All Chapters of DON'T MESS WITH THE HEIRESS : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Our wedding was not like a party it was like a harvest festival. We had it in the middle of the vineyard under a white fabric canopy and fairy lights that looked like the stars in the sky. The whole village was there Brigitte was wearing her lace the fishermen were wearing their stiff collars and Sarah was still excited from her trip to Nairobi. The ceremony was over when a shiny black car arrived at the villa gates. The car looked really out of place next to the motorcycles and dusty trucks. Everyone stopped talking. I felt a lump in my throat. I thought it might be a reporter or someone with news. It was Julian who got out of the car. My ex-husband looked older his sharp edges were gone. He looked relieved but very tired. He did not come to the altar he just waited by the stone archway until we said our vows and the music started playing When I finally walked towards him Stephen followed me. He kept his distance his hand resting on his belt. Julian did not touch me he just hand

The press house was cool and dark. It smelled like fruit. Damp stone inside. There were machines in there too. Sunlight came through the windows. Made the dust dance around. A man was standing at the end of the room with his back to me. He had shoulders and strong arms from working hard for a long time.This was Marco Rossi.He did not turn around when I walked in. He just kept lifting a box of glass bottles. The bottles were making a sound like wind chimes."The village is still talking about the wedding " Marco Rossi said. His voice was deep and rough. "They say a Vane married a man with no shoes. They say there was a lot of wine.""It was a day Marco Rossi," I said, trying to sound calm.Then he turned around. His face was old. Wrinkled like the valley. His eyes were dark. They did not look at me with respect. They looked at me with anger. He saw the book under my arm and for a moment he looked surprised."That book " Marco Rossi whispered. "I have not seen that kind of book since

I spent hours with Marco in the press house. We didn't talk about money or lawyers. We talked about the grapes.He showed me the Rossi records. They were hidden at the back of a book. There were notes on soil acidity from 1972. Notes on how the wind changed in August. Marco said it was a secret to making their wine taste like the sun.Marco said, "My grandfather said the land has a pulse." He didn't sound as strong as before. "If you listen closely it tells you when its thirsty. Your father... He didn't listen. He just measured."When I left the press house the sun was high. My dress was dirty from the floor. My hands were stained with ink from the deed. I felt more beautiful than I did in my wedding dress.I walked back to the villa.. I didn't go inside. I went to the well. It's the one I told Stephen about in Paris.I put down the bucket. The rope was rough on my hands. The water came up. Spilled over. It was clear and cold. I splashed it on my face. It shocked me. It felt like a ba

When the sun went down the whole village was talking about what was going on. The news that the Vane Woman was seen at the press house with the Rossi book spread like crazy.I asked Brigitte to get everyone together all the people and the young guys who work on the land. We did not meet at the house. At the edge of the property where the old stone archway is. That is the line between our land and the common land that anyone can use.Stephen stood next to me he did not say a word. I was glad he was there. He knew this was not his problem to fix he was there to make sure I could handle it.Marco Rossi was also there he had his arms crossed and looked really serious. Next to him was an older woman with her hair pulled back in a bun, Sofia Rossi, Vittorios daughter. She looked at me with eyes that had seen a lot."You asked us to come " Sofia said, her voice was like leaves blowing in the wind."I did," I. I held out the book so everyone could see it. "This book proves that the land belon

The morning after we met at the archway the air felt really fresh. The whole atmosphere was light and nice. It wasn't because of the weather though. It was because the Rossi Deed was no longer a secret. The Rossi Deed was now in Sofias hands. That made a difference. The sun shone on the valley floors.I woke up at 4:30 AM. I didn't wake up because of a dream or a noise. I woke up because I felt the earth pulling me like it was telling me to get up. Stephen was already awake beside me. We didn't talk, because sometimes in the morning talking feels wrong. We got dressed in the light put on our clothes and our favorite boots.When we went out onto the terrace the valley was covered in mist. Today people were moving around in the mist. I saw lanterns in the distance like stars on the ground. The village was awake. Marco had already started working. By the time Stephen and I got to the North slope I could hear the sound of shears cutting. It echoed off the stone."You are late " Marco said