third day

I woke up in the middle of the night, I felt cold, I turned around and there was no one next to me, who knows if he was asleep or awake? I got out of bed and saw my dress on the floor where I had left it, I picked up my dressing gown and for a moment I hesitated ..... and what if he gets angry? I thought, but then I moved the small painting as I had seen him do the door opened and I went in, he was asleep I slipped into bed and instinctively he embraced me and in his sleep he said "my beauty" but a little later he opened his eyes.

"You came!" he exclaimed, surprised.

"why did you doubt?"

"a bit .... I thought you were still angry"

"no, it was cold without you" I admitted.

"and how is it now?"

"A little better" I said, snuggling against him. He kissed me on the forehead and said only "now go to sleep, I'm here" and I closed my eyes sure that as long as he was by my side nothing could happen to me.

The next morning when I woke up he was no longer there and the sun was high in the sky. I looked around and didn't see him so I went to bed again thinking "just another ten minutes" and closed my eyes.

"What time is it?"

it's after nine o'clock" and after a moment he added "I brought you breakfast".

"Will you eat with me? "I asked.

"Yes," in the tray he had brought there was food for at least four people. He had brought biscuits, two slices of cake, fruit, orange juice, coffee. I ate with gusto, but it was a lot.

"What's on the agenda this morning?"

"Nothing, we can do whatever we want, but tonight there's a performance of Orlando Furioso.

"How nice!" I exclaimed enthusiastically.

"What do you want to do this morning?"

I thought about it for a moment but nothing came to mind, so I asked.

"Are the others already downstairs?"

"No, not yet.

"then I'll stay here with you for a while while while I think about what to do" I said hugging him and we stayed like that for a while without thinking about anything even though at a certain point I decided to get up I couldn't spend the whole morning like that so I told him, stretching lazily

"I'll go put on something more suitable."

"Have you thought about what you want to do?"

"Not really, I'll think about it while I change" he laughed "Don't laugh because it's your fault" I said.

"Mine?" he asked, surprised.

"yeah yeah when you're this close to me I can't think of anything" I admitted turning red

"That's good to know," he replied mockingly.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll take advantage of it in a shameless way" I'd never seen him like that. He wasn't just happy but had a light in his eyes that I couldn't decipher I didn't know if he was talking seriously or if he was just teasing me.

"I'd better go," I said, getting up.

"I'll go with you," and he got up. He was so handsome, dressed as if he were going horseback riding or hunting, with high boots, blue trousers, a white shirt and a blue jacket.

and what am I going to wear now I thought, after looking at all the clothes one by one I had opted for a white walking dress with green flowers but Fabrizio said "why don't you wear this" he said, lifting up an ice-blue dress with a silver embroidered bodice and precious stones that ranged from transparent to blue

"no it's too elegant for the morning I'll wear it tonight".

"of course you want to make the most of the maid service" she teased me and I replied in the same tone

"if you're bored I'll get someone else to do it" even if my tone was joking he didn't like it because he came closer to me and looking me straight in the eyes asked "who would this someone else be"

"you stupid" I answered, kissing him "but behave yourself because I can always change ....." I was about to say "idea" but he stopped me and kissed me once more as always afterwards my head was empty but he answered

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen .... "and after a short pause "now get dressed otherwise I won't answer for my actions..." as I was getting dressed I noticed that they had already tidied up the room the dress that was on the floor the night before was now gone and there were fresh flowers all over the room and I couldn't help saying

"What beautiful flowers!"

"You like them, I didn't know which ones you like. I had them put the ones I liked." There were roses, calla lilies and gliadioli.

"Where did you get them?"

"In the greenhouse! My mother has a passion for flowers. She gets seeds from all over the world and takes care of them every day."

"Can I see it?"

"sure if we're lucky and still there we go" "downstairs we found our friends chatting with a bored air so we asked them if they wanted to come with us and they were happy so we all went out together. The day was unusually warm for the end of December, we walked through the garden but in the opposite direction to the stables until we found ourselves in front of what looked like a house, but it was very tall, all made of glass, even the door was made of glass and it was open, so we went inside and found ourselves in a kind of forest, there were not only flowers but also trees, they were exotic fruit trees, Fabrizio told us, "these trees come from India, the Canary Islands and some from Africa," I thought on purpose, they look so strange.

"but do you eat these fruits "someone asked

"While we were walking, we saw his mother, a petite woman with dark hair and blue eyes like her son, but their resemblance ended there. She was so thin and graceful that despite her age she seemed to be walking on water....she does not put things down, she lays them down..." I could only observe her for a few moments because then she noticed us and came towards us, taking off her gloves, which I handed to a servant

"What a pleasure to see you guys... I didn't expect to see you here otherwise I would have had tea prepared outside."

"no mother, it's just that Angelica and the girls stayed because of the beauty of your flowers"

"My dear, flowers are born on their own, I only take care of them and it's thanks to them that they're so beautiful" then turning to me he said "come my dear" and looking at the others "you come too" he took my arm and took us to see the whole greenhouse there were all kinds of flowers from violets to daisies to roses to exotic flowers shaped like hearts tulips gladioli hydrangeas camellias etc.

"and a paradise,' I sighed.

after a tour of the greenhouse we went back inside for lunch and then I went upstairs to rest later on there would be a performance and I wanted to be ready on time.

I felt a slight shiver and then warm kisses running down my back I turned around he was leaning over me and kept kissing and caressing me

"already now?"

"no I came to give you a little cuddle"

and he slipped under the covers with me we cuddled a little but nothing more then we got ready and went downstairs as we went down the stairs together everyone turned to look at us there were lots of people and yet we were the most beautiful couple I was wearing the ice-blue dress Fabrizio had chosen this morning for the occasion I had put my hair up in a slightly I had put my hair in a slightly backcombed hairstyle I had put on a tiara with the same stones as the dress and matching earrings he was dressed in the same colours as me a pair of pearl grey trousers with a ruffled shirt and an ice satin jacket as soon as I set my foot on the last step Fabian grabbed me by the arm and took me away in a bad way

"didn't you notice that daddy and mummy were there?

"no I didn't look" I said surprised

"alright if they tell you something you'll tell them that we all came down in pairs and that the pairs were me and Valentina Marica and Marco Lucia and Alessandro and you and Fabrizio ok?"

"but because there's nothing wrong with going down the stairs together"

"listen I already told him so and you better say so otherwise he starts asking questions and if we contradict each other there will be trouble" while he was talking I saw my parents coming towards us

"alright...they're here!" I told him, nodding behind him. He turned around and found them standing in front of us.

"father, mother" I greeted them "when did you arrive?"

"A while ago," said my mother.

"That's a beautiful dress, is it a present?" my father asked, very seriously.

"No, you don't recognise it, it's one of the dresses the dressmaker brought me the other day.

"You looked so beautiful, darling, as I was coming down the stairs, I saw you for a moment in your wedding dress," said my mother, moved.

"don't talk nonsense" my father said harshly "after her debut in society it will be my job to find her a suitable husband" my eyes popped out of their sockets how could he be so harsh with me

"But father..."

I finally managed to say. I was paralysed.

"I looked at him and finally understood a lot of things. I had always wondered how two such different people could get along.

"Leave him alone," my mother said, "will you come and sit with us?

"no, Lucia and Valentina are here and they've kept the seat next to me".

"then go to your friends and I'll see you later".

"ok" then turning towards Fabian "come with me".

"yes" and turning towards them "see you later" then as we walked towards our friends he said "see you thought wrong at once"

"yes I saw"

"now seriously sit down next to Lucia and Valentina and I'll talk to Fabrizio"

"I'll talk to him later"

"Are you sure"

"yes, just tell them that dad got suspicious and to calm him down I sat with them".

"OK"

and left while I went to my friends to sit with them they had taken the front seats we watched the play it was very funny and we were all laughing when out of the corner of my eye I saw my father looking at me very seriously

Throughout the evening I had felt a gaze on me, but I already knew who it was, so I tried not to turn around, but when I finished, I got up and had to have a drink right away, my mouth was dry from laughing. I took a glass of champagne from one of the waiters who was passing by and went a little further away to drink it quietly.

"She's probably out with her friends", I heard my mother's voice say.

"I don't like the way she's behaving, she's like a peasant girl, the way I didn't bring her up", my father continued angrily.

That's enough, I said to myself, this situation must end.

"Was it me you were looking for?"

"Yes, it was you. What were you doing in there?"

"Nothing, I have a headache and I wanted to drink some champagne alone." He moved a little to the side and looked inside the room to see if I was really alone.

"Are you happy now? You saw that I was alone."

"I'll save you this time that you were alone but I don't like this attitude of yours of appearing and disappearing during receptions as soon as you get home we'll talk about it"

"Alright daddy"

"leave her alone Armando wasn't doing anything wrong "said my mother

"I saw it but she has an attitude that doesn't suit her rank, she's not a little girl anymore and she has to understand them" he was really angry so to not upset him any more I just said

"Alright, I won't do it anymore, can I go now?"

"yes but make sure I can see you at least until we leave"

so I went back into the room and immediately Fabian and the others came towards me.

"Where have you been?" he said worriedly.

"I had gone to drink champagne in the library to be alone for a while, but Dad arrived and he made a scene and made me come here with specific orders to stay where he could see me.

"Champagne?" said the waiter, and I took it and drank it all at once.

"If you do that you'll get sick," said Fabrizio, "at least eat something.

"I don't care, he said he wants to see me, not that I can't do what I want".

"don't be a child now" he said in a cold tone I looked at his face and his blue eyes had become hard and cold as ice.

"but why do they all have it in for me" I thought it wasn't fair as I was thinking this my parents came from behind and I heard my mum say "we came to say goodbye We're going home" I said goodbye and as she was talking to them I said "

"I was also going to my room, I don't feel so good".

"Do you want to come home with us?" my mother asked.

"No, not for now, maybe if I don't feel better tomorrow I'll go home".

"Maybe I'm just tired."

"maybe" we say goodbye and leave.

as soon as they leave Fabrizio takes me to a corner to ask what I have

", nothing"

"then why did you tell your parents that you weren't well?"

"I wanted to see what my father's reaction was but he's ice cold" he hugged me without saying anything but I continued "you know there are times when I doubt that we are his children".

"What are you thinking!" he exclaimed, bewildered.

"Have I shocked you? And yet I have thought about it many times".

"You mustn't even think such things, it's hard with you, OK, but that's how they are...they're people".

"Maybe, but it seems to me that instead of a heart he has a stone" he didn't comment, but he only said "come on, let's stay a little longer, then I'll take you to your room" and so we did, but I wasn't calm, my heart was heavy when we got to my room and he kissed me involuntarily, two tears ran down my face.

"are you going to tell me what's on tonight?" he was shocked at my reaction

"nothing" I said with a knot in my throat

"I don't think there's anything at all you've been strange all evening now I kiss you and you burst into tears! it's nothing to me"

"I don't want to talk now," I said, trying to hold back the tears that were falling copiously down my face.

"Why? It would only do you good," I tried to say.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow", I begged him "They've already ruined my evening, don't make me think about those things".

"Did your father say something to you?" he insisted.

"I've said enough."

"but stop crying ....."

"I can't" I said hiding my face against his chest in a few minutes his jacket was full of tears and I couldn't stop crying I cried so much that in the end I fell asleep in his arms still sobbing.