Brianna rested her hands on her swollen abdomen. “What’s she like anyway? I looked her up. She’s pretty.” She gave Matteo a sideways glance. “Very pretty, actually. And she wasn’t wearing a ring in the picture that I found. Is she attached?”
Matteo couldn’t even hide his surprise at his sister’s brazenness. “Why on earth would that matter?”
Brianna arched her back then stood up and walked around the desk, all the while her eyes carefully focused on her brother. “Well, of course, it doesn’t. I’m just curious. How soon will she be finished?”
Matteo kept his voice steady. “Just a few weeks, I expect. Phoebe seems super-organized. She’s running the place like an army colonel.”
Brianna’s eyes gleamed and she leaned across the desk toward him. “So, it’s Phoebe already, and not Ms. Gates?”
He met her gaze square on. “Stop it, Brianna. You being pregnant won’t prevent me from throwing you out of my office.”
She threw back her head and laughed. “As if.” Then her face fell a little. “I’m twitchy. I feel as if I’m going stir crazy. I’d love to be at the house in Rome. I’d love to help with the renovations.” She rested her hands on her stomach. “But some people have decided I shouldn’t fly.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “The whole world thinks you shouldn’t fly right now.”
Brianna bit her bottom lip and gave him that look. The one she always used when she wanted something.
“What? What is it?”
“I wondered if you would mind having a look for something for me.”
Matteo frowned. “What do you mean?”
Brianna averted her gaze. “I’ve been looking for some photographs. Dad told me about them. But he could never find them.”
Matteo felt a chill across his skin. “What photographs?”
Brianna licked her lips. He could tell she’d been practicing this conversation in her head. “Their wedding photographs. Dad thought he might have left them in the house. He said that they might have been left in one of the cupboards. They’re in a red photograph album.”
Matteo could feel every little hair on the back of his neck stand on end. “Dad told you this when?”
Brianna lifted her darkened eyelids. “Just before he died. He told me he wanted me to see their wedding pictures. So I would always remember just how happy they’d been.” Her voice shook a little. And that for Brianna was big. She hardly ever let her emotions betray her. “It was just after I told him I was pregnant.”
“And you just mention this now?” Brianna flinched at his snappiness.
He cringed. He couldn’t help it.
Brianna waved her hand angrily. “There’s never been a good time. Dad was sick, then he died. Then we had to sort out the business. Then it was Christmas and we had to agree about the house sales. Now is the time to talk about this. Before we sell the house at the Hamptons.” She blew part of her fringe off her face. “If this is such a bother for you, Matteo, I’ll do it myself. I thought, since you’d already spent some time down there, it might be something you could do.” She lifted her chin and stared off into the corner. “I could always ask Vittore.”
She knew just what buttons to press. Always had. Always would. The gift of being a sister.
“Which cupboard? Where?”
She shrugged. “He wasn’t specific. He just said that they’d cleared things out quickly and maybe the photographs had been left behind.”
Matteo sucked in a deep breath in an effort to keep calm. He didn’t want Brianna to know how difficult he was finding this. He didn’t want to give any indication of how many memories being back at the house had stirred up. He was head of the family now. He had to show strength. Resilience. And he had that in spades. It just felt as if he’d had to keep reminding himself of that in the last few days.
His eyes rested on his sister’s stomach. Especially now. How could he say no? He stood up quickly. “Of course I’ll look for the album. If it’s there—I’ll find it.”
He walked across the room and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll let you know how I get on.”
Brianna gave a nod of her head. “I knew I could count on you.”
* * *
“Phoebe? Do you realize what time it is?”
Phoebe jerked up from where she’d been contemplating how to redress the gorgeous library. She’d missed this room on her first visit to the house. It seemed that when the Bianchis had first moved in they hadn’t gotten around to clearing out the masses of books that the former actress had owned. Some of the subject matter almost made Phoebe blush. It seemed there had been much more to the demure actress than met the eye.