VINA IN VENICE (THE 5 SISTERS) (28 page)

***

Vina was standing a few feet away
, chatting with a couple of young women Max had introduced her to earlier in the evening.  She had her back to him and didn’t see Stefana approaching
, but recognized her voice immediately
.  Butterflies twirled in Vina’s stomach
a
s she
turned around
, anticipating seeing Travis and praying with all her heart that this night would end with her in his arms. 
That was when she caught
the
flas
h
of light from
the
sparkling diamond ring on
Stefana’s
finger.

Engaged?  Travis asked Stefana to marry him? 
Vina clutched at her stomach as a
wave of nausea swept through her
. 
He didn’t love Stefana
, he didn’t, he didn’t, he didn’t. 
The room began to sway as she envisioned
the elaborate wedding the Andollina’s would provide for their only daughter.  A wedding where Vina was forced to be a spectator while the man she loved married someone else. 

A strangled sob hitched in her throat when Travis curve
d
his arm around Stefana’s waist and pull
ed
her close to his side; a protective gesture in response to
the open hostility of
the
three Andollina men.  Vina
wanted to turn around and flee from the nightmare unfurling before her, to lose herself in the crowd
while she still had the strength
to
push her way through.
  How was it possible to hurt this much without crumbling to the ground in a broken heap?

She understood now why Maria had grown so sullen after her breakup with the man she’d given her heart to and regretted all the times she’d berated her sister for not
getting on with her life.  Maria knew, just as Vina did, that there can only be one true love in your life, one man with the ability to make you soar to the stars with nothing more than a smile or a touch.  Travis was it for her; Vina felt it with every beat of her heart, every breath that she took.  If she didn’t step up to the plate now while there was still a chance, her life would be as empty and colorless as a desert wasteland.

Ignoring the nagging voice in her head that told Vina she was about to make a complete spectacle of herself, she
darted through an open space between the few people that separated her from Travis.  Angling around the Andollina brothers
as fast as her high heels and sore ankle would allow, she
planted herself in front of Stefana and Travis and launched into a frantic plea without regard as to how desperate she must s
ound
.

“Forgive me, Stefana, but I have to say this.  You can’t marry him
!  I know you think he’s in love with you, but
you barely know each other and
he’s
not the type of man to give his heart so easily
.  A
marriage between the two of you
will only make
both
your li
ves
miserable.”

Stefana gaped at Vina as if she’d lost her mind.  “
Vina, I think there’s something I…” 

“
No!  You have to listen to me. 
He’s wrong for you, Stefana.  You’re wrong for each other. 
He
…he
’s a notorious womanizer,
” the lies tumbled from Vina’s mouth, “he uses
women for his own selfish needs and then heartlessly discard
s
them when he gets bored.
  And he could
never
be faithful to you.  In fact,” she continued, carefully avoiding making eye contact with Travis, “since we’ve been here, he’s slept
with
me
twice
and…”

“
Please…no more
,” Stefana
cut her off.  “
I appreciate your concern but
you’re worrying for nothing. 
Vina, he
is
not
the man you think he is.” 

Vina’s heart went out to her, but the fact that Travis
made no
attempt to stop her from saying such wicked things about him only proved she was right; he didn’t love Stefana. 

“I know him better than
anyone
,”
Vina
argued passionately. 
“Believe me, he’s never been in a serious relationship in his life. 
Stefana…y
ou’re a beautiful woman
with a kind heart. 
It’s easy to see why
he
’s
attracted you, but you’re confusing lust with love
.
”

Travis finally spoke up, but it wasn’t Vina he
expressed
concern
for.  “
Stefana, che è il problema
?”

He and Stefana conversed in rapid Italian for
a few minutes, which hurt almost as much as Travis’
obvious
desire
to console Stefana. 
He’d deliberately shut
Vina
out by speaking Italian
.  A
nd with every glance he cast her way, he gathered
Stefana
a little
closer, as if Vina posed a physical threat he needed to protect her from.  Something deep inside began to wither and die
when Travis murmured what sounded like an endearment
as he lowered his head to give
Stefana a brief but tender kiss.

These were not the actions of a man with superficial feelings, and as difficult as it was to acknowledge,
Vina
was forced to accept that she’d been wrong.  Travis
really
was in love
.
 
All around them, people were chatting and laughing, oblivious to the drama unfolding before them, or how tragically her life was affected by the turn of events. 
Vina was glad she had a mask to hide behind, although the raw edge to her voice left little doubt as to the depth of
pain it inflicted.

“I’m…sorry,” her shoulders slumped in defeat.  “
I never meant to…”
Yes, you did.  You had every intention of destroying whatever feelings Stefana had for Travis.
What kind of person did that make her?  They were her
friends
, both of them, and she’d done her best to drive a wedge between them.
  “I hope you’ll be very h-happy together,” she said, choking back her tears.

A pair of warm hands gently gripped her shoulders
.  It would have been easy to lean back against the solid security of Max’s broad chest, but somehow she managed to hold her own. 
Vina’s
heart thudded dully in her chest
,
while the mantra inside her head kept tempo with the music f
rom
the live band
;
he doesn’t love me, he doesn’t love me, he doesn’t
…
 

“
Cara
,” Max
said
, his mouth close to her ear.  “
What my siste
r is trying to
tell
you
is
that
this seems to be a case of mistaken identity.”

“What…?” Vina’s breath locked in her lungs as a tall figure moved from his position behind Travis
and
clos
ed
the distance between them
to tower over her. 

Elegantly dressed in
a blue velvet jacket that matched his pants, he looked every inch the nobleman.  Even better than Travis, the traitorous thought entered her head. 
Her pulse raced as
he
reached out and took her trembling hand in his.  For a moment, her eyes strayed to the man beside Stefana.  Tall, broad shoulders, impossibly long legs, clad entirely in black…he could easily be mistaken for Travis.  Vina drew in a shaky breath and brought her gaze back to the masked man
standing before her
.  She didn’t need to see his face to
know who he was; her heart recognized him the second his hand touched hers.

“
La amate?
” Max
said.

“Si,”
Travis nodded
, “
sempre
. 
Grazie
,” he added when Max removed his hands from Vina’s shoulders.  “Enjoy the Ball,” he said to the others before
curling his arm around Vina’s waist and sweeping her away.
 

“
Travis, wait,” she protested
as he whisked her through the crowd.  “I have to apologize to Stefana and…and…” Oh, God, she didn’t even
know
Stefana’s fiancé and she’d claimed to have slept with him…
twice!

“There’s no need for apologies. 
For a few minutes there, y
ou threw us all for a
loop.  B
ut the more you…
elaborated
on our relationship, the clearer it became that you weren’t referring to Rico
.”

“R-Rico?”

“Stefana’s fiancé,”
he hustled her through the arched doorway and into the warm night air.  “Even though it cast me in a rather shady light, your passionate appeal
prevented her brothers
from launching into their own list of reasons why she and Rico shouldn’t marry.”

“I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have said such horrible things about you.”

Travis stopped abruptly, his dark eyes nearly invisible despite the glowing lamps littered along the walkway.  “
Why did you do it
then
?
”

“Because I…I…”

“Forget it,” he said brusquely, “we’ll talk about it when we get back to the
privacy of the
Palazzo.”

Vina didn’t know whether to be excited or apprehensive about being alone with him.  He didn’t sound very pleased about the things she’d said
, but she could hardly fault him for that.  She only hoped…no, she wasn’t going to set herself up for another fall.  Whatever happened, she would
have to
deal with it.

***

Fully expecting an unhappy confrontation with her brothers, Stefana had begged
Travis
to go with her
and Rico
.  He would have preferred to offer his moral support in the presence of her parents, but she insisted her brothers w
ere
less likely to openly verbalize their disapproval if they were in a public place. 
Part of their objection would no doubt have to do with Rico’s age; he was ten years older than Stefana
.  The fact that he’d been
married once before
wouldn’t sit well either
.

As they’d approached
the three men and their female companions, Travis immediately dismissed either of the women as the one he was looking for.  He’
d spent a lot of years waiting for Vina, years in which he’d become familiar with every curve, every mannerism, the shape of her eyes, her lips, the elegant neck and slender shoulders.  With Rico in front of him, his view was partially obscured, but it only took a moment to find her.

Simply put, Vina was breathtaking in
an
off the shoulder
ivory gown
. 
The gown itself was simple; the only splashes of color were the r
ed
rose
s
made of silken material
sown
in a seemingly haphazard manner onto the long, flowing skirt.  It fit snug as a corset on
top, emphasizing the perfection of
her
breasts and small waist, and hugging the gentle flare of her hips
.  The material was gathered in the back, forming a bustle of sorts that billowed out behind her.

She’d swept her hair up, although she’d opted not to powder it as most of the other women had done.  On her face was an elaborate mask made entirely of gold that glittered whenever she turned her head.  One side was shaped like a delicate butterfly wing, the intricate pattern adorned with oval jewels
that Travis realized were opals once he got a closer look.  Not that he’d paid much attention to the precious gems or anything else after Vina marched over and proceeded to rip his character to shreds.

Stealing a glance at her somber face as the gondola carried them to the Palazzo, Travis couldn’t suppress a smug smile.  Good.  The
little tyrant deserved to flounder in a bucket of guilt after the things she’d said, at least until they reached his suite.  Only then would he allow Vina
to
explain herself, although he’d already come to the conclusion that she’d done it out of sheer desperation.
  Travis knew a lot about that; he’d felt pretty desperate himself over the past week.