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“Thank you,” she said primly. “I thought so.”
“Look again.”
“Listen, Valenti, you may find this amusing, but—”
He put his hand on her thigh. She swallowed hard. His hand was hot. So hot. She could feel its heat straight through her jeans.
“See this ring?”
Anna looked down. Yes. She saw it. The ring he wore was obviously old. Very old. It was made of gold. And it had a …
“Is that a crest?” She looked at Draco. “I never saw you wear that ring before.”
He took his hand away, downshifted, took the SUV through a hairpin curve that left Anna certain they were going to fall into the sea.
“I don’t wear it,” Draco said, his eyes on the road, his voice low. “I’m not into jewelry. Besides, it is irreplaceable.”
“Irreplaceable?”
“There hasn’t been another like it for a thousand years.”
Anna blinked. “A thousand …”
“Sì.”
She looked at the ring again. “And the crest?”
Draco cleared his throat. “The Valenti crest. The mark of my family. The mark that is on the once-crumbling pile of marble my father brought to near ruin in Rome.”
“I don’t understand. What has that to do with—”
He braked. Hard. The SUV jerked to a stop.
“Look,” he said.
It was hard to take her eyes from Draco, but finally she did.
And caught her breath.
Ahead was a castle. Or what remained of a castle. A tower. Wide stone steps. Ancient stone walls. The ruins were stark against the blue of the sky.
Draco opened his door and stepped out of the SUV. So did Anna. He held out his hand; she hesitated. Then she took it and they walked slowly across the clearing.
“Look at the wall,” he said. “Do you see what is chiseled in it? There, just above the steps.”
Anna looked at the wall. Her breath caught. “It’s—it’s the crest.”
He nodded. “The deed, if you will, and more telling than any piece of paper—though there are those, too.”
A falcon called out high above them, its cry poignant and chill.
“This was once a great castle,” Draco said softly. “My great-great who knows how many times great-grandfather built it. He was not like my father, or my father’s father, who brought dishonor to our name. He was a man others respected, you understand? He cared for his people, defended them and this place against robbers, against barbarians, he and his sons and the sons of his sons. But eventually all things end. Invaders came from across the sea.” Draco took a long breath. “The land and the castle were lost. After that, who knows? Somehow a Valenti prince put down roots in Rome. Maybe he forgot this place existed. Maybe he wanted to forget it.” Draco shook his head. “I didn’t know anything about the castle, the land, or the Valenti connection to Sicily until a year or so ago.”
“How did you find out?”
“I was in Palermo on business. After a couple of days I felt the need to get away for a few hours. So I rented a car, took a drive ….”
“And ended up here.”
