Casanova: Marriage of convenience, or is it?
Giacomo sighed he had just sold his pure silver watch; he had then bought Astra an engagement ring. It was a pure golden band with a diamond mounted on the solid band.
He was going to propose to her that up and coming afternoon before the evening ball where her father would announce their engagement.
Later on that afternoon Rocco was walking around the grounds, when he came across Astra she was sitting on a bench near a water fall. She was reading a book.
Rocco thought she looked extremely beautiful, Giacomo had been right. Her light blond hair gleamed in the sun light. The sun gave her smooth unblemished skin a slight glow, while she looked lovely in pale lilac.
She looked up when she sensed she was not alone. She smiled slightly and said "oh, hello, it is Rocco I presume? You are Giacomo's man servant and also his friend, aren't you?"
Rocco nodded. He noticed she was also pleasant and polite enough even to him, who was not of noble blood. She was clearly not like the rest of her family she seemed to be the exception.
Astra looked thoughtful as she asked "Rocco, you know that silver watch Giacomo had with him yesterday? Do you happen to know why he does not have it with him today?"
Rocco sighed "I'm not supposed to say anything, but he sold it this morning. He sold it for money to buy you an engagement ring."
He watched as Astra's eyes widened before a look of guilt spread across her face. She said "Rocco would you mind taking me to the place he sold it, I wish to buy back for him?"
Rocco was surprised, she hardly knew her husband to be, but she was still willing to give back what he gave up for her. Rocco smiled and nodded. She was going to make such a wonderful wife. It was a shame in some sense that her husband to be was in love with another woman, not just any woman but her sister in law.
He knew that was going to be hard for her, he felt deep sympathy for her. Giacomo was right she did not deserve it. She deserved to have a husband who worshiped the ground she walked upon, and every tiny thing about to her no matter what.
An hour and half later found Astra and Rocco at the shop He and Giacomo had gone to earlier on that morning. The shop keeper looked up at Rocco and commented "back again and so soon as well." He turned to Astra and asked "and you madam what can I do for you this fine day?"
Astra replied "my soon to be fiancée came in here this morning along with this man" she gestured to Rocco. "He sold his watch, I would like to buy it back, and return it to its rightful owner. I hope you still have it and have not sold it."
The shop keeper nodded "no madam I do indeed still have it." He bent over and reached inside a display cabinet and removed a round shaped, solid silver pocket watch.
He handed it to Astra who examined it and nodded confirming it was Giacomo's pocket watch. She had the man wrap it up in a white box lined with golden tissue paper.
He then handed her the box, and she counted the correct amount of money out, and then handed it to the shop owner. Later on that afternoon, Giacomo found Astra in her own personal library. She was sat on a soft black couch made of soft velvet.
She was reading a book, the same book she had been reading earlier on in the garden. Giacomo noticed it was Romeo and Juliet that she was reading.
Giacomo smiled "so you're into those tragic love affairs that are doomed from the very start?" Astra sighed "you would know about that wouldn't you?"
The meaning of her retort was loud and clear to Giacomo. He closed his eyes and sighed. He supposed she did have the right to feel that she was inferior to Henriette; he wished it was not like that.
Astra commented "oh and whilst I still remember, I have something for you." She removed the box from the cushion at her side. She handed the white box to Giacomo who looked puzzled as he took the box from her. He commented "what is this? You honestly did not have to do this."
Astra replied as he removed the lid and moved the tissue paper a side "I was just returning what rightfully belonged to you, that's all."
Giacomo was surprised to discover it was his watch that he had sold that morning. He asked "where did you get this? And how did you know I had sold it?"
Astra replied "Rocco told me some what reluctantly what you had done, when I confronted him and asked where your watch had gone and why you were not wearing it like you had yesterday."
She added "so I had Rocco take me to the place you had sold it and I got it back for you. You should have never had to have sold it."
Giacomo was speechless, he couldn't believe it. She had had gone and done something so thoughtful and completely selfless, and was clearly not asking for anything in return. Not even his love.
Giacomo swallowed down hard on the guilt that suddenly plagued him. He was marrying her out of mere convenience to stay out of prison.
Giacomo slowly sat down beside her and put his head in his hands and breathed in and out deeply. He startled when he felt a warm and tiny hand touch his shoulder ever so gently.
He looked up to see the sympathetic smiling face of his soon to be fiancée. Her eyes were full of sadness and acceptance. She said "it is not your fault, you can not help who you love no one can." Giacomo shook his head and said "I am so, so sorry. You deserve so much more then this."
Giacomo reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small black box. He opened the box to reveal the ring he had gotten for her. He said sadly "I'll try to be the best husband that I can if you marry me. All I can promise is that I'll try."
Astra nodded "I know you will. And I accept." Giacomo nodded and removed the ring from the box; he then took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger.
It was official he was engaged. That night the older Grimani would announce the up and coming marriage to the society.
Later on that evening the ball was in full swing. Grimani had announced their engagement, the whole of society by tomorrow would know.
Astra was dressed in a off the shoulder flowing gown of pale lemon silk with white embroidery. Her hair had been pinned half up and half down in soft and bouncing barrel curls.
Giacomo and Astra danced along with the others, in time with the music playing. Giacomo eyed Henriette over Astra's shoulder. She returned the look from over the shoulder of the other Grimani sibling.
Astra sensed Giacomo was looking at somebody and her suspicions were confirmed when she turned to face Giacomo and noticed which direction he was looking in and who he was looking at.
Giacomo and Henriette quickly noticed Astra had noticed what they had been doing. They both watched as she turned away and pointedly ignored it. Giacomo and Henriette were amazed. If Astra's brother had seen that, he would have kicked a stink up and made a scene.
Henriette felt bad really bad for her sister in law. This was her engagement ball and she was be subjected to having to watch her fiancée and her sister in law making eyes at each other. Henriette had no idea how she did it.
At the end of the evening as the ball was drawing to a close Astra left Giacomo's side and went to talk to someone she knew, while her brother was talking to his father surrounded by men of wealth and power.
Giacomo and Henriette stood to one side as they talked. "She is taking this so well, I feel absolutely terrible Giacomo. I don't want to hurt her; I wanted her as a sister. But I can see she is already drawing away from me, not that I can blame her of course."
Giacomo sighed and nodded "I know I feel like crap as well. Today I sold my silver pocket watch" he held up the pocket watch to show her. "I sold it to buy her the ring you see on her finger. A couple of hours later she returns it to me. Henriette she got Rocco to take her to buy it back for me. She never expected anything in return."
He sighed frustrated "god, how can she be so selfless and unassuming? She is nothing like her brother or her father. I'm finding it hard to grasp the fact she is a noble born Grimani, she is nothing like them it is astounding."
Henriette said "she is the one true exception. She is going to make you a wonderful wife Giacomo. Treat her right; even if you don't love her, she deserves respect. She has been pulled into this against her will."
They turned when they heard a beautiful laugh near by. They discovered it was Astra. Her face lit up beautifully when she laughed. Henriette sighed "wow even her laugh is beautiful." Giacomo nodded in agreement. He realised he was very lucky, luckier then he rightful deserved to be.
Here was this incredible woman, who was willing to accept her husband to be would never truly love her back. Giacomo found his ultimate respect growing for her by the second.