Tuscan Rose by Belinda Alexandra

Author:Belinda Alexandra
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2013-10-15T04:00:00+00:00

Rosa did not take her eyes off Sibilla that critical night in the clinic. They were alone together in the isolation room, with a nurse coming every half-hour to check Sibilla’s vital signs. Rosa did not allow herself to think about what had happened in the last few hours. All her mental efforts were spent on prayers for her daughter. She did not want to remember the humiliated expression on Luciano’s face when Antonio presented his Fascist Party card to the admissions nurse and handed over a wad of bills. ‘Anything she needs,’ he had said. ‘Anything at all, I will pay for it.’

Rosa would never intentionally hurt Luciano, but all she could think about was saving Sibilla.

Only Rosa was allowed to stay with her, everyone else was sent away. The child fell unconscious after the serum was administered. Each time her daughter’s condition deteriorated, Rosa felt part of herself being torn away. Yet, by some miracle, Sibilla was still breathing the next morning.

Antonio arrived and organised for a cot bed to be brought for Rosa to sleep on, and told her that he would ring a friend of his in Rome who was a children’s specialist to see if there was anything else that could be done. ‘Luciano and the others are waiting outside the clinic,’ he said. ‘They are worried senseless, but it’s better they don’t come in. It might jeopardise Sibilla’s treatment. The head doctor is an ardent fascist.’

Sibilla’s condition worsened in the afternoon. Her closed eyelids were swollen and her mouth was limp. The situation continued with minor improvements followed by deteriorations for another week.

‘I’m afraid I can’t let you stay overnight again,’ the nurse told Rosa. ‘It’s against the regulations. Your husband persuaded us to bend them for you, but we’ve done it for as long as we can. You’ll have to go home and come back in the morning.’

Rosa understood that by ‘husband’ the nurse meant Antonio. He came every day to the clinic, taking back news of Sibilla’s progress to Luciano and his family. He brought soup for Rosa to eat. ‘Ylenia made it for you. You have to stay strong for Sibilla,’ he told her. ‘You can’t let yourself waste away.’ Then he would stay and make sure that she ate it. Rosa did so to please him, not because she was hungry. She remembered what she had said to Luciano about Antonio: He loves her. He loves Sibilla. Yes, but Antonio also loves me, Rosa realised. She saw it in the way he cared for her. Somewhere, somehow, the affections he had held for Signora Visconti had transferred to her. His proposal had not been a rescue mission at all.

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