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Donna Angelina wiped her eyes. “Thank you, Gaetano. It means everything to have Dante back. But...”
“But what?” Gaetano cocked his head.
Dante blinked, wondering.
Donna Angelina fell abruptly silent, wiping her eyes.
Don Matteo looked over at her. “Dear?”
Donna Angelina looked back at Don Matteo. “Matteo, I believe we should be honest with Dante. We’ve just seen how keeping a secret can lead to tragedy.”
“Yes, I agree.” Don Matteo nodded, his lower lip buckling. “Perhaps it’s time for the truth. But I think it’s your place to tell him, not mine.”
“Tell me what?” Dante interjected, newly urgent. “I’ve been kept in the dark for too long.”
Donna Angelina shifted in her chair. “You see, Dante, your parents had problems in their marriage. Your father wasn’t Sicilian. His people were from Naples, and he always went back and forth to the mainland. The marriage faltered, and well, your mother had an affair.” Donna Angelina patted Dante’s hand. “I’ll come to my point. The man you know as your father isn’t your natural father.”
“What?” Dante recoiled, stunned. “Who’s my natural father?”
Donna Angelina shook her head. “He’s nobility, I’m fairly certain, but we don’t know for sure. I was close to your mother, and she told me he gave her gifts and money. She fell in love with him, and he loved her, too, or at least she thought he did, until it went wrong.” Donna Angelina began sniffling again. “Horribly, I believe your natural father was behind your kidnapping.”
“No!” Dante reeled. “My natural father had mekidnapped? Why?”
Gaetano looked aghast but didn’t interrupt.
“I know, it’s awful.” Donna Angelina held her handkerchief to her teary eye. “Your mother told me she wanted him to leave his wife, but he refused. The matter got ugly, and one day, she threatened to tell his wife. He cut her off, and the next thing we knew, you were kidnapped from the festival. We suspected he paid someone to abduct you, since you were proof of his infidelity.” Donna Angelina wiped her eyes, leaving pinkish streaks. “After you were kidnapped, your mother told Adamo that you weren’t his son, and the marriage broke up. He wentback to Naples, and your mother spent the rest of her life praying you were alive. She died of a weak heart, which could no longer bear her burden of guilt and grief.”
Dante shook his head, agonized. He could feel his lips part. He had no idea what to say, so he didn’t say anything.
“Dante, your parents may be gone, but you’re not alone. Don Matteo and I are your family. You must come and live with us. We have a beautiful palazzo, and you’ll meet our children, your cousins. They’re your family, too.” Donna Angelina touched Dante’s cheek tenderly. “The past belongs in the past. We have you back, that’s all that matters. We’ll take care of you. We love you.”
Don Matteo nodded. “Yes, Dante, please, come home with us. You have a full life ahead of you. We’ll get you tutors, and someday you can become a lawyer. You can even work alongside Gaetano, if he rejoins my firm. It’s time for you to be happy.”
“But what about my natural father?” Dante asked, beginning to seethe inside, feeling like Monster again. “I want to know who he is. He stole me from my mother, he ruined her life. And the man I called Papa, too. I loved him, whether he was my natural father or not.”
“You don’t want to lose more of your life, do you?” Donna Angelina’s eyes brimmed anew. “You’re young. You can live with us, find a girl, and start your own family. That’s what your parents would have wanted. They adored you.”
“Dante, she’s right,” Don Matteo added. “Come home with us.”
Dante’s heart darkened, and his disturbed gaze fell on the boxes, packed to go. He spotted something glinting inside one of them, recognizing it instantly. He crossed the room and slid the thing from its box. “Durendal, my old sword,” he said, waving it back and forth. “My mother saved it all this time.”
“Durendal?” Gaetano stood up. “You mean, fromThe Song of Roland?”
“You know that book?” Dante turned around, surprised.
“Every boy grows up reading it. I read it to my boys.” Gaetano eyedDante, his compassion plain. “You’ve heard so much terrible news, more than I imagined. What are you thinking?”
Donna Angelina nodded, weepy. “Please, Dante, come with us. You’re all I have left of my niece.”
Don Matteo met Dante’s eye with affection. “She’s right, Dante. Please come with us.”
Dante could see their offer was kind, but he couldn’t choose kindness. Anger and resentment hardened his heart, empowering him in a dark way. He had been a monster once, and he would be one again.
Dante straightened. “Don Matteo and Donna Angelina, thank you, but I’m not ready to go home with you.” He turned to Gaetano. “I want to find my natural father. I want him to account for what he did to me and my family.”
Gaetano nodded. “Then I’m with you.”
Dante remembered Count Roland’s battle cry: “Mountjoy!” he said gravely, raising his sword.
