The Widow's Wish

Chapter 17 - The End

“You must come out of the sun, Signora!” The boy shouted.

“Yes, really Olivia.” John’s voice boomed. “A tan is not the fashion for English ladies.”

Olivia merely laughed and spun. “I am a wild flower. I would die without the sun.”

Olivia laughed and dance and spun, and soon enough, little Pietro joined her, holding her hand and spinning until they were too dizzy and fell to the ground. John walked over and offered his hand, picking her up from the grass.

“It is too lovely here,” Olivia sighed looking at the land around her. “I am happy Daniel brought me here.”

“We are happy to have had you, Sister.” John smiled. The sister was for the benefit of Pietro. The townspeople believed that the three English people who had bought the villa were brothers and a sister (who was ill and needed a sunny temperate climate to convalesce).

“Well, brother, I believe it is time for lunch.” She smiled. “Are we having wine?”

“Of course, Signora!” Pietro laughed and ran to the villa.

They ate in the patio. It was a particularly glorious day, and Daniel was waiting for them with a smile on his face. When Pietro had gone, he kissed John on the lips, and Olivia on the forehead. They sat for luncheon, and Olivia sighed. It had been blissful here. She felt stronger and more at peace. Happy was not the word, but there was a possibility that she had not felt before.

“Your sister was most cross not having you there for her nuptials. But she lays the blame at my feet of course.” Daniel laughed and passed the letter Olivia had received only the day before.

“I made the right choice.” Olivia smiled.

“In lying, or in coming here?” John asked.

“Both, I suppose.” Olivia said. “I’ve lived my whole life for others. First for my mother and sisters, than Aunt and Uncle, now I suppose even for you and for Andrew. If I take myself out of the equation and simply be myself, far away, than maybe I can live for myself.”

“All these love stories,” Daniel shook his head. “Me and John. Eugenia and Andrew, Cordelia and Edward. Even your mother and father, if you think about it. Does it make you bitter?”

“To have known love and lost it is pure agony.” Olivia offered. “But it is preferable to never having known love at all.”

“Commit those words to paper and become a poet for the ages.” John offered kindly. He have Daniel a warning look, as if to say he was going to far. Olivia had improved greatly from the state she had arrived in. She was less and less prone to melancholy, and it seemed that she was almost happy. Daniel, however, believed that she needed to confront her feelings in order to truly be free. John was not in agreement with this, but he could not stop Daniel from acting on his beliefs.

“Knowing that your love is happy has to offer you some solace.” Daniel smiled at her. “Does it not?”

“How am I to know that he is happy?” Olivia asked, looking up at Daniel.

“He is married to your sister. I think you saw their devotion to one another clear enough during your stay at Green Boughs. I know it was painful, but you must find peace in their happiness together.”

Daniel looked at her so seriously, his eyes filled with pity and friendship. He was shocked, however, when instead of bursting into tears, she began to laugh.

“You think I loved Andrew!” She was finally able to squeak the words out after several minutes of laughter.

“Oh my,” said Daniel. John took his hand and smiled at him. Olivia saw the look of panic on Daniel’s face and her laughs were renewed. Soon enough, it became contagious and Daniel and John laughed along with her.

At that moment, Pietro came in the room holding a bottle of wine with a big smile on his face.

“From Papa.”

John thanked the young boy with a few lira and sent him on his way.

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. “All this time, I thought...”

“You must forgive, Daniel,” John said. “He finds it unfathomable that he is wrong, especially when it comes to matters of love.”

Just then, Daniel’s face became dark. “No, I can’t be. Not him. Oh, oh my. It could have been fixed. It can be fixed!” His face lit up at those last words, and Olivia stared at him in disbelief.

“Christian no longer cares for me.” She smiled at Daniel. “I am not worthy of his love, he has suffered at my hands.”

“Stop being such a martyr!” Daniel shouted. Olivia looked up at him in surprise. “He loves you still, of this I am sure. And if he loves you and you love him, then you should have happiness together regardless of what has been done on either side.”

Olivia shook her head again. “He does not love me still. Or maybe he never really loved me, since I was so false as to never show my true self to him. I know this for a fact. He left me with Andrew feeling all had been resolved.”

“You are a fool.” Daniel answered her with a bit of friendly contempt in his voice. “He did not leave you there on your own. How do you think I was able to find you, and help you? He believed you had made your choice because you told him so. But he still asked me to come to your aid if you needed it.”

Olivia was silent now, looking at Daniel, trying to believe that the words coming out of his mouth were true. But she could not. Could she? She shook her head again, unwilling to believe.

“You did not see his eyes,” Daniel said. “When he told me that you could use help and support, but that you did not wish for his.”

“No,” Olivia cried and shook her head. “I can’t. It’s not possible.”

“Would you deny him his happiness because you can’t let your own self be happy?”

“Yes.” Olivia smiled again. “I just can’t” Her hands shook at these words. Daniel could not believe her. He simply stalked away in anger. It was John who came to offer her solace and comfort. Making her sit near him on the settee and putting his arms around her.

“Daniel is a bit obstinate,” John offered. “But he isn’t wrong. Christian loves you.”

“Not after all this time,” Olivia said. “Perhaps he’s found another person more worthy of him, or just forgotten me in bitterness. I could never be sure.”

“Olivia,” John smiled and took her hand. “He seemed just as much as in love with you as ever when I saw him in town two days ago.”

Olivia shrieked just a little as she squeezed John’s hand. Her heart began to race and she looked up him, unable to form words, but wanting so to shout, to scream, to ask if he was serious. If what he said was true, if only it could be true!

“He was in Italy, looking for antiquities, and decided to pass through and say hello. I received a letter from him weeks ago, but thought not to bother you about it. He is staying at the Inn of Signor Olivera. You do know, that it was he who convinced Daniel to make reparations towards you. During this first visit, he and I became friends, you could say, and we have kept up our correspondence. I knew that he was involved with you, and that he cared for you, but I never shared this because I did not want to bring up something inconsequential that could damage you in your delicate state.”

“Inconsequential!” Olivia sputtered.

“Well, Daniel assured me that your unrequited love was the Captain. I saw no need to bring up Mr. Blackwell and bother you for no reason. I had no idea of your feelings for him. But I can attest to his for you. For when I saw him, he asked after you and your family and was greatly surprised to hear that Captain Wedmore was wedded to your sister. He had not heard of this or of your unfortunate loss or subsequent convalescence here at our villa in Tuscany. He was quite surprised, but I saw the spark in him. The spark of longing and you know I am so sensitive to the feelings of others. So I invited him to dine with us, of course.”

“To dinner?” Olivia squawked. “Here, with us.”

“Well, yes, I thought it might be awkward considering your history with him, but I had no idea of your feelings. You love him, he loves you. But he thinks you do not live him. And until now, you did not know that he still loved you. The solution is quite simple, and thankfully, in my faux pas of inviting him here, it will be solved.”

“Solved?” Olivia’s voice was unsure. “How can it be so? There has been so much pain, so many lies? How do I make it better?”

“You put on a pretty frock. You do your hair. You tell him that you love him and it is all that matters.” John made this statement as if it were a simple matter of fact.

“He’s right,” Daniel entered the room, his anger having dissipated. He put his arms around John and gave him a kiss. “I was cross when I found out he invited Christian. I thought it would disturb you, but now I see he was right in his blunder. I’m sorry for being angry Olivia, it is just that I see how worthy you are and how you don’t see that and I want for you to find happiness, just as you have provided happiness for others. For John and myself, your sisters, your mother, even Andrew.”

Olivia smiled then, tears springing into her eyes. “But will he come? Really come here?”

“He’s a gentleman more than a bastard,” Daniel chuckled. “He wouldn’t miss the opportunity of seeing you even if it was to admire you from afar.”

“Truly,” said John. “Would you be able to stay away?”

Olivia took care getting ready. She chose a claret colored dress. It had a sort of sophisticated simpleness that she felt complimented her. She didn’t need angelic white or girlish lace and ribbons to conceal who she was. She was a woman, a person who had made many mistakes, but who still deserved a chance at love and life. Daniel and John proclaimed her success, she was a vision, like a poured glass of red wine waiting to be sipped and enjoyed. Her cheeks reddened at the analogy, but she could not conceal her desire, her need to believe that it could be true.

When the time neared, she waited on the grounds of the house. She marveled at the beautiful landscape that surrounded her.  It became only more magical to her when she saw him, his figure, walking up to the house, with little Pietro in tow.

She walked forward to meet him. On her face she wore the most beautiful smile in the world. Olivia saw his face change from apprehension to a smile that radiated as brightly as her own.

“Off to the house with you, Pietro,” she said. “Bring up a bottle of red for Signor John and he will have a treat for you.”

The little boy smiled and ran off in the direction of the cellar.

“Hello,” Olivia offered her hand and Christian took it. “I am Olivia Martin.”

“Christian Blackwell.” His voice was gruff with anticipation. “At your service.”

He pressed his hands to her lips and she closed her eyes, tears beginning to stream down her face. His lips moved then to her face, to kiss away her tears. He took her into his arms and kissed her on the lips. He vowed then, at that moment that no matter what had happened or what was to come, that he would never let her go.

Olivia had wished for the impossible. She had wanted her family to be happy, and somewhere deep inside she wanted love for herself. She had suffered very much in life, but now she saw that all of the pain could be wiped away in one kiss. Her wish for love came true and Christian’s wish to find someone who could understand and love him was fulfilled with hers. They were a wish together, a wish for love and happiness despite the pain, the lies and the mistakes.



The End