Princess of St. Vincent

Chapter 31

"Come here."

Vada rolled her eyes. He was being particularly needy today. She closed the washer and sauntered over toward the living room.

"Yes, your highness?" She asked, as she approached the sofa where he lay holding a book up above him.

"My arms are tired." He said, holding the book out towards her.

"So you want me to hold it for you?" She asked. "it's a heavy book." She frowned.

"My eyes are also tired." He said with a smile.

"Sooo..." She said, wondering what he wanted. Davide sighed.

"So, read to me. "He said, his eyes closed. Vada rolled her eyes. Really- ready to him?

"What page?" She asked, taking a seat in the chair next to him.

"It's folded."He replied. Vada sighed, looking through the pages until she found the folded page and then, clearing her throat she read.

"The night room heaves a sigh, yes Heaves, a Sigh — old-fashioned comical room, oh me, I'm hopeless born a joker never change, flirting away through the mirrorframe something green-striped..." Vada read and stopped suddenly, turning to look at the cover. Gravity's Rainbow.

"Some thing wrong?" Davide asked. Vada stared at him.

"This book is confusing, I've tried to read it a few times." She said. Davide sighed.

"Yes, me too. Let's see if this time we are more lucky." He said. Vada stared at him for a second then went back to the book.

"flirting away through the mirrorframe in something green-striped, pantalooned, and ruffled — meantime though, it is quaint, most rooms today hum you know, have been known also to "breathe," yes even wait in hushed expectancy and that ought to be the rather sinister tradition here, long slender creatures, heavy perfume and capes in rooms assailed by midnight, pierced with spiral stairways, blue-petaled pergolas, an ambience in which no one, however provoked or out of touch, my dear young lady, ever, Heaves, a Sigh. It is not done." She said, finishing the paragraph, her voice low but clear as she thought about what she had read.

Davide sat up and reached out, taking the book from her hands and placing it over his lap. She watched as he looked at the page and seemed to read it again before he handed it back to her.

She raised her brow and looked back down, while Davide stood and walked about the room.

"Will you please continue? You have a good reading voice." He said simply, going over to serve himself something to drink. Vada once again cleared her throat and read.

Davide watched as Vada read, enjoying the steady hum and tone with which she spoke- clear and cool. She stopped, every once in a while and seemed to think about what she read and on occasion she would read it again to herself, whispering it softly as if trying to absorb the words.

For Vada it was hard to concentrate, she could feel Davide watching her but she was also certain he was listening.

Had it been a surprise to her that he liked to read? Not really... maybe. She just hadn't imagined him as the type to lounge about with a book in his hands, but she wasn't surprised that this was the type of book he read and after a short while longer and only two chapters under her belt she stopped.

"I think for now that will do." She said, putting the book on the table and standing. Davide raised his brow.

"Why?" He asked. "I was just starting to enjoy it."