A Mother's Trust Read Online Free PDF Page B

I are betrothed.’ He took a small gold signet ring from his little finger. ‘Wear this and it will protect you from the gossiping tongues. It will make your grandmother happy too, I think. And I will rest easy knowing that you are safe from the attentions of those who are left behind.’
    ‘I don’t know,’ Phoebe said slowly. ‘I haven’t said I would marry you, Gino.’
    ‘I understand, and if the answer is no when I return, then so be it. I love you, Phoebe, and I want to protect you in any way I can. Of course I would much rather you came to Italy with the rest of us, but I understand that you cannot leave your mamma.’
    ‘No, I can’t. She wouldn’t know what to do on her own.’
    Gino’s lips tightened, but there was sympathy and understanding in his eyes. ‘I think your grandmother might be more easily persuaded to let you stay in London if she thinks you are soon to be a married woman.’
    ‘You would do all this for me?’ It was a question that she hardly dared ask.
    ‘And more.’ He kissed her again and this time there was no doubting the strength of his feelings. She gave herself up to the heady delight of a passionate embrace. It was wonderful to feel loved and needed for herself alone, and she returned his kisses with increasing fervour. He was young and strong and until this moment she had not realised the depth of his feelings for her. It was an intoxicating mixture.
    The sun had set by the time they set off on the walk home from Pigs Quay. Saffron Hill was bathed in deep purple shadows. The bustle of the ice cream trade was stilled as the early risers had gone to their beds, but the night-time denizens of the courts and alleyways were making their appearance. Prostitutes lingered on street corners and the sounds of revelry emanated from the open pub doors. Ragged street urchins importuned the men who frequented the drinking houses, and feral cats and dogs sniffed about in the gutters for anything remotely edible.
    As she entered the house Phoebe turned to say a last goodnight to Gino but he followed her inside. ‘We will tell them together, cara.’
    Her courage had failed her at the last minute and she would have willingly sent him away, but even as she tugged at the ring it would not come off her finger. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. ‘It’s a sign. Don’t be afraid, Phoebe. I will never let any harm come to you.’ Still holding her hand, Gino followed the sound of voices to the parlour, where they found the family assembled. The only person missing was Annie.
    ‘Gino?’ Fabio rose from his chair. ‘This is late for a social call.’
    Lorenzo tossed the butt of his cigarillo into the empty grate. ‘He looks like a man big with news.’
    Julio leapt to his feet and slapped Gino on the back. ‘I knew it. He’s plucked up the courage to ask our little Phoebe to marry him. It’s true, isn’t it?’
    Phoebe glanced nervously at her grandfather, but he was smiling, and her grandmother, who had been piling empty coffee cups onto a tray, stopped what she was doing to throw her arms around Gino. ‘It is true; I can see it in your eyes. I am pleased for you.’ She turned to Phoebe, wagging her finger. ‘And you were so coy when I brought up the subject of marriage today. You must have known all along that you would accept this young man. I say shame on you for teasing your nonna in such a way.’
    Still speechless, Phoebe suffered hugs and kisses from her grandmother and her uncles. She looked to Gino for help but he was conversing earnestly with her grandfather.
    ‘I should have come to you first, Signor Giamatti,’ Gino said humbly. ‘Since Phoebe has no father now, I ask for your permission to marry your granddaughter.’
    Fabio kissed him on both cheeks. ‘You have it with my blessing, Gino. I couldn’t wish for a better husband for my precious pearl.’
    Phoebe glanced down at the ring on her fourth finger. Suddenly the voices of her family faded away and she