His Brother's Child by Gordon Lucy

Author:Gordon, Lucy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-06-10T04:00:00+00:00

When Rinaldo left his grandfather’s room he hesitated in the corridor. He knew how much Piero’s new skill was due to Donna. Piero himself had told him so, and expressed his heartfelt relief that she’d stayed with them. What would we do without her? he’d asked. And Rinaldo had given a forced smile and said, ‘I don’t know.’

Now he felt he should see Donna, and thank her, but he was torn by conflicting feelings. It had been simpler in the days when he’d felt only hostility towards her, he reflected. But then disturbing memories came flooding back, and he knew that there’d never been a time when his feelings about her had been uncomplicated.

There was no answer to his tap on her door. He turned the handle and looked in. Donna was lying on the bed, still with the small table lamp on, as though she’d meant to stay awake, but couldn’t manage it.

Rinaldo moved quietly to the windows and closed the shutters. Before turning off the lamp he stood for a moment looking down at her face. It was as soft and defenceless as a child’s, and for a desperate moment he wished she would stay one thing or the other, so that he could know what to think about her. But that day might never come. He felt as if he could only see her through distorting filters, which constantly altered.

He switched off the light and left without waking her. Downstairs he wandered out into the grounds, to where the burial plot lay. Pain twisted inside him as he reflected that on the first day after their wedding she’d come to lay her wedding bouquet on his brother’s grave. She’d come every day since, with fresh flowers plucked from Loretta’s garden. This morning’s offering lay there now, its white petals gleaming in the moonlight. He lifted one flower, holding it against his face, and it seemed to him that it was wet with her tears.

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