Cyprian the Fair Read online

  “Well, I can’t go anyway,” said Flynn as he sat down his drink. “April and May is a busy time for us, and I don’t think I could get the time off.”

  “I think Eden’s right. It shouldn’t be all of us,” said Jude. “I’m not going without an invitation. It’s different for Eden. We don’t really have a right to push in on Rafe.”

  “I have the right,” said Julia upset they didn’t agree with her. “I’m going.” Someone had to be there for Eden, and she would not give her over to Rafe again without a fight. She had invested too much time and effort to lose Eden now. “What about you?” she asked Abby.

  Abby flicked her eyes up at Eden, who was shaking her head in the negative, and then Abby looked over at Jude who kicked her under the table. “No,” she blurted as she jumped at the kick. “No, I can’t go, uh, I have... stuff,” she stammered.

  “No one else needs to go,” said Eden. “I’ll be fine.” She saw Bronte was getting fussy in Letty’s lap. “Thank you all for the wonderful birthday party, but it looks like I need to get Bronte home.” She began packing up everything including her gifts then, with Letty’s help, got Bronte into her stroller. “I’ll see you when I can.” She turned and walked toward the takeout counter to pick up dinner and pay for her food order.

  “Eden,” said Letty as she followed her. “You don’t have to pay,” she said softly and gave her the money back. “Come in with Bronte when you can and eat with us. I’ll talk to Ephraim to see if we can help you get some money for the trip.”

  “Thank you,” she said and hugged her as her tears flowed out. “I’m sorry,” she said as she wiped her eyes. “I’ll be grateful for any help I can get.”

  Letty walked Eden to the door, and when Eden left, Letty rejoined the others at the table. “Well, I say we all support her,” said Letty firmly. “I know she’s doing this for herself and Bronte, but we all want to know what’s happening with Rafe.”

  Julia sighed and shook her head remembering the shape Eden was in when Rafe was taken away. “I just hope the price of us encouraging her isn’t devastating for Eden. I’ll try to talk her out of it. If I can’t, then we’ll have no choice except to support her and help her if the worst happens.”

  “You don’t really think Rafe wouldn’t want to see her, do you?” asked Abby with concern. “Rafe loves her.”

  “It may not be up to Rafe,” said Julia with a frown. “Eden may have to go through a lot of trouble and people to even get to Rafe. Who knows where that man placed her,” she said frustrated. Her reasons for calling him ‘that man’ with such disdain were much different from Abby’s reasons, Julia convinced herself. “She’ll have to speak with him to even find out where she is, and then, if he tells her, who knows if they’ll let her in. It’s Italy, and they won’t recognize Eden as family, or anyone of importance.”

  “I read somewhere Italy had passed civil partnerships for same-sex couples,” said Abby, “but who knows if it is still legal.”

  “It wouldn’t help Eden anyway,” Julia scoffed. “All she has is a cohabitation agreement.”

  “Do you think she’s doing the right thing?” asked Letty.

  “She’s following her heart,” said Jude thoughtfully.

  “I’ll talk to her again,” said Julia. “She may be following her heart, but it could lead to more heartbreak. If I can’t talk her out of going, I’ll go with her.” She shook her head thinking Eden should follow her heart away from Rafe and to someone else—preferably to her.

  Julia looked around the table and debated on whether or not to tell them her intentions with Eden. The problem was she hadn’t even told Eden her intentions yet. It was so frustrating to think about how much hold Rafe had over her, or really how much hold Eden allowed Rafe to have. Everything Julia had been doing lately was for Eden with the goal of them being together. Like helping her with Bronte and the house, holding her when she cried, and now even creating an investment product for the movie industry so Eden could quit her job and work for Hawthorn Financial. With more money, Eden could move out of Rafe’s house, hopefully into her condo, and they could be happy with each other.

  Finding out all this time that Eden had been working on a plan to go see Rafe meant her efforts were not working the way she had hoped. She would just have to talk Eden out of going somehow. If Julia failed to get Eden to stay, then she would have to try to help Eden see who Rafe really was. She would be there for her when Rafe broke her heart again. She always knew it would have to be Eden’s choice to leave Rafe. Maybe this trip would show her walking away from Rafe was the right choice. Then she would tell Eden how she felt, and they could finally be together.

  Julia smiled at the thought.

  7

  WHEN I LOOK ON YOU a moment, then I can speak no more, but my tongue falls silent, and at once a delicate flame courses beneath my skin, and with my eyes I see nothing, and my ears hum, and a wet sweat bathes me and a trembling seizes me all over. — Sappho

  ON THE OUTSKIRTS of Florence, Italy, the car carrying Eden Kingsley turned off the narrow street and onto a long shaded driveway. Eden looked out the window as the car climbed the hill to the villa. She could see the red dome of the Cathedral Duomo and Giotto’s Campanile standing like a tall sentinel beside it in the distance. The entire city, with all the colorful marble on the buildings, the statues, and art everywhere seemed surreal to her, even though she had seen it before when she visited with Rafe.

  As the car moved forward the sprawling villa came into view. The villa had a grand entry with arches, columns and other architectural details Eden knew Rafe could name but, to Eden, it looked like a miniature palace or one of the many museums she had seen in Florence. She nervously wiped her sweaty palms on her pants then straightened her clothes as the car slowed to a stop in front of a large archway too narrow for the vehicle to pass through.

  “Miss,” said the driver in heavily accented English as he looked back at her, “you walk from here. It is a nice walk through the garden just there,” he said and pointed her in the direction she should go. “I wait.”

  “Thank you,” said Eden softly as the driver got out of the car and opened the door for her. She picked up the canvas bag and the notepad beside her and slid out of the car. She put the pad in the bag then took a breath and began her walk through the garden to see Gabri De Angelis.

  Eden was nervous because she hadn’t told Gabri she was coming, and Eden didn’t know how she would be received by him. She hadn’t heard from Rafe directly at all. Rafe had sent gifts for Bronte, and several times a month, Katheryn forwarded video clips of Rafe talking to Bronte or reading her a book, but there had been no messages specifically to her during the six months of Rafe’s absence from their lives.

  She sent emails to Katheryn to forward to Rafe, but she had no idea if she got them, so Eden sent them to every email account she knew Rafe had ever had. Most of the accounts were undeliverable, but a few were, so she used them hoping Rafe would respond but without result. Thinking back, some of the emails she regretted sending, but she had been desperately trying anything to get a response.

  After her trip to New York with Julia, and then talking with her Dr. Cathcart, Eden felt she had to make the trip to Italy and find Rafe to bring her home. Julia insisted she come with Eden, but only after she was unable to talk Eden out of it. Eden convinced Julia to stay at the hotel with Bronte today because Eden wanted to talk to Gabri alone. She hoped that if Rafe was there, Gabri would let her talk with her today. If she was in a sanatorium or somewhere else, she hoped he would tell her where so she could see her.

  She needed to see Rafe and talk to her about so many things. She hoped Rafe somehow might have some small amount of love for her left, and she would agree to come home. She looked up and saw she was already at the entrance. She straightened herself again, went up to the large ornate door, and rang the bell.

  “Buon pomeriggio,”[1] said the woman who answered the door with a smile.

  “Boun pomeriggio,” Eden
answered back nervously then glanced at the notepad she had taken out of the bag. “Uhm, Eden Kingsley, un amico dall'America, a vedere Gabri De Angelis,” she said and tore the page from the notepad and handed the women the paper with her information on it.

  The woman took the paper, examined it, and then peered at Eden with confusion. “Americano?” she repeated and watched as Eden nodded and shifted nervously.

  “A vedere Rafaella Salvaggio,” Eden said hesitantly hoping she was pronouncing the words correctly.

  “Venite, venite,”[2] the woman said and beckoned Eden into the villa.

  Inside, Eden found herself overwhelmed by the marble floors and columns, painted ceilings, enormous ancient paintings and statuary, gold-leafed furniture, and a massive spiral staircase built as a focal point and leading to a mezzanine above. It was as if she had walked into the house of royalty, and she wasn’t even sure how to move in the space.

  “Venite,” repeated the woman as she smiled and led Eden into an opulent waiting room. She motioned to the couch and said something Eden couldn’t understand before leaving the room.

  Eden sat down, afraid to move or touch anything. She had no idea Gabri lived in such a lavish home and felt intimidated by it. She took a deep breath then let it out slowly and tried to focus on one thing, the reason she was there—Rafe.

  8

  GABRI DE ANGELIS WALKED angrily down the hallway toward his office to meet with Eden Kingsley, who he was told was waiting in the sitting room. He had no idea why she was here uninvited, but he would soon have her on her way if possible.

  He sent his assistant and translator Stefano to bring her to his office. He wanted to understand why she was here and knew between Stefano and himself, they would be able to make it clear she must go. It seemed he wasn’t clear enough before he left America.

  He sat down at his desk and put his head in his hands then got up and made himself a drink. Rafaella was doing so well these past months, and he did not want this woman tearing down what had been rebuilt. Rafaella needed time to think about herself and getting well. She needed calm and to fill her time with things working her mind in positive ways. She did not need this woman punishing her and demanding things from her she might not be ready to give.

  There was a tap on the door, and Stefano came in leading Ms. Kingsley and directing her to the chair on the other side of his desk. He took his drink over, sat down behind his desk, and observed her for a moment. He could tell she was nervous and thought it was good. It meant she knew she should not be here.

  “Why are you here?” he asked in halting English as Stefano took the chair next to Eden.

  “I’ve come to see Rafe,” she said softly.

  “No,” Gabri said with a wave of his hand. He needed no translation to know what she had said.

  “Gabri,” Eden said and swallowed back her anxiety, “I’ve come a long way. It’s been a long time, and I’ve not heard from Rafe. I need to see her and talk to her.”

  Gabri listened to Stefano and gave his reply for Stefano to translate. “Rafaella has sent gifts to the baby and video, so you have seen her,” Stefano said calmly. “I will not allow you to interfere with her now.”

  “I don’t want to stop her from getting better,” Eden insisted. “I want to...” She hesitated. “I need to see her in person. I need to see for myself that she’s doing better.”

  “You are selfish!” Gabri yelled out in English and banged his fist on the desk, startling both Eden and Stefano. “Selfish woman!” he retorted then continued in Italian.

  Stefano translated nervously because he could see Gabri was upset about this woman’s visit. He knew of the golden-haired woman because Rafe and Gabri had spoken of her. Gabri had not said many positive things about her, especially when he first brought Rafe to the villa.

  He was sure the woman could see Gabri’s anger, so he spoke calmly to her. “He says you pushed her and punished her until she was very sick, and now you come and expect him to put her in your hands again. No. He will not allow you to take away all her progress. She is not ready to talk to you. When she is ready, she will contact you. Then you can see her and talk with her. Not before.”

  Eden glanced up at Gabri shakily. Stefano’s calm words did not reflect the anger Gabri was showing. She looked down at her notepad and tried to focus, but the things she wrote down as reasons she needed to see Rafe seemed weak. She looked up and steeled herself.

  “I have things I need to tell Rafe, and they’re things I need to say in person,” she said firmly. “Also, I need answers from you. You never told me what happened to Rafe when you said she had to get help before. Rafe and I have a child together, one you helped us make, and I deserve to know what’s happening with her for Bronte’s sake if no other.” Eden tried not to waver under Gabri’s stare.

  “Why should I talk to you about those private matters,” Stefano continued to translate, “when it is you who has caused her harm now?”

  Eden looked up at him confused. “Me?”

  “Yes,” said Stefano in English for Gabri. “Do you not understand anything at all about what was happening with Rafaella?”

  “I,” Eden stammered, “I know she was having phantom pains from what happened at the school. She was having nightmares a lot, more than I knew about I guess. I now know she had a breakdown in New York brought on because of her grief for her father,” she hesitated, leaving out the painting of Maria, “and it was what brought back the memories of what happened to her when she was younger. I know she felt like I was still punishing her for what happened in New York.” Eden swallowed her nervousness and tried to think of more. “I know Jake and the Stewards said and did things to make her think I was lying to her and trying to hurt her. Some I know about, others she’s never told me,” she said softly.

  Gabri sighed heavily at Stefano’s translation of her words. He could tell she had given no thought to what was happening with Rafaella and her part in everything. Maybe it was because she genuinely didn’t understand how things affect people or perhaps she was just blind and selfish. He did not know. He motioned to Stefano so he would translate.

  “Rafaella told me she did not tell you about things in her past because she did not want you to look at her with pity,” Stefano said calmly for Gabri. “Her father and I, we don’t look at her with pity because we lived through things with her and have similar scars, but you,” Stefano paused and waited for Gabri to continue. “Rafaella tells me you don’t see life as a challenge or adventure to overcome like she does, and it is one of the reasons she loved being around you. You saw things differently, and Rafe wanted to see things the way you saw them. But now she thinks you will see her differently than you did before, and she’s right. So the question is, could you look at her without pity now if you knew all about her past?” Gabri watched Eden shift uncomfortably in her chair taking in the words Stefano was telling her. “If you can’t, you should consider not seeing her.”

  Eden looked up at Gabri and shook her head. “I have to see her,” she said softly. She was determined she would not let him talk her into leaving Italy without seeing and talking to Rafe.

  “But Rafe has not said she wants to see you,” Stefano translated. “She needs to have calm. She needs to be away from you. She needs this time to heal.”

  “Why,” said Eden confused and upset, “why does she need to be away from me?”

  “Are you blind? In her dreams, death was mocking her and demanding that she choose between her own death and yours. Do you understand how difficult you made life for her demanding she touch you, kiss you, be with you while she was fighting the demon in her mind? If you and those so-called friends would have just listened to her and left her alone or let her come to Italia, she may have been able to stay well, but you pushed, and you punished her until she could no longer function.” Gabri spoke angrily, in contrast to Stefano’s calm translation. “You are all so self-important and selfish. You are all so blind when things are put plainly in front of you. I don’
t understand why she calls you and the others ‘friends and family.’ You are more like strangers. You say you care, but only when it is convenient or when it is not hard.”

  Eden’s face flushed red with anger and guilt at Gabri’s words because they were similar to ones Rafe had said to her. “That’s not true, Gabri. You said yourself she kept things from us. She kept a lot of things from us. I knew she had dreams, but even if she told me everything in them, I wouldn’t know what was really happening to her because I knew nothing about all the things that happened to her when she was young! How is it selfish to tell her I love her and want her to know she’s wanted and needed? How is it selfish to ask her to tell me what’s going on and beg her to get help? How is it selfish to live with her tearing me apart constantly while trying to help her when she was pushing us all away?”

  “She was pushing you away because of all those things!” Stefano translated putting more emotion in as Gabri had become upset. “She was tearing you apart to try and carve out space for herself to breathe and get away from all the things in her mind! Listen! Think! All those are things she asked you not to do! You didn’t do all those things for her! You did them for yourself! She told me she asked you to move to Italia with her. Didn’t it cross your mind why she would want to do something so drastic suddenly? She wanted to bring you, but even then, you couldn’t see her wanting to move back here as a sign you should contact me, the one she is so close to that she chose to be the father of your child. You just saw how it affected you! She told me how you made excuses like your job or friends and other things. She is right when she says you don’t see her anymore!”

  “I was trying to keep her home to get her help!” Eden insisted. “You’re right. I saw leaving the country as a bad idea. If I agreed to move here with her, I would have even less of an idea about how to get her help than I had at home, and I would have had no support or people I could call on for help! I don’t speak the language or know anything about Italy!”