Page 8 of A Courtship in Catania (The Grand Tours of the Aristocracy #1)

CHAPTER 8

LOVE BLOOMS IN TAORMINA

A month later

Loaded with several trunks, the D’Avalos traveling coach departed Catania on an early February morning and headed north. The clear skies and bright sun rising over the Mediterranean promised a pleasant day.

“I feel especially privileged your brother would allow me to escort you to Taormina,” Donald remarked, his gaze on the scenery beyond the coach window. He knew they had to be on a road close to the water—he could make out the unique blue color on the horizon.

“I am happy you think so, since Enrico is not a very diverting traveling companion,” Armenia replied, grinning. Next to her, Nicoletta dozed, the novel she had been reading threatening to fall from her gloved hands.

“Do you often go to Taormina?” he asked.

“I would live there if we owned the property,” Armenia replied. “There is a reason the Ancient Greeks settled it. Nikky will have to take you to the theatre so you can see for yourself.”

“I had planned to go on my own,” Donald explained. He motioned to the journal on the seat next to him. He had been keeping copious notes in one while following instructions from another, rather dated book on the topic of Grand Tours. “But I shall enjoy it more seeing it with you two.”

Armenia tittered. “There’s no need to include me in your plans, young man. I have my own reasons for wanting to spend a few months there.”

Donald gave a start, oblivious to the older woman’s insinuation she would be joining a lover in the resort town. “A few months?” he repeated. Although he had given up his lodgings to come along on this trip, he had left his trunk in the care of the innkeeper in Catania, explaining he would return in a week’s time.

“She’s going for a few months. We’re only going for a week,” Nicoletta said, briefly opening her eyes to show she had been listening to their conversation. “At least, I’ve been told that’s all the longer we can stay.” Her brows danced with mischief.

“Oh,” he replied, before his eyes widened. “Will someone be joining us for the return trip to Catania?” he asked. “Here in the coach? You’ll require a chaperone, I should think.”

Armenia dipped her head. “I hardly think that will be necessary, young man. You have proven yourself most trustworthy when it comes to my niece.”

Donald couldn’t help how his face reddened with her remark. Even though he and Nicoletta had done their best to keep their burgeoning relationship from appearing more than friendly, he suspected Armenia knew it was more.

Much more.

For the past week, Donald had contemplated how he would approach the Conte D’Avalos to seek permission to marry his daughter.

Nicoletta had already pledged her love to him on more than one occasion. Since he was frequently expected to attend her morning toilette , they usually made love before she ever stepped into the bathtub. The idea he could do so every morning after they were wed had his cock hardening in anticipation.

He couldn’t imagine falling in love with anyone else.

“I appreciate you saying so,” he managed, hiding his embarrassment by using a finger to part the coach curtain. “Oh, my. Is that it?” he asked, stunned at the site of buildings set at various heights upon the side of a mountain. Traces of the triple walls once surrounding the city were still evident, although from his vantage, the entrance called the Porta Catania was hidden.

“Indeed,” Armenia said. “You’ll have to test Nikky. See if she can remember what everything is called.”

The mention of her name had the young lady once again roused from a nap. “It’s a positively gorgeous vantage,” she said, straightening on the seat until she could see out the window. “Besides the Greek and Roman monuments, there are fountains and buildings of all sorts. Gardens, too.”

When the coach finally halted in front of a golden yellow cube of a building, Donald had to tear his gaze from the view looking out on the Mediterranean from a higher perspective than what he had seen since his time on Greece. Never in his life had he seen such beauty, the greenery of gardens and trees spread out beneath him to where the land met the turquoise waters of the Bay of Naxos.

“We’re here,” Nicoletta said, grinning as the driver opened the door. She stepped out first, followed by Armenia and then Donald. His attention went up immediately, for the three-story villa, surrounded by greenery, seemed especially large and full of windows. Black wrought iron Juliet balconies popped out from in front of the white-trimmed windows on the upper stories.

“Is it staffed?” he asked, offering his arms to both women. They headed towards the stairs that led up to a front door.

“Mostly,” Armenia replied. “The Conte Mancino owns it but won’t be in residence until the day you are scheduled to depart. He is currently in Naples, I believe.”

Donald felt his face redden when he realized she had come for a long assignation with the conte and had probably done so many times in the past. “I had hoped to thank him personally for allowing me to stay,” Donald said with disappointment.

“I will be sure to tell him of your gratitude,” Armenia offered as a butler opened the door.

Several footmen passed them on their way to see to the luggage as others were assigned to escort them to their rooms.

Like the other villas he had been in on the island, he found this one similar in decor—plastered walls topped with moldings—although this one didn’t include hints of a leaky roof.

“I should like to go for a walk after I refresh myself,” Nicoletta said to her aunt.

“Well, be sure you go with a servant... or Mr. Slater,” Armenia commented as they climbed the marble stairs. “I’m going to take a nap and have a bath.”

“I shall be happy to escort you,” Donald said. “I am anxious to see the gardens.” He felt a pang when she directed an especially teasing grin in his direction.

“I won’t keep you waiting.” Led by a liveried maid, she disappeared into a guest bedchamber. The butler continued to the next door and paused as he held out his hand. “Signore Slater.”

“ Grazie ,” he said, nodding as he stepped into the bedchamber. From the dark colors and ebony furnishings, he knew it was intended for a male guest. Or perhaps it was the master suite—the painted ceiling and marble floors seemed far too fine for simply a guest.

“ Ti servirà un cameriere? ” the butler asked.

It took a moment for Donald to interpret the query, Will you require a valet? “No, grazie .”

The butler disappeared when a footman arrived with his valise and set it on a bureau. Once he cleared the room, Donald shut the door and turned his attention to another door in the room. Curious, he moved to it and pushed down on the door handle, surprised when the soft click of the latch released. Peeking through the opening, he had to suppress the urge to chuckle—they had put him in a room next to Nicoletta’s. She inhaled softly when she caught his reflection in a dressing table mirror and stared at him, a grin slowly appearing when she realized what he had discovered.

“ Ciao, bella ,” he said when she hurried to him. He would have welcomed her into an embrace, but she hurried past him and halted just past the threshold into his room.

“Where do you suppose Lady Armenia’s room is located?” he asked in a whisper.

Nicoletta turned to regard him as her eyes darkened. “They took her to the conte’s suite,” she replied. “Upstairs.”

Donald swallowed. Hard. He turned to stare at the bed in his suite and then at the smaller bed in hers. “This is terribly convenient,” he whispered.

“Make love to me,” she said.

He gave a start at hearing the plea in her voice. “Nikky,” he murmured in a scold.

“Please?”

He didn’t have a chance to answer, for she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. For a moment, he thought to wriggle out of her hold—they had only just arrived—but his manhood had already reacted to her closeness, to the way she pressed her body to his. Spurred into action at feeling her purr of satisfaction, he guided her until the large bed was behind her, lifted her skirts to her hips, and pushed her back until she was seated on the edge. Even as he kept his lips locked with hers, he undid the placket of his pantaloons, his hands tangling with hers when she attempted to help. His turgid rod sprang forth, dripping with his need of her.

Bending over Nicoletta, Donald supported himself on his arms as she wrapped her legs around his thighs. The fine silk of her stockings was as smooth as her bare skin would have been, and he was forced to break off the kiss to let out a breath of awe.

He hadn’t meant to enter her right away. He had thought to kneel at the edge of the bed and prepare her with his tongue and lips. Before he could do so, though, Nicoletta gripped his cock and guided it to her opening. He thrust into her as her back arched, burying himself to the hilt all at once.

Above the layers of skirts bunched up around her, the tops of her rising moons were evident. When he tugged the edge of her bodice down, he was rewarded when a swollen nipple emerged. At hearing her breathy mewl, he swept a hand over her gown’s shoulders, pushing the fabric down until her other breast escaped the bodice. He suckled it for a moment before moving his attentions to the other.

He watched in wonder as her torso seemed to undulate as he surged into her over and over, her eyes closed but her face displaying an expression of happiness he had never seen before.

Suppressing the urge to groan at the pleasure he felt, he lowered his lips to hers. He hadn’t expected her to orgasm when she did, for her to break the kiss to inhale sharply and for her inner muscles to grip him so tightly, so he was unprepared for the ferocity of his own release. Not only had her arms finally moved to his back, her hands were splayed at his hips, pulling him even harder against her.

Caught in a maelstrom that was familiar but not, he gave into the pleasure and collapsed atop her.

He might have stayed where he was for an hour or more, but he felt her giggle beneath him and lifted his head in order to determine what she found so amusing.

“What is it?”

She grinned and stretched her arms out. “I do not believe I have seen you this shocked. At least not since that first morning you made love to me,” she whispered.

“That’s because I was shocked,” he admitted. “Still am.” He pulled himself from her body, struggling to remove most of his weight from her as she mewled her disappointment. She lowered her legs until they hung over the edge of the bed while he straightened and refastened his pantaloons. Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he offered it to her, his gaze momentarily fixed on her bare breasts. He felt the oddest sensation at the thought of a babe suckling her nipples.

Their babe.

“I do hope you don’t regret it,” she murmured, using the square of linen to wipe away the evidence of their coupling.

“Of course I don’t,” he replied, holding out a hand to help her to stand.

She shook out her skirts and put her bodice to rights, giving him a grin when his expression showed disappointment. “You can see them again later,” she murmured.

He chucked softly. “Did you still wish to go for a walk?”

“Indeed,” she replied, hurrying into her bedchamber to regard her reflection in the dressing table mirror. She went to a trunk and opened it to remove a bonnet.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear a bonnet,” he commented, watching her from the connecting doorway.

“That’s because I prefer hats,” she replied. “But this will hide my mussed coiffure.” She turned, angled her head, and arched a brow.

He smiled at seeing her teasing expression. She was still flushed from their lovemaking, her olive skin glowing in the late afternoon light streaming in through the window. “You look like an English miss,” he said, shutting the connecting door behind him.

Her expression faltered for a moment, and Donald noticed. “Actually, you’re more lovely,” he quickly added, moving to join her. He used a finger to lift her chin and dropped a kiss on first her nose and then her lips.

He didn’t expect her to deepen the kiss. To wrap an arm around his shoulder and hang on so tightly.

When she finally let go, he stared down at her. “If we don’t leave right now, we’ll never make it out of this house.”

Nicoletta nodded. “The garden isn’t far,” she said, taking his proffered arm before they took their leave of her bedchamber.

The butler saw to the front door as they made their exit from the house, but before he took the steps down to the street, Donald paused. “Wait one minute for me?” he said, turning to go back inside.

“Of course,” she replied, her brows furrowing.

He rushed back into the house and up the stairs, his heart racing at the thought of what he was about to do.

Once back in his bedchamber, he rifled through his valise and found a small box. Removing its contents, he stuffed it into his waistcoat pocket.

By the time he had rejoined Nicoletta, she had made her way to the bottom of the stairs and was sniffing a white bloom, the flower one of several flanking the walkway.

“Is everything all right?” she asked.

“Everything is perfect,” he replied, once again offering his arm as his gaze swept the horizon. Although a few trees prevented a clear view, the sun-dappled surface of the Bay of Naxos was one of the most beautiful sights he could ever remember seeing.

As they strolled, descending the hill into which the conte’s house—and several others—seemed precariously perched, he realized Mount Aetna was visible to the south. A few white clouds hovered at its apex, and he once again wondered how the residents of the island could live with the constant threat of an eruption.

“It does warn us,” Nicoletta said, as if she understood his unspoken concern.

“Enough so you have time to get away?”

She shrugged. “It is the same if we were in Naples,” she reasoned. “Vesuvius is not far from there.”

“We don’t have volcanos in England,” Donald commented.

“But you have rain. Floods?” she guessed.

He nodded, remembering the year the Isis overflowed its banks. Despite the irrigation system his uncle had built for the Gisborn farmlands, water had spread out and nearly reached the manor homes and greenhouses on the estate. It had taken weeks for the water to recede and the lands to dry enough to begin the spring planting.

Nicoletta indicated a dirt path that led into a green space dominated by trees and bushes. Clusters of oleanders provided color to break up the predominant green of the gardens. Once they were near the middle, the canopy of trees above blocked much of the harsh light, the shade providing a blessed coolness and a serene quiet.

“I can understand why you wished to walk here,” he said, pausing to stare out at the water when there was a break in the foliage.

“It is my favorite place in all of Taormina,” she whispered.

“Would it remain so if this is where I ask you to marry me?”

Nicoletta inhaled softly, her eyes rounding. “Are you?” she queried. “Asking me?”

He nodded, one hand moving to fish something from his pocket. “Nicoletta, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” he asked. He held up the circle of gold he had purchased in Catania, its only adornment a small red gemstone. “I must ask your father for his permission, of course, but?—”

“Yes,” she replied. “Yes!”

Donald slowly smiled, heartened at hearing her enthusiasm. He pulled her hand into his, tugged the glove from it, and slid the ring onto her fourth finger before bringing it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “You have made me a very happy man,” he murmured.

She stared at the ring a moment and then turned her attention to him. “You have made me very happy,” she said, gripping his arms so she could stand on tiptoes to kiss him. “I can hardly wait to tell Aunt Armenia.”

He took a deep breath. “I realize there is much to discuss. Where we’ll live and such,” he added, attempting to put the glove back on her fingers.

“In England, will we not?” she replied, taking the glove from his hand to stuff it into a pocket in her gown.

Sobering, Donald considered how to respond. He had yet to tell her he wasn’t an heir to an earldom—his younger brother David would have the title given his parents hadn’t been married at the time of his birth—but surely his connections would be enough for her and her father. “Of course,” he replied finally. He offered his arm. “Will you show me more of this place?”

She placed her bare hand on his arm, wiggling her fingers playfully. “It will take the entire time we are here to see it all,” she warned.

“Then we best not dawdle,” he teased.

F or the next seven days, the two spent every day exploring what had one time been an Ancient Greek resort town, Nicoletta acting as guide. Although she didn’t seem to know the historical significance of some of the ruins they visited, Donald was able to discover their history from books in the conte’s library, and he added the information to his own journal.

As for Armenia’s reaction to their announcement, she seem eminently pleased. “I am so happy for you both,” she said, examining the ruby on Nicoletta’s ring. “It is a shame I will not be in Catania when you return to tell my brother,” she added.

Neither Donald or Nicoletta noticed her look of worry when they retired for their last night in the conte’s villa.

They spent it making love to one another.