“I see,” said Gabriel slowly. “Thank you for trying.”
“Of course, of course. It’s possible the piece has been in a private collection and handed down over time. Sometimes a family doesn’t know what they have. They may think the object is a fake or that it is modern or something like that. But I can tell you no one is looking for that piece, at least at the moment. It isn’t showing up on lists of stolen artwork and no one has approached any among my circle in order to sell it.”
“Right. In view of that, Massimo, I think I’ll have to ask you to return it. I’m uneasy lending it until I know more about how it came to be on my property.”
Dottor Vitali’s face fell. “I understand. We need to be clear on the provenance of an object before we accept it. In this case, provenance is a mystery.”
“The mysteries in my life are legion at the moment.” Gabriel frowned. “But I’m grateful for your assistance and for Judith’s help as well.”
“Certainly. I hope you and your family will come to Florence soon?”
“Yes, Julianne and I were just discussing that. Probably in May.”
Dottor Vitali rubbed his hands together. “Excellent. We will see you then. I will arrange to have the carving returned to you.”
“Thank you, my friend.”
“Good-bye.” Massimo ended the call.
Another dead end, Gabriel thought.
He shook off his disappointment and retrieved Clare from her high chair. “Let’s go for a walk, while Mommy’s out.”
Clare responded by grabbing Gabriel’s chin.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
The day of her second wedding anniversary, Julia was awakened by pain. She grabbed her lower abdomen, waiting for the pain to pass, but it didn’t.
Quietly, she crept past a sleeping Clare in her crib and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her before switching on the light.
She was not a medical doctor, but she knew her body well enough to know she was not suffering from indigestion or an upset stomach. When she went to the bathroom, she discovered her instincts were correct; she was having her period.
Her monthly cycle had taken time to return with regularity, even after she’d resumed oral contraceptives. Julia’s brain was fuzzy in the early morning, as she had been kept up late enjoying the attentions of her amorous and devoted husband. But as she counted on her fingers, she realized her body was right on time.
She was concerned, however, at the unusual degree of pain she was experiencing, since birth control had in the past ameliorated it. And she was equally concerned with the amount of bleeding she was experiencing, which was far more than normal.
It occurred to her she should contact Dr. Rubio when she returned to Cambridge, since bleeding and discomfort were both side effects of fibroids. Although her fibroids had shrunk during her pregnancy, she knew it was possible they were growing even now.
Julia shut her eyes. She was squeamish at the best of times. And now was not the best of times.
She switched on the shower and adjusted the temperature. When she entered the shower, she positioned the hot spray on her lower back, hoping it would provide some relief. She refused to look at the water that fell at her feet and disappeared down the drain. It would not do for her to pass out, alone, while Gabriel was fast asleep.
Later, having attended to her needs and having wrapped herself in the soft, plush robe provided by the hotel, she called the front desk and requested a hot water bottle. Even though they didn’t have one in stock, they quickly sourced one and delivered it.
Julia crept outside to watch the sunrise from their balcony, swathed in a blanket and with a hot water bottle resting over her womb.
I can’t believe this happened on my anniversary, she thought.
All her plans and the special lingerie she’d hoped to wear would be for naught.
Sometimes being a woman sucks.
* * *
“This is not how I planned our anniversary.” Julia bemoaned the fact as she walked next to Gabriel and the stroller on the Lincoln Road promenade.
It was a beautiful, sunny day in Miami. Julia was clad in a bright, breezy blouse and black shorts, sporting her favorite sandals.
Gabriel, too, was wearing shorts, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses. And Clare was clad in a sunsuit, wearing a sunhat to protect her face and eyes. She was fascinated by all the people and especially the many leashed dogs as they walked past her.
“I told the front desk we were staying for another week.” Gabriel glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Happy anniversary.”
She leaned against him. “Really?”
“I have plans for you and our private pool.” Gabriel’s tone was matter-of-fact. “When you’re feeling better.”
Julia found the thought tantalizing.
“How are you feeling?” Gabriel lowered his voice to protect her privacy.
He was tender with her, it was true. But the concern with which he treated her most pedestrian of female experiences was truly touching.
“Better. I took something for the pain, and being outside where it’s warm helps.”
Gabriel gave her a sympathetic look.
By accident, Clare dropped her favorite toy bunny (which was not from her father) over the side of the stroller. And then she leaned over to look at it.
Her father had a short learning curve. After almost losing the bunny on a walk the previous day, he’d fashioned a kind of short leash for the bunny and Velcroed it around the toy’s middle. Which meant that should the toy fall, Gabriel could retrieve it by pulling on the leash. It really was ingenious. (Although Gabriel had contemplated leaving the bunny behind on more than one occasion, simply because of its origins.)
“I had another email from Graham.” Julia sipped the ice coffee she’d just purchased. “I’d told him I couldn’t commit to Edinburgh until my supervisor signed off on the courses. He offered to speak to Cecilia directly.”
“Let him. Maybe he can talk some sense into her.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I told him this morning that I’d speak to her when I saw the list of courses. But I also said I was interested in the teaching assistantship.”
“Good. It will be a great experience. I wonder if we could arrange to have you teach an undergraduate class over at Boston University.” The wheels were already turning in Gabriel’s mind.
Julia stopped. “You’d do that? You’d suggest that to your chair?”
“Why not? They hire adjuncts. I can’t guarantee the chair will hire you, but we should ask.”