Disclaimer: You've already read it fourteen times… on with part III!
"Ubaldo", she whispered.
He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close.
"I knew it was you! It had to be you!"
"I wasn't sure you would return my feelings."
"Oh, Baldo…"
Carlotta flung her arms around him and kissed him fervently. She finally broke their kiss.
"But… the presents… the masquerade…Yvette… how?"
Ubaldo smiled at her.
"When you were injured, I had Rodolfo deliver them… as far as the other go, you have a bad habit, my dear Lotta, of not locking your doors… it made slipping them in quite easy."
Carlotta laughed.
"I do to lock my doors…"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive"
"You stick the key in but you do not turn it."
Carlotta was stumped.
"Do I really?"
"Yes… your door was only locked once, and even then it was quite easy to pop it open, seeing as you had only locked the bottom lock."
Carlotta laughed.
"I'll have to be more careful."
Ubaldo laughed and gently stroked her face.
"As far as the masquerade goes, I'm an actor", he said hiding his distinctive Italian accent.
Carlotta laughed. So that was why she hadn't recognized him when he visited her in her dressing room and then later as Santa Claus!
"You're just full of wonderful surprises, aren't you?"
"There's one more, cara mia… Yvette was just a deception. In reality, Lotta, she is Marguerite's sister… she agreed to help me out in return for setting her up with Rodolfo."
"Rodolfo?"
"Yes… they got together on the night of the masquerade".
So she had been right… she did see Yvette on a bench with someone!
"I apologize for the deception, and the pain I caused you, Carlotta… I thought--"
"I know what you thought, Ubaldo… and you were right. If I had not seen you with that woman…"
Her eyes suddenly widened.
"I owe her an apology…"
"Why?"
Carlotta told Ubaldo about the incident in the garden a few days earlier when she had hit the girl.
"I will apologize to her first thing in the morning".
Ubaldo laughed.
"What?"
"I can guarantee you that that is not the first thing that you will be doing tomorrow in the morning…"
Carlotta looked at him flirtatiously.
"What are you suggesting, Signor Piangi?"
"Not a thing, Signora Giudicelli… not a thing".
He smiled and stared into her eyes. Once more, Carlotta found herself mesmerized by the power in his radiant brown eyes. His thick brown hair shone in the moonlight and he smelled of cologne. His touch was warm and gentle.
The couple once again melted into a deep and passionate kiss, and this time it was Ubaldo that broke the kiss.
"I almost forgot…"
He fumbled around in his pocket, pulled out the twelfth package, and popped the box open before holding it out to Carlotta.
"Merry Christmas, Carlotta".
Inside the box lay a diamond engagement ring.