Fashionable hairpieces, bolts of the finest silk fresh from the southern suppliers, and all manner of rare curiosities, until they spilled across my courtyard in heaps.
I stared at the mountain of offerings, lost in thought.
My mother took my silence for hesitation. "Serafina dear, are you having second thoughts?"
"Dominic is clearly still devoted to you, and you haven't been selected yet. There's still time to fix things. Just say the word and we'll set a date, have a proper ceremony..."
I knew my mother had always been fond of Dominic.
Growing up, anything she made for me, she made a second one for the Valenti household.
Winter coats, summer shirts, nightclothes, shoes and socks.
All sewn by her own hand, stitch by stitch.
She'd loved him like a second son.
She never could have imagined that Dominic would prove so heartless, that he would bring ruin on every last member of our family.
I wrapped my arms around her and said softly, "He has feelings for someone else."
She asked who.
I shook my head. "All you need to know, Mother, is that he is not the right man."
Worry creased her face. "But Dom... but Dominic has made it known that anyone who dares propose to you is making an enemy of the Valenti family."
"If you aren't chosen this time, what will become of your future..."
My hands clenched, nails biting into my palms.
Dominic wanted to bring home a decorative wife, a marriage in name only.
Every daughter from the families in Aurelia was his for the choosing.
Why did he insist on clinging to me?
Was it simply because the Corsettis had fallen far enough to be bullied?
Too bad for him. He'd miscalculated.
The summons for the Montecarlo alliance selection arrived, just as I'd expected.
My mother rose before dawn to help me dress.
The gown was elaborate, the hairpiece heavy on my head.
She steadied my shoulders, her eyes rimmed red. "Serafina, whatever happens, selected or not, your father and I and every last member of this family will stand behind you."
A sharp ache bloomed in my chest. I nodded.
The car bound for the Montecarlo estate had been waiting outside the gate for some time.
After saying goodbye to my parents and my sister, I climbed in alone.
Then, outside the Montecarlo estate gates, I ran into Dominic Valenti.
He was helping Carmela out of a black town car, one hand on the door frame, the other steadying her elbow like she might shatter on the pavement.