LITMIR.BIZ

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monster.”

      His hands went to his hips. “But now she has you involved.”

      “Because I want to be. I like Tuccia very much. If she were my daughter, I’d do whatever I could to save her from such a wretched life. You’re the most brilliant, clever man I’ve ever known, figlio mio. If I asked for your help this one time, would you do it for your mamma?”

      Her blue eyes beseeched him. She was serious! He could see it and feel it.

      “What do you think I could do?”

      “Fly her to Milan tomorrow on the Gagliardi ducal jet with Ciro. Help her find a place to stay in the city where no one will think to look for her. She won’t be traced.”

      His eyes narrowed. “Is this the reason you let her stay here tonight? Because you knew I was flying in and planned to use me?”

      “Yes,” she answered with her usual refreshing honesty. “Have I ever asked you for a favor like this before? Time is of the essence.”

      “Mamma—” His head reared in exasperation.

      She sat up straighter in the bed. “I don’t see a problem. Tuccia’s crisis takes priority. That girl needs to be far away from here by tomorrow. It won’t hurt you to take her with you. Be sure she’s wearing a disguise. Signor Fragala won’t suspect who she is.”

      He stopped pacing. “He’ll recognize her once we’re on board.”

      “So you’ll swear him to secrecy. If he can’t be trusted, tell him you’ve changed your mind and won’t let him have the coveted chef position after all. It’s in your hands. Once you’ve settled her, you can take Ciro to the castello and get on with your business. Is that such a terrible thing to ask this one time?”

      Cesare couldn’t fathom that they were having this conversation at three in the morning. “There’s no place she won’t be recognized.”

      “Then take her to the castello with you. Smuggle her in a back entrance and hide her in one of the turret rooms for a few days. That will give her enough time to figure out a solid plan on her own. Besides being well-educated and well-traveled, she’s a very intelligent girl and resourceful.”

      “And according to the papers, impossible,” he added.

      “If you knew the truth, you wouldn’t judge her. Every time her name gets in the news, it’s because she has tried to run away from her family. But she always gets caught and is brought back. Her parents cover it up by saying that she’s an indulged, immature troublemaker. She’s the loveliest girl I’ve ever known, and it’s a tragedy how her life has been.”

      Such accolades for the princess shocked him. His mother wasn’t about to relent on this. She was a fighter who had a heart of gold. That was how she’d made it through life.

      “You’ll help me to help her, won’t you?”

      Cesare loved and admired his mother more than any woman he’d ever known. After the hundreds of sacrifices she’d made for him and his sister growing up, how could he possibly turn her down?

      Letting out a sigh he said, “Stop worrying. After Ciro arrives in the morning, I’ll take her to Milan tomorrow with us.” But not to the castello. He didn’t want the guys to know what was going on.

      “If you’ll do that for me, I’ll love you forever.”

      “I thought you already did,” he teased.

      Her eyes had filled with tears. “Oh, Cesare. My dear son. Ti amo.” She started to get out of bed, but her phone rang. Her eyes darted to his in alarm. “Maybe something’s wrong with your sister or my little granddaughter—”

      Cesare’s body stiffened. A phone call in the middle of the night could mean anything. Probably it was Bertina calling his mother to tell her the police were on their way over to the villa looking for the princess.

      She reached for the cell phone on her bedside table and checked the caller ID. “It says San Giovanni Hospital.”

      He stood stock-still while he waited to find out what was going on, but his mother did little talking. Once she hung up, she looked at him with haunted eyes.

      “I’m afraid I have very bad news for you, Cesare.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “Ciro was rushed to the hospital a few hours ago with an infected lung and kidney. I thought he didn’t seem well when I visited the restaurant a few days ago and assumed he had a cold.

      “He must undergo an operation to drain off the fluid. The nurse said he had the presence of mind to ask the hospital to contact me before he lost consciousness.”

      “Santo Cielo,” Cesare murmured in disbelief. This whole night had turned into a bad dream. “The poor devil.”

      “It’s terrible.”

      “Get dressed and we’ll drive to the hospital in your car. Since he’s my responsibility, I’ll tell the hospital and take care of his medical bills.”

      “Bless you. I’m getting ready now, but I’ll visit him alone and be your go-between until he has recovered. Right now you’ve got to take care of the princess. The sooner, the better. That phone call could have been Bertina alerting me that the police were on Tuccia’s trail. There’s no time to lose.”

      There was no time for sleep, either, not while this situation continued. He walked to his suite to shower and change clothes for the flight back to Milan. Afterward he went downstairs to the kitchen to fix himself coffee. He found the delicious sweet rolls filled with ricotta and chocolate his mother always made for him when he came and ate several.

      During his early morning feast, his mother joined him before leaving for the hospital. After she went out to her car, he contacted the pilot to let him know they’d be returning to Milan shortly, then he arranged for a limo to come to the villa. Now all he needed was for the princess to make an appearance.

      * * *

      It was six-thirty in the morning when Tuccia finished writing three letters at the desk in the guest bedroom. The first was her deepest apology to Jean-Michel, explaining why she couldn’t marry him and had run away. They weren’t in love with each other, and that was the only reason for two people to marry.

      She put it in an envelope with his name and address on the front. When and where to mail it was the scary part and had to be considered carefully because her life depended on it.

      Tuccia put the letter in her purse, then wrote two long thank-you letters to her zia and Lina. She signed them with love before leaving them on top of the dresser so Lina would be certain to see them. One of these days she would write to her parents, but that could wait.

      After making the bed, she grabbed the small suitcase Bertina had loaned her and hurried through the villa to the kitchen for a piece of fruit. A ten-minute walk would take her to the shops where she could eat something more substantial and catch a bus.

      “Where do you think you’re going in that disguise?” a deep familiar male voice asked as she reached the foyer.

      Her camouflage consisted of a scarf she’d tied around her head like a lot of local women did to cover their hair. She turned around to see the man she hadn’t been able to erase from her thoughts, standing there in jeans and a jacket. He looked too marvelous to her this early in the morning.

      “I wanted to slip out before your mother awakened so I wouldn’t disturb her. I left messages to thank her and my aunt.”

      “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that, Principessa.”

      Of course he’d recognized her and had talked with Lina. Now he knew everything about her situation. She was so sorry he’d been dragged into her problem. “Your mother has been exceptionally kind to me. I’m embarrassed my zia asked for her assistance, and I’m ashamed I accepted it because it has placed her in danger.”

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