“Sit down, have some coffee,” she said.
My mother loved me in her own way, I knew that. But after the absence of my biological father and having to work to provide for her children, she had finally found real love with my stepfather and it absorbed every part of her. Now that her children were taken care of, she could do as she pleased.
“I didn’t know Peregrine was coming today,” I said.
“Oh, I thought I told you,” my mother said.
I shook my head, but she was already carrying sandwiches out of the kitchen. Our housekeeper sent me a sympathetic glance as I chewed on my lip, tracing the marble lines on the countertop with my fingertip. Feeling distantly hollow, I helped her plate the cookies and make another pot of coffee in silence.
The door banged open and Federico appeared.
“Where the fuck have you been, Lia?” he said, exasperated.
I winced. “I’m helping in the kitchen.”
“Well, get out to the living room. You’re being rude.”
Blinking rapidly, I took my apron off and hurried out. I felt his presence behind me as we walked down the hall and I wished I wasn’t in heels so I could move faster. In the living room, Peregrine was engaged in conversation with my stepfather on the far side of the room. No one noticed me as I slid into the corner of the couch and folded my hands in my lap.
It was thirty minutes later when they finally broke their meeting apart and my mother opened the doors to the sunroom where lunch was laid out on the table. Peregrine crossed the room and paused, turning in a slow circle. A flicker of confusion passed over his face.
“Where’s Lia,” he said.
Everyone looked around and Peregrine’s eyes fell on me, tucked into the corner. His brows rose and a little tingle moved down my spine.
“When did you get here?” he asked, frowning.
“A half hour ago,” I said.
That seemed to embarrass him and he fumbled for words. I stood and he crossed the room to help me to my feet. His fingers were firm as his hand lingered on my back, guiding me to the sunroom and pulling back my chair. For some reason, I found it awkward that he was touching me in front of my family. I looked up and Federico met my gaze, his brow lifting slowly over his cold eyes.
He would be glad to get rid of me, that much was apparent.
CHAPTER SIX
PEREGRINE
She was a completely different person when her family was around. It startled me the way she clung to the shadows of the room, her face blank and her hands folded. Like a doll propped up in the corner. Now that I’d noticed it, I couldn’t stop watching her and wondering what was going on.
The housekeeper filled our plates and everyone began chattering. Her brothers talked fast in a blend of Italian and English. Her stepfather surveyed his family with a collected gaze and when he did open his mouth, everyone stopped to hear what he had to say. Her mother was quiet and only opened her mouth when addressed. It was easy to see where Rosalia had learned how to behave as a woman in a male dominated household.
“When are you leaving for Italy, Mrs. Antonucci?” I asked.
She lifted her head. “The second week of October.”
“Where are you traveling this time?”
“We’ll go to Rome and then onto Naples,” she said, sitting up a little straighter. “Leo has childhood friends who have a beautiful vineyard with a lovely home there. They only use it during the summer so they offered to let us stay till the end of the month.”
“Very generous of them,” I said. “I’m glad you’ll be here for the wedding.”
“Of course,” she said. “We could never miss our daughter’s wedding.”
Federico shifted, leaning back and spreading his knees. “I think she means, we could never miss Peregrine Calo’s wedding.”
This struck me as oddly cruel toward Rosalia, but no one said anything to counter him. I liked Federico, we’d been friends for years, but I’d never witnessed this side of him.
“Have you started classes?” I asked, turning to my fiancée.