“It’s close to seven now,” Dickce said. “Luca, would you like to wash up before dinner?”
“Scusi, signorina?” Luca looked puzzled.
Dickce mimed washing her hands, and Luca smiled. It really was a rather dazzling sight, An’gel decided.
“Yes, please,” Luca said.
Dickce took his arm and led him out of the room. An’gel followed, determined to keep an eye on her sister and the handsome manservant. The minute she could get her sister to herself, she intended to ask Dickce what she was up to.
Dickce showed Luca to the downstairs half bath and indicated she would wait for him. He nodded and then shut himself in. Moments later An’gel heard the sound of the faucet running.
“What’s going on here?” An’gel said, keeping her voice low.
“What do you mean?” Dickce asked. “I simply invited a young man to dine with us. He’ll enjoy Clementine’s food much more than he would room service, even at the Farrington House.”
“It really is sweet of you to be so concerned about his meals,” An’gel said. “I know you, though. There’s more to it than that.”
Dickce shrugged. “Has it occurred to you that Rosabelle might not have met Luca before? I thought it would be interesting to bring them face-to-face in the same room with Antonio.”
Suddenly the implications of Dickce’s words hit An’gel. Dickce thought Luca was the caro mio to whom Antonio had spoken earlier. Dickce obviously also thought there was more to the relationship between the two men than that of employer and employee.
That would explain Antonio’s seeming discomfort over having Luca remain in the house for dinner, An’gel reasoned. He would be uncomfortable having his wife and his lover—his male lover—share the same dinner table.
“I don’t think this is such a good idea,” An’gel said, her patience with her sister at its breaking point, “but it’s too late to do anything about it now.” Shaking her head, she walked past Dickce to the kitchen.
Dickce felt only a smidgen of guilt as she watched An’gel stalk off, obviously in a snit with her. Dickce knew she could be playing with fire, but she couldn’t stand not knowing whether Luca was really Antonio’s lover. She figured Rosabelle deserved to know if he was, since Antonio intended to divorce her. Because of Luca, she was convinced.
She couldn’t blame Antonio, she decided. Luca was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. No matter how she gussied herself up, Rosabelle couldn’t compete with his youth and sheer gorgeousness. Dickce felt a little vindictive toward Rosabelle, and she would have to pray for forgiveness about it later. Right now, however, she wanted to shake her old friend up.
If Rosabelle was the killer—and Dickce was willing to bet she was—introducing Luca into the mix might rile Rosabelle up so much she would reveal herself. Dickce wasn’t clear on how she might do it, but she knew that rattling Rosabelle’s cage ought to produce interesting results.
Luca stepped out of the half bath and smiled at her again. Oh, my, she could look at that face for an hour without wanting to move. She sighed.
“Let me show you the dining room,” she said, once again taking Luca’s arm. His strong, well-muscled arm, she thought.
“Why don’t you sit here?” Dickce gestured to a chair across from where she thought Antonio and Rosabelle would probably sit. She intended to sit next to Luca. She wanted to be able to observe every gesture, every nuance, every glance, during the meal.
“What would you like to drink?” she asked as Luca pulled out his chair.
“Vino rosso?” he said. “Red wine?”
“What an excellent idea,” Dickce said. Liquor to loosen the tongues and lower the inhibitions—she should have thought of that herself. They had several bottles of a Bordeaux that would be perfect with roast beef as the main course. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Luca smiled and nodded, and Dickce had to tear her gaze away. Really, this is getting ridiculous, she scolded herself as she hurried to the kitchen to fetch the wine. You can’t keep staring at him like a besotted schoolgirl.
An’gel looked up from the stove when Dickce came into the kitchen. “Good, you’re just in time,” she said. “We’re ready to take everything into the dining room.”
“I’m going to open a couple of bottles of wine,” Dickce said. “I thought it would be pleasant to have it with Clementine’s roast.”
“You’ll have to get out the wineglasses yourself,” An’gel said. “Antoinette and I will carry in the food. I sent Benjy and Diesel to remind Junior about dinner.”
An’gel still had her snit on, Dickce decided. Probably anxiety over the coming meal. There would be fireworks of some sort. Dickce was counting on it. An’gel could chew her out later if she wanted.
Dickce took two bottles of the Bordeaux from the wine cabinet and opened them. She bore them to the dining room on a tray with the wineglasses. An’gel and Antoinette were arranging the food on the sideboard. Dickce set the wine on the table and put a glass at every plate. Luca watched all the activity with his pleasant smile, and Dickce noticed Antoinette stealing peeks at the handsome young Italian. He did not appear to notice the beautiful young woman in the room, and that cemented Dickce’s belief that he was gay.
Dickce poured wine for herself and Luca. He picked up his glass, swirled the wine, then sniffed. He tasted, then nodded approvingly. “Squisito. Salute.”
Dickce raised her glass to him and smiled. She tasted the wine. It was as delicious as she remembered.
In the next few minutes An’gel and Antoinette had the sideboard loaded with roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, homemade rolls, and whipped sweet potatoes. Their guests began to appear, Wade first, followed shortly by Bernice and Juanita. Benjy and Junior came next. Dickce introduced them all to Luca, who smiled and repeated their names. They all had trouble taking their eyes off Luca as they arranged themselves around the table, Dickce was amused to see. Even An’gel kept glancing his way. She thought Juanita and Benjy, in particular, seemed fascinated by the new guest.
Soon after, Rosabelle made her entrance with Antonio escorting her.
Dickce thought Rosabelle looked peevish, and she wondered how much Antonio had told her in advance about the unexpected addition to their dinner party. Luca rose as his employer and Rosabelle neared the table.
Dickce watched Rosabelle’s face as she beheld Luca for the first time.
Rosabelle’s eyes widened, and then she smiled. Dickce had to stifle a giggle. Rosabelle couldn’t resist the allure of an attractive man, and Dickce knew Rosabelle was getting ready to be at her charming best with Luca. Is she in for a surprise, Dickce thought.
Antonio glowered at Luca as he spoke. “Rosabella, dearest, allow me to introduce to you my valletto, Luca Cavalcante. Luca, my wife, the Contessa di San Lorenzo.”
Rosabelle held out her hand, and Luca bent over it, his face impassive. “Piacere, Signora la Contessa.”
“Piacere, Luca. I’m delighted to meet you. Antonio, the naughty man, has told me so little about you.” Rosabelle fluttered her eyelashes at Luca, who merely nodded. Rosabelle frowned, obviously disconcerted at the lack of further response.
“Please help yourselves, everyone,” An’gel said. “There is red wine for those who would like it; otherwise there is iced tea and water.”
There was no conversation as the guests lined up to fill their plates at the sideboard. Wade went first. His consumption of whiskey earlier in the day didn’t seem to have affected his appetite, Dickce mused as he piled his plate high with roast and mashed potatoes. Within a few minutes everyone was seated again at the table, and Wade grabbed a bottle and filled his glass. More bottles were passed up and down the table, and Dickce noted that everyone except Benjy and An’gel partook of the wine. She would probably need to fetch another bottle or two. She didn’t think Wade would be content with a single glass nor, she suspected, would Antonio.