A TWIST OF FATE
Epilogue
Rose absent-mindedly put the pen in her mouth
whilst looking out of the window. Her letter to Maria was half-finished. She
looked out over the courtyard. Jack was seated with his back to her at the far
end, engrossed in a landscape drawing of the surrounding Tuscan valley. As the
sun was setting, the courtyard was bathed in a warm yellow glow, reflecting
tones of orange, gold, and apricot across the walls and clay pots of flowers
that Rose had arranged in the months they had been there.
She turned back to the letter and re-read
what she had written:
Dear Maria and Fabri,
We were so pleased to hear of the safe
arrival of your daughter Antonia Rosa. What a joy she must be for you. We
really wish we could see her. I know we will one day, just remind her that her
Aunt Rose and Uncle Jack are thinking about her. In the time that this letter
has taken to reach us, you will have had your party and we hope it went well.
I’m sorry we could not send her a gift, but Maria, would you do something for
me? Remember the envelope I gave you? Well, could you please open it and give
Antonia my engagement and wedding rings? She can keep them until she is older.
Then she can choose whether to wear them or sell them. At least she will always
have a legacy of money from her Aunt Rose. It is the least we can do.
You were right about this area. It is
truly beautiful and we are settled in our little villa, at least for the
moment! Jack is happy drawing and painting; he has even sold a few of them. The
people are so friendly, just like your family who we met. It is just as well
you wrote that letter in Italian as their English is not too good, but our
Italian is even worse, although we are trying! I can almost ask for most things
I want in the village, which is more fun than pointing things out! He also has
gotten a few jobs showing some American tourists round the area. As he knows it
quite well and speaks their language, his services have quite been in demand.
It is these tourists mainly that have bought his pictures as souvenirs. We have
had people knocking at our door, so Jack made some cards for the hotels. I hope
it does do well, for it gives Jack another interest, as well as the artwork and
an extra income, too. I am so settled here, Maria. Things are good for us.
Rose sighed and put the pen down.
"The letter will keep until later,"
she thought. "Dinner first."
She looked back out at the beautiful scene
before her, and she could smell the flowers on the evening air. Jack seemed to
sense her gaze and turned to look in her direction, giving her a smile and a
wave before turning back to his drawing. Yes, she was really happy.
There was another piece of news she wanted to
share with Maria and Fabri. But not yet, not until she told Jack.
Maybe tonight she could at last tell him, no
show him, as she placed his hand on her stomach, that things did work out for
them. She and Jack would be linked forever with the wonder of a child, that
their lives would be joined together in a golden future as bright as the
sunsets they saw each night from their villa. This was not the life she had
once thought she would lead, but it brought her a joy and happiness that she
never dreamt would be possible. Being Jack’s partner for life and the mother of
their children gave her a wealth that would last her the rest of her life.
The End.
Authors Note:
Well, this has taken two years to complete
and I would like to thank all of you that took trouble to e-mail me and say how
much you enjoyed the story. It was e-mails like that, that kept me going when I
was about to give in and I have spoken with so many great people from all over
the world. I would also like to give my special thanks to Shirley of After
Starting Anew. Through this story our friendship has developed and without
Shirley’s advice, encouragement, and editing, I’d have been literally sunk. I
could not have done this without you! Thanks, Shirley! To all who have thought
about writing and not yet done it, I’d say do it! No harm can come, only good,
so have faith in yourself and just write. It may take a while, but it is worth
it in the end.
‘If you ain’t got nothing, you ain’t got
nothing to lose.’
Tracy