Treasured Dreams by Kendall Talbot

Author:Kendall Talbot
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises, Australia Pty Ltd

Chapter Twenty-Four

Rosalina woke with a fright. The darkness was complete—no variations, no shadows. It was a couple of stressful heartbeats before she remembered where she was. Her body ached all over, but she was too cold to move. As the waves crashed into the cliff below with the regularity of a heartbeat, her mind drifted to the people she loved. She imagined Archer wouldn’t have slept through the night. He most likely paced the lounge room back and forward, trying to piece the puzzle together.

She wondered if Nonna knew. The last thing Rosalina wanted to do was hurt Nonna. Since Rosalina was seven years old, Nonna had been both her grandmother and her mother. Filippo never knew their mother. Now that Rosalina knew about her mother’s affair, it made so many things fit into place. Her heart ached over what her own father did to Filippo. He didn’t deserve any of the hatred directed at him.

When her mother had died, her father became a different man. She’d always thought he was a mourning widow, but now she knew it was so much more. She remembered the months prior to Filippo’s birth—it was a time of tension and unease in the home that had previously been warm and welcoming. Her parents had fought often and loudly. Before that, she’d barely seen her father. Much like now, she mused. Her mother had always been so quick with a cuddle but as her belly grew her hugs became less frequent. Sadness had taken over. Rosalina now knew why.

It was hard to imagine how different her life would’ve been had her mother lived. Possibly worse. Their fighting would have continued, inevitably to the point of divorce. Then who would own Villa Pandolfini? That was her home. It’d been a Calucci home for nearly two hundred years. And hopefully, for many, many more. Rosalina’s greatest wish was to own Villa Pandolfini one day.

It suddenly occurred to her that it should never be hers. Rosalina didn’t want children, and if the villa was to be handed down to the next generation, then one of her siblings should take rightful ownership. Her brothers and sisters had their own homes now, all within walking distance of Villa Pandolfini. She’d never imaged spending her married years living anywhere else. But maybe she had to.

Somehow, she would ensure Nonna gave the villa to one of her sisters or brothers.

The sky in the very distance began to lighten. Ever so gradually, it changed from black to golden. As she sat up, she rolled her neck from side to side, trying to release the stiffness. She flicked her skirt aside and straightened her legs so her ankles and feet dangled over the edge of the cliff. Her right leg felt alien with long hairs and scaly skin and her muscle was soft and malleable. Rolling her foot around, she felt no pain. As the sun illuminated the horizon, she welcomed the light and warmth of a new day. She was beginning to feel normal.

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