me of my responsibilities. I was waiting until I had good news to tell them. I have been afraid to confess that I am now a widow. My parents will worry and perhaps insist that I find a way to come home." She gave him an intimate smile, hoping to remind him that she was still in pursuit.
"I will write Nonna Gia and my family today. I promise."
"Good," Tonio replied. "There is one bit of news Nonna wanted me to pass along. Your late husband's family hasn't heard from his brother Paolo. He didn't return to Italy on the ship. Your cousin Mario has been checking with the police about him. A body washed up in the harbor. A young man of Paolo's age and general description. It was badly decomposed. There's no way to know for sure whether or not it was him. But it seems likely."
Angelina gasped and crossed herself, overcome with guilt that she was partly relieved. Paolo wouldn't be a problem for her now. "Poor Paolo. May he rest in peace."
Tonio nodded sympathetically. "You look hot and tired. Is there any chance the Colonel will let you take the afternoon off? Since I've come to town, I may as well help you get a few matters settled.
"May tells me that you are concerned about your timber, that you would like a second opinion about it. For what it's worth, I would be happy to offer mine.
"And then there's the matter of banking that money when it arrives. I was hoping to help you open a bank account."
She could have collapsed into his arms with relief. He kept a good face, a great lover's poker face, but in the end he had come to town to help her. He might fight it, but she felt certain that he loved her.
"Let me turn this dough out to rise. May can put it in the oven for me later. Just let me tell the Colonel that I'm leaving."
"Excellent. We'll go by the bank first and then catch a train to Harrison so that I can see the infamous timber for myself."
"You're sure my money is safe?" Angelina said as she and Tonio emerged from the formal atmosphere of the bank into the bright sunshine.
"Safer than in your cookie jar or under a rock," Tonio said. It was the first opportunity he had to see her in full daylight since arriving. He enjoyed the sight of her too much for his own good.
"Your few dollars are perfectly safe. Bankers wouldn't stay in business if they didn't protect their clients' money."
He didn't tell her that just six years ago, during the depression of '93, many banks did indeed go bankrupt and close their doors. He doubted Angelina even knew of such things as bank failures. She was probably more worried about a hold up.
"You know their big vault is secure."
"It's not the safety of their vault that concerns me," Angelina said. "No one in my family has ever had a bank account. Papa never trusted them, not that he ever had any money to save."
There wasn't any self-pity in her voice. It was merely a statement of fact.
"Banks fail," she continued. "At least with an honest robbery there is some chance of recovery."
He looked back at her and smiled, pleasantly surprised by her knowledge. At times it was almost possible to forget that she was a peasant. "How would your Papa know about such things?"
"Don't put on your patrician airs with me, Antonio Domani." Her words would have been sharp if she hadn't been smiling and had a teasing lilt to her voice. Her voice—he could have listened to her speak all day. He was a besotted fool.
"My Papa may not have money to invest," she said, "but he is intelligent, and well-versed in a wide variety of subjects."
"And yet, he doesn't trust banks? My family has done quite well by them for hundreds of years."
"And look where that's gotten you. Here you are breaking your back on a mine claim. I don't see much difference between you and Papa at the moment. Your high born ancestors would be horrified."
"My brother in Italy is quite a wealthy man. My only crime is being the second born son." He tried to remain unruffled, though it still galled him that his worthless brother should have all the amenities in life while Tonio had to struggle.
"Don't worry about your money, Angel. It's nice and safe now." He took her arm. "Let's catch our train