Chapter Text
May 1st, 1923
“You f**king did what?!” Luca shouted at his parents.
For a long time, there was complete silence in the car. Mostly because Luca had never dared to raise his voice at his parents, much less swear at them. Angelo, he was staring at him in a combination of shock and terror. Well, in Luca’s mind he had a right to be outraged. He’d come back for his cousin’s wedding. Luigi Changretta was marrying some Swedish girl, Mira Ahlm. Yes, there was talk of marriage in the air, that was naturally expected. However, hearing that his father had betrothed him to Elisabetta Sabini…that was NOT expected!
“Luca,” his mother said. “she is a good girl---
“I do not care!” He stated emphatically.
“Don’t raise your voice to your mother!” His father said sharply. “I did this for you!”
“You did this for me??” He let out an incredulous laugh as he mocked him. “No. You didn’t do this for me, you did this for you.”
“Luca---
“If you did this for me,” he snapped. “you’d have let me chose my wife as you chose mama! Vecchio bastardo di merda!” (You f**king old bastard!)
his father’s face went pale and under ordinary circumstances he would have apologized, but no. He wouldn’t apologize. Not today he would! Angelo, spoke up though. “Please, can we all just take a moment. This is shocking to hear.”
His father shook his head. “He is speaking with disrespect! It is not to be accepted.”
“I’m not a little boy,” he sneered. “I’m a grown man. I’ll speak to you as I wish! I do not live in your house!”
“Enough!” Angelo said. “Before you both say something that you regret!”
Luca shot him a look. “You shut the f**k up Angelo! You wait! If he pulls this with me, he will f**k around with you as well! Just wait till you want to get married and he’s put you in a contract to marry some f**king stranger!”
“Angelo wants to get married,” his father stated. “you don’t.”
Luca shook his head. “That’s a f**king lie!!”
“Other than that Autumn f**king Shelby!!” His father shouted at him, causing him to go still. No one spoke her name around him. It was a silent agreement that she wasn’t discussed. Not since their engagement had ended, well, it wasn’t really an engagement either. He had a ring, which he hadn’t been able to get rid of although he hadn’t heard from her in years. “She was a f**king child---
“Vincente!” His mother said sharply. “Stop! Just stop…please! That will not help!”
Luca exhaled and jerked his head to the side to look out the window. It was a dark and cloudy night and he was glad. His father couldn’t see the pain that was in his eyes. He was glad for that. He still loved Autumn, at least, he thought he did. A part of him did and it always would. He dreamed of her on occasion. Her beautiful blue eyes, her creamy skin, her pink heart-shaped lips that he never kissed enough. Her laugh, the way she stammered when she was nervous or she flushed a deep shade of pink…he loved that about her so much. It had been five years since their engagement had fizzled into nothingness. But there hadn’t been a day that he’d stopped thinking about the only woman he’d ever wanted to marry.
Autumn Shelby.
Their love had been nothing from controversial from the moment it began. And throughout the years their tale had only grown more controversial to everyone but them.
November 19th, 1900
That was the day that everything that 'started'. He was ten years old when she’d been born. Their families had grown up together, his father kept an eye on her brothers and his mother helped educate the Shelby brood. She’d been around, but all he saw was a scrawny and shy little girl, nothing worth noticing.
The first time he noticed her was the spring of 1913. It hadn’t been anything more than a casual glance and he’d thought to himself that some boy was going to be very lucky. She had beautiful, bright blue eyes, flawless skin and rich brown hair. She’d started to mature, so she’d be a gorgeous woman. The war started next year and all of her brothers signed up. He was an American, so he avoided the draft. Angelo was too young, so he stayed home and helped protect his family. It wasn't an easy time.
It wasn’t until nearly three years later, when she’d turned sixteen that he saw her looking back at him during all the neighborhood events. He’d catch her staring at him and she started blushing. At first he thought it was all in his head, but…there’d be moments between them. He figured it was just a schoolgirl crush and relatively harmless. He never did anything to encourage her, she was just very shy and reserved. It was strange to see how the boys in the areas tease her because of her stammer. She’d be standing in the corner and he’d ask her for a dance or two out of sheer pity. At least, that’s what he told himself, but he couldn’t help but notice how she fit just right in his arms. Or they’d meet at the punch bowl or dessert table and find themselves talking about the latest book or something in the newspaper that she’d read that morning. She was a strange girl. These were the moments where he’d forget that there was a ten-year age gap between them. She’d talk about poetry, apparently the Italian poets were her favorites. He indulged her conversation because she was a Shelby and her name carried some sway around the area. That made life easier for Angelo, especial since prejudice towards the Italians was growing as the war stretched on.
But things changed for them in 1917 when they both happened to be in line for a Charlie Chaplin movie, ‘Easy street’. She’d come alone and so was he. Normally, there’d be guards surrounding her, but there was a war on. Men were scarce, that left her free to be pursued by anyone. He’d shaken that thought out of his head. But it was quickly chased back into his head when Autumn followed him sat beside him, like they were on a date. They’d laughed together, he shared his popcorn with her and it had been the most fun that he’d ever had on a date in years. Of course it hadn’t been a date, but it had begun to take a turn when their hands had touched in the bag of popcorn. He’d felt it. It’d felt a f**king spark that warmed his blood.
After the picture, he’d stood up, offered her his hand, which she took and he led her out of the movie house. He didn’t know how it happened, but they wound up walking down the street to the park. They’d talked about several things that afternoon, intimate and deep things. He’d then asked her to join him for dinner and she’d eagerly accepted his invitation. Autumn was very mature and well read for her age. She enjoyed talking to him and he enjoyed her smile as well as her occasional stammer. She spoke clearly when she was with him and he'd suspected that her stammer was due to nerves.
He’d gotten her home by 9:00 and when he helped her out of the car, she’d looked him dead in the eye and asked him. “Are you going to ask me out again, Luca Changretta?”
He hadn’t thought that she’d ever ask him such a thing. But as he stood there looking at her, he realized that she knew that he had doubts and this was her way of encouraging him. He remembered looking at her for the longest time before asking for his own verification. “Would you…like to go out with me again?” She nodded and he added. “Like, on a proper date?”
Her face had started glowing as she said softly. “Very much so.”
His moral conscience had prompted him to state. “Just so you know, I am turning twenty-eight---
“April 17th.” She’d said softly, surprising him for a moment. It was January 10th. “I know.”
He hesitated before asking her. “And you are?”
She bit her lip before stating. “A gentleman isn’t supposed to ask.”
He chuckled. “I know, I just…want to make sure I’m not breaking any laws.”
She’d inhaled and said in a voice that tattled that she’d done her research. “Legally, I can marry and,” she bit her lip, lowering her gaze as she blushed. “I can c-consent to sex if I c-choose to be with you.”
He studied her and asked. “So, you’re sixteen?”
“Older.”
She was being cagey about her age, while being honest. He nodded and tilted her chin up with one finger. Heat flooded her gaze as he said. “So, I’m about 10 years older than you.” She didn’t respond, but the way she blinked was a clear ‘yes’ to him. “You sure that you want me to take you out? There’s plenty of boy’s your age around.”
She’d licked those perfect lips of hers and said. “I want to go out with you.”
That had been the end of that for him. He hadn’t thought about anything more than that. She wanted him and he was intrigued to know more about her. They started going out behind her aunt’s back and his parent’s back. At first, he thought it would be a silly little thing, that they had nothing in common but he was wrong. The more they talked, the more he realized that wasn’t true. She was a deeply intellectual, well-read and sensitive person. She had a deep appreciation for the music and the arts. Unlike most people, she had an appreciation for cultures other than her own. She spoke fluent Latin and Italian. Turned out that she had been studying Italian in secret ever since she was thirteen.
After two months of dating, he kissed her for the first time and his whole world had spun. It had been her first real kiss, at least that’s what she said. She’d been kissed a few times, but she said she’d never felt anything like that before in her life. While he’d had 10 years experience over her, but those kisses of hers…they’d lit up his whole life. He couldn’t remember what the other women in his life had been. She erased every single woman out of his life and he was glad for that. After that, he found himself getting drunk on her. He told himself that he’d wait until she was eighteen before he took her, but she didn’t make it easy on him. She held him, she kissed him, she begged him for more and he couldn’t stop himself from indulging her. Six months into the courting, she was letting him touch her and she had orgasm after orgasm at his hand. She’d asked him to teach her how to pleasure him orally and he’d done it. Oh! She’d been absolutely amazing and she, unlike most women, had enjoyed it. She’d nearly brought him to his knees several times as the time to her 18th birthday grew closer.
But that promise didn’t last.
On November 1st, Luca had spoken to her on the telephone and she said that she needed to talk to him. He told her to meet her outside the movie theater. She’d showed up, wearing a blue dress that he loved seeing her in. He’d kissed her, told her that she looked beautiful and that he loved her. He hadn’t meant to say that aloud, but he’d been unable to stop himself from saying those words. However, he’d been overjoyed when she said that she loved him back. That had lead to some heated kisses with her pressed back against a brick wall. When he’d broken the kiss, she’d been gasping and clinging to him. She was looking up at him with those bright blue eyes of hers and he’d known that was the moment. If he waited any longer, he was going to take her against the wall and she didn’t deserve that.
He’d taken her hand, led her to his car, gotten her settled and then driven to the fanciest hotel and gotten a room. Autumn had been nervous at first, but he’d asked her if she wanted to be with him. She’d nodded and breathed yes. The room, he didn’t remember much about the room. He only remembered her. She’d worn a white slip underneath the dress, no panties or brassiere. She wanted him and she wanted to be with him. Oh, she’d blushed so prettily as he put her willing and naked body on the bed. She’d trembled underneath him, but held him close as he’d gotten on top of her. He’d been gentle with her. He’d been loving and tender as he took her virginity and made her into a woman. When they woke up in each other’s arms and he had sex with her for the third time, he knew that it was time to come clean about their relationship to their families. She hadn’t wanted to tell them, stating it was none of their business. While he agreed that it was none of their business, they needed to know. But nothing had gone to plan.
The war ended ten days later.
Nine days later, she turned 18.
It had taken them a few days to get together and talk. She wanted to wait, but he pointed out that her brothers would return and it’d be much easier for them to accept their relationship if it was already established. She’d reluctantly agreed and he’d told his parents. At first, his parents thought that he was joking, then he confessed to being with her for almost a year and their faces had just frozen. To say his father was upset was putting it mildly. He’d exploded, shouting that Autumn was a child and that Luca needed a ‘good Italian woman’. With the ten-year age gap, he understood the concerns, but his heart wasn’t swayed. Autumn was the one that he wanted to marry. He loved her and she loved him. They’d had a good argument, but the argument had been forced to come to a stop when there was a knock at the door. It was nearly midnight, but he’d looked out the window to see Autumn standing there with a bag in hand. He’d opened the door and brought her into the house. His parents had graciously put the fight on hold in order to listen to Autumn. She’d told Polly who’d had a big fight with her. Autumn had packed a bag and left, walking three miles from Small Heath to Digbeth. She was exhausted and his mother had put her up in the guestroom. But when he’d woken up, she was in bed with him, sound asleep with her arms wound around his waist.
He’d gone out that day and bought her an engagement ring. It hadn’t been traditional. It had an aquamarine stone with a silver band. She’d still been asleep in his bed and he’d been reluctant to wake her up, but they had to talk. He’d taken her for a car ride, pausing at the pond and they talked about nothing. Luca had asked her about Polly’s words and she’d told him everything. Polly’s objections were very similar to his parents. They were concerned about the age difference, the fact that Autumn was British, while he was born in America and Italian on top of that. They were concerned about how her brother’s would take it. Luca had plans to move to America and he asked Autumn if she’d prefer to stay here in England or go to America with him. She’d said America. After a brief pause, Luca asked her to be his wife and Autumn had eagerly accepted him. They’d made love in the back seat of his car that day. He’d moved Autumn to his house, that way she was free from the judging eyes of his parents and her aunt’s spies.
On November 31st, her brothers had returned from the war and that very evening, they showed up at his house, guns drawn, disturbing him and Autumn from their night’s sleep. Autumn had been yanked out of the bed by John who was drunk, his eyes red with half-shed tears of pain as he’d come home to find his wife dead and gone. Autumn had screamed that she was in love with Luca which they’d ignored. Luca had been able to talk them down to moving the gun away from his head and Autumn had pulled free from Arthur. She’d gotten in his arms, held onto him and her brothers reluctantly agreed to a temporary truce.
Autumn refused to come home with them, but she returned for the truce. His parents, Polly and her brothers all sat down for the family discussion. They’d all wanted him to end his engagement with Autumn, but they refused to even consider it. They intended to marry. Luca, however, did agree to a brief engagement. He wanted to go to America, get his business set up which he estimated would take two to two and a half years to do. He told them all about his plans, how he wanted the best for Autumn because he loved her deeply. Autumn said that she loved him and as soon as their home was established she would be joining him in America as his wife. Their families weren’t pleased but this engagement gave them time to accept this incoming marriage. No one, was on his and Autumn’s side. They only had each other.
He’d stayed in England until valentine’s day, departing the following week for America. That’s where things had gone strange. They’d kept in contact, writing to each other as often as they could. Autumn stayed in his house for six months until she made up with her family. She’d then returned to their house and all was well until a year later. The letters became scarcer and scarcer until they just stopped coming. He kept writing to her for six months. During a phone call with his mother, she’d accidentally mentioned that Autumn had been seeing some gypsy boy.
His world had stopped in that moment as he listened to his mother rant and rave in fury about Autumn. He’d told her that he didn’t want to hear her name again. He hung up on her and then called his house. He asked for several of his men to tail Autumn and confirm what his mother had said to be true. It was true. Not only was Autumn with the boy, but she was pregnant by him. She was getting married in a few months. He was actually sent an invitation! He’d destroyed it and hadn’t responded. A part of him knew that she was too young for him, but he was still in love with her. Pride stopped him from reaching out to her on the few occasions that he visited his family, but he hated England so much. He only came over for business and Christmas with his family then left immediately thereafter. He’d tried sleeping with other women, but they all paled in comparison to her. She, alone stayed forward in his heart and mind, stopping any other woman from getting close to him and he wanted her to stand there. She alone, was left to him. No other woman had gotten close to him and he’d known that he’d die a lonely, bitter old man.
“It’s a good match.” His father's voice brought him back to the present. “She’s a lovely girl.”
“I don’t care.” He said lowly.
His father exhaled before stating. “You get 9 million pounds as a dowry.” He didn’t even blink at those words. “It’s a good deal Luca. She will make a good addition to the family. Talk to Sabini tonight.”
What choice did he have? His own father had chained him to a woman that he’d never met and the woman that he did love was married with two kids. He had to move on at some point. He just knew that he wouldn’t be able to with Autumn’s wedding ring still burning a hole in his pocket.
Engagement ring
