magnificent,” I said in all honesty, keeping my eyes glued on the house.
“I was hoping you'd feel that way,” Alessandro said, gently taking hold of my hand. “Come. There will be plenty of time to look around later.”
I accepted his hand and he led me inside the house. His men didn't follow after us, but remained by the cars—probably collecting our baggage.
The interior of the mansion was just as immaculate and breathtaking as the exterior. Though very much different in style than what I was used to, the antique Italian furniture spread across every single room and the warm shades on the walls breathed a very cozy and inviting atmosphere. As we advanced down the hallway, several members of the staff greeted us with polite enthusiasm.
“Are you hungry, cara? I might persuade them to fix us something quick to eat if you'd care for a snack?” Alessandro suggested.
“No, thanks. I ate on the plane,” I said. “I'd like to go to sleep if that's okay.”
“Of course. After all, this is our honeymoon trip,” Alessandro teased as he led me up the stairs. “We ought to behave like true newlyweds. First the bed and then everything else.”
I paused and gave him an arrested glance. “Alessandro, you promised—”
“Cara, I was joking. Sometimes it slips my mind how sensitive you are about the subject,” he whispered reassuringly and extended his hand toward me. “Come. I promise you have nothing to worry about. I'll treat you like a gentleman.”
Though I was wary, I accepted his hand and followed him to the bedroom he had requested us to share. He opened the door and motioned for me to enter first. I strolled past him and found myself in a huge, opulent space that resembled the rest of the house in style, only it was decorated with a few added romantic touches. A bottle of champagne stood in a bucket on the dresser. The room was bathed in shaded light and rose petals were sprinkled on the king-sized bed. A tray with large burning candles glimmered on the nightstand.
“Per meraviglia!” I heard Alessandro swear behind me.
Taken aback, I turned around and met his expectant gaze which mirrored the same amount of surprise.
“Olivia, I know what you’re thinking, but I had nothing to do with it,” he started justifying himself. “It was arranged by the staff. They've heard this was our honeymoon trip, so they must have assumed we would be pleasantly surprised by all of this.”
I gave him a sad smile. “They went out of their way to create the right ambiance, didn't they?”
Alessandro exhaled. “Yes, cara, they do appear to be quite skillful at it. That doesn't mean we need to feel pressured to fall into their trap and be intimate this evening. Just relax and try to ignore it. I'll talk to the maids in the morning. They shouldn't have done this.”
I tensed at his words. “Alessandro, please don't reprimand them,” I pleaded softly. “They only meant well. It's not their fault we’re struggling with things that should be normal in a marriage.”
A flicker of lightning flashed in his eyes. I thought I had hit a nerve and he would react with anger, but he let the comment about our marriage slide. “Perhaps I should thank them for mending into our business and making you upset?” he demanded with a bite of irony.
“Perhaps you should,” I muttered, tilting my chin. “It never hurts to practice good manners.”
He shook his head and sneered. “You do know you’re the only one who can talk to me like this and go unpunished, Olivia?”
I offered no reply because there were so many times I had spoken out of turn and received punishment. Alessandro claimed he wanted things to change, but I didn't want to push him over the edge. Without saying anything, I spun on my heels and ambled further into the room. My eyes wandered about the ornaments on the warm, yellow walls. Alessandro stood in the center of the room and observed me. Suddenly, I became aware of the whooshing coming from outside. At first, I couldn't place the sound, but then I recognized it was the sea.
“I can hear the waves,” I said with slight excitement, and glanced toward Alessandro.
He smiled. “That can happen when you have a house on the beach. I hope the noise is not too distracting.”
“No, of course not,” I said adamantly as I flung open the curtains. “I love the sea.”