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She shut down the conversation—and not just because she refused to gossip. She shut down the conversation because it hurt. Though she had no feelings at all for Sylvester, another person’s misery still didn’t feel like a triumph. There was enough sadness in the world, and right now she was busy dealing with her own.
Antonietta was at the start of her life without Rafe. Oh, they had been together for only a short time, but it had been long enough for her heart to know it was love.
The bonfire would be a nice place to weep unnoticed.
It was huge. The children were all laughing and playing, and there were cheers and celebrations as the orange flames licked up towards the sky—she would blame the smoke for her watery eyes, should anyone see. But she refused to break down completely.
‘Antonietta...’
She turned at the sound of her name, and there stood hermamma.
‘Have you heard about Sylvester?’
‘What does that have to do with me?’
‘It would seem you were right to have doubts,’ her mother said. ‘Come to us tomorrow,’ she offered. ‘Have Christmas Day with your family.’
It was everything she had once wished for. Everything she had come to Silibri for.
And yet Rafe had been right when he’d asked her if she would ever be able to forgive her parents. It had seemed a ridiculous question at the time, but it made perfect sense now.
Antonietta looked at her mother, and though she could stand there now, vindicated and redeemed in her mother’s eyes, there was too much hurt.
‘I have plans for tomorrow,’ Antonietta said.
‘Antonietta, don’t do this. I have missed you so much...’
‘Then why didn’t you pick up the phone?’ Antonietta retorted, and walked off.
‘Hey,’ Pino said. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘I got what I wanted,’ Antonietta said. ‘Or what I thought I wanted. But it’s too little, too late.’
‘So carry on the fight, then,’ Pino said. ‘And we can all be miserable this Christmas.’
He made her smile.
‘I know that I don’t want to be miserable any longer,’ Pino said. ‘I was talking to Signor Dupont before he left. He told me to go and look at the ruins. Said that life can still be beautiful even without Rosa.’
‘He told you that?’ Antonietta said. It angered her rather than soothed her, for she loathed the thought of Rafe just going on with his beautiful life.
‘He did. And if he hadn’t been a guest—and a royal one at that—I might have hit him,’ Pino said.
‘But you didn’t?’
‘No, because I think he might be right. I want to make peace with the past, and I want to embrace the rest of my life. Call me old-fashioned, but I believe life is better with family.’
‘Even when they hurt you?’
‘Of course,’ Pino said. ‘Love isn’t always easy. My daughter has hurt me...’
‘Have you told her?’
‘No,’ Pino said. ‘For there might come a time when I hurt her too. I just have to hope she’ll be happy for me...’
Was he talking about Francesca? Antonietta pondered. Surely it was too soon? But then, who was she to judge?
She looked at Pino’s tired, kind face and gave him a little squeeze on the arm. ‘I’d be happy for you, Pino.’
