by Lucy Gordon
‘When I saw you clowning around for those kids-’
‘Is that why you love me? Because I can make you laugh?’
‘Hey, cheeky! I didn’t say I loved you.’
‘But you do, don’t you? Let me hear you say it-please, Della.’
‘Hmm!’
‘Say it, please. Don’t tease me.’
‘Be patient. Three days is too soon.’
‘Say it.’
‘Too soon…’
They spent the day in Badolato, with Della making notes and buying up all the local books she could find. When evening came they ate in their room, preferring to hide from the rest of the world. But tonight only half her attention was for Carlo. What she had seen today had fired her imagination.
‘It’s promising,’ she said, flicking through her notes. ‘If I can only find a few more like this.’
‘Come and have a shower,’ he urged. ‘It’s time we were thinking of bed.’
‘Yes, but don’t you see-?’
‘We can talk in the shower,’ he said, beginning to undress her.
But in the shower there were other distractions, and by the time they had lathered and rinsed each other the conversation was no further advanced.
‘This is supposed to be a working trip,’ she murmured when they were lying naked in bed.
‘We’ve spent all day working,’ he complained, brushing one finger over the swell of her breast.
‘But I haven’t got enough for the series,’ she said, trying not to let her voice shake from the tremors going through her.
‘What are you looking for?’ he asked. ‘Do you just want tragic places, like Pompeii and the sunken liner, or dramatic, mysterious places like this?’
His own voice shook on the final words, because her hand had found him, the fingers caressing him softly in a way that made it hard for him to concentrate.
‘But what else is there?’ she asked.
‘Cheerful places.’
‘Are there any?’
‘Don’t you know your own country’s history? What about The Field of the Cloth of Gold?’
She frowned. ‘Wasn’t that-?’
‘If you wanted to be pompous you could call it the first great summit conference, but actually it was just a jumbo jolly.’
‘A jumbo jolly?’ She chuckled. ‘I like that.’
‘Four hundred years ago King Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France, plus their courts, met in a field outside Calais. They put up huge tents made of silk, satin and gold, and had a party that was so extravagant that the locals celebrate it to this day.’
He slid further down in the bed beside her, stroking the inside of her thigh in a way that made it hard to remember that she was supposed to be working. She tried to apply her mind.
‘I thought you said it was a summit conference,’ she gasped.
‘Officially it was about forging an alliance,’ he murmured against her warm skin, ‘but actually it was jousting by day, and wine, women and song in the evening. Francis and Henry were young men in their twenties, who still knew how to have fun. It went on for three weeks.’
‘Three weeks-?’
‘Then they had a wrestling match, and Henry landed flat on his royal ass. After that he decided it was time to go home.’
‘Very wise,’ she said in a daze. ‘You know what I think?’
‘What?’
She reached for him. ‘I think, to hell with Henry VIII.’
From there they drove further south, to the toe of Italy, from where they took the ferry to Sicily. They spent a day in Palermo, where Carlo underwent a transformation worthy of a sci-fi plot. The playboy disappeared, and in his place was the academic, enthused by being in one of his favourite places, eager to make her see it through his eyes. But for once he forgot to tailor his words to his audience.
‘What are you looking at?’ he asked once, seeing her staring into the sky above.
‘Trying to follow a word you’re saying,’ she said plaintively. ‘It’s all up there, above my head.’
‘Sorry, I’ll make it simpler.’
‘You’ll have to when you’re writing a script-but forget it for now. Can’t you talk anything but that serious stuff?’
‘I was auditioning,’ he said, sounding hurt.
‘Don’t call me, I’ll call you,’ she chuckled. ‘But I have something different to say.’
He looked mischievously into her eyes. ‘What would that be?’
‘Something you don’t need words for.’
He took her hand. ‘Let’s go.’
After that they more or less abandoned the idea of work. They spent the days exploring the scenery, the evenings over softly lit dinners, and the nights in tiny hillside hotels with nothing to think of but each other. It became indistinguishable from a holiday, and that was how she told herself to think of it-a perfect time, separate from the real world, to be looked back on later with nostalgia but no regret.
She took a hundred photographs, to last her through the years, and congratulated herself on being sensible.
‘It’s been a few days. Have I known you long enough yet to love you?’
‘You’re a very impatient man.’
‘I always was. When I want something I want it now. And I want you. Don’t you feel the same?’
‘Yes-’
‘Then can’t you say that you love me? Not just want, but love.’
‘Be patient. It all seems so unreal.’
‘Loving you is the only reality. I’ve never loved any woman before. I mean that. Casual infatuations don’t count against what I feel now. I was waiting for you, for my Della-because you’ve always been mine, even before we met-my Della, the only woman my heart will ever love, from this time on. Tell me that you believe me.’
‘I do believe you. I can feel your heart beneath my hand now.’
‘It’s all yours, now and for ever.’
‘Hush, don’t talk about for ever. It’s too far away.’
‘No, it’s here and now, and it always will be. Tell me that you love me-’
‘Not yet-not yet-’
‘Say it-say it-’
CHAPTER FIVE
DELLA sometimes wondered if the dream would have gone on for ever if blunt reality hadn’t dumped itself on them.
‘That was my brother Ruggiero,’ Carlo said reluctantly, as he finished a call on his cellphone. ‘Reminding me that he and I have a birthday in a few days, and there’s going to be a family party. If I’m not there, I’m a dead man.’
Reluctantly they turned back, took the ferry across the Strait of Messina, and headed north. On the way Della called the Vallini and booked a room.
It was nearly eight in the evening before Carlo dropped her at the door.
‘I must look into my apartment,’ he said, ‘pick up any mail, call my mother, then shower and make myself presentable. On second thoughts, reverse those two. I’ll call her when I’m presentable.’
‘But on the phone she can’t tell if you’re clean and tidy or not.’
He grinned. ‘You don’t know my mother. I’ll be back in an hour.’
He kissed her briefly and departed. As the porter carried her bags upstairs she tried to be sensible. Their perfect time together was over. Now she would do as she had always assured herself, and return to the real world.
But not just now. It could wait another night.
Standing at her window, she could just make out the sight of his car vanishing down the road. So much for common sense, she told herself wryly. But she’d be strong tomorrow. Or perhaps the day after.
As they’d travelled she had purchased some extra garments to supplement the meagre supply she’d brought from England, but now she had nothing that was not rumpled. She unpacked, trying to find something for that evening, but it was useless.
A knock on the door interrupted her musings. Wondering if Carlo could have returned, she hurried to open it.
It wasn’t Carlo who stood there, but a heavily b
uilt young man, beefily handsome, with a winning smile.
‘Sol!’ she cried in delight, opening her arms to her beloved son.
‘Hallo!’ he said, enveloping her in a huge hug and swinging her around while he kicked the door shut behind him.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked at last, standing back to survey him with pleasure.
‘I came to see you. You’ve been away much longer than you said.’
‘Yes, well-something came up-all sorts of new ideas that I thought I should investigate.’ She had an uneasy suspicion that she was floundering, and finished hastily, ‘But I explained all this to you on the phone.’
‘Yes, you talked about a few extra days, but you were supposed to return to Naples yesterday. In fact, you originally said you’d be back in London last week.’
‘How is your father these days?’ she asked quickly.
‘Making a fool of himself with a new girlfriend. I was definitely in the way, so I went home and called Sally.’
‘Sally?’ She frowned. ‘I thought she was called Gina?’
‘No, Gina was the one before.’
‘I can’t keep track. So Sally’s the latest?’
‘Was the latest. It was never going to last long and-’ he gave a casual shrug, ‘it didn’t. So, since I had a few days free, I thought I’d like to spend some time with my mother, and I came to Naples to find you.’ He sighed forlornly. ‘Only you weren’t here.’
‘Don’t you give me that abandoned orphan voice,’ she said, trying not to laugh.
‘Then don’t you try to change the subject.’ He stood back and eyed her mischievously. ‘Come on-tell me. What have you been up to?’
‘Oi, cheeky!’ she said, poking him gently in the ribs and hoping she didn’t sound too self-conscious. ‘I’ve spent a few days with Signor Rinucci, to assess him for the programme.’
‘You don’t usually have to go to these lengths to audition someone.’
‘This is different. He’s not just going to be the frontman. He’s an archaeologist and a historian, with a big reputation, and he’s been showing me several new sites.’
‘I can’t wait to meet him,’ Sol declared, with a touch of irony that she tried to ignore.
‘He’ll be here in an hour. We can all have dinner together-’
‘Ah, well-I’ve actually made a few plans…’
‘You’ve got a new girl already? That’s fast work, even for you.’
‘I met her on the plane-she’s scared of flying, so naturally I-’
‘Naturally,’ she agreed, chuckling.
He glanced at the open suitcase on her bed, and something seemed to strike him.
‘Did you bring enough clothes for your jaunt?’
‘I was just thinking that I need to buy something new in the boutique downstairs.’
‘Great idea,’ he said heartily. ‘Let’s go.’
She’d been his mother long enough to be cynical, and had the reward of seeing her darkest suspicions realised when the boutique turned out to be unisex, and he headed for an array of dazzling male Italian fashions.
Della smiled, and observed him with pride. After all, what were mothers for?
‘You should try this,’ he said, belatedly remembering her and indicating a black cocktail dress of heartbreaking elegance.
But the price tag made her blanch.
‘I don’t think-’
‘Aw, c’mon. So it’s a bit pricey? So what? This is Italy’s greatest designer, and you’ll look wonderful in it. I’ll boast to everyone we meet-hey, that’s my mum!’
‘And it’ll make your purchases look thrifty by comparison,’ she teased.
‘I’m shocked by your suspicions. You cut me to the heart.’
‘Hmm! All right-I’ll try it on.’
Rather annoyingly, the dress was perfect, and she longed to see Carlo’s eyes when he saw her in it.
‘Was I right, or was I right?’ Sol demanded as she paraded around the shop.
‘You were right, but-’
‘But it kills you to admit it,’ he said, giving her the grin she adored.
It was a constant surprise to her that this son of a boring, commonplace father could be so well endowed with charm. She knew his faults. He was selfish, cocky, and thought his looks and appeal meant the world was his. If the world didn’t offer, he would reach out and take, paying his debt in smiles.
But they had been companions in misfortune almost since the day of his birth. Whatever had happened, he’d been there, with his cheeky grin and his hopeful, ‘C’mon, Mum, it’s not so bad.’
There had been times when his resilience and his ability to make her laugh had been her chief strength. She’d clung to him-perhaps too much, she sometimes thought. But he’d always been there for her, and now nothing was too good for him.
‘Oh, come here!’ she said, flinging her arms wide. ‘Don’t ask me why I love you. I suppose there’s a reason.’
Carlo got through everything there was to do in his apartment in double-quick time, sorting through the mail and ruthlessly tossing most of it aside as junk. He called his mother to let her know he was back, and promised to be at the villa punctually the following evening.
‘I shall have a lady with me,’ he said cautiously.
‘Well, it’s about time,’ Hope Rinucci replied robustly.
That startled him. This wasn’t the first woman he’d taken home, so he could only assume that something in his tone had alerted Hope to the fact that this guest was different. She was the one.
He hung up, thinking affectionately that the man who could bottle a mother’s instinct and market it would be a millionaire in no time.
Having showered, he drove back to the Vallini, looking forward to the evening ahead. They had just spent over a week living closely together, but after little more than an hour away from her he found that the need to see her again was almost unbearable. At the hotel he parked the car and ran into the foyer, like a man seeking his only hope on earth.
The way to the elevators took him past the hotel boutique. He stopped, checked by a sight that sent a chill through him.
Della was there, wearing a stylish black cocktail dress that she was showing off to an extremely good-looking young man who looked to be in his early twenties. He was watching her with his head on one side, and they were laughing at each other. As Carlo stared, feeling as though something had turned him to stone, Della opened her arms wide. The young man did the same, and they embraced each other in a giant hug.
He heard her say, ‘Don’t ask me why I love you. I suppose there’s a reason.’
Carlo wanted to do a thousand things at once-to run away and hide, pretend that this had never happened, and then perhaps the clock would turn back to before he’d seen her in the arms of another man. But he also wanted to race up to them and pull them apart. He wanted to punch the man to the ground, then turn on Della and accuse her, with terrible bitterness, of breaking his heart. He wanted to do all the violent things that were not in his nature.
But he did none of them. Instead, almost without realising that he was moving, he went to stand in front of them. It was the young man who saw him first.
‘Hey, I think your friend’s here,’ he said cheerfully.
Della looked up, smiling, but making no effort to disentangle herself from the embrace.
‘Hallo, darling,’ she said. ‘You haven’t met my son, have you?’
Carlo clenched his hands. Her son! Who did she think she was kidding?
‘Very funny,’ he said coldly. ‘How old were you when you had him? Six?’
The young man roared with laughter, making Carlo dream of murder.
‘It’s your own fault for looking so young,’ he told her.
She chuckled and disengaged herself.
‘I was sixteen when Sol was born,’ she told Carlo. ‘I told you that once before.’
‘Yes, but-’ Carlo fell silent.
‘And he’s twenty-one now,’ she finished. �
�He looks older because he’s built like an ox.’
Sol grinned at this description and extended his hand. Dazed, Carlo shook it.
‘We had no idea you were coming,’ he said, appalled at how stupid the words sounded. But stupid was exactly how he felt.
‘No, I thought I’d drop in and pay my old lady an unexpected visit,’ Sol said cheerfully. ‘I thought she’d only be here for a couple of days. When she didn’t return I decided to come and see what mischief she was up to.’ His ribald glance made it clear that he’d already formed his own opinion.
Carlo decided that he could dislike Sol very much if he put his mind to it. But he forced himself to say politely, ‘I hope you’ll stay long enough to visit my family? We’re having dinner with them tomorrow night, and of course you must join us.’
‘Love to. Fine-I’ll be off now.’ He kissed Della’s cheek. ‘I’m in the room opposite yours. See ya! Oh-yes…’ He seemed to become aware that the staff were nervously eyeing his new shirt.
‘It’s all right,’ she told them. ‘You can put it on my bill.’
‘Bless you,’ Sol said fervently. ‘Actually, I found a few other-’
‘Put them all on my bill,’ she said, amused and resigned. ‘Now, be off-before I end up in the Poor House.’
‘Thanks!’
Halfway to the door, he stopped. ‘Um…’
‘What now?’
‘I hadn’t realised what an expensive place this is-’ He broke off significantly.
‘You’ve got a new credit card,’ she reminded him.
‘Ye-es, but-’
‘You can’t have hit the limit already. Even you.’
His response was a helpless shrug, topped off by his best winning smile. Carlo watched him closely.
‘Here,’ Della said, reaching into her bag and producing a handful of cash. ‘I’ll call the card company and underwrite a new limit.’
‘Thanks, Mum. Bye!’
He vanished.
‘I’ll be with you in a moment,’ Della said, and went into the changing room.
After a moment she emerged in her street clothes, paid her bill, and gave her room number for the dress to be delivered.
‘And the other things, for the young man?’ the assistant asked.
