Page 74 of Tempted By the English Marquis
Her mother usually sent one of the senior servants to deal with her children when any of them were feeling poorly. This behavior on the part of the contessa was most unusual. Could she really be trying to help her daughter find a way out of her impending marriage?
She could only hope that was the case, but trust wasn’t something that came easily between mother and daughter. The contessa had let Serafina down enough times in the past for her actions to warrant a certain level of suspicion.
A crack of faint light appeared under the door, followed by the sound of something being pushed under it. Serafina waited. Whoever was out in the hallway didn’t want or dare to knock. The light moved away, and she was once more left in the shadows and flames from the bedroom’s fireplace.
The temptation to strike a light and go to see what had been left for her was strong. Serafina reached for a taper from the bedside drawer then stopped. Footsteps echoed outside her room, followed by muffled voices.
In a flash, she was out of bed and racing across the floor. Bending, she searched frantically in the dim light for the hidden prize. “Ah,” she whispered as her fingers touched paper. She scooped it up and tiptoed across the floor to the fire.
Taking a poker, Serafina briskly stirred the embers. The tiny flames gave the perfect amount of light with which to read. Unfolding the note, she held it close to the fire and squinted.
Meet me on the path below the palace gardens at sunrise. Dress warm and wear comfortable shoes. I hear Rome can be hard on your feet.
The note was unsigned, but it still brought a tear to Serafina’s eye. Not only did Gideon want to see her, but she now understood her mother’s words.
If everyone thought she was ill and had taken to her bed, then there would be no expectations placed upon her. She wouldn’t have to attend meals nor deal with betrothal preparations. But she would need to take great care when stealing out of the palace. It was a risk, but one she was more than willing to take.
Her maid Anna would keep up the pretense of her mistress being in her room while Serafina spent the day out in the city with her English marquis. Her heart and mind were full of thoughts of him. Of Gideon. Of that kiss.
And after tonight’s kiss there could no longer be any doubt that he was hers.
A whole day alone with Gideon. She had never thought such a thing possible. It almost made her believe in miracles.
ChapterThirty-Nine
The sun had just crept over the horizon as Serafina put her foot on the stone step which led down from the main garden to the narrow path below. She took her time to make the steep descent.
Palazzo Lazio was situated on the side of a hill. While the front and side entrances opened onto Via della Pilotta, the rear of the sprawling estate ended at a high brick wall behind which laid a sheer drop. A long, winding trail led from the immaculately kept gardens at the top of the rise all the way to the bottom of the hill some eighty-odd feet below.
Serafina followed this familiar route, having used it quite often to steal secretly out of the palace. And while there were times when a young woman felt the need to be free of bodyguards and simply go and enjoy life, she wasn’t completely reckless. Under her warm woolen cloak, Serafina wore a leather knife sheath. In it she carried a small stiletto, a needle-pointed weapon with a narrow blade. It was deadly sharp, and she was well versed in how to use it.
Her right hand moved instinctively toward her hidden weapon as a figure stepped out from behind a stone-pine tree, she lowered it the second she caught sight of Gideon.
The gold of the morning light touched his sandy-brown hair, and an easy grin sat on his lips. There was something about him, a certain air, which had Serafina smiling. For a moment, they simply stared at one another.
He checked behind her. “Did anyone see you leave the palace?”
She had paid particular attention to make sure her departure hadn’t been noticed. Slipping out of her room, Serafina had made for the nearest stairs, then quickly headed out into the garden. At this hour of the morning, the only people moving about were servants and they were busy stoking fires and preparing food. No one had time to be wandering the grounds.
“The only person who knows for certain that I have left the palace is my maid, Anna. And she is going to make sure that no one comes to disturb me while I am laid up in my sick bed.”
“Augusta of course knows. I was still in her room last night when your parents returned home. We overheard their discussion about you being ill and spending today in bed,” he replied. Gideon, the clever man, must have taken that as the perfect opportunity to pen a note to her and offer to sneak out of the palace at first light.
His gaze drifted approvingly over Serafina’s cloak and sturdy walking boots. She had dressed in a plain dark gray gown, the intention being to blend in with the rest of Rome’s regular citizens. There was nothing about her attire that spoke of great wealth; she had even left her favorite gold earrings behind.
“I was thinking we could go to visit the Vatican. It’s a little way from here and so the chances of you being seen by someone you know might be a touch less,” offered Gideon.
Serafina chuckled. He had no idea how ridiculous that suggestion was. “The Vatican is the last place we should go if we are attempting to skulk about Rome. I have family members who live and work there. And the Swiss guards will certainly recognize me.”
A frown touched his lips. “Is there anywhere in Rome where people don’t know your family?”
She came closer, offering Gideon her hand, which he took. “I promise that before you leave Italy, I shall take you to see the Vatican. And the Sistine Chapel. And if you are particularly fortunate, I might be able to secure you a private tour of the Pope’s art collection. And in answer to your question, everyone in Rome knows the de Luca’s.”
He raised her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on Serafina’s palm. “I think you mean beforeweleave Italy. I thought our kiss last night would have been enough to show you that my intentions are serious. You are coming back to England with me.”
Words and kisses were one thing. But her father’s plans were moving ahead at great speed. She really wanted to believe that they could somehow find their way to a happily ever after, but a restless night had not brought any answers to Serafina’s troubled mind.
“Let’s spend today without worrying about tomorrow. Enjoy one another’s company. Then you can decide if I am worth the risk,” she replied.
