The Giuoco Piano

Chapter 5 - A Night at the Opera

It's after three when they finally make it back to the suite at the Savoy. They have ridden the London Eye and explored the South Bank of the Thames, making it as far as the recently rebuilt Globe theatre where they had done the obligatory tour. Then they had taken a taxi back to the Savoy for a late lunch, and now it was finally time to contemplate the evening and how they were going to approach it.

However, their plans were thrown off-kilter by the announcement by Harold, the Savoy butler, that there had been several packages delivered for Doctor Evans earlier in the afternoon.

Marlena had stopped as he had mentioned it, her blood feeling like it was freezing like ice in her veins. She had successfully managed to avoid thinking about Stefano for most of the day, so to have him force his way back into her head the moment she stepped foot in this room was most unwelcome.

"I should have expected this," she murmured as she neared the packages on the desk.

"Wait!" Roman pulled her back, halting her advance on the package. "We don't know what they are. We need to get them checked out before you go anywhere near them."

"Oh, I have a good idea what they are," she tells him quietly. "Stefano wants to control everything he can. What's in these packages is not dangerous. Not physically. It's just another part of his game."

Pulling her arm from his grip, she steps forward and lifts the largest box. It is addressed to her, care of the Savoy Hotel.

"Would anyone care for a drink before I depart?" Harold asks as the four of them contemplate the box.

"I'll have a martini, please," Marlena says, without thinking. Hope's head whips around to find Roman, who is staring at Marlena with a look of shock on his face. When he finally looks across at Hope, she shakes her head silently. Roman swallows and says nothing, his face ashen as Bo and Hope request a beer and a glass of wine respectively and then Bo tells Harold that Roman will have a beer as well.

Marlena, oblivious to the reactions of her companions, takes a deep breath and pulls the brown paper from around the large, flat box. It is, as she expects, a gift box from Selfridges of London. And when she opens it, she pulls out a floor-length evening gown in deep midnight blue in tiered, ruffled silk. It is exquisite. She had worn something similar on another trip to the Opera House with Roger; although that time, if she remembers rightly, they had been to see the ballet.

"Wow, that dress must be worth a small fortune," Hope breathes. Marlena looks at the label inside the garment and nods. She hadn't expected anything less. Stefano was all about appearance, and if he owned you, he wanted the world to know it. She sighs and lays the dress over the back of a chair. The next box contains strappy heels, a wrap for her shoulders, and a purse to match the dress.

She puts the box back on the desk and picks up the martini glass, taking a large mouthful of the cocktail as she surveys the items in front of her.

The last box is not labeled with the Selfridges legend. Instead, it is a plain silver gift box. When she opens it, she finds a vintage jewelry case in scuffed black velvet. Pressing her lips together, she flips open the lid.

It takes a moment for it to register, but when it does, she literally throws the case back onto the desk and backs away.

He fastened the clasp at the nape of her neck, the gems lying cool and heavy against her skin, dripping down her front like a waterfall of blue and silver fire. She looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the glistening brilliance of the jewels, and then lifted her hand to adjust the necklace a fraction.

- It's beautiful,- she breathed. It really was, and it accented the dress she wore and, on the whole, made her look even more ravishing than she had when she had entered the room to take Roger's breath away. She could see now why Stefano had been coveting this particular piece.