Cap said, “If you wanted to get married in a hurry you didn’t need to go off to Staten Island. You could have done it at City Hall with less fuss.”
“We didn’t go to Staten Island thinking we’d get married,” Jack said. “That was just fortunate timing and my good luck.”
“They went to talk to the priest about the littlest Russo boy,” Sophie reminded Cap. She turned to Anna. “No success?”
“We didn’t find Father McKinnawae,” Anna said, and then hesitated, her face turned toward the closed door. “What are those voices I’m hearing downstairs?”
Sophie shrugged at her apologetically. “You knew Auntie couldn’t help herself.”
“Everybody? The whole household is here?”
“Your people too,” Cap said to Jack. “You never said your father was a giant.”
Jack’s expression had been calm, almost sleepy, Sophie thought, but his head came around with a jerk.
“My people?”
“Your sisters, and your parents,” Sophie said. “Aunts, uncles, a couple brothers. I didn’t catch all the names.”
Anna gave a small shake of the head, and then she laughed.
“We thought we were so clever,” she said. “That will show us.”
Jack put a hand on her neck and kissed the top of her head. “Between my sisters and your aunt it was inevitable. None of them has any self-control when it comes to a party.”
“They love you,” Sophie said. “We love you. And we’re all happy for you.”
Cap said, “You’d better go down before they storm the castle, but tell us first about what happened on Staten Island. You didn’t find your Father McKinnawae, but something happened, I can tell from Anna’s expression.”
Anna said, “We can’t talk about this with the Russo girls in the house. Not a word about Father McKinnawae or Staten Island. Not today. Maybe not ever.”
“You found him,” Sophie said. “You found Vittorio?”
Anna nodded and Jack studied his shoes. Another set of complications, something Sophie hadn’t anticipated.
“You’re right,” Cap said. “This is a discussion for another day. Go on now, there’s a party waiting to get started in the garden. Come back up here when you can,” he added. “That will be time enough to talk about the inquest and the Campbell boys.”
Sophie froze where she stood.
From the door Anna looked back at her. “Of course he’s read the papers. You know how he is.”
“She did her best to keep them from me,” Cap said. “But all she had was Mrs. Harrison helping her, while I had Mr. Vine on my side, and Mr. Vine has a checkered but quite useful past when it comes to smuggling.”
? ? ?
IN THE HALL outside Cap’s room Sophie said, “I did try to hide the news from him. Or I suppose I was trying to hide it from myself. I can’t bear to think about those boys.”
Anna put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “Sophie, I don’t mean to be unfeeling, really. I am terribly worried about the Campbell boys, but I’m asking you to put all that aside for just a little while. I’m about to meet my parents-in-law and I can’t think of much else.”
“Come on then,” Jack said with a resigned smile. “Let’s put you out of your misery.”
“I don’t even have time to change into better clothes,” Anna mumbled, but she let herself be led downstairs.
“We’ve been outmaneuvered,” Jack said, squeezing her hand. “Let’s surrender with our dignity intact.”
? ? ?
THE FIRST THING Anna noticed as they walked into the garden was Rosa and Lia, each of them hopping in excitement, their arms full of flowers. They hurtled themselves toward her, and she crouched down, arms spread, to catch them up. She thought, Your brother is healthy and well and I’m sorry I can’t say even that much to you. Instead she hugged them and kissed their cheeks and took the bouquets they thrust at her, fat pink and white peonies so full of scent that she sneezed, and set the whole party to laughing.
When she looked up Aunt Quinlan was there, leaning on her cane. Anna went to her, this small woman as fragile as an iron rod, unflinching and absolute in her love and devotion. She pressed her face to her aunt’s and drew in a deep breath. There was nothing to say, because she couldn’t put what she was feeling into words.
“Come now,” her aunt said. “Let me have a look at this husband of yours, and then we’ll sit down with your new family.”
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