Chapter 10 - The Grandmother’s Seal: Palmira Recognizes the Forgotten Recipe
The morning after the attack on Pier 9, the atmosphere inside the Orsini estate was electric with tension. Armed guards patrolled the perimeter walls, and the Garden District mansion felt like a fortified castle.
At noon, a vintage black limousine pulled up the circular driveway.
The matriarch of the family had arrived: Donna Palmira Orsini, Carmine’s 82-year-old grandmother.
Palmira was a tiny woman with sharp hawk-like eyes, dressed in elegant Sicilian mourning black, carrying a gold-topped cane. When she walked into the grand parlor, even Carmine stood up with deep respect and kissed both her cheeks.
"You let them burn a warehouse on the river, Carmine?" Palmira scolded in sharp Italian-accented English. "In my day, your grandfather would have ended the man within an hour."
"The police are handling the legal front, Nonna," Carmine said patiently. "And Benny is handling the rest."
"Bah! Lawyers!" Palmira waved her cane dismissively. Then her eyes locked onto Nell, who stood quietly near the dining room entrance holding a silver tea service.
"Who is this child?" Palmira demanded.
"This is Nell Fontaine, Nonna," Carmine said softly. "Emmett Fontaine’s daughter."
Palmira froze. Her sharp eyes softened, scanning Nell’s face with intense emotion. She walked slowly toward Nell, tapping her cane on the parquet floor.
"Emmett's girl?" Palmira whispered. She reached out with a trembling, ring-covered hand and touched Nell’s cheek. "Your father was an honorable man. The only man in this cursed city who knew how to make sfogliatella like they made them in Palermo."
Nell set the tea tray down and bowed her head with genuine warmth. "I made some for you this morning, Donna Palmira. With candied orange and fresh ricotta."
Palmira took a delicate pastry from the tray, broke off a piece, and tasted it.
The old woman closed her eyes. A single tear rolled down her wrinkled cheek.
May you like
"It is him," Palmira whispered. She turned to Carmine, her voice suddenly commanding and lethal. "Carmine. This girl is under the protection of this house. If Conrad Bellarose breathes in her direction again, you bring me his head on a silver platter."
Carmine bowed his head with absolute seriousness. "Consider it done, Nonna."
Related Stories
