“Anna and Leonas both will have arranged marriages.” She searched my eyes and then it dawned on me and my first knee-jerk reaction was to say no.
“You suggest marrying Anna off to Maximo Clark’s son?” Despite my best intention, my voice shook with protectiveness.
Val bit her lip. “It is an option. I know a traditional arranged marriage isn’t common in the outside world, but the political elite often marries among each other as well.”
I’d met Maximo Clark’s children twice. He had three of them. His oldest son Clifford was Anna’s age, his twin girls a few years younger. They were polite, raised to behave in public.
“She’d be safer in a marriage with an outsider, and if our children married into important political families that would solidify our contacts.”
I tried to consider this from a logical standpoint but when Anna was concerned objectivity was difficult to maintain.
“They know each other. He’s at the same tennis club,” Val said. “I could talk to Anna if you’d like to get her take on things.”
I sighed. “Thinking of promising Anna to anyone makes my blood boil.”
“She can’t stay our little girl forever. She turns thirteen in September. She’s growing up.”
“I know.” Val didn’t look too happy about the prospect of a possible bond between Anna and the Clark boy either. “You don’t look convinced.”
Val smiled strangely. “I’m just being a bit emotional. I wanted a love marriage for our children.”
“Our arranged marriage turned into a love marriage, and so did Ines and Pietro’s. It’s possible.”
“It is, of course, but still.”
“Let’s keep your plan in mind for now and don’t share it with anyone yet. I want to wait for Maximo’s decision regarding a cooperation first. If he refuses to establish stronger business and social connections with us, he certainly won’t agree to a bond between our children.”
Val leaned her head against my shoulder. “I talked to Ines today.”
I tensed. “And?” I hadn’t talked to my sister since she’d thrown us out of their house.
Pietro and I had come to a tentative understanding, and even Samuel had come around to my surprise, but Ines still mourned Serafina’s absence. “She asked about the baby, and when Anna would come to visit again.”
“What did you say?”
“I told her Anna will visit next week.”
Anna would start private school this year for the first time. She’d insisted and I couldn’t deny her any longer. She and Luisa didn’t want to be homeschooled anymore.
“I suggested that we could vacation at the Great Lakes together this July.”
My chest tightened. “And?” I tried to keep my expression neutral, even if it was useless. Val knew that Ines’ refusal to talk to me bothered me deeply.
Val touched my chest. “She agreed. But she suggested the Mione’s family lodge in Barron County.”
“Good.”
“Yeah.”
As usual, Val’s warm smile set me at ease like few things in this world could.
* * *
Pietro, Ines, Samuel, and Sofia had arrived two days ago in the Mione vacation home and had already settled in. Pietro’s Range Rover parked in front of the two-floor timber lodge. I hadn’t seen Ines in seven months, and I couldn’t deny that I felt a hint of apprehension about our first encounter. Leonas and Anna jumped out of the Mercedes the moment we stopped; Anna to dash toward the house and Leonas down to the jetty leading into the lake. Val laughed then awkwardly pushed herself out of the seat, cradling her belly and tilting her head up to meet the sun. I pressed my palm into her lower back, then gave our bodyguards a curt nod. They could settle into the guard house nearby.
“Leonas! Say hi first,” Val called. Leonas dragged himself away from the water with obvious reluctance and ran back to us. He stormed past us and through the front door which Anna had left open. “Just witnessing his energy gives me backlash,” Val said with a laugh. “I hope Beatrice is a calm kid. We’re not getting any younger.”
Hearing Val say our unborn daughter’s name filled me with calm and joy. It had from the first moment we’d decided on it. She who makes happy was the meaning of the name. It couldn’t have been more fitting. She came into our life when everything was in shambles and we seemed to have come to an impasse and showed us that the future still held many wonders and opportunities.
“You’re young,” I said, stroking her back.
Val gave me an amused look. Then her expression became tight as we entered the lodge and followed the voices into the vast living area with the floor-to-ceiling windows sandwiching a fireplace between them and with a majestic view over the lake. It was too warm outside for a fire though.
Anna and Sofia huddled together on the sofa, talking animatedly, and Leonas showed his new Swiss knife to Samuel. Pietro had his arm wrapped around Ines. My sister had lost weight. Her eyes met mine.
She peered up at Pietro who rubbed her upper arm in encouragement. Ines walked over to us. She smiled at Val and touched her belly. “My God, you’re already so big.”
“I know!” Val said then pulled Ines into an embrace.
I went over to Pietro and shook his hand then Samuel’s. “She’s forgiven you,” he said quietly.
I glanced back at Val and Ines. “Because of the wedding?”
The wedding between Remo Falcone and Serafina a couple of months ago had been the scandal of the year.
“She had already forgiven you before that, but the Cavallaro pride kept her from admitting it,” Pietro said.
Ines looked my way and for a moment neither of us moved. In the past it had always been Ines who’d made the first move, getting over her pride more easily than I did, but this time I walked over to her. Val stepped back and greeted Pietro and Samuel.
“Ines,” I said quietly. “I’m glad you agreed for our families to spend our vacation together.”
Ines rolled her eyes. “Don’t sound so official, as if we’re distant acquaintances.”
“In the last few months we were hardly more than distant acquaintances,” I said.
She nodded. “I’m not mad at you anymore. I’m still mad at the situation, but not at you.”
I didn’t say anything. Ines stepped closer and hugged me. “I saw the photos. Fina looked so happy in them. I don’t understand. I never will.”
I touched her back. “Me neither.”
Samuel had taken a couple of photos while he’d attended the wedding. It had been a risky move, one he’d insisted on making. He’d been certain Remo’s feelings—whatever nature they were—would protect him, and they had. Samuel had returned unscathed and with interesting insights into the dynamics of the Falcone clan.
He’d stayed true to his word and not gone behind my back, even if I could guess how difficult it must have been for him to admit Fina had contacted him. Maybe he would have kept it a secret if Remo hadn’t reached out to him as well.
It was a mystery to me what went on in his twisted brain, and I didn’t waste time on it anymore. While war with the Famiglia and Camorra was still going strong, we all resorted to obligatory attacks on our delivery trucks or outposts—for the time being. It was a respite that wouldn’t last forever.