Chapter 22

The brief ceremony was highlighted by an exchange of wedding rings, and she learned that in Italy, the wedding ring was worn on a woman’s right hand. Afterwards, they signed the register, and Alexander introduced her to the woman she had noticed earlier. Ysabelle, as cheerful as a spring flower in her suit, glowed with energy and good humor.

Ysabelle shared the limousine that ferried them to the church, and Alexander translated his grandmother’s rapid-fire questions.

Asked if she liked children, Miah declared that she adored them and hoped to have two or three. Ysabelle followed up that response with others of a more housewifely note. Did she cook? Yes, but she didn’t bake very well. Did she sew? Not really; the ability to sew on a button was Miah’s only talent in that field. Did she embroider or knit? No, she didn’t embroider, but she had loved knitting ever since she created tiny garments for a friend’s baby. Alexander was accustomed to women without domestic skills, and he was quic