Not understanding what he meant, I looked to Luke for an explanation. My fiancé frowned as he caught on to his friend’s meaning. “She wanted you to be embarrassed in front of my parents. Negate you as a possible match for me. But she didn’t know her deeds would work to such an extent.”
“Oh, Luke, I am so sorry.” My heart thumped in my chest, guilt filling me up.
My fiancé reached out to take my hand. “No, I was not placing blame on you. That lies squarely with my parents at the moment.”
“And Amara,” added Cassio. “She has always been a bit spoiled and thought of only herself. And if she is staying here for the duration of your visit, you will need to watch her with care from here on out.” His chair scraped on the stone floor. “Well, I will let the two of you have some time together. Ruby, I hope you get to explore a little and find some enjoyment. Ciao.”
Once alone, I teased Luke about letting me sleep in. He joked about how he knew firsthand what I could be like in the mornings.
“Although I confess, I risked Claudio’s life to wake you up because I sorely missed your company,” he said.
“Aw, that’s so sweet.” I slid my hand across the small table to hold his. “But I think you’re full of crap.”
His eyes widened in surprise, but he chuckled. “And why is that?”
“Two things.” I held up my fingers to count. “One, I think you want me around as a bit of a shield to your parents since they clearly don’t like me. And two, I’m betting you want to talk more about…my explorations last night.”
A server brought out a tray and served the dishes onto the table. The choices of pastry reminded me of the breakfast I had in Rome.
“That’s a…oh, in high school, they were these premade ice cream cones.” I leaned back in the chair. “Ooh, those were called Cornettos. That’s a cornetto. Can’t lie, kinda hoping it’s a chocolate one.”
The young woman smiled. “Sì, there is one chocolate and one cream. And I was told you prefer a macchiato. Enjoy.” She disappeared inside.
I scooped sugar into the espresso like I had been taught and stirred. “There’s not much more to add than what I told you last night.” Taking a bite of the pastry, I relished the chocolate filling inside.
Luke tapped his thumb on the edge of the table in thought. “I won’t even ask if you really saw a ghost due to my own experiences with your family.” He flashed a glance at the chain around my neck. “But how can you be sure it was my sister?”
“That’s just it. I can’t other than what my gut tells me,” I said, finishing the first pastry.
“I wish you had been able to communicate with it. Her.” He leaned forward and took off his sunglasses. “There are so many things I wish…” He trailed off without finishing his thought, but I was pretty sure I knew some of what he would say.
I pushed the plate away from me and scooted my chair closer to his. “We’ve agreed not to lie to each other, so there’s something I want to tell you. But I need you to listen to everything first before you say anything.”
“I’ll try,” he said, unable to contain his concern.
Taking in a deep breath, I prepared myself to reveal my mission. “I think you blame yourself for your sister’s death, but based on what you’ve told me, you didn’t actually do anything to her.”
When my fiancé opened his mouth to protest, I held up a finger to stop him and continue. “Part of my coming here with you was to meet your parents. I think it’s only fair that they get to know who you intend to marry. Even if they decide not to like me. What you do with that reaction is entirely up to you, in my opinion.”
I paused for a moment, letting my words soak in. We’d spent most of the night talking about the possibility of the spirit I’d made contact with being his sister. Luke had remained pretty tight-lipped about his talk with his parents, which gave me enough of a clue to how it went.
“The other reason why I came,” I said, a little uneasy to reveal my true plan, “is to try and figure out the how and why of it all. You have your theories, but nobody who is still around after all this time knows the true story of what happened.”
Unable to contain himself, Luke blurted, “But how do you think you’ll be able to investigate Isabella’s demise now? It happened several centuries ago.”
I drained my espresso cup, tipping it up to let the sugary sludge slide into my mouth. “I haven’t quite figured that part out yet.”
The click of high heels interrupted us, and a sense of dread settled over me. Luke frowned at the sight of whoever approached, and I couldn’t bring myself to confirm my suspicions as to who had joined us.
“Luca,” his mother uttered in a tone that was less than pleased with finding us together.
She circled around the table so she could face us with Lady Eveline taking her place beside Luke’s mother. The sight of my supporter lessened some of the tension clenching my stomach.
Luke stood up and dipped his head in courtesy. “Mother. Lady Eveline.”
I scrambled to follow his lead and stood as well. “Good morning, Mrs. de Rossi,” I managed, unhappy that a slight quiver in my voice gave away my nerves. “I am happy to see you again, Lady Eveline.”
“Likewise, my dear,” the friendlier vampire replied. “I delayed my departure so Damiana and I could have a talk, friend to friend.”
Luke sat back down and gestured at the other chairs. “Would you like to sit down with us?”
His mother refused, her mouth twisting into a bow of disapproval. “That will not be necessary as I do not intend to stay for
