Property of a Noblewoman (35 page)

“You do? Who is he? What is he? How did you meet him?” The questions flooded his mind all at once.

“It’s Saverio Salvatore. I met him at the castello when I went to see it. And then I saw him in Florence. And it kind of took off after that. Very unexpectedly, I might add. And I know we seem ancient to you, but it just kind of happened. We’re going to enjoy it for now and figure out a way for it to work between Italy and here. He’ll come to New York, I’ll go there. We both have children and work and lives of our own, but we want to spend time together too.” Phillip didn’t look angry, just surprised.

“I never thought of that as a possibility. I don’t know why. You’re certainly young enough to have a man in your life.” She hadn’t expected him to say that, and tears filled her eyes. “Do you think you’d move to Italy full time?” He looked worried about it. Even if they were both busy, he liked knowing she was nearby and seeing her when he could.

“I don’t think so,” she answered him thoughtfully. “I have a life here. And you. But it will be fun spending time in Italy too. We’re planning to go back and forth a lot. It’ll keep things interesting. So what do you think?”

“I think I’m a little stunned,” he said honestly, with a cautious smile. She had always said that his father was the only man she’d ever love, and he was sure she’d believed it when she said it. She had never expected to love someone else. So it was a whole new concept for all of them. But he liked what he saw in her eyes. He saw happiness and peace. “I’m happy for you, Mom,” Phillip said generously. “He seems like a good guy, and if you two have the energy to run back and forth between Italy and the States, what the hell, why not? Why would you sit around like Winnie, bitching and playing bridge?” That had never been his mother’s style, and never would be, he knew. He smiled broadly at her then. “You look great. He must make you happy. You deserve it.”

“He does,” she confirmed, “and so do you.” It was a coming of age for both of them. She and Phillip were both adults. Being able to accept a new man in her life could have been hard for him, and he was choosing not to let it, and to be gracious about it. He was a man, not a boy. Valerie was proud of him, and happy about how he had taken the news, and so was Jane. She was smiling at Valerie too, pleased for her, and relieved that Phillip hadn’t made an issue of it, and respected his mother’s right to do as she wished. And she thought it courageous of Valerie to embark on a new life and relationship at her age. It would be challenging going back and forth to Italy, or maybe just plain exciting. Jane loved that Valerie was willing to try something new. She modeled openness and courage and love of life to her son, which was a great gift to him.

And then Phillip grinned mischievously. “Did you tell Winnie yet?”

“I did.” Valerie smiled, thinking of their exchange that morning.

“What did she say? I bet she had a fit.” Phillip chuckled.

“She did. She told me I was geriatric.” Phillip burst out laughing at that.

“You can count on her every time. She’ll get over it.” Valerie didn’t look worried.

“I know she will. She just doesn’t know it yet.” They laughed about it, and he gave his mother a big hug when they got up.

“You should have told me at the beginning of dinner, then you could have eaten your steak.”

“It’s okay.” She laughed. “I’ll eat a sandwich when I go home.” She wasn’t hungry, just relieved. He had taken the news like a loving son. They hugged again before they parted outside the restaurant, and left in two separate cabs. He and Jane were going to his apartment that night, not Jane’s, so they didn’t drop Valerie off downtown.

And Jane told him in the cab how impressed she was by his reaction to his mother’s romance. “I’ve had friends go nuts when their widowed or divorced parents fall in love with someone else. I think most people don’t really expect their parents to have lives and relationships of their own, and some people can be real jerks about it.” It was testimony to Phillip and Valerie’s relationship that her announcement to him had gone over well.

“It surprised the hell out of me at first,” he admitted sheepishly. “I just never expected her to fall for someone else after my dad. But why not? She does deserve it. We have each other.” He looked lovingly at Jane. “Why should she be alone for the rest of her life? Why shouldn’t she have someone too? And if it works, it’ll be great. I guess we’ll be going to Italy in the future,” he said as he kissed her, and he liked the idea. Particularly Florence, which was one of his favorite cities.

“I don’t care where we are, just so I’m with you,” Jane said, and kissed him. It was almost verbatim what Valerie had said to Saverio before she left.

Valerie waited patiently until two in the morning to call Saverio again. She got him just as he woke up at eight
A.M.
in Florence. And he was wide awake the minute he heard her voice.

“How was it? What did he say?” he asked immediately, concerned. He knew that if Phillip objected vehemently, it would dampen Valerie’s enthusiasm for their plans. She didn’t want to upset or hurt her son.

“He was terrific,” she said happily. “He looked shocked for about four seconds, and then he said he was happy for us and I deserve it, and I can tell he means it.” She sounded elated and relieved, and Saverio lay in bed and smiled. It was the only thing he had been truly worried about. The rest they could figure out with a little jet lag and a lot of air tickets. He’d been thinking of buying a plane, for business, and that would make things easier too. But even without one, he was certain the relationship would work. They were both old enough to realize how lucky they were to have found each other, to treat each other well, and to know what they wanted and needed and were able to give each other.

“I’m so happy,” he said, beaming at his end. Phillip was the only obstacle he had feared, and could have made life miserable for his mother if he wanted to, and been nasty about it, possibly in defense of his father’s memory. Instead they had the approval of all their children, which meant a lot to both of them, and made everything easier.

“Now hurry up and come over,” she said, and sounded like a woman in love.

“I will be there in two weeks,” he reminded her, and they chatted for an hour after that, both of them forgetting how late it was for her. It just felt good to be alive and in love.

WHEN SAVERIO’S FLIGHT
arrived from Rome two weeks later, Valerie was waiting for him at the airport, and he took her in his arms as soon as he emerged from customs. He kissed her, and they smiled at each other. It made others smile as they saw them and walked by. They were so obviously in love, and happy to see each other.

Saverio was wearing a well-cut dark blue suit and looked very distinguished, and she was wearing a chic black cotton dress in the heat of the New York Indian summer.

They walked out of the airport, with their arms around each other’s waists. They were in no hurry, just happy to be together. The two weeks apart had felt like months to them.

“I bought a plane yesterday,” he told her, and she laughed, and told him he was crazy. But she knew that he had bought it for business, for him and his children to use on their trips for the gallery, to see important clients and buy new paintings all over Europe.

They were having dinner with Phillip and Jane that night, at La Grenouille, to welcome Saverio to New York. They were going to have drinks at her apartment first, and then go uptown for dinner. They had a lot to celebrate – Phillip and Jane’s new jobs, her relationship with Saverio, and whatever else they could think of.

And when he saw it, Saverio loved her apartment and the atmosphere she had created. It was small, but like a warm embrace. It was a piece of her history, and she didn’t want to give it up. And he was interested in all of it and admired her art and her eclectic collection of objects. He had two houses and an apartment in Italy. They would have her place in New York, and best of all, they had each other. They had all they needed. Their life together was a gift. Their meeting each other at all had been a blessing. They had come together through a series of what seemed like miracles now, which included not only them but everyone on their path, each in some special way that met their needs.

The miracles could be explained as destiny, blind luck, or coincidence. But magic had occurred. A woman who had vanished from their lives and virtually disappeared had touched them all in miraculous ways and brought them together. Marguerite had worked magic in their lives in the end, and blessed each of them with immeasurable gifts.

Danielle Steel
is one of the world’s most popular and highly acclaimed authors, with over ninety international bestselling novels in print and more than 600 million copies of her novels sold. She is also the author of
His Bright Light
, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death;
A Gift of Hope
, a memoir of her work with the homeless; and
Pure Joy
, about the dogs she and her family have loved.

To discover more about Danielle Steel and her books, visit her website at
www.daniellesteel.com

You can also connect with Danielle on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial
or on Twitter:
@daniellesteel

BLUE

PRECIOUS GIFTS

UNDERCOVER

COUNTRY

PRODIGAL SON

PEGASUS

A PERFECT LIFE

POWER PLAY

PURE JOY:

The Dogs We Love

WINNERS

FIRST SIGHT

UNTIL THE END OF TIME

A GIFT OF HOPE:

Helping the Homeless

SINS OF THE MOTHER

FRIENDS FOREVER

BETRAYAL

HOTEL VENDÔME

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

44 CHARLES STREET

LEGACY

FAMILY TIES

BIG GIRL

SOUTHERN LIGHTS

MATTERS OF THE HEART

ONE DAY AT A TIME

A GOOD WOMAN

ROGUE

HONOUR THYSELF

AMAZING GRACE

BUNGALOW 2

SISTERS

H.R.H.

COMING OUT

THE HOUSE

TOXIC BACHELORS

MIRACLE

IMPOSSIBLE

ECHOES

SECOND CHANCE

RANSOM

SAFE HARBOUR

JOHNNY ANGEL

DATING GAME

ANSWERED PRAYERS

SUNSET IN ST. TROPEZ

THE COTTAGE

THE KISS

LEAP OF FAITH

LONE EAGLE

JOURNEY

THE HOUSE ON HOPE STREET

THE WEDDING

IRRESISTIBLE FORCES

GRANNY DAN

BITTERSWEET

MIRROR IMAGE

HIS BRIGHT LIGHT:

The Story of my son, Nick Traina

THE KLONE AND I

THE LONG ROAD HOME

THE GHOST

SPECIAL DELIVERY

THE RANCH

SILENT HONOUR

MALICE

FIVE DAYS IN PARIS

LIGHTNING

WINGS

THE GIFT

ACCIDENT

VANISHED

MIXED BLESSINGS

JEWELS

NO GREATER LOVE

HEARTBEAT

MESSAGE FROM NAM

DADDY

STAR

ZOYA

KALEIDOSCOPE

FINE THINGS

WANDERLUST

SECRETS

FAMILY ALBUM

FULL CIRCLE

CHANGES

THURSTON HOUSE

CROSSINGS

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

A PERFECT STRANGER

REMEMBRANCE

PALOMINO

LOVE: POEMS

THE RING

LOVING

TO LOVE AGAIN

SUMMER’S END

SEASON OF PASSION

THE PROMISE

NOW AND FOREVER

GOLDEN MOMENTS*

GOING HOME

* Published outside the UK under the title PASSION’S PROMISE

For more information on Danielle Steel and her books, see her website at
www.daniellesteel.com

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Transworld is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at
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First published in Great Britain in 2016 by Bantam Press
an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Copyright © Danielle Steel 2016
Cover photographs © Alan Ayers

Danielle Steel has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologize for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.