Bestselling Authors Collection 2012(95)
Constantine nodded. “Dominic knew about my family’s financial issues. So, he offered to give my family half of Brimstone when Lazz and Ariana married.”
“And if they didn’t marry?”
“Brimstone would be thrown into the ocean and neither family would profit.”
“Dear God,” Gianna said faintly. “From barbaric to insane.”
“You and I think alike, piccola. My father, who might be barbaric about some things, is not the least insane when it comes to financial opportunities. He jumped at the offer.” Constantine couldn’t prevent a hint of bitterness from crawling into his voice. “After all, what did he have to lose?”
“Oh, Constantine,” she murmured.
He focused on decapitating strawberries, using a shade more force than strictly necessary. “Not to worry. As it turned out, we never did succeed in selling Ariana off. Though the two married, when the time came to turn over Brimstone, we discovered the diamond had gone missing.”
Gianna smothered a laugh. “You’d have thought Lazz and Ariana would make sure they knew where the diamond was before going to all the trouble of marrying.”
Constantine’s mouth tightened. “My father didn’t inform Ariana of the disappearance until moments before she walked down the aisle. None of the Dantes realized it was missing. You see, Dominic made the mistake of leaving the diamond in my father’s safekeeping. I gather it was part of the contract negotiations. As it turned out, Gran… My Grandmother Penelope—”
“The author of the Mrs. Pennywinkle books?”
“That’s the one,” he confirmed. “She overheard Babbo and Dominic talking about the contract. She was outraged by what they planned.”
“As any normal person would be.”
“Agreed.”
Finished with the fruit salad, he started a pot of coffee, then leaned against the counter and watched Gianna sauté onions, spinach and mushrooms in olive oil. She poured the egg mixture she’d prepared into a pan and added the sautéed vegetables, topping them with a sprinkling of bacon.
“Anyway,” he continued, “she stole Brimstone from my father and sewed it into a Nancy doll.”
“I used to own a Mrs. Pennywinkle Nancy doll.” Gianna snapped her fingers. “Maybe it’s in my doll.”
“Doubtful. She placed it into the original Nancy doll. The prototype. Ariana gave the doll away to a needy child shortly after she married Lazz.”
Gianna’s eyes widened. “Oh, dear. I gather she didn’t know Brimstone was inside?”
“She didn’t have a clue,” Constantine confirmed. “By then, she and Lazz had fallen in love and decided to let fate determine where it ended up.”
She smiled softly. “How romantic.”
“Foolish,” he corrected.
She shrugged. “A matter of opinion. Though I can understand your family’s disappointment at the loss.” A sudden thought occurred. “Just out of curiosity, would you have taken the money from the diamond to start up Romano Restoration?”
He hesitated. “I would have been seriously tempted. But in the end…” He shook his head. “It still would have been money I’d neither earned, nor deserved to profit from. So, no. If the Romanos had taken our share of Brimstone, it wouldn’t have changed the past nineteen months, if that’s what you’re asking. We’d still have been apart.”
“Damn it,” she whispered.
“What?”
She frowned at him in open displeasure. “I’m beginning to see your point of view in all this. It’s really annoying, too.”
Amusement combined with a deep tenderness and affection. He loved her honesty and frankness. Loved that she didn’t pull her punches, even on those occasions when they stood on opposite sides of the proverbial fence. It also pleased him that she considered the Brimstone contract as much an outrage as he did. He found it encouraging that they were so closely aligned on certain issues. Which reminded him.
“Let’s not forget the original problem.”
It only took her a moment to follow his line of thought and she winced. “David.”
“Yes. Unfortunately d’Angelo has excellent inside information. He knows that Brimstone is missing.”
“Not really. He only suspects.”
“But once he decides neither family has it—”
“He’s going to try to find it,” Gianna finished his sentence for him. She expertly folded the omelets, then plated them, grating cheese over the top for the finishing touch. “I wonder if David knows Brimstone is sewn into one of the dolls. I’d hate to think he’s running around gutting every poor Nancy doll he can find in a frantic search for the diamond.”