Page 22 of The Unraveling of Julia

Anna Mattia peered at the pearl, clasping her hands together. “Signoralovepearl. She ’ave many necklace.”

Julia felt frustrated. “But she burned herjewelry, too?”

“Yes.” Anna Mattia clucked, shaking her head.

“Why?” Julia didn’t get it. She’d come here fornothing.

“Don’ know.”

“Anna Mattia, I don’t know why she left me the money and the villa, either.”

“Ché? What?” Anna Mattia frowned, stepping back. “You are family.”

“No, I’m not. Why, did she say she had family?”

“No, no.” Anna Mattia blinked. “Ithinkyou are family from America. Piero think. Wepresumiamo.”

“You presumed? You assumed?”

“Sì.” Anna Mattia nodded, agitated. “She give you money, villa—”

“Right, but I don’t know her.”

“É vero?” Anna Mattia’s hooded eyes widened in disbelief.

“I don’t know her at all. Did she have any children?”

“No.”

Julia felt dumbfounded. “How do you know? Did she tell you?”

“Sì, yes. No marry. No childr’. Never ’ave childr’.”

“What about any sisters or brothers?”

“Don’ know. She ’avenobody. We think you are family from America. Signora tell nobodynot’ing.” Anna Mattia searched her face. “Who are you?”

Julia thought it was a damn good question. “I’m adopted. You knowadopted?”

“Sì, yes. We ’ave.”

“So if Rossi had no children, I don’t know how or even if I’m related to her, at all.”

“But she give you sign.”

“What sign?”

“Perla.” Anna Mattia gestured at Julia’s fist, and Julia opened her hand. The pearl shone like a whitish-gray moon in her palm. Anna Mattia pointed at it with her knobby index finger. “This, asign.”

“Really?” Julia wondered, rolling the pearl from its light to its dark side. “You think it’s from her? Or my husband?”

Anna Mattia shrugged.

“Where’s Rossi buried?” Julia asked, on impulse.

13

The old village cemetery lay nestled in the rolling Chianti countryside, small, still, shaped like one long rectangle with several additions at the end, surrounded by a peaked stone wall. Mounted on the wall were thin headstones of grayish marble streaked with black, their engraving eroded by weather and time. Names and dates like 1825, 1821, and even 1789 were barely visible.

---