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As the cough abated, Nonno began to talk again, and I shelved my thoughts.
‘Forgive me.’ He raised his hand to the assembly. ‘God knows we’ve seen enough upheaval and pain in the past and the bloodshed because of it. I offer you all my grandson, Salvatore, as the man to step up as head of the family when I’m gone. No one here has more to offer you all in terms of strength and stability.’ He stopped speaking and nodded at Serafina’s papa who raised his glass in return. ‘Salvatore has more than earnt his place by my side and you will have to accept that as my final decision.’
Thoughts of what Serafina might have done behind my back swirled around my head as I watched her papa accept his place back into the fold of the family and my concealed anger stepped up a notch.
One by one, I cracked each of my knuckles until I was sure I could see the fine hair on Serafina’s arms standing to attention and I was positive she could feel my wrath. Never did I foresee me rising to the top like this. I had dreamt my grandfather would see I was worthy and make me his heir, and in my dreams, I would have gloried in his and my family’s acceptance, and felt the force of the conviction behind the words he’d spoken.
Whereas right now, I felt like an outsider looking in, with all my senses honed on to the woman stood beside me as I tried to work out just what the fuck had gone down and what deceitful part she’d possibly played.
‘They might.’ Gianni moving unexpectedly and flinging out one arm to indicate the gathered crowd, caught my attention. ‘But I won’t.’
Blustering loudly, Gianni began to stand again and with a wave of his hand, Nonno signalled to Ricco to let him. Just as soon as he was upright, he began to make his way drunkenly through the chairs, pushing past people as he went. No one reacted. All had their eyes focussed on my grandfather as they waited for the instruction to stop him.
‘You can’t expect me to accept this!’ Gianni hollered from the other side of the terrace.
‘But I do.’ Nonno’s voice gained in strength, before the masked threat left him. ‘And you will!’ With that final exertion on his part, Nonno sat back down heavily into his seat, looking nearer a man of hundred, than one in his seventies.
Gianni disappeared inside the villa.
As men moved as one to get Gianni back, my grandfather shook his head.
‘Let him go. He will be back. He needs time.’
The last word left him just as the well-rehearsed wails of Valentina started and she pretended to faint.
‘Gi, I’m sorry, but you will need to see your mama home,’ I interceded, looking over the people until I found my sister.
‘Yes, Salvatore.’ I heard the disappointment in her voice as she replied and watched appreciatively as she reluctantly moved away from Dante and to her mama’s side.
I couldn’t help the small smile forming on my lips as I took in his obvious disappointment.
‘I can help her, Don De Luca,’ Dante offered to Nonno, smiling back at me as he moved quickly behind Gi.
My grandfather nodded his permission. Just as soon as Dante had swung Valentina up high into his arms the three of them left together, and the crowd around us hushed once again.
Looking around the family, I noticed that all of Gianni’s sworn men had stood still throughout, focussed only on what their Don had to say. I understood that loyalty from his soldiers couldn’t have been bought and it seemed that even they had grown tired of his weaknesses.
Then it dawned on me; it had materialised that I was now standing on the final rung of my ladder, and it felt nothing like I’d imagined.
‘Now, refill your glasses.’ Again, the chink of glass hitting glass found my ears. ‘To my grandson, Salvatore.’
‘Salvatore!’ The entire community stood and raised their glasses in my direction and with a simple nod of my head in Nonno’s direction and again at the crowd in front of me, I pulled Serafina up to standing beside me, digging my fingers into her side until I felt her wince in pain and understanding.
With her standing resolutely at my side for now, I accepted the position I knew I’d been born to. One by one, the head of each family came to me to kiss the blood red garnet I wore bearing the De Luca crest, and gave me their allegiance.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
SERAFINA
The next fewhours went past in a whirlwind.
Nonno had left shortly after his announcement. Salvatore had spoken to him in private and I had taken that opportunity to talk to Janine, before they left with Ricco and several other of the Don’s guards. I’d instructed her to call in the other nurses I had retained as soon as they got back to the De Luca residence. I already had a palliative care rota drawn up and I wanted to make sure his pain relief and every comfort was taken care of from here on out. I’d understood as I watched him earlier that his speech, and the emotion behind it, had taken all he had to give. It no longer seemed of any importance to hide his situation from anyone. Although he hadn’t said the exact words out loud, he had made it obvious with his actions today that he was dying. And after going over my previous conversations with him, I understood that he recognised within himself that he wouldn’t have too much longer to wait until death claimed him.
It wasn’t a thought I could dwell on for too long, for fear of getting upset and Salvatore recognising my distress and asking questions I wasn’t comfortable answering in front of anyone else.
And I knew his questions were going to come.
The looks he’d been offering me all day were still happening. But they’d changed. Whereas they had once contained heat and playfulness, that had all been shelved and now I was only receiving questioning looks from him and to make it worse, I was sure I could see and feel his distrust.
