Juliana wrapped her arm around my shoulders and led me toward the atrium to where more guests joyfully awaited our arrival. I searched for my handsome husband-to-be. There he was, sexy as ever, at the center of the atrium beside his father and two brothers. My breath hitched in my throat.
A hint of tears clung to his eyes while his lips curved in a beautiful smile. He stepped forward, took my hand and led me to where the magistrate stood in front of his father.
Maximus took Juliana’s hand. They stepped toward their seats, front and center; his brothers followed suit. Once the immediate family was seated, I glanced around the large atrium of beaming faces and felt a slight shiver at the excitement of the day.
Within a few short minutes, we were officially married. No kiss and no embrace, as it weren’t culturally accepted.
Damn rigid rules!
“Honored family and guests, it’s with great pleasure that my wife and I welcome Alexandra to our family,” Maximus announced. “Juliana and I decided to help them get started with their new life together by purchasing their first home for them—not too far from us.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. They bought us a house? I faced Marcus in shock and then Juliana whose tears ran freely down her cheeks. Profuse thanks were shared all around.
The wedding festivities lasted well into the early hours of morning leaving us exhausted and impatient for each other’s private company. At long last, Marcus carried me up the narrow staircase to his bedroom. He insisted on carrying me over the threshold as it signified good luck. Who was I to tamper with luck?
Chapter Nineteen
We slept the weekend away, only waking to eat and make love. On Monday morning, we were eager to see our new house. I swung my legs over the bed. Marcus grabbed me by the waist, not ready to get the day started.
“Must we?” he said sleepily.
“Yes. Do you realize we only have a week ‘till we go back to LA?”
We kissed lazily for a few more minutes before we reluctantly got up, determined to channel a rejuvenated surge of energy driven purely by our limited time left here.
We bathed, dressed in our fine linen long-sleeve tunics—for me in a dark green with matching stola, and a layered toga for Marcus.
As we made our way toward the front door, Juliana’s voice stopped us. She suggested she and Maximus join us. We walked a short distance around the corner to a home with a large door and a heavy knocker made of a lion’s head similar to the one at his parents’ house. Romans were apparently fond of their lions. I wondered if it had anything to do with their obsession with gladiator games or humans being consumed by large beastly animals. I shuddered at the thought.
No thanks!
Maximus knocked on the door, and was immediately greeted by a stout woman who introduced herself as Florentina. She appeared to be rough around the edges and maybe a little unhappy about her employment. The way she kept staring at me was unnerving—perhaps that was the root of my uneasiness.
She opened the door to let us pass and was pleasant enough giving us a tour of the house. Maximus introduced Marcus and I as the newlywed couple that would be living here. Again, I found her gaze slightly disturbing, but I smiled politely determined to savor this wonderful moment in our new home.
The place was spacious with two bedrooms, a large atrium filled with blooming plants, and a good-sized garden with herbs already planted. There was a generous size kitchen with running water and functioning plumbing, a foyer and a formal living room that led to the atrium. Both bedrooms had windows overlooking the garden making the rooms airy and bright.
Marcus and I were over the moon with happiness. We couldn’t believe the extent of his parents’ generosity. Their final gift to us was Florentina as our maid. Of course, the best part: they were paying her wages. I wasn’t as thrilled about her employment, but I couldn’t reject such a generous and thoughtful gift either. We’d embrace Florentina as part of our family and hopefully her oddness will wear off as she gets to know us.
His parents hugged us and asked us to come by for dinner the following night. We didn’t accept or decline the invitation. Time was precious at the moment. Besides, of late, the waters were rough; we may need to travel to Pompeii by carriage, which would add a few days to our travel. I took a deep breath and brushed aside the sudden burden that was now occupying my every thought.
Marcus and I sat in our atrium with wine and plotted the next few days. Our final decision was that we would leave for Pompeii on Wednesday morning via Ostia, stay in Pompeii the remainder of the week and make our way to the tree by Friday at dusk.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon and the next day enjoying our home, a quick visit with Gus and Augustina, and of course much-needed time with Catina to get the latest update about her and Antonio. Needless to say, our two days in Rome were jam-packed. If today was any example of how my life would be in Rome, I would gladly take it any day.
We left at the early hours of morning on Wednesday with a brief farewell to Florentina. We let her know we’d be back in two week’s time and to enjoy her time off. I still felt uneasy around her, but didn’t have time to dwell on anything.
Marcus was right, the boat ride wasn’t as treacherous as I imagined although it was far from smooth. Marcus kept a protective arm around me the entire trip and at times, shielded my face from the splashing waves by draping his cloak over both of us.
I sprinted off the sailboat as soon as the rope was latched to the dock. Marcus laughed and had to run to keep up with me.
“That was horrible. How do families with children travel like this? It’s so dangerous.”
“Families with children? Is there something you would like to tell me?” His eyebrow arched as he examined my face for clues.
“No. I was merely making a statement.” I took a moment to catch my breath. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m not pregnant.”
“I don’t disagree. When the time comes that we have children of our own, I will secure a different way of travel for us…a safer and more comfortable means. Don’t look so horrified. I meant a carriage.”
We arrived at his parents’ home cold, hungry, and tired. Marcus made arrangements for us to pay a visit to the Bathhouse and asked the maid to have dinner prepared upon our return. The warm water and sweet smelling oils were exactly what we needed to relax and wash away the rough travels.
We returned home to a warm kitchen filled with the aromas of roasted meat, potatoes and wine. Afterwards, we collapsed in Marcus’s bed without a word.
Tomorrow we would visit the marketplace. Another trip to the bathhouse would be an added bonus. I fell into a deep sleep, Marcus’s arm draped possessively over my shoulders.
We woke the next morning to a biting chill in the house, realizing we had left the windows to the garden wide open. Marta, thinking we wanted them open, left them as they were. The cold air sent us bolting from bed to close the windows and light a fire in the kitchen and foyer. How I missed the simple ways of modern day. We crawled back into bed, shivering.
“Are you very uncomfortable?” he asked.
“No,” I lied.
“Dammit. Lexi, your lips are blue. Come on, get dressed. We’ll sit in the kitchen where it’s warmest. Maybe we should return to Los Angeles a few days early. There’s no reason to be miserable here. We’ll tell Marta we’re going to Campania for a couple of weeks. Would that suit you?”
Seriously, could this man be any more thoughtful or loving? And he was all mine!
“I’m fine with going back early. The girls will be delighted to see us. Maybe we can spend a few days with my parents. I would like them to meet you.” It would be great to get home and take a hot shower in the convenience of my very own private bath. Seeing everyone would be great too. I’d missed them.
“All right then. We’ll make our way to the marketplace in a while, pick up some fresh bread and cheese for lunch, spend the afternoon here and then we’ll go to the tree before dusk.”
I beamed from ear to ear. He extended his arms for me and I gladly leaped in his lap straddling my legs around his narrow hips holding on to him. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” I breathed in his scent kissing his face, mouth and nuzzling his neck.
“I love you too—more than life itself.” He carried me to the kitchen with a blanket draped over his arms so we could snuggle in the warmth of the kitchen by the fire for a bit longer before making our way to the marketplace.
Dusk couldn’t come fast enough. The anticipation of going home created a swarm of butterflies fluttering wildly in my stomach. My almost two weeks here was the longest stretch of time I had spent in Marcus’s world. I ached for home, the girls, and my parents. Interestingly enough, I didn’t miss the modern day conveniences—except maybe a shower and central heat.
We hurried to the tree looking over our shoulders once or twice to make sure no one was watching. Just as the sun began to make its glorious descent, Marcus and I held hands. I touched the trunk with my free hand.
It was just a little after four-thirty in the morning when we materialized in my chilly, dark living room. I shivered rubbing my hands together. Why was I so cold?
I turned on the wall heater behind the couch, flicked the switch on the lamp to illuminate the living room. I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful bewitched painting. Marcus came to stand behind me wrapping his muscular arms around my waist.
At this hour, the painting was very much
alive
. We stood there as the clouds shifted and took on different shapes while the birds flocked in formation from one side of the painting to the other.
Marcus turned me to face him. “We can come back as often as you need.” He leaned down to kiss my parted lips. “Living in Rome can’t be easy for you.”
He led me to the bathroom where he filled the tub with hot water and my favorite bath oil. He undressed me slowly and with a few tugs, he was free of his clothing. We climbed into the bathtub.
I conference-called Kate and Charlotte as soon as the clock chimed six. “Good morning, rise and shine. It’s your long lost time-traveling best friend. We’re back!”
“Hi, Lexi. We’re missed you so much. How long are you back for?” Charlotte yawned sleepily into the phone.
“‘Till the end of next week. I need to go back to work on Monday and resign,” I said.
“Oh wow. I guess on some level we were expecting that, but hearing you say it makes things sound so final. We’ll need to make the most of the next two weeks. When can we see you? How’s Marcus?” Kate sounded more awake now. “Oh, and we have some news about your apartment.”
“That doesn’t sound like good news. We’re going to my parents’ house on Saturday morning so we can either have dinner here tonight or tomorrow night.” I hoped they would agree to dinner tonight. I was anxious to see them and especially curious about the ominous news.
“I can do tonight,” said Charlotte.
“Me too,” said Kate. “We’re dying to see you both.”
We decided on Italian and I offered to pick it up so everything would be ready when they arrived.
I hung up and crawled into bed next to Marcus who was waiting…naked. The man was insatiable. We didn’t get out of bed ‘till well after noon. If it wasn’t for our growling stomachs, we might have stayed there all day. We practically ran out the door, heading to the café on Robertson Avenue.
Lunch felt decadent, a refreshing change from what we’d been eating. We each had a pressed ciabatta panini with fresh mozzarella—oozing from the sides of the sandwich—tomato, basil, and olive spread that Marcus insisted on taking back a few jars of it with us…to Rome.
I’m sure there were a few more pressing things we needed to take back…like deodorant. We’d gotten away with hiding toothbrushes and toothpaste so far, but if other foreign items appeared in our home, we might find ourselves in a heap of trouble we didn’t need.
Afterward, I felt the urge to walk and window shop with Marcus, something we’d never get to do in Italy. We ducked in and out of stores holding hands, stopping spontaneously for stolen kisses. We were so oblivious to everything around us we almost walked past the antique shop where I purchased the painting so many months ago.
“We need to go in here.” I dragged him into the store.
It was just as charming as I remembered. I felt an affectionate heart tug at the memory. We spent the better part of an hour looking around the store. Upstairs, I showed Marcus the exact spot where I’d found
the
painting,
secretly hoping to find another one. We didn’t find a painting or anything enticing enough to buy and walked out empty-handed.
On our way up the stairs with dinner, I knocked on Mrs. Ashton’s door wondering if she might still be in New Zealand. Just as I was about to give up and follow Marcus upstairs, the door opened. There she stood, looking a little tired and yet her skin glowed with a radiance I couldn’t put my finger on. If I didn’t know better I would have guessed she’d bathed in the fountain of youth.
She drew me into her arms, touched Marcus’s arm affectionately and thanked him for bringing me home safe. It was very sweet and endearing. I couldn’t wait to tell her the news—especially about the wedding.
“Come in, please.” She opened the door wider.
Marcus offered to take the food upstairs.
“I’m married,” I blurted, unable to control my excitement.
“I can see that.” She touched my simple gold ring. I chatted a moment about the festivities and my new family.
I became aware Marcus hadn’t returned, I worried something had happened to him.
“Go. We’ll talk later—I need to mention a few important things before you head back to your new home.”
Upstairs, Marcus had set up the table, plated the food, lit candles, chilled the wine, and was tidying the living room. I was floored by this thoughtfulness and a little puzzled why he didn’t come back downstairs to visit with Mrs. Ashton.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Ummm…nothing. I thought something happened to you when you didn’t come back.” I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“I’m sorry, my love. I thought you two would enjoy some time alone.” He poured us wine and we sat on the couch talking about the life that awaited us. I dreamily talked about opening a business with Catina, and maybe even Augustina, though I hadn’t mentioned the idea to either of them, or had a clue about the type of business I wanted to pursue.