Ariana fidgeted with the edge of her towel. Ruby was waiting. “It’s Phillip.”
“Ah, yes. The great director,” Ruby said.
Her aunt had once told her that Phillip put on airs he hadn’t earned. Ariana gazed toward the mountains. “He’s been after me to design and manage costumes for his new film. He put an extravagant amount into the budget for it.”
“Would that mean leaving the studio?”
“Probably.”
“You always wanted to be independent.”
“Then I would be.” Ariana knew she should be pleased about this plan.
“No. You’d be dependent on Phillip.”
For everything. Ariana leaned over, putting her elbows on her knees. The constriction around her ribcage started again, and she tried to breathe against it.
“Darling, are you okay?” Ruby lowered her sunglasses to peer at her.
“Just a flush of some sort.” Ariana straightened in her chair, trying to alleviate the pressure. Next came the racing heartbeat, then the heat that began in her torso. She wrapped her towel around her.
“Indigestion?”
“Maybe,” Ariana said, although she hadn’t had anything to eat. She sipped the icy mocktail.
Ruby leaned forward and placed a smooth hand over Ariana’s. “I have a lot to tell you about my trip to Lake Como.”
Heat ripped up Ariana’s neck and face, and her pulse throbbed in her temples. She passed a hand over her forehead. “Can we talk about it later?”
Staring at her, Ruby drew her finely arched eyebrows together. “You don’t look well.”
Ariana jerked her hand back. “I’m fine. Just stressed over…everything,” she said, finishing with a wave of her hand.
Ruby stared at her, which elevated Ariana’s heart rate even more. “You don’t have to do this,” Ruby said evenly.
“No? Then what else could I possibly do? This is my life.” Ariana pushed back from the table and lurched toward the pool. Feeling light-headed, she stumbled on a step. Flailing, she felt herself falling. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ruby racing toward her.
When Ariana came to, Stefano was kneeling beside her. His fingers were pressed on her wrist, monitoring her pulse, while Ruby was adjusting a cushion from a chair beneath her head.
“You fainted, and you nearly had a hard fall,” Ruby said. “Have you seen a doctor for this?” When Ariana shook her head, her aunt pressed on. “Could you be pregnant?”
Ariana squeezed her eyes shut, though hot tears slipped from her eyes. “I hadn’t meant to tell you like this.”
Ruby’s face lit with joy. “A baby! Oh, my stars, think of that. We’ll have a little one toddling around here in no time. Come, let’s sit in the lanai.” Ruby helped Ariana to a covered area open to the breeze, where fans in the shape of palm fronds spun lazily overhead.
Stefano brought her a thick, terry cloth robe and a fresh towel for her hair.
Feeling cared for, Ariana managed a wan smile.
Ruby tucked the robe around Ariana. “That explains why you didn’t want any alcohol. No wonder you fainted.”
“It’s not that.” Though Ariana’s first inclination was to minimize her symptoms, Ruby was the only one she could talk to without reservation.
“This began before I found out I was pregnant,” Ariana said, bringing her hands to her torso. “It begins with this vise-like grip around my ribcage, and then I get extremely hot. Dizziness sets in, and I feel like I might faint.” Twisting her lips to one side, she added, “This time I actually did. Anyway, the feeling passes in a few minutes, but I feel weak afterward.”
Ruby nodded. “Stress can cause panic attacks. I had something similar years ago during my first live Broadway show run. Stage fright, which hit me off-stage, too. Still, you should be examined. Dr. Espinoza—Lettie—is still practicing in Palm Springs. Stefano can make an appointment with her right away.”
“I should return to work. And Phillip…” Ariana sighed. “He wouldn’t be happy.”
“It’s almost the weekend,” Ruby said. “Take Friday off. A break from Phillip won’t hurt.” Ruby hesitated. “Is he pleased about the baby?”
“That’s why he proposed.”
Ruby pursed her lips and nodded.
“I’ll stay.” While Ariana hated missing work, she dreaded the morning drive back to Los Angeles. As for Phillip, Ariana needed this time with Ruby more.
On a table beside her in the lanai sat an open box of vintage photo albums and mementos. Ariana peered inside, anxious to avoid further comments Ruby might have about Phillip. “What are all these photos?”
“Those are from early in my career,” Ruby said. “I haven’t looked at them in ages. Stefano found that box when he was cleaning out the storage room. Now, about Phillip. Are you sure this is what you want? Today, you don’t have to get married.”
“I’m thirty-two.”
“So?”
Deflecting Ruby’s interest in her relationship, Ariana rifled through the box. “These are really old.” She pulled out a faded cigar box. “Why are you looking through all this stuff now?”
Ruby didn’t answer her, but Ariana heard her aunt suck in a breath. The brand name of King Edward the Seventh was emblazoned across the gold printed top, with the word, Invincible. Ariana lifted the lid. A portrait and miniature crowns graced the interior lid, which proclaimed, A Distinctive Blend of Fine Tobaccos. “What’s all this?”
“Souvenirs,” Ruby said.
Stefano appeared beside them with a tray. “Herbal tea for Ariana, and the rest of your Bellini.”
Ruby beamed at him. “Stefano, you’re a dream. Thank you, darling.”
“Look at this,” Ariana said. “Aida at Terme di Caracalla, 1952.” She lifted out an old opera program. “You must have enjoyed it. You drew hearts on the program.” She handed it to her aunt, who held it in her hands as if it were a rare artifact.
Ruby pressed the program to her chest. “In the summer, the world-renowned opera company, Teatro dell’Opera, performs at Terme di Caracalla, the ancient Roman baths in the middle of Rome. I remember this performance so well.” Her hands sketched out the scene in mid-air. “Maria Pedrini’s magical voice soaring through the balmy night air, the stage set between the enormous propylaea of the calidarium. Utterly colossal. An enchanting evening…” Her voice trailed off.
“Sounds memorable.”
“I’ll never forget it,” Ruby said softly.
Her aunt’s voice held a note of melancholy that Ariana seldom heard, aside from Ruby’s onscreen performances. Studying her aunt, she saw her blink back raw emotion. This was real, not manufactured for directors or cameras. Ariana reached out to her, smoothing her hand over Ruby’s shoulder. “Did something happen there, Auntie?”
Ruby sniffed in annoyance. “Reminiscing doesn’t accomplish anything. Live in the present, that’s what you must always do.” She returned the program to the cigar box and brushed her palms together as if she were finished with the conversation.
Now Ariana’s interest was piqued. She picked up the program. “1952. Aunt Ruby, I didn’t know you made any films in Italy back then. That would have made you about—”