Aundy (Pendleton Petticoats - Book 1) (29 page)

Just seventeen when Luigi took note of the raven-haired beauty, from that day on he watched her and waited for the time to be right to claim her as his own.

Five years later, he was tired of waiting. When she humiliated him, he threatened to desecrate her virtue that very night if she put him off any longer.

In an effort to keep her alive and unharmed, Lazzaro promised the raging man his obstinate niece would agree to marry him soon. He arranged for both families to meet the following evening at his restaurant to discuss the details and make formal declarations.

Franco had an urgent need to get his precious daughter out of town before Luigi had any idea he was about to be left without a bride.

Receiving numerous requests during the last several years from potential suitors to wed Caterina, he’d refused them all.

Marrying his sweetheart when he was barely more than a boy, Franco wanted all his children to wed for love. It was up to Caterina to decide when she was ready and whom she’d marry. At twenty-two, she’d yet to find someone who turned her head, let alone softened her heart or sharp tongue.

 “You’ll be fine,
bambina
, but hurry,” her father said, helping her climb in the trunk. “Tony made sure there are holes in the sides so you’ll have plenty of air. Be safe, my beautiful daughter.”

Catching a glimpse of her mother’s tears, Caterina closed her eyes as her father hooked one latch to keep the lid of the trunk closed.

Trying not to panic in the enclosed space, Caterina felt the trunk hefted and knew it was Tony and Alonzo grunting as they lifted the trunk, carrying it to the wagon. Setting it down, she heard the scrape as they slid the trunk onto the bed of the wagon.

“Mamma, we’ll miss you while you’re gone. I hope Aunt Teresa appreciates the hardship we’ll endure without you and Caterina here,” Carlo said loudly, helping his mother and Anna into the wagon beside Tony. He wanted, quite badly, to kiss his wife goodbye, but if they were under scrutiny from Luigi’s men, that would surely give away their scheme.

Convinced Luigi had someone keeping an eye on them, a careful look around didn’t reveal anyone. Having watched what went on when the mafia was involved, though, they all knew looks could be deceiving.

“Tell your sister hello for me, Angel,” Franco called, using his pet name for his wife as he offered a jaunty wave to the departing group. “I’ll have Laz tell Luigi to expect you back in a week or two, Rina.”

Anna turned and waved at Franco, careful to keep her head down and her face shadowed.

Franco winked and strolled into his store, like it was a normal workday. It was vital they all acted as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. That’s why they were entrusting Tony to get Caterina safely on a departing ship.

Pulling out on the quiet street before the bustle of the day began, Tony chatted with Anna and his mother, attempting to act as normally as he could. Trying not to look nervous, he occasionally glanced behind him to where several trunks and bags sat in the back of the wagon. Hitting a hole in the road, the trunks bumped together and he thought he heard a gasp from Caterina. Praying she was fine, he didn’t slow the horses, but kept on toward the train station.

He hoped Luigi’s men believed Anna was Caterina. If they didn’t, he had no chance of getting his sister to the docks.

None at all.

Glancing over his shoulder, he recognized one of Luigi’s thugs on a horse riding a block behind him, trying to stay out of the line of sight.

“We’ve got company, but don’t turn around,” Tony said as he urged the horses to move faster through the streets.

“So soon?” Angelina asked, tightening her grip on the seat of the wagon. How were they going to get her baby safely out of town if Luigi’s gang was already following them? She and Anna would really have to go to Philadelphia, if they could make it on the train. Good thing they’d each packed a bag, just in case, and Franco had given her plenty of money for tickets and food.

Traveling a few more blocks, Tony glanced behind him to see two of the police officers Luigi kept in his back pocket following the wagon.

Deciding not to alert the women to the trouble dogging each turn of the wagon wheels, he kept focused on the gathering traffic and considered his options. He could make a run for it and try to get to the docks, but since Luigi’s men were mounted and he was in a lumbering wagon, there was no way he could outrun them. He could grab Caterina and they could take off on foot, leaving Angelina and Anna to take the wagon on alone. Trying to decide the best course of action, he chose to stick with the original plan. If necessary, he could improvise.

Urging the team forward through the growing morning traffic, Tony guided them expertly through the streets, glad his father invested in a strong, sturdy pair of horses.

He could see the train station looming ahead when the two police officers rode next to the wagon.

“Tony! Where are you taking these lovely ladies?” one of the officers asked. Tony played with Fabian and Enzo as young boys, but somewhere along the way, they ended up on the wrong side of the law despite the badges they wore.

From what he could see, their entire purpose for being on the police force was to do Luigi’s bidding, not uphold law and order. He wondered how they could get up each morning with a smile on their faces knowing they went against everything an officer of the law should represent.

Anna kept her head bent toward Angelina’s, effectively hiding her face while Tony turned a solemn gaze to Enzo. “Aunt Teresa is terribly ill. Mamma and Rina are going to take care of her for a while.”

“I thought Caterina had other obligations this evening,” Fabian said, obviously aware of Luigi’s plans to force her to wed immediately.

“Oh, that,” Tony said, shrugging his shoulders. “Luigi understood when he heard about how sick our beloved aunt has been. He and Caterina will resume their obligations when she gets back.”

“Is that right?” Enzo asked, glancing skeptically from Tony to Anna. “Is that correct, Caterina?”

Anna nodded her head without facing the officers. Using a handkerchief to cover her face, pretending to dab at tears, Anna spoke quietly. “It’s true.”

“Oh,” Enzo said, glancing at Fabian and shrugging his shoulders.

Pulling up at the train station, Tony parked the wagon and got out to assist Angelina and Anna down. Much to his dismay, the two officers dismounted and walked around the wagon.

Angelina quickly pulled Anna’s face toward her, hiding it from the men, putting her arm around the girl’s shoulders as Tony opened the back of the wagon.

Before he could stop them, Fabio and Enzo began unloading trunks. Tony didn’t know how to refuse their assistance without drawing suspicion.

“Mamma, you and Rina go get the tickets and I’ll bring your bags,” Tony said, lifting down a trunk.

“How long are the ladies going to be gone?” Fabio asked, watching the two women walk off to the ticket counter as he unloaded a trunk. “Looks to me like they are planning to stay a while.”

“You know women, eh?” Tony said, giving Enzo a friendly jab to his side. “They pack enough for months when they’ll only be gone a few days. Besides, Mamma is taking medical and food supplies to Aunt Teresa.”

Enzo slid the trunk that held Caterina toward him. Tony put a firm hand on the man’s shoulder and grinned. “I’m sure you’ve both got better things to do than help me with these trunks. I wouldn’t want to keep you.”

“We’re happy to help. You know, any friend of Luigi’s is a friend of ours,” Fabio declared, snagging a nearby handcart and setting a trunk on it. “We’re nearly family, after all.”

Grateful the noise of the busy station was enough to drown out Caterina’s huff of protest along with words that sounded like “no we’re not,” Tony thumped a hand on the trunk, silencing her.

Scooting Caterina’s trunk to the edge of the wagon, Tony fastened the second latch and lifted it with a grunt. “I’ll get you out, Rina. Stay quiet,” he cautioned in a whisper as he set her trunk on the handcart.

He thought he heard her whisper “hurry” before turning to load the bags on the cart. His mother waved at him and he pushed the cart her direction.

“Got the tickets?” he asked, stepping beside her. Anna kept her head down, trying not to be obvious.

“Yes, three tickets to Philadelphia,” his mother said, then wrapped her hand around his arm. “Isn’t it sweet of Tony to escort us there? He’s such a good boy.”

Taken aback by his mother’s statement, Tony tried to grasp her newly made plans for him.

“You going, too, Tony?” Fabio asked, narrowing his eyes at Tony.

“Sure am. Can’t have two lovely ladies traveling unescorted,” Tony said, looping his arm around Anna’s shoulders with a brotherly squeeze, subtly drawing her closer behind him, away from the prying eyes of the two police officers.

“What are you going to do with the team and wagon?” Enzo asked. Tony could almost see the wheels spinning in his head, trying to figure out what the Campanelli family was hiding.

“Carlo will pick it up later when he and Alonzo are finished with the morning’s deliveries,” Tony said, hoping he wouldn’t be struck dead for all the lies spilling forth from his mouth.

“We can take it back to the store,” Fabio said, looking at Tony carefully, trying to read his face for some hint of emotion.

Tony kept a friendly smile firmly in place. Fleeced by his brothers numerous times in card games, he finally learned to keep his face impassive and unreadable. Now, he had it down to an art. “I’d hate to put you to any bother. My brothers can take care of it.”

“No bother at all,” Enzo said, tying his horse to the back of the wagon and climbing on the seat. “I’ll make sure to let your father know you all made it safely to the station.”

“Thank you so much for your assistance, boys,” Angelina said, smiling and waving as the two police officers gave one last glance at their little group before pulling out on the street. Anna waved her hand, still keeping her face hidden in the shadows of her hat.

“We’re all going to have to board that train and Caterina is going to have to stay in the trunk until we get to Philadelphia. Luigi has people watching us, so just act natural while I get the luggage loaded,” Tony said, walking the two women to the depot door where they would wait for the train.

Hurrying back to the cart, he pushed it to where the baggage would be loaded and spoke in hushed, curt tones to his sister.

“Rina, don’t panic. Stay in the trunk, and I’ll get you out as soon as I can. I’m sorry,” Tony said, tapping the trunk with his knuckles, trying not to grin when his sister kicked the side.

“You better be sorry, Tony,” Caterina hissed through the holes in the side of the trunk. Even though she couldn’t see it, she wished she could wipe the smirk off her brother’s handsome face.

She loved all her brothers, but Tony was the smartest, strongest, and most fun of them all. Headstrong and stubborn, like her, they often argued and disagreed, but most frequently, they joined forces against their other siblings.

“Truly,” Tony said, watching as the trunks were loaded. He bit his tongue to keep from asking the men loading the trunks to be extra careful with the one carrying Caterina because it was fragile. Priceless. The men would be trying to peep in the holes and that would bring their whole sham crashing down on them.

Instead, he stood watching until all the trunks were stowed then hurried to join his mother and Anna to board the train.

“This isn’t exactly what I planned to do today,” Tony said, sitting on an aisle seat across from his mother and sister-in-law.

Anna performed admirably, pretending to be Caterina. As long as no one looked too closely, the deception would work. Watching one of Luigi’s men board the train, Tony sighed as he reached across the aisle and snatched a newspaper from an empty seat.

Handing it to Anna, he motioned for her to hold it up so it blocked her face from view.

“We’ve got company,” Tony whispered to his mother, looking behind her at a familiar face. Since Luigi’s thugs ate at Laz’s restaurant frequently, along with Luigi’s “business” associates, the Campanelli family easily recognized them.

Those men were one of the reasons they tried to keep Caterina hidden in the kitchen. She could have gotten into just as much trouble in the store, except the ruffians didn’t spend as much time there.

As hardheaded, beautiful, and impulsive as Caterina could be, it was truly a wonder she hadn’t found herself in a sticky situation long before now.

What she needed was a good man with a stubborn streak wider and deeper than the one she possessed to take her in hand.  Tony prayed she’d meet that man someday, if they could get her away from New York and Luigi.

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Caterina couldn’t breathe. The air was hot and still and she was certain she would suffocate. Knowing there was nothing to do but wait to escape her confines or die, she decided she wasn’t quite finished living yet. She had so much life to experience and now she was setting off on an adventure for a fresh start.

Anna spoke with great fondness of her grandparents and their home just outside London. Grateful for the manners her mother insisted she learn, Caterina hoped she remembered everything so she wouldn’t offend Anna’s family.