternoon.’

‘He is. He’ll have the best of everything, but I just know he’s wondering why I don’t come back. Talking of coming back, where is everyone? Leo should have brought them home by now.’

As the day wore on Selena had the feeling that everyone was in on a secret from which only she was excluded. Maids giggled in doorways and vanished at her approach. Once Gina asked if Leo had given her a wedding present yet.

‘Not yet,’ Selena said, bewildered.

‘Perhaps you get it today,’ Gina observed, and went away smiling.

Hours passed. She began to feel nervous. Surely they should have been home by now?

In the late afternoon Gina came to find her.

‘Signorina, I think you should look out of the window. There is something there for you to see.’

Puzzled, Selena went to look down the road that led to the village. A little group of people were walking slowly up to her. She recognised Barton, Delia and the rest of the family. But she also recognised a figure that she hadn’t dared hope to see again.

‘Elliot!’ she shrieked and flew out of the house.

Leo was leading the way up the road, holding Elliot’s bridle, grinning as he saw her. All the others were smiling too as she arrived in a rush and threw her arms about the old horse’s neck.

‘You-’ she whirled on the Hanworth family. ‘You brought him over with you?’

‘Sure did,’ Barton said, beaming. ‘Me and Leo stitched it all up, and he swore he wouldn’t let you get wind of it.’

Selena had remembered her manners and embraced Delia, Barton, then the girls. She would have hugged Jack too but he warned her off with a boyish glare.

‘Elliot, Elliot-’ Tears poured down her face.

‘That’s why we’ve been so long,’ Leo said. ‘It took time to get him off the plane and clear him for entry. Never seen so much paperwork, but in the end they passed him. By the way, that offer on Jeepers is still open.’

‘Better take it,’ Selena agreed. ‘He’s a racer, he needs to do his stuff. Elliot-’ she kissed his nose again “-just needs to rest and be loved.’

The Calvanis arrived next day, and they and the Hanworths immediately took to each other. In the rowdy party that followed Selena saw Liza looking a little overwhelmed and took her up to bed.

‘Thank you. Thank you for everything.’

When they had hugged she said, ‘You really think I can do it-be a contessa?’

‘Not in the old way,’ Liza said. ‘That belonged to another age. You will do it your own way, and that is right. Things must change if they are to live.’