“Are you on your way to Valentini?” she asked.
“About an hour away.”
“I’m glad you made the trip, Miles. Oh, and as a reminder, the farmhouse is under Wills’ parents’ name.”
“George and Mary Spencer?” It had been my sister’s idea to put the rental in their name so I could surprise Pia with my arrival.
I pulled up to the gate and gave George’s name to the person who spoke through the intercom. She told me to come to the main house to collect the key since the winery, where I’d normally pick it up, was closed.
Now, I just had to hope that Pia answered the door.
I parked the car near the entrance to the winery and pulled out the box I carried in my pocket. I opened the hinge and fingered the five-carat pear-shaped ruby that hung from a chain of oval and rondelle ruby beads.
I’d rang Rile to tell him I was on my way to Italy and would be taking a leave from the Invincibles. He wouldn’t accept my leave but did promise he would not call on me for any further missions until I was ready.
I wished him a happy Christmas, and he’d asked what gift I was giving Pia. When I shared my plight, he gave me the name of an old friend, who he was certain would have something perfect for her. After insisting I write down the address, he said the gentleman would be expecting me.
With a three-hour layover in Frankfurt, I hired a driver. There were times Rile was truly eerie, a belief reinforced when the jeweler showed me the necklace that was now in my possession.
“How did you know?” I’d asked.
He smiled, but didn’t answer. It couldn’t have been that Rile gave him any tips. He didn’t know about the stone I carried in my pocket, nor had he ever met Pia.
I recognized the woman who answered the door. “Lucia, right?”
She looked at the paper in her hand and then back at me. “George Spencer?”
I laughed. “Actually, I’m Miles Stone. I stayed here several years ago and wanted to surprise Pia; the reservation is in a family member’s name. She doesn’t happen to be about, does she?”
“I believe Signora Deltetto has retired for the evening, but in the morning, I’ll let her know you asked for her.”
I’d hoped to see her tonight, but given the lateness of the hour, I understood.
“One more thing,” I said before she closed the door. “You wouldn’t happen to have a bottle of wine I could purchase?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t. Tomorrow—”
I held up my hand. “Right. My apologies. I keep forgetting it’s Christmas.”
19
Pia
Stepping from a corner of the terrazza, I gripped the back of the chair and then sat down. Mylos was here. Why?
The only reason I could think of was that Lily had done the one thing I’d begged her not to. She told him I was pregnant.
I didn’t go inside. Instead, I went down to the winery and grabbed a bottle of wine. Since it was unseasonably warm for the end of December—which was why I’d been sitting outside—I walked to the farmhouse.
In the still darkness of night, I rubbed my belly, talking to the bambino growing inside me.
I wished Lily hadn’t told her brother about the baby. It wasn’t her place. I told her I’d do it in my own time, and I meant it. For this, I’d never forgive her.
I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
“Hello, Mylos,” I said when it opened.
“Pia.” He opened the door wider. “Please come in.”