To Kiss a Count Page 21

  ‘I think…’ Thalia sighed. She hardly knew how it was now. It seemed her efforts to make their betrothal real had failed in a spectacular fashion. She didn’t know what to do next. ‘I thought so once. I thought he was exactly what I was waiting for, someone so intelligent and exciting.’

  ‘Someone handsome beyond belief?’

  Thalia laughed with her sister. ‘That, too, of course. But he seemed to truly understand me, as no one ever had, or ever even tried to. And I understood him. I—well, I thought we could make a life together. A good one, where we could work together for a common cause.’

  ‘And now?’

  ‘Now I simply do not know. It’s been two days since the caves, and I have not seen him again since he brought me home.’

  ‘He sends flowers every day,’ Calliope said, gesturing to a bouquet of white roses on the bedside table.

  ‘Flowers with no letter.’

  ‘Perhaps he does not know what to say, and he doesn’t want to hurt you any more.’

  Something in Calliope’s tone made Thalia glance at her sharply. ‘Why would he think that? The fact that Domenico de Lucca was insane was scarcely Marco’s fault. I know he would never hurt me!’

  ‘Dearest Thalia, just the fact that he believes in the causes he does will bring him into contact with fanatics like de Lucca. Even though he himself is a scholar…’

  ‘A great scholar! Even Clio and Father admire him.’

  ‘Of course. I am only saying that perhaps this terrible incident has made him want to protect you.’

  ‘By staying away?’ Thalia said. ‘But that only hurts me further.’

  ‘I know, dearest. Men are—strange.’

  ‘To say the least,’ Thalia muttered. Marco was the strangest of all! She could not read him at all.

  Calliope reached for her hand. ‘Thalia, none of us want to see you in danger again.’

  ‘I won’t be. I assure you, Cal, I have learned caution from all of this. I will not be fooled by the likes of de Lucca again, and not by Lady Riverton, either. The only thing that could possibly hurt me would be if Marco leaves. He can’t turn his back on all we have, he simply can’t!’

  ‘I see, then. You do love him.’

  ‘I do. So very much. He is perfect for me! Just as you love Cameron, or Clio loves the Duke. I would a million times rather face danger with him than sit safely here by myself.’ If only he would give her that chance. If she could make him see!

  Calliope nodded thoughtfully. ‘And danger can come even then.’

  ‘Yes,’ Thalia murmured, thinking of Calliope’s pale face after Psyche was born. And of how her sister would never trade her family to be ‘safe’. ‘But we will always have each other to see us through. That’s the most important thing.’

  ‘Oh, my dear. You are certainly a Chase Muse.’ Calliope kissed Thalia’s forehead, rising from her seat by the bed. ‘I have some errands to see to. You will rest now, yes?’

  ‘I am tired of resting. I have done nothing but rest for two days!’

  ‘And the doctor said you must not get up until Friday at the earliest. Then you can go and take the waters, it will do you good.’

  Thalia laughed. ‘Or finish me off for certain.’

  ‘I will send up some tea instead of water, then. If you promise to rest.’

  ‘Very well. For you, Cal.’

  Calliope kissed her again and hurried out of the room, leaving Thalia alone in her bed. She slid down under the bedclothes, rolling over onto her side in the silence. The house was too quiet; it seemed Psyche even held her tongue in deference to Thalia’s ‘illness’. Everyone tiptoed about as if she were an elderly invalid.

  The fact was, the scrapes and bruises were fading, and she hardly ached at all now. It was that dratted quiet that was driving her crazy. All that time to think. To remember the dank cave, the terror of it all.

  Time to ponder what Marco was thinking now. Why he stayed away. What she had done wrong.

  After a while, she heard the carriage draw up on the street below. Thalia wondered where Calliope was off to, the Pump Room or the shops, and wished she could go with her. Anything to escape the quiet.

  She must have drifted into sleep, for when she opened her eyes again the light at the window was a deep amber, mellow and fading. Almost sunset, nightfall.

  And she was not alone. She heard nothing, not even a sigh of breath, but she could sense the weight of someone watching her. She rolled over to find Marco sitting beside her bed.

  For a moment, she was sure she was dreaming. That all her thoughts of him had conjured him out of thin air once again. How very handsome he was, just like in those dreams, his glossy black hair brushed back, his eyes so dark and unreadable. A stark white bandage stood out against his olive-complected brow.

  And how solemn he was, watching her so carefully, unsmiling.

  Thalia pushed herself up against her pillows, not daring to take her gaze from him for fear he would vanish.

  ‘It is quite improper for you to be here in my bedchamber,’ she said.

  A tiny smile touched his lips. The merest whisper to break up his solemnity, but Thalia rejoiced in it. Her Marco was in there, somewhere.

  ‘I have seen it before, signorina, if you will recall,’ he said. ‘And this time your sister let me in. So, I think we are safe for the time being.’

  ‘Calliope let you in?’

  ‘Si. In fact, she summoned me here. I feared at first that her note meant you were feeling worse, but I see that is not so.’

  Thalia shook her head, still dazed by the fact that he was here, that her sister had sent for him. ‘I am quite recovered.’

  ‘And I am glad to see that. Would you care for some tea?’

  She nodded, watching as he poured out a cup from the tray left on her table. She examined him over the gold rim as she sipped. ‘You look rather well yourself, aside from that bandage. Have you been terribly busy?’

  ‘Quite busy, yes. We are preparing to take the silver on a bit of a voyage, to tour the Italian cities.’

  ‘We?’

  ‘Your Antiquities Society. They seem quite excited at the prospect, and I know my countrymen will love to see it.’

  ‘Oh, yes.’ Thalia gazed down into her cup. ‘I was rather surprised to hear of Lady Riverton’s involvement with the Society.’

  Marco laughed ruefully. ‘Not nearly as surprised as I, I am sure.’

  ‘Has she been helping you to establish this tour?’

  ‘No. I understand she has left on a new task, to Greece this time. With young Mr Dashwood as escort.’

  ‘Lady Billingsfield’s nephew?’ Thalia said in surprise. ‘My, my. How very busy everyone is these days. And you yourself must be departing very soon.’

  ‘I hope to. It has been too long since I was at home, and there is work to be done.’

  Thalia carefully set the cup down on the tray, not sure what she should say next. What she should do. Ordinarily, she would just do whatever wild thing came into her head. Her every instinct urged her to throw herself into Marco’s arms, to hold on to him and beg him not to leave her. Not to let go of what they had found together.

  But what she had told her sister was true. She had learned caution, or her own version of it anyway. If Marco did not feel as she did, if it had all been a mad interlude, she should just let him go. Even if it made her miserable.

  Even if it went against everything she was.

  ‘I suppose then we should put the word about that our engagement is ended, since that was our arrangement,’ she said slowly. The arrangement he had made clear he wanted. ‘There is probably much speculation anyway. Bath is such a gossip-ridden place.’

  ‘No one knows of what really happened in the caves,’ Marco said. ‘You need not worry about gossip.’

  Thalia laughed. ‘Oh, Marco. The Chase Muses never worry about such things. Do I seem to you like someone who worries about gossip?’

  He laughed, too, a deep, rich sound that warmed her
to her very toes. ‘Not at all. It is one of the many delightful things about you.’

  ‘Do you think I’m “delightful”, Marco? Really?’ At his words, Thalia felt the dim room brighten just a bit. Had her hard work not been for naught after all? Or was she just being foolishly romantic again?

  ‘How could anyone not?’

  ‘Well, there are those who see me as too—impulsive,’ she said.

  ‘No,’ he said decidedly. ‘It is only because you are so passionate about what you believe in. What you care about.’

  ‘As are you.’

  ‘Si. It seems we are two of a kind in that, cara.’

  Two of a kind. If only she could persuade him of the truth of that. But, for once in her life, she had no words.

  ‘I must tell you of something, bella,’ he said slowly. ‘Once, long ago, when I was young and foolish, I thought I was in love. Her name was Maria, and she had the loveliest dark eyes, the brightest laugh. We would walk in the back streets of Florence together, and read poetry by the Arno.’

  Thalia went very still. Was this the mysterious Maria at last? ‘She was Domenico’s cousin?’

  ‘So you know of her?’

  ‘I—a little. He said you loved her, that you could never love anyone else.’

  ‘I did love her, as only an ardent young man could! I loved her too much, as she did me. When I left for the army, she followed secretly. We hoped to marry, but before we could…’

  Thalia swallowed hard. ‘Yes?’

  Marco gave her a sad smile. ‘Before we could, she was killed by a stray bullet when she came to watch the battle with the other wives. It was my fault that she was there, and I vowed then and there that I would never put a woman in such danger again. That I would never love again. But, cara, I could not keep that vow.’

  ‘Oh, Marco!’ Thalia cried, her heart breaking at his old sorrow. At the way he had walled up his heart from pain. That was why he had tried to make her think he did not want her, did not want their betrothal to be true. She kissed his hand, holding it tightly in hers. ‘I am not Maria, and you are not that young man now. I have the sense to stay out of danger.’

  He laughed ruefully, his fingers tightening on hers. ‘Oh, yes? And so what was that in the caves?’

  ‘Oh, very well, so sometimes I do run into danger. But I can extricate myself from it, too. I want to help you, Marco, to be a part of your work. I trust you. Do you trust me now?’

  ‘Of course I do.’

  ‘So, then, what of our engagement? Shall I have Cameron send an announcement to the papers saying we have ended it?’ she said bravely, hoping against hope he would say no. That he would see that the past was gone, and they had only a future. Their future.

  His smile widened, and he kissed her hand softly. ‘If that is what you want. But I think I have an alternative to propose.’

  Against her will, a small, beautiful bud of hope bloomed, just the merest amount, in Thalia’s heart. She took a deep breath and said, ‘An alternative?’

  ‘Yes.’ He reached inside his coat and brought out a tiny box, opening it to reveal a ring. A perfect, deep blue sapphire surrounded by shimmering pearls. ‘Thalia Chase, will you marry me? In truth this time.’

  Thalia stared down at the ring, its facets blurred by a sudden rush of tears. She pressed her hand to her mouth. That ring, and all it stood for, was everything she wanted. Everything she longed for. And yet…

  ‘Is it because you feel—obligated?’ she whispered. ‘Because of what has happened between us?’

  ‘Thalia, cara mia. Surely you never thought me a cad who would make love to a lady and then abandon her?’

  ‘But I wanted it! I never did that to trap you, to make you—’

  ‘Thalia!’ He took her hand tightly in his, stilling her flood of words. ‘You have not trapped me. What we have is beautiful; I would not demean it. I feared that I had put you in danger because I selfishly could not stay away from you. I resolved, after the cave, to go away and not make your life worse.’

  ‘Worse?’ Thalia cried. ‘The only thing that could make my life terrible would be to never see you again.’

  ‘And mine would be the same. All the sunlight would vanish for ever if you were not there, Thalia. You are my whole heart.’

  The tears flowed free at his words, those sweet, sweet words that echoed all she felt herself. ‘Yet you still resolved to leave me?’

  ‘I could not truly love you if I did not put your happiness first. I was sure after what happened that you wouldn’t want to see me again.’

  ‘But what changed your mind? What made you come here today?’

  ‘Your sister brought me something.’ He reached under his chair and brought out a thick sheaf of parchment, bound up in string.

  ‘My play?’ Thalia said, confused.

  ‘The Dark Castle of Duke Orlando,’ he said. ‘A tale of a mysterious count and his adventurous wife. The Duke tries to protect her, but his efforts only lead to more deceit, more heartbreak. There must always be honesty between them, for they are soulmates.’

  ‘Yes, that is exactly what must be! But I fear there is no ending yet to their story. I have not been able to craft one.’

  ‘Perhaps that is because their adventure together will be never-ending,’ Marco said. ‘They will just continue on life’s path with each other, wherever it takes them.’

  ‘Because no danger is too great when they face it together.’

  ‘Will you, Thalia? Will you face the rest of our lives with me? With a man who loves you beyond all reason?’

  Thalia nodded. ‘Of course I will, Marco. For I love you, too. With my whole heart.’

  He slipped the ring on to her finger, and its clear blue light gleamed there like a beacon of promise. Like the light of a love that was always meant to be.

  Epilogue

  From the London Post:

  Sir Walter Chase announces the marriage of his daughter Miss Thalia Chase to the Count di Fabrizzi on Saturday last at Chase Lodge. In attendance were Sir Walter and Lady Chase, the Earl and Countess of Westwood, the Duke and Duchess of Averton—who were newly arrived back in England after an extensive honeymoon voyage—and the bride’s younger sister and niece. A waltzing party followed, with cake and champagne served and dancing through the night.

  The Count and Contessa di Fabrizzi will make their home in Florence, after a tour of the Continent observing sites of antiquity.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  I’ve loved getting to know the Chase Muses as they find their true loves! When I was growing up, I always wanted a sister—or several!—yet my parents only gave me a little brother. That ended up all for the best—I love my brother dearly, and he never stole my lipstick or insisted I take him with me to the mall!—but I’ve enjoyed writing my old dreams with the Chases. Perhaps I’ll revisit them again the future. I have the feeling Cory has more to say, and even Psyche, once she grows up into a Victorian lady…

  I also enjoyed researching the history of Bath for this book. A few sources I found that were invaluable included several guidebooks I picked up on a visit to the city a few years ago—such as the ones from the Assembly Rooms and from Number One Royal Crescent, the inspiration for Calliope’s house; Pierce Egan’s 1819 volume Walks Through Bath—especially great for Sydney Gardens and the various events held there; R.S. Neale’s Bath 1680-1850, A Social History; William Lowndes’s The Theatre Royal at Bath; and The History of Sulis Minerva at Bath—the museum where Thalia and Marco met, the Bath Society of Antiquities, is of my own invention, but the artefacts they see there are real.

  The silver altar set is based on the famous ‘Morgantina Silver’, a fifteen-piece cache of third-century BC Hellenistic silver. It is currently in the Metropolitan Museum, but is due to be returned to the Aidone Archaeological Museum in 2010. For more of the silver’s amazing journey, take a look at the book The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities by Peter Watson and Cecilia Todeschini.

  The armed
uprising Domenico de Lucca planned at Naples is also based on historical fact. In July 1820, there was an insurrection there led by army officers, which then spread throughout southern Italy. It eventually led to Ferdinand I, King of the Two Sicilies, conceding a constitution—before revoking it again. The ‘Risorgimento’—Rediscovery—of Italian identity led to eventual unification in 1861. No doubt people like the children and grandchildren of the Count and Contessa di Fabrizzi were there to see it.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-5662-4

  TO KISS A COUNT

  Copyright © 2009 by Ammanda McCabe

  First North American Publication 2010

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