The Twelve Tables Ch. 23

The Christmas Dinner as always was presided over by Antonia and Joseph. The food was lavish, and many speeches were made as the night wore on and people drank more than was good for them. Peri hadn't been surprised that Josh would be asked to make a speech of some sort, and she smiled as she listened to him speak eloquently of the bonds they all shared and his hopes for the future of the Donati family. It was when he got to the end of his speech that she looked up at him in surprise.

"Above all, tonight I would like to thank my wife. It's been a hell of a year for us, and she took it all in her stride, surprising many with her strength and ability to forgive those around her. I can't believe I almost lost her on more than one occasion, and I am so grateful that she sits here beside me now and loves my crazy family and me as much as she does. I think even I underestimated how amazing she truly was at the beginning of our relationship. Thank you, my love," he took her hand and pulled her up beside him. "For making life better, not just for me, but for many of us in this room," he bent and kissed her before holding his glass up. "Here's to the ones we love, Family."

They all raised their glasses and chorused the word "Family". Peri blushed deeply as so many sets of eyes continued to watch her.

"Thank you all for making me feel like family since the first day I met you. Pete was the first member of this family I met, and I have kept him busy ever since meeting Josh," she said smiling at him across the table. "I grew up with just Mum, and me, no aunts or uncles or cousins, that I knew of, so meeting you all has been a big adventure for me. An overwhelming, noisy, messy adventure but one of the most exciting. There have been a few hurdles to overcome along the way, but it's been worth it. It's me who is grateful to Josh, for bringing me into such a loving and accepting group of people, that I am so proud to embrace as my family now." She held up her glass. "To family."

"It's true; my new house will be solely funded from what I have been able to earn from trying to keep Josh's wife alive this year," Pete chuckled coming to his feet. "Not many of you realise that I was the first family member to meet Peri. It was before they started dating even when Josh rushed her into my surgery for the first of what would be many emergencies. The story of how they met and fell in love is quite incredulous given what an intelligent woman she is, so I will echo Josh's words that she is one of the most forgiving and kind women I know." He raised his glass, "To you little Mama."

"I've got to hear that story," Lorenzo chuckled after the toast was given.

"Peri tells it best," Ben said. "After the toasts swap seats with me and get her to tell you."

"Haven't I suffered enough for that?" Josh asked in a pained voice.

"You don't have to listen. She can come sit with us and tell it," CJ said, "We all want to hear it now."

"Peri worked in the research department of the publishing firm where Josh was an editor. He had a reputation for being a bit of an ogre, so when he came down to her department yelling about some research that had been done differently to the way he wanted it, this little mouse stood toe to toe with him and defended her work," Dante began the story. "She'd done more than he had asked for so essentially he yelled at her for doing her job too well."

"Not a great beginning, so where does Pete come in?" CJ asked. "Did she faint or something?"

"No Pete comes in later. After that day Josh realised she was better than most of the research mice who scurried around in the basement, so he moved her up to her own office on his floor of the building and had her research just for him. That's when the stalking began," Dante said lowering his voice making it seem like a sinister act.

"It wasn't like that," Josh rolled his eyes. "Not really."

"You had your chance. I'm the one telling the story now. I should say here that she is also an excellent cook and often made gourmet things for lunch. So one day she's in the break room heating up some pasta in the microwave when her stalker smells the food and goes to find the source. He walks in just as she pulls the steaming pasta from the microwave and turns, he bumps into her and spills the whole molten hot food all over her chest and neck causing excruciating burns," He nodded at them all, hearing gasps from the women who put a hand to their chest.

"Excruciating is a bit over the top. She said she'd be fine. I insisted on a trip to the doctor," Josh grumbled.

"So he drags her down to his car and speeds her over to Doc Pete for a full examination," Dante ignored his protests. "Luckily he'd been stalking her long enough to know her dress size and while Pete examined the damage he went out and bought her a new dress."

"Good grief," Josh slumped in his chair, "Even the nice things I did are being turned on me. I blame you for this," he said to Ben.

"Harden up little brother, we're just getting to the good bit," Ben chuckled.

"There's more?" Emily asked shaking her head.

"So Pete worked his magic, and she had a new dress, so rather than taking her home after the ordeal, he takes her back to work having wasted her whole lunch hour," Dante tried to go on with the story.

"Her car was there, and she said she was fine," Josh interrupted again making Peri let loose the laughter she had been holding in.

"Stop interrupting because it will only get worse," Dante warned Josh.

"Andie's here," she said quietly touching Dante's hand willing him to leave out her flirting with Josh.

"Josh thought he was doing the right thing letting Peri's mum know that she was injured but okay. Andie though came rushing in to check on Peri. This is where things went pear shaped. Peri became distressed that her mother had left work, she'd had a reasonably bad injury and had eaten nothing that day thanks to the hero of our story and that's when she fainted. Passed out cold on her office floor," he nodded as the women gasped again.

"Stalker that he is Josh saw what happened and rushed in picking her up and taking her back to the couch in his office as she came around. Then he called Pete who told him what an ass he was and told him to take her out to eat. So he did but being a stalker type he didn't want Peri's mum along for what would be their first date, so he sent her back to work and took Peri to Zio's place," Dante smiled. "First smart thing he's done in the story, right, but it doesn't finish there."

"Seriously? What else could happen to the poor girl," Tina asked in astonishment.

"They spent a few hours getting to know each other and eating good pasta, with her mouth rather than via her chest this time, and Josh thinks it could count as an early dinner so why not go see a show as well, make a night of it. So rather than taking her home to rest and recover from her ordeal he takes her home and makes her change and get dressed up to go to an art show. What he failed to tell her was that he was bringing her to the house of Lorraine gallery to look at pornographic images," he chuckled seeing Peri blush and Josh shake his head.

"That's so not how it happened," Josh shook his head.

"Now I don't have a lot of detail of what happened later that night, but there must have been fireworks because she went on a second date with him." Dante finished his story with a knowing smirk.

"Definitely fireworks," Peri placed her hand on Josh's cheek and kissed him.

"She tells it better," Dante told his still laughing family, "but that's the abridged version."

"You can't fight true love," Josh said with a smile. "As I recall there's a story of idiocy from the first time she met you too," Josh laughed.

"Luckily we aren't talking about me right now," Dante leaned back in his chair

"First time I ever saw her she was naked, so I win," Carlo grinned and didn't expand on his story as he watched her blush again and cover her face.

"Can we please talk about somebody or something else now?" she asked but laughed good-naturedly

"Hasn't the weather been great these holidays?" Finola offered to make them all laugh again.

*****

The following morning Peri got up early and after doing what she needed to for her babies went to help Antonia and whoever she had asked to make the breakfast for the staff. Peri enjoyed this tradition most of all where the family became the servants for the day and showered their staff with gifts.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I had to see to the babies before I could get away," Peri apologised as she entered the bustling kitchen.

"Oh baby we understood why you might not make it at all," Andie said easily. "You have little ones to look after. I'm glad you're here, though, I have no idea what I am doing," she smiled. Peri immediately donned an apron and began helping the women who had arrived to help this morning. It was fun as she laughed and joked with the other women and while Lucia and Rosanna were there none of the other women of the new table had arrived. Carmen arrived a little bit later and set to work making toast and joining the activity quietly.

The men arrived with the last of the wives in time to serve the breakfast feast to the staff in the banquet hall. All of the children sat in the dining room eating, including Peri's three babies who slept in their rockers amid all the chaos and noise as the nannies joined their counterparts in the banquet hall.

Peri and Andie kept a close eye on the babies while still helping with the cooking as Josh and Dante were both pressed into service. As they stirred more, Peri put aside the apron and went to settle them.

"Thank goodness I'm not the only one," Bianca came in with her baby and sat beside Peri. "I'm not a morning person, and cooking is most definitely not my thing," she said pulling a face.

"Sorry, but I was here over an hour ago," Peri laughed. "Josh brought the babies with him when he came over."

"Oh pooh," Bianca said. "Oh well, I guess you had to with everything that's happened. Better you than me." She seemed good natured in the way she spoke. "I always let Carmen do all of the family stuff for me. She loves it. I always just hung out with Nik at these shindigs. She was lazier than me if you can believe it. I miss having someone who made me look good," she laughed. "Speaking of which, Jules wants me to go with him to Prague and do the house hunting and set up, but if you're happy to organise the christening and include Alberto we'll come back for it."

"Of course, we can talk on skype, and you can tell me what you want regarding decorations and cakes and things," Peri said more than happy to have her agree to the idea. "Lucia and I are going to sit down and talk to Antonia about guests and invitations this afternoon before she heads back to the city. You can let me know about your friends that you'd like invited as well."

"We'll be happy with just family," Bianca shrugged. Peri frowned at that but said nothing. "Jules works with Romey and they have employees rather than friends. The women I work with on the boards of charities are more acquaintances rather than friends. We were always pretty insular. We like our privacy." Bianca explained seeing Peri's frown. "I think you'll find most of us are like that. We have family and people who work for or with us. Making friends outside the family isn't something we often do."

Peri thought about it, as she looked at her mother who had rapidly become part of this family as well. Even her friend Louisa was getting serious with one of Josh's brothers. She'd barely seen or spoken to any of her other friends since falling pregnant. Was she becoming some rich bitch who was too good for her old friends now? She hoped not but the more she thought about it, the more worried she became. Josh's friends from the publishing firm they had both worked at had come to work for him now, and she could that see what Bianca was saying was true even of herself. The difference was that she and Josh treated their employees as friends.

As the morning wore on and the Boxing day ceremony was completed most of the family prepared to leave. Peri would be staying with her family for at least one more day, so she and Antonia took the opportunity to return to her retreat with Lucia.

"I never even knew this room was here," Lucia said in wonder.

"That's the whole point," Antonia laughed. "It's time though to share my secrets with the new Mother, and I am overjoyed you will be staying here with us. Now where to begin," Antonia considered a wall of old well-used books.

"This," she said taking a book from the bottom shelf, "is our table. All twelve of the men who sat on it and their families. When seats died, we still invite their widows and children to the gathering and depending on the relationship, Joseph and I had with them, to other family events. It also includes Josephs sisters who married into other tables and their families. It's getting a bit wieldy now and will need to be split up as I did to the table before that, Joseph's parents led." She pointed to the shelf above which had obviously been split into twelve, by the variety of coloured covers that nestled together in small groups.

"You do all of this by hand," Lucia blinked in astonishment

"There wasn't the technology to contain it all when I inherited the system from my mother-in-law," Antonia laughed. "I think your generation forget that computers are a relatively new technology."

"These are amazing you should have them all bound properly and kept with the family reliquary," Peri said touching one of the older covers. "Do they go all the way back to the first table?"

"This information is far too important to give it to anyone else if it were lost we could never recover it all and be sure we hadn't forgotten something. Even Vincenzo's records are not as well kept as these," she said proudly.

"Do all of the Mothers have systems like this?" Peri asked her mind immediately seeing the potential to reduce greatly the work needed for each of the family histories her team was working on.

"I imagine they would have something similar that has been passed down from generation to generation," Antonia nodded. "Whether you keep it in the same form or choose to do it another way is entirely up to you."

"This is too much of a treasure not to maintain it the way it is, but I may make a copy that will be easy to update and access for family events. There is a novel writing program that would allow for all of the extra information you've collected and be able to track the familial links to the other tables," Peri's mind was working as she took in what an amazing cache of family information was at her fingertips. "I wonder if I could talk to CJ before he leaves about the program I am thinking of and what I'd like it to be able to do, to make this work just the way you have always used it," she mused.

"Sweet girl," Antonia laughed. "You're the mother. You call him and tell him you need to speak to him before he leaves. Each of those men will do what you ask now. They can argue with Josh, but they won't dismiss you lightly."

"I'm not part of the table," Peri was astonished. "Those men won't drop everything for me."

"Even my daughters believed that the women in our family were kept barefoot and pregnant and had no career or chance at a life outside the home," Antonia smiled. "Much of what I did I couldn't share with them because they were destined to leave our family for another but if they knew their Zia's better they would have seen what powerful women they were in their own right. The men do not underestimate our influence in the public arena. We do bear the future Donati leaders, but that is not the sum of our worth."

"They are men, and they will deal with the men, but we wives and mothers often guide those dealings. At times we even smooth the way for access to men they wish to deal with by our connections as mothers of rich and powerful future leaders of society," Antonia explained as Lucia looked at her as if she had grown two heads. "Close your mouth Lucia, you all saw what you wanted to see, but if any of you had asked what I did, I would have told you, but you assumed I was nothing more than a mother and wife. I suggest you talk with Marisol; she's a brilliant chemist who has built that winery up by herself as Andreas took on two roles within the table."

"Andreas has all those awards for the wines they produce, though," Lucia frowned.

"No the winery has all those awards, and Marisol runs the winery which belongs to the Donati family," Antonia corrected her. "What you need to understand is that everything belongs to the family, not individuals. We are only the caretakers for future generations," Antonia lectured. "Nothing we do is for personal glory, even though we take pride in our accomplishments, in the end, it is to make our family name synonymous with excellence in both our business and philanthropic work. Joshua has always understood that, it's why he protected Veronica and covered up for her so often. It's why your father was so strict and why the watchmen are a necessary evil."

"Maybe Lucia could stay an extra day with me and learn more about the work you and her aunts do for the family. Then we could look at this a bit more tomorrow as well," Peri suggested. "I would like to see CJ before he leaves though and check on the babies. I'm not sure how Josh is coping and I hope he let the girls enjoy their morning off, rather than calling them back too soon."

"I'd like that," Lucia said looking at her mother with a soft smile. It hadn't occurred to her even once how Antonia would feel having to give her daughters away and trust the women from other tables as daughters and her secrets with them.

"I'll have CJ meet you at the cottage, and you can do both things at the same time," Antonia spoke while picking up her phone. "Lucia and I will go and see our husbands as well about the change in plans. Go see your babies we can meet again after the first planes have departed."

Antonia made several short calls and the three women left the small private room and went down into the dining room before going in separate directions. Peri had begun walking to the cottage when Carmen caught up to her.

"Peri, can we talk for a moment please?" She asked causing Peri to stop and turn to look at her. She glanced around realising that they were alone in the area just beyond the corner of the house. She began to walk slowly backwards as Carmen approached her not wanting the woman to get too close.

"You can talk from there, Carmen," Peri said stiffly taking her phone from her pocket and swiping it open, she pressed the quick call button she had for Josh but didn't put it to her ear. Instead, she just held it as a silent witness.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Peri," she said indignantly.

"Funny, that's exactly what Nik said to me before she tried to kill me," Peri said. "You came into my home, stood over one of my babies and threatened me, Carmen. I have every right be concerned that you want to talk to me here where no one can see or hear us." She saw the other woman blanche at the accusation.

"I behaved badly," Carmen admitted. "I would never hurt you or your family any more than you would hurt mine."

"This little ambush is supposed to be reassuring?" Peri asked her fear rising. "I don't know what the two of you want from me. I won't just lie down and let you steamroll me because you have been part of this family longer than me or come from other respected families. Antonia trusts me why can't you?" She continued to walk backwards as she spoke gripping her phone tightly knowing Josh was listening and inching closer to the safety of the Athenaeum and surrounding buildings.