‘Is the ring,’ she said. ‘I’ll get it.’
Recently she had locked the valuable object in Rinaldo’s office for safe keeping. It took only a moment to bring it out.
‘Thank you,’ Bruno said, slipping it into his pocket. ‘And finally, there is this.’ He proffered a letter. ‘He wrote it after he left the church, and asked me to give it to you. And now, goodnight.’
He slipped away, leaving Alex staring at the letter in her hand. From the kitchen came the sound of Teresa calling the maids.
‘Come,’ Rinaldo said, taking her arm and drawing her towards the stairs. ‘Let us read it where we can be certain of not being disturbed.’
The house was quiet as they closed the door of her bedroom behind them.
Standing by the window, still in her bridal gown, Alex took out the letter and read the words on the envelope. Her heart leapt as she saw,
To my brother and sister.
‘Read it to me,’ Rinaldo said quietly.
Alex opened the sheet within, and began to read.
I thought I couldn’t bear to witness your wedding, but in the end I had to come, just for a few minutes. You looked so right together. Forgive me for not staying longer.
Forget my cruel words. I was half crazy and didn’t know what I was saying.
I can’t come back. We three cannot live under the same roof. But there’s no hatred or anger.
Alex, I thought you were the woman for me, but you can’t be, and I think perhaps Rinaldo needs you more. Take care of him. He needs to be cared for. But you already know that.
Perhaps, as you said, there’s someone else, waiting for me to find her. Then she and I can share what the two of you share. I hope so.
God bless you both!
Your brother, Gino.
The letter ended with a typical Gino joke.
PS: You might name your first baby after me.
PPS: Only if it’s a boy, of course.
‘How like him to say that,’ Alex said between tears and laughter.
‘Yes,’ Rinaldo said, and his voice too was husky.
He switched off the light. Outside the open window the countryside lay quiet under the moon.
‘I wonder where he is now,’ she said.
Instead of answering Rinaldo drew her away from the window.
‘He is where he will find his own destiny,’ he said, ‘as we have. Don’t fear for him. He is a far stronger man than we thought, and his time will come.’
He drew her possessively into his arms.
‘But now, amor mio, the time is ours. Let us waste it no longer.’
Lucy Gordon
