“When the film shoot is over, I have to return to the states.” When Niccolò’s smile drooped, she added, “Come with me. You can sign with my agent. He’ll find work for you. I’ve been sleeping on my aunt’s couch in Hollywood, but we can find a little place.”
“I want to,” he said. “But I need more money for my passage. I have to have the right papers to travel. And a passport.”
“You don’t have one?”
“Never needed one before.”
Ruby ran her fingers across his brow. “How long do you think that will take?”
“The money or the passport?”
“Both, I guess.” Ruby drew in her lower lip in thought. She had to help her husband, but she’d made a commitment to her family. She’d taken very little of her salary on the film for herself. “Once I return, I’ll find work. I can help, too. Though I promised my family—”
Niccolò pressed a finger to her lips. “Keep your promise to them. I would have no pride if I accepted your money. I will do this.”
She understood, but every day away from him would be agony. “I don’t want to be apart from you,” Ruby whispered.
Niccolò drew her closer. “It won’t take long. That is my promise to you.”
“We can write to each other,” Ruby said, tracing his jawline. “Every day.”
Niccolò laughed. “My English…I’m sorry, I don’t write it very well. Many of your words have strange spellings, and I get them wrong. A lot, I’m told.”
“I don’t care. I want to hear from you.” She threaded her fingers through his thick hair. “Write to me in Italian. I’m learning.”
He shook his head in resignation. “I can’t promise every day. I’ll be working as much as I can.”
“Acting, do you think?” Ruby asked.
“Doing anything I can as long as it gets me to you.” Niccolò cupped her face in his hands. “Cuore mio, you are my only love, forever.”
Ruby lifted her lips to his in a kiss that she never wanted to end. Until they parted, she would cherish every day as if it were a perfect pearl, stringing them together in a necklace of memories.
* * *
Over the next two weeks, the director completed filming most of the scenes in Roman Holiday. With every passing day, Ruby felt her time with Niccolò growing more precious than ever.
Now, wearing a white lace dress with full sleeves and a tiny, belted waist, Ruby stood waiting in the Sala Grande Galleria of the Palazzo Colonna, one of Rome’s grandest palaces. It was hundreds of years old, and the Colonna family still lived there. Ruby craned her head, never tiring of the Renaissance splendor, which was so unlike anything she’d ever seen.
Marble columns rose to the ceiling, and paintings in ornate gold frames stared down at them. Niccolò pointed out masterpieces by Caravaggio, Bronzino, Carrici, Locatelli.
Ruby gazed up. Overhead, frescoes swirled in brilliant detail and color. Sparkling Murano chandeliers lit the room. And underfoot, marble floors gleamed in richly veined onyx, ivory, and carnelian red. The majesty of the setting was utterly awe-inspiring. Even though Ruby was still only standing in for Audrey, she pulled back her shoulders, sensing the need to reach higher in the presence of such great artistry.
In the salon, Mr. Wyler’s crew had set up additional lighting and equipment. The director and the lighting supervisor were conferring with other cast and crew members, while grips and gaffers made the necessary adjustments for the scene.
Niccolò would also be in the scene, posing as an extra reporter in the crowd behind Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert. He was already in costume, wearing a suit with his hair combed back.
Audrey sat beside her, her posture regal, studying the scene just as Ruby was. She glanced at Ruby. “Can you believe the filming is almost over? Being here has been such a dream. I never imagined that I would have such a break. Have you enjoyed Italy?”
“More than I can say.” Instinctively, Ruby reached for the silver half-heart around her neck, but she’d removed it for this scene. Now she wore a double pearl choker with a jeweled centerpiece. She touched it instead with her white-gloved fingers.
“Where is your sweetheart?” Audrey asked, turning in her director’s chair.
“Niccolò is running lines with the press extras.” Mr. Wyler had put out a casting call for real press professionals from foreign publications, and many had answered the call. Ruby smiled at Audrey and decided to confide in her—a little, anyway. “He’s planning on coming to Hollywood as soon as he can.”
As Audrey’s dark, winged eyebrows shot up with glee, Ruby felt her cheeks color. No one on the set knew that she and Niccolò were married. For now, that was their delicious secret. They had agreed to wait until she told her parents, and, of course, she wanted Niccolò with her. Since Dante Mancini had exploded, Ruby was more nervous than ever about telling her parents, even though she knew she would disappoint her father. She glanced up at the ceiling again, mesmerized by the artistry. Ranch life simply wasn’t for her anymore. Not with so many fascinating places in the world to explore—and Niccolò by her side.
“Where do you think you’ll be married?” Audrey asked.
Ruby was bursting to tell her everything, but she’d promised Niccolò. “Somewhere beautiful and romantic,” she said, recalling their holiday in Lake Como.
The only person Ruby and Niccolò confided in was the pensione owner, who became concerned about Ruby’s reputation since Niccolò was staying over so much. When they told her, the woman had kissed them on the cheeks and wished them much happiness and many children. Ruby and Niccolò had laughed at that last part. They had plenty of time for a family. Many years, they assured her. First, they would become great actors and travel the world.
A smile danced on Audrey’s lips. “You should marry in Italy. I’m going to return as soon as I can.”
“I’d like that, too,” Ruby said, continuing the ruse. But maybe she and Niccolò could return later. An idea struck her. “If I could live anywhere in Italy, I’d choose Lake Como.”
Audrey looked at her with a knowing glance. “I think you fell in love in Lake Como.”
“Irrevocably,” Ruby said, trying out one of her new vocabulary words. She grinned, and the two women shared a laugh.
Mr. Wyler called for Ruby to stand in while they checked the lighting and camera angles.
They were reshooting the last scene, as the director hadn’t been satisfied with previous takes. Mr. Wyler was a perfectionist, and Ruby felt fortunate to work with him. She’d learned so much on the set, listening to everything. She’d gained more insights as a stand-in than in her brief scene or as an extra.
Mr. Wyler made his way toward them. Speaking to Audrey, he said, “This will be a scene of great restraint. Here, you choose duty over love, a love that you cannot reveal, yet you try to convey to the one person who matters.”
Listening to the directors, Ruby thought about how that might apply to her life. Would she ever choose duty over love? She couldn’t imagine that. Her father couldn’t force her into a future she didn’t want. She was almost eighteen, an adult, really, and now, a married woman. She hugged her waist with happiness.