By the time he opened his eyes, she was already kissing him. Embracing his forehead, his chin, his mouth.
“It was so beautiful,” she said, a touch of wonder in her voice. “It is always so beautiful with you.”
“You’re beautiful and you deserve all good things.” He nuzzled her neck before gazing into her eyes. “Always.”
He kissed her softly and moved to her side, breaking their connection. They lay entwined in one another’s arms until the night breeze drove them indoors.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
January 15, 2013
This is interesting.” Julia handed her cell phone to Gabriel.
They were sitting side by side in the shade of a cabana, steps from the ocean. Clare was situated in a small children’s cabana, resting atop a towel and surrounded by toys. Although she’d been placed on her back, she’d rolled onto her stomach. When she complained about being on her stomach, Julia moved her to her back. The process was repeated from time to time.
“Who is this from?” Gabriel removed his sunglasses to put on his reading glasses. He squinted at the screen.
“Professor Wodehouse.”
“He’s inviting you to give a paper?”
“Yes, my paper on Guido da Montefeltro. He wants me to deliver it on the first day of the workshop.”
Gabriel scanned the email and returned the phone. “That’s quite an honor.”
“Do you think I should do it? I’ll be making myself conspicuous very quickly.”
Gabriel put his reading glasses away. “Of course you should do it. Wodehouse has already heard the paper and it has been published. He probably wants you to provoke the attendees.”
“He’ll be giving a paper on Ulysses.” She scrolled through her email. “I don’t know. Giving a paper, and then being followed by Wodehouse and his paper? I’ll look terrible.”
“Nonsense.” Gabriel swung his legs over the side of the chaise and leaned over to retrieve Clare.
“Cecilia will be there.”
“She’s the one who first read that paper. She endorsed it.”
“She may have changed her mind.”
“Then Wodehouse will have her for breakfast. He’s the one inviting you; it’s his workshop and his reputation.” Gabriel reached into the children’s cabana and retrieved Clare, along with a book, The Runaway Bunny.
Clare reached for the book eagerly and began chattering.
“I also have an email from Graham Todd,” Julia volunteered.
Gabriel sat Clare on his lap and opened the book to the first page. “What is he saying?”
“He doesn’t have the schedule yet for the fall, but he’s teaching a graduate course on angels and demons in The Divine Comedy.”
Gabriel looked over with interest. “That sounds fun.”
“Yes. He’s also teaching a Renaissance poetry course for undergraduates, and he’s asking if I’d like to be his teaching assistant. He said the workload wouldn’t be onerous. He can’t promise a stipend, although he thinks he could offer me an honorarium. But he says he’s offering the position to give me experience.” Julia put down her phone. “Edinburgh is rolling out the red carpet for both of us.”
“I think someone has been talking.” Gabriel sounded grim.
“Who?”
“A certain English person who happens to have the initials KP.”
“Oh, you mean Wonder Woman?”
Gabriel shook his head. “Rachel is mad. Do you know she bought Katherine a Wonder Woman T-shirt?”
“Katherine will never wear it.”
“No, but I’d lay money she frames it and puts it on a wall somewhere.”
“The children in Florence thought you were Superman.”
“They did.” Gabriel smiled broadly at the memory. “And you were my Lois Lane.”
“I’d like to go to Florence this summer. I’d like us to spend time with Maria.”
Gabriel turned his head. Julia gazed at him hopefully.
“Of course. You know, she may be adopted at any time.”
“I know.”
He reached out to grab Julia’s hand. “But we should spend some time in Florence and introduce Clare to the city and our friends. We can visit Umbria, as well.”
“I’d like that.”
“We’ve agreed to lend the house in Umbria to Rachel and Aaron for the last two weeks in April. So we’d have to go after that.”
“That’s fine.”
“I’m still waiting for the BBC producer to set the dates for my trip to London. It may be while you’re in Oxford.”
“As long as Rebecca comes with me, I’ll be okay. Professor Wodehouse has been very welcoming, but I doubt he’ll allow Clare to register for the workshop.”
Gabriel and Julia exchanged a look. He squeezed her hand and released it.
He lifted the children’s book and began to read to Clare. He read slowly, positioning the pictures in front of her, and pointed to them. He asked Clare questions and waited, as if she would answer.
Clare leaned against his chest and stared in rapt attention at the pages of the book. When he was finished, he read her another.
Julia snapped pictures with her phone.
* * *
The following morning, Julianne was being pampered at the hotel spa, on Gabriel’s insistence, while he sat with Clare on the floor, playing with blocks. His cell phone chose that inopportune moment to ring.
Clare complained about the noise.
He fastened her securely in a high chair and placed a few toys in front of her, then answered the FaceTime call.
“Gabriel, good morning.” Dottor Vitali’s face appeared on the screen.
“Hello, Massimo. How are you?”
“Good, thank you.” Vitali shuffled some papers on his desk. “I made some telephone calls about the memento mori. I didn’t use your name. But I’m sorry to say, I haven’t been able to discover anything. Museum directors around the world contact one another, from time to time, when artifacts appear. I’ve been approached on numerous occasions by people trying to sell valuable pieces. Sometimes the ownership is legitimate, sometimes not. I reached out to a few people to ask if they’d ever seen your carving. They haven’t.”