Amber

Chapter  10 - The Ties that Bind - Part 1

@copyright Jean G Hontz and Sharon Pickrel

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 Ash brushed his mouth against Lynne's temple. "He's coming back. Alone."

"The man has a backbone of pure steel," Lynne replied with a smile in her voice.

"Either that or Helena's got a helluva long reach," Ash muttered.

"Quite possibly both. But then Carmine has never struck me as someone who allows his emotions to rule his head. Even angry he seems very contained."

Carmine sauntered up then looking cool and collected as usual. "Am I interrupting anything important, you two?"

Ash laughed. "Not at all. Did Sybilla leave?"

Carmine shrugged. "No idea. I should give my regards to the curator. Have you done so yet?"

"No," Ash said, looking past him. "Which might explain the fact that she's heading directly this way, ignoring all and sundry who might be trying to stop her."

Carmine turned and smiled at the woman approaching. She was the sort who looked elegant and professional. An older woman, her beauty was fading, but the signs of her past glories were clear to see.

Carmine smiled at her. "Signora Beauchamp. How good to see you. I was just saying we should seek you out for a moment."

"Signore Abrizzi. Mr. Jacobs, Ms Winters." She smiled at each of them in turn. "I'm so glad I caught you before you left," she said, directing the remark to Carmine. "I promised to give you this and I've been so busy that I never had a chance to do so earlier." She held an envelope made of heavy, cream-colored vellum out as she spoke. His name was a bold slash across the front, inscribed in the calligraphy of a long forgotten era.

Carmine took the envelope spending only a moment looking at it, then slipped it into his pocket. "Most kind of you, cara. It seems your showing is quite a success."

"So many were so generous. Like yourself and Signorina Capra, allowing us to exhibit treasures that haven't been seen outside of private homes in centuries. The Raphael she loaned us...that alone..."

Ash's wandering attention sharpened. "Raphael? Of the Cumaean Sybil?"

"Yes. And also the Rosa etching," the curator said. "And several of the Michelangelo sketches for the Sybil's in the Sistine Chapel. Until she offered them it had been thought that his working sketches for that part of the ceiling had been lost."

"Then she is indeed generous to even admit they are in her possession," Carmine responded. "Quite the coup for you, Signora Beauchamp."

She came very close to simpering. "The Frick was delighted, of course. It's the sort of thing that motivates others to support us."

"Indeed," Ash offered, his voice like a martini, dry and potent.

"Please, signora, do not let us keep you," Carmine said, taking her hand and bowing over it. "We simply hoped to voice our continued support for the Frick."

She blushed and then grinned. "You are such a romantic, signore. You make me feel like a young girl again when you do that. Thank you for that as well. Now I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of your evening." She nodded to Lynne and Ash and then left, moving purposefully back towards the throng inside.

"So," Lynne said. "Will you see Signorina Capra again?" She was grinning as she said it.

"Who can say," Carmine replied with a shrug.

"Uh huh. Perhaps you should read your note?" Lynne suggested.

"Si. I should. If you two will excuse me, it might be something of importance," he replied bowing to them.

"Of course, Carmine," Ash said. "We understand."

"Grazie, caro. I will rejoin you in a few moments." Carmine walked off toward the deeper portions of the garden.

"How utterly interesting. I'm unsure how she managed to keep her hands off of him," Lynne commented dreamily.

"I rather think she didn't," Ash said. "He's got that at the edge of his control feel to him. Like he walked the razor's edge and didn't quite make it down before it cut him. She got to him somehow."

"You are a romantic," Lynne declared as Ash led her back into the mansion.

Carmine, once they were gone, retrieved the note from his pocket and slit it open. He read:

"Rosa never understood why he painted them again after he finished the etching. Raphael saw more deeply than he did, as did Michelangelo. Guard them well. Guard them the way you guard the other Rosa and the Andrea del Castagno, the way you guard Italy."

A small key also fell out of the envelope, a number on it. Clearly a safe deposit box key for Banca d'Italia. He'd bet his villa it was for the branch in Firenze.

"Io sono un pazzo," he muttered to himself, as he ran a hand through his hair, staring down at the note. "To even entertain such thoughts." He slipped the note and the key back into his pocket and went in search of Lynne and Ash.

Ash watched him approach and swore under his breath. As the three stepped out into the night he said, "We haven't fed yet. Are you in the mood for the hunt?"

"Oh, si. It will be most welcome."

Lynne bit her lip. "Is everything all right?"

Carmine regarded her evenly for a moment. "It will be. Do not worry, cara. You are too beautiful to frown so."

Ash led them towards the park. "He's right, sweetheart. Practice looking ferocious instead."

"I prefer kindness thanks," Lynne replied with a smile. "Sharing a hunt with the two of you makes me smile too much to look ferocious."

Ash groaned. "See what I deal with, Carmine. Sweetheart, you're suppose to look ferocious for the meal on heels."

"You hunt your way my darling, and I'll manage my own way. Right, Carmine?"

"Oh, si! Any man would be entranced seeing you approach. I pity them."

"Do not encourage her, Carmine. If she's looking ferocious I don't have to deal with watching other men lusting after her." Ash grinned and swept an arm around Lynne, hugging her close. "It's so much more comfortable when they're afraid of you."

"You always say the sweetest things," Lynne said with a laugh as the three of them split up in the park, off to find dinner on the hoof.

It wasn't long before the three of them, now well fed, met to proceed to the townhouse. "It is most kind of you to offer me sanctuary. But it is not necessary, you know," Carmine commented. "I do not wish to put your household out." He paused then added, "Although I confess to wishing to see how big Anders has grown."

"Not possible. Henry won't even bat an eyelash and Anders adores you, which means Henry adores you." Ash took his key out. "And you can help Elizabeth put the boys in their place."

"And here I thought I was here to make trouble," Carmine retorted with a smile.

"We could arrange that as well, I'm sure," Ash said. "Flirt with Buffy enough and Chase will forget he's a pacifist. Egg the boys on enough and she'll forget you're a Prince and treat you just like family."

"I will do my best in both instances." When the door opened Buffy was standing in it. Carmine swept her up in a hug and kissed her cheeks. She sputtered.

"Ah, my most favorite of fearsome Amazons. How are you this evening?" Carmine asked her refusing to let her go, even as she struggled.

"I _was_ fine. And look what the boss drags home to make my evening," Buffy retorted.

"Met your match, have you honey?" Damon drawled from the doorway to the drawing room. "Want some help?"

"Buona sera, everyone," Carmine said, finally releasing Buffy, who stepped back so quickly she almost tripped on an enormous stuffed animal that sat on the floor in the foyer.

"What is that?" Lynne asked, scowling. She looked accusingly at the men who'd gathered to greet them.

Damon shrugged. "Ash's been donating to charity again and that's the thank you card. We figured we'd introduce him to Anders, Chester and Schroedinger in the morning. Not every kid gets a life size, exact replica of a gorilla."

"Hmmm," Lynne said, frowning down at the thing. "It might terrify Anders. Until further notice it stays where it is. With luck Schroedinger will rip it up."

"We're hoping it'll terrify Chester and the coon cat," Dec said. "I was thinking of rigging some voice box or something so it can growl at them and Cayden and Robyna were going to get some dominant gorilla urine or something, like deer hunter's use, to make it smell right."

"Good Lord. You see what I put up with?" Lynne complained as she linked arms with Carmine and led him into the main living area. "You know Robyna, of course."

"Indeed. Buona Sera, Robyna. It is wonderful to see you looking so well."

Robyna nodded stiffly. "Prince Carmine. Thank you. You look well also."

Cayden slipped an arm over her shoulders giving her a quick hug. "Buffy's been fattening her up for the sacrifice. It's almost the fall equinox and she's reverted to primitive Druidism. We think it's Chase's fault of course."

"This is Fiona Gerard who is staying with us for a time, and Salvatore Rossi her friend." Lynne serenely ignored Cayden. "Fiona, Carmine Abrizzi."

"I am honored to meet you, Signorina Gerard," Carmine offered, taking Fiona's hand and raising it to his lips.

"Oh. Hello," she managed, too surprised to say more.

"Buena Sera, Signore Rossi," Carmine said when he turned to Sal. He then went into rapid-fire Italian which had Sal raising his hands in self defense and laughing.

"Hey! Mama can talk that fast, but not me. I'm Brooklyn born and bred and what Italian I know is by osmosis, not formal education."

"Such a pity," Carmine replied, raising an eyebrow. "You must come to visit me when you are next in Italia."

"If I ever get there," Sal promised, "I'll look you up."

Ash handed Carmine a scotch and Lynne a brandy. Then, taking a seat he traded a long look with Buffy and, satisfied, he leaned back, relaxing. "So how long are you in New York for, Carmine? You never said."

"I am not certain," Carmine said, his eye straying toward Robyna. "I should leave tomorrow, as I have appointments I need to keep."

Sal was watching Robyna and saw her stiffen when Carmine's eyes fell on her. Fiona was too busy wondering who this was exactly and what it was she kept sensing from him.

"Too bad," Ash said. "The house is going be almost empty the next couple of days. Damon, Cayden and Robyna are going to Philly and I was hoping you'd keep Lynne out of trouble. You being so much better at handling women than I, I was hoping for a few pointers."

"Buffy is going to miss out on a road trip?" Carmine asked, all aghast.

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him, never one to be awed by titles.

"As for Lynne, caro, I would take her on some exotic vacation, were I you."

"My kinda guy," Lynne said grinning.

Ash frowned. "I offered to take you to Yonkers and you weren't interested. So I suggested Rockaway instead and that made you gag. All that's left to offer is Camden. It's off season there of course, but if that's what you want..."

"You see what I have to put up with?" Lynne asked Carmine. "Not even Brooklyn."

Ash laughed. "We can do Brooklyn, honey. I just thought you wanted exotic."

Robyna laughed when the rest did and then slipped outside into the garden. She moved away from the house, heading towards the gazebo at the bottom. Hidden from the house she sank onto the cushions, hugging her arms around herself, hating herself. She'd thought she was over it and she wasn't. She'd run as far as she could after Grand Isle, all the way to Saint Michael's. But she'd hated it there, and hated herself even more for running away.

She bit her lip hard, forcing back the tears as she rocked herself. She was such a fool. He had no interest in her at all. He'd looked at her with pity tonight and that made it worse. Ash and Lynne were his friends and she was in the way and all because she was stupid and foolish and hadn't the sense to keep from falling in love with someone who'd never love her back.

"I should not have come," Carmine said softly once Robyna was safely gone.

Lynne looked at the door through which she'd gone, debating if she should follow her. Instead she sighed. "Things happen, Carmine. You cannot just hide yourself from them."

Sal listened for a moment then got up quietly and left. Fiona raised an eyebrow at Cayden. He looked after Sal and then shrugged slightly, with a minute shake of his head.

Sal sauntered through the garden, making sure Robyna had plenty of time to get herself together before he reached the gazebo which was, pretty obviously, the only place she could be.

"Would you like some company? Or should I just go home?" he asked softly.

She clenched her fists and then forced them to relax, forced her arms to loosen their hold on her ribs. She studied him in the moonlight. The surprising masculine beauty, the compassion on his face, the hesitancy. Finally she shook her head. "No, please don't go. If you think you can stand it. Me being stupid, I mean."

He walked forward to take a seat next to her, giving her room though. "We all fall, you know. Find someone we fall head over heels for who doesn't return the regard. Doesn't mean we're stupid. Well, maybe it does, but then most of us share the trait. I'm kinda head over heels for a woman who doesn't much notice I exist, so I get it."

She shook her head, biting her lip. "It's not that," she said, staring out at the garden. "I just can't stand the pity, that he feels sorry for me. It'd be better if he didn't know I existed."

"I doubt it's pity. Looked more like, I dunno, sadness, to me. He doesn't strike me as the sort who falls in love much, but man, he's got sex appeal up the kazoo."

It shocked her, startled her, dragging a laugh from her. "God, I know." She rocked herself again, her arms tightening around her waist. "I thought I was over it, I really did. I'd stopped thinking about him, it'd stopped hurting...until I saw him standing there, laughing with Buffy. And I hate this, him thinking he can't be with his friends, and Ash telling him oh so casually it's alright, I won't be in the way."

"Yeah, it's a bitch, ain't it. But seems to me until you get exposed you can't work up much of an immunity."

"An immunity?" She said the word like she'd never heard it before.

"Yeah. Getting exposed to him where you find out you can survive without him. Works for me. There was this girl, lived across the hallway. Man, I had wet dreams about her every night. Kept trying to work up the courage to say hello, you know? Finally, I did. Say hello I mean. Tried to talk to her and found out she wasn't as scary as I thought. Then found out she didn't date. It was kind of a revelation to me. I figured she had guys after her 24/7, you know? Nope."

"And did she go out with you? She would have been silly not to!"

"Nope. She was in love with the high school basketball star who screwed the cheerleaders under the stands after every game. Finally he took her out and treated her like shit. Big surprise, that. Last I heard she gave up on guys, and went to Harvard. She's probably some big time lawyer by now."

She giggled. "A fate worse than death," she opined. "Thank you for..." She broke off suddenly, tensing, listening. "Stay here," she ordered and then she was up and running towards the house, moving with vampire speed.

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