The Beauty Within (Sequel to Blossoms in the Snow)

The Beauty Within

By Dorothy P. Freda

(writing as Paula Freda)

© March 24, 2022 by Dorothy P. Freda

(Pseudonyms

Paula Freda aka Marianne Dora Rose)

Smashwords Edition

Full list of credits and copyright links located on the last page of this novel. Thank you.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof. This is a work of fiction; names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

DEDICATION

With thanks to my Dear Lord Jesus and his Blessed Mother Mary whose strength, guidance, and her Holy Rosary, are my anchor in this troubled world, I dedicate this book to my husband, Domenick, whose love, patience and kindness over 48 years kept my dreams and view of the romantic alive and vibrant.

The Lord is our anchor, the anchor we cling to, that keeps our souls afloat, no matter how stormy the sea. Jesus, Son of God, our lifeline. His mother Mary, Blessed Lady, our lifebuoy. Joseph, our cloak, and the Holy Spirit, our wisdom, the map, the path to the Lord.

Author’s Note:

I’ve made one minor change in this sequel with regard to the spelling of Ale’s name. My reason: in listening to the text to audio version of my book, in most cases the audio reader pronounced, the name Ale like the word for the beverage ale. The spelling change to Allie yielded the pronunciation I always intended.

Enjoy the story. It comes with my prayers for the Lord’s blessings and peace of mind and spirit to all.

Paula Freda

Also known as Marianne Dora Rose

CHAPTER ONE

Gabriella eyed her reflection in the wide mirror over her bureau and grimaced. Turning her head from side to side, her silky auburn hair, long and wavy, gracefully swept her narrow shoulders, and hid the edges of her square brow and oval jaw. She wrinkled the bridge of her short nose and sighed. Nature had bequeathed her a pleasant feminine voice, average intelligence that had earned her a college degree in secretarial business and the humanities, and copious, lustrous auburn hair, but erred with the inconsistent shape of her face, along with a sallow complexion, pale green eyes, and a figure bony thin.

She was used to new attendees at the singles parish dance, handsome young men who noticing her from the rear, her long, wavy auburn tresses promising equally beautiful features, hurried toward her. It was always the same as she turned to face them with a welcoming smile on her thin lips, only to hear them clear their throats, bestow an insipid smile, and explain they thought she was someone else, before hastily retreating.

High school had toughened her to rejection. She had long ago accepted her unattractiveness. College was a further awakening. The young men at the parish dances at least practiced etiquette in their hasty retreat. Not that no one ever asked her to dance. The homely young men, and the more mature, more charitable, did make her attendance at the dances pleasant enough for her to return the following month. If all else, she was persistent.

She gave herself a final look-over. Her party frock, green polyester-rayon, scooped-necked and belted at the waist, allowed the pleated knee-length skirt to give some width to her narrow hips. She shrugged helplessly. As good as it gets, she told her reflection.

The dress came with a darker green box coat of the same material, though of a slightly heavier weave, making the outfit appropriate for year-round wear. She slipped on the coat, grabbed her tan purse, a match to her tan pumps, and went into her living room, its furnishings simple, traditional, like herself.

Her best friend, Allie, whom she had met at an earlier parish dance, was the secretary and sister-in-law of Theo Scalone, head of a well-established law firm. Theo was in need of an additional Legal Secretary for the assistant lawyer he had recently hired, a newbie straight out of Law School, eager for experience and advancement. Allie recommended Gaby (her nickname for Gabriella) to Theo.

Theo saw potential in her application and her courteous, respectful demeanor during her interview, along with her outstanding grades that had earned her the Business degree. He was in need of a Legal Secretary for his assistant who showed great promise. He offered her a beginning position as a file clerk and typist, with a generous salary and promise of advancement through hands-on experience, along with financial help for accredited college courses aimed at obtaining a Legal Secretary Certificate to qualify her for said position in his firm.

She accepted the position. Theo, Mr. Scalone, as she respectfully addressed him, kept his promise. Within the year, per his law firm’s policy of granting financial educational aid to worthy employees, he saw to it that she enrolled in accredited evening courses to prepare her for clerical and administrative assistant duties in legal settings, and earn her the required Certificate. Too busy between work and evening classes, she ceased attending the parish dances.

With Spring break and the college closed for the week, free time temporarily became an option again. Allie pressed her to join her and her fiancé, Francis, at the parish dance. About to ask for a rain check, Gabriella sensed something in Allie’s voice, in her eyes, a soft limpid hazel, something akin to anxiousness. She consented. Tonight she meant to draw her friend aside and ask what was wrong.

Allie drove her to the Church parking lot, turned off the ignition to her beige-topped brown Ford, and sat quietly beside her as she flipped down the windshield mirror to check on her light makeup and smooth the sides of her hair, preparing herself for the usual disappointments. The young men who approached from the rear intending to ask her to dance, then quickly retreated when she turned to face them. She breathed deeply. Pretending to fuss with her appearance, she said a quick silent prayer, Okay, Lord, here I go again. Be kind. Blessed Mother make me tough-skinned and understanding. Amen.

Okay, Gaby? Allie asked.

She nodded. Yeah, okay.

They exited the car and walked the short distance to the glass-walled gathering space at the front of the Church Proper, and entered, then descended the steps to the large finished basement that served as an assembly hall and dance floor.

Several of the parishioners had already arrived, and the volunteer band of the month was setting up in a corner of the room. Gabriella scanned the area and spotted Allie’s fiancé at the refreshment table. He was speaking to a tall well-built young man. Sensitive to strangers because of their inevitable uncomfortable gaze when they first met her, she hesitated moving forward, but Allie prodded her. It’s okay Gaby. Come on.

Gabriella followed Allie to the walk-in closet that with its door open, and placement of a long folding table at its front, served as a coat-checkroom. Along with Allie, she checked her box coat and slipped the ticket into her purse, then turned to see if the young man had left.

He was still there. She grimaced, hoping Allie had not arranged a blind date for her, as she had done once in the past at a local diner, with humiliating results. One glance at her, and with a profuse apology, he had explained that he’d totally forgotten a previous family engagement that he was obliged to attend. No one prodded him for a future date, not wanting to add to her hurt and embarrassment. No, Gabriella thought. Allie would not put her best friend through another similar episode. The young man was merely an acquaintance Francis hadn’t seen in a long while, she assured herself. Gabriella continued to follow her friend.

Gabriella, this is my brother, Anthony, Allie introduced. I had a hard time convincing him to come as I did you.

Your brother? Gabriel asked, startled. She knew that Allie and Dorothea had a brother, a middle child, older than Allie and younger than Dorothea. However, she had never met him. One glance at him, though, and she quickly caught the family resemblance. A handsome young man, slightly older than herself she guessed, with mid-length wavy hair, a rich brown, combed neatly back behind his ears to the nape of his neck. Oh, this is the brother I’ve heard you mention, Gabriella said.

Yup, that’s him, Allie said. My protector, friend and nuisance at the same time. Tony, she introduced.

I prefer, Anthony, he said, dark brown eyes meeting Gabriella’s pale green ones.

Here we go again, she thought, expecting the usual reaction.

Pleasure to meet you, Gabriella. A lovely name by the way.

A pleasant, even-keeled voice, warm and soothing, calming, bereft of hypocrisy. She scanned the attractive face and the smile. No sign there of insincere charitableness. Of course, she reasoned, he was Allie and Dorothea’s sibling, reared by the same parents, gentle, kind, practicing Christians who had brought up their children in an atmosphere of self-giving and devotion to the Lord.

Gabriella returned his smile, and accepted his offered handshake. He was for real, she thought, wishing with all her heart that she was beautiful and able to attract him.

Well, he said, it looks to be an evening of fun and dancing. Allie tells me you’re a good dancer, far better than me. But I’ll do my best.

So, he was being kind, after all, Gabriella thought. Yet he’d shown no adverse reaction upon meeting her face to face. Possibly, Allie had told him of her friend’s homeliness and past rejections. His kindness felt genuine and sincere, from the heart, a humble, spiritual kindness. She found no fault in that.

She laughed, feeling the burden of physically needing to impress evaporate. Yes, it does promise to be a lovely evening. But Allie is exaggerating about my dancing. I’m not that good.

Allie doesn’t exaggerate. She’s blunt and to the point, especially with me. We had more than our share of brother-sister tussles growing up, greying our parents’ hair prematurely.

Gabriella had never met their parents. Her friend’s invitations were always to Dorothea and Theo’s home. She had heard Allie mention that after college she had chosen to remain at home with her parents, whereas Anthony had opted for his own apartment, though not far from their residence.

The band began playing a slow dance, to break the ice, as the saying went, to enable the unacquainted to approach each other and brave the dance floor.

Francis had remained silent during his friend’s introduction to Gabriella. No one had noticed his grimace or his nose wrinkling watching Anthony do his charitable best to make Allie’s unattractive friend feel comfortable. Gabriella had a sweet nature. She was intelligent. Her hair was beautiful, but she was sallow-skinned and devoid of desirable curves, unlike Allie whom he had admired and desired since their first meeting.

Fortunate for him that they had both registered at the same college. The institute taught courses both in business and in astrophysics, and in his case, related subjects aimed toward a Bachelor of Science Degree. His goal since his early teens had been to work as an astronomer in the field of building and operating space telescopes and probes.

He’d earned her respect and admiration as an honor student, and finally her love. He’d proposed and she had accepted. Unfortunately