A Lucky Star

by Barbara Cartland

  “Oh, yes. My Governess told me about it – it made me quite terrified of volcanoes for months. It was all she could do to reassure me that there were not any in Surrey!”

  “That is where your home is?”

  “Yes, that, and our house in Scotland. Papa also keeps a house in London, but we don’t go there much. Papa prefers the quiet life and enjoys hunting and riding.”

  “I didn’t realise you had a London house too.”

  “Yes – that’s where I was staying when we met. Didn’t I hear you telling Papa that your family lives in Mayfair, Anthea?”

  “Yes, in Mount Street.”

  “Oh, we are on Park Lane! I cannot believe we have only just realised how close our houses are after all our chats on this journey! But Papa is never one for socialising or balls or soirees, although his lady admirers often invite him to them, so that is probably why we have never met.”

  Anthea was silent as the ship slid into the dock.

  ‘Very soon I shall see him again,’ she murmured as the wind whipped her hair. ‘And I shall then know if these feelings are more than just silly fantasies.’

  Just then Captain MacFarlane came towards them.

  “Excuse me, my Lady, Miss Preston, but as you can see, we have arrived at our destination. Would you care to go ashore or wait until his Lordship comes to join us?”

  “Oh, we shall wait for Papa,” replied Linette. “Will you ask chef to arrange luncheon for us at midday? I am quite famished already.”

  “Of course, I shall tell him myself.”

  The Captain smiled and excused himself.

  As he walked back to the bridge, Linette remarked,

  “He is a very fine man, is he not? I trust him with my life.”

  “Yes, he is,” replied Anthea, “but I would imagine that your father would engage only the best people to care for his only daughter!”

  Linette laughed.

  “La Bella Napoli!” she sighed. “It’s so great to be back here. If only my time was not going to be filled with entertaining Papa’s boring clients! It will be ships, ships, ships – morning, noon and night!”

  “Perhaps he will allow us to sightsee. It cannot be all work for you.”

  “You don’t know Papa. Work is everything to him. That is probably why he has never remarried.”

  “He has just not met the right one,” replied Anthea. “When he does – ”

  “Not Papa,” retorted Linette. “I would love to meet the woman who could drag him away from his ships!”

  Chuckling to herself, Linette returned to her cabin, leaving Anthea to take in the view.

  ‘I can see that I am going to have to do quite a lot of persuading,’ she mumbled, ‘and there can surely be no more romantic place on earth than Naples.’

  The hours ticked slowly by and still there was no sign of the Earl.

  Finally, just before luncheon, a message arrived via the telegraph for Linette.

  She took the message and opened it quickly.

  “Oh no!” she cried, “Papa is delayed yet again. He will not be with us until tomorrow at the earliest.”

  “Then, we shall have to find another way to amuse ourselves,” suggested Anthea her heart sinking with instant disappointment. “As we’ve both been so unwell, shall we send for a hairdresser to make us look beautiful?”

  Linette clapped her hands together in delight.

  “What a divine idea! I shall ask the hairdresser for an Italian style to impress Papa and his dull clients.”

  Anthea smiled, making herself look attractive for the Earl was precisely what she had in mind.

  They sent ashore for the hairdresser who had been recommended to Linette on her last visit to Naples.

  And so about an hour later, a carriage drew up and out jumped a tall elegant man named Paolo.

  “Ah, che bella!” he declared on seeing his two new clients. “I will make you the toast of Napoli.”

  He sat them down in Linette’s cabin and examined them both carefully.

  Linette had her hair styled first with much primping by Paolo. He brushed it, trimmed it, and then curled it into an elaborate style that instantly made Linette appear more grown up.

  “Bellissima!” he cried, surveying his handiwork.

  Linette pronounced herself delighted with the result and next he turned his attention to Anthea.

  He handled her lovely thick golden hair with relish and smiled seductively at her.

  “Such amazingly beautiful hair,” he gushed. “I shall do something really special with it.”

  After he had finished, Anthea did not recognise the reflection that stared back from the mirror.

  She looked so different, striking and more attractive and she felt certain it would have the desired effect on the Earl.

  “You look wonderful,” exclaimed Linette. “Now, we must go ashore and show off our new hairstyles. If we hurry, we can catch the shops. Naples is famous for coral jewellery and I would like to purchase some.”

  Thanking Paolo profusely, they then changed their dresses and asked the Captain to send for a carriage.

  Before long they were walking around the shops in search of somewhere that sold the famous coral jewellery.

  “I really wanted to treat myself to a cameo brooch, but I cannot remember where the shops are,” said Linette, as Anthea, in fluent Italian, stopped a passing woman to ask where they might find such an establishment.

  “Linette, this lady says that if we walk up to the end of the street and turn right, we should find one there. We shall have to leave the carriage behind as the road is too narrow.”

  Linette went at once to their driver and asked him to wait for them. Glad of a chance to rest, he nodded his assent and the two girls made their way up the street.

  As they turned the corner as instructed, they saw a small row of shops, all selling jewellery.

  “There! Look!” cried Linette, hurrying towards the first one.

  She pushed open the door and a bell rang. A grey-haired man with glasses and a white moustache appeared.

  Anthea had to do all the talking, as the man did not speak English.

  After telling him what they wanted, he nodded and brought out a tray of the most exquisite cameo brooches.

  “The workmanship is so fine,” commented Anthea, holding up a coral bracelet with gold fastenings.

  “I think I shall buy this brooch and earrings,” said Linette decisively. “And I want you to choose something so that I can buy it for you as a gift.”

  “Oh, but I could not,” replied Anthea, eyeing a red coral necklace.

  “I insist,” responded Linette, laying her hand upon Anthea’s. “If it was not for you then I would have died of boredom on the trip. No, I want you to choose something.”

  Anthea pointed to the necklace – it was lovely and it would be most becoming with her white linen dress.

  “Would I be able to have that one?”

  “Of course. You must have it to please me!”

  Anthea said to the proprietor in her best Italian that they would take the necklace, the brooch and earrings, as well as another necklace for Linette.

  “For such beautiful customers, I will put in extra!” he replied, winking at Anthea and slipping into her parcel a pair of red coral earrings that matched the necklace.

  She thanked him and they left the shop happily.

  “Where shall we go now?” asked Linette. “I don’t feel like returning to the ship just yet. And now that Papa will not be joining us until tomorrow, there is no hurry.”

  “Look, there is an art gallery over there,” suggested Anthea, pointing across the road. “I am very fond of art and Italian painters in particular. Shall we explore?”

  “Oh, yes, do let’s! If I found something for Papa, he would think me very clever indeed.”

  They crossed the road to the gallery. It was empty save for a young assistant who sat reading in a corner. She greeted them and then returned to her book.

  They
examined the paintings – it seemed that two artists were exhibiting and their styles were very different.

  One was a landscape artist whose canvases were of beautiful views of Naples, whilst the other artist appeared to be fond of painting young women and children.

  “I do like this scene of Vesuvius,” declared Linette. “Look, you can even see smoke rising from the crater.”

  “They are much more attractive than the portraits,” whispered Anthea, as she saw a young man at the back of the gallery and did not wish to offend him if he turned out to be the artist responsible.

  They stood and admired the paintings for a bit and then returned to the one Linette had first remarked upon.

  “It really is quite magnificent,” commented Anthea, as Linette inspected the Vesuvius painting once more.

  “You like it?” came a voice behind them.

  They turned to see the young man standing there.

  Linette blushed.

  He was around the same age as herself and very good-looking with his dark hair and deep-blue eyes.

  “Yes, very much,” replied Anthea.

  “And you, senorina?” he addressed Linette.

  She blushed furiously once more and lowered her eyes. Anthea hoped that she was not about to run off or become upset, as she had with the waiter in the restaurant in Marseilles.

  “I – I think it’s wonderful,” she smiled at him.

  “Then I am glad because it was I who painted it,” he said. “If it pleases you, then I am very happy.”

  “You are very talented. I would love to be able to paint. My own efforts are not very remarkable.”

  “I am sure they are charming. But let me introduce myself. Roberto di Novelli at your service.”

  “I am Miss Hayworth and this is my friend Miss Preston,” said Linette, casting a meaningful look at Anthea, encouraging her to join in the deception.

  “Charmed,” replied Roberto, taking Anthea’s hand and kissing it. “Now, Miss Hayworth, would you like to see more of my work? There are several in the back room that is not open to the public.”

  Linette hesitated for a moment and then smiled.

  “Yes, I would love to.”

  Anthea was surprised that she had agreed to go with Roberto, but did not make any comment.

  Instead she wandered around the gallery and came across a charming painting of the Castell dell’Ovo that she assumed was also by Roberto.

  ‘I shall buy it as a reminder of my time in Naples,’ she said to herself, as she went to find the assistant.

  Some thirty minutes later, Anthea had finished her business and looked around for Linette.

  But there was neither sight nor sound of her. It was now getting quite late and it was obvious that the assistant was anxious to close up for the day.

  Anthea asked her if she could look for Linette in the back of the gallery and the assistant led the way.

  She was stunned to see Linette sitting outside in a courtyard at a table, laughing and chatting with Roberto.

  Her pale skin was flushed with excitement and her deep-blue eyes were full of animation as the two talked as if there was no one else in the world.

  “Linette!”

  “Anthea. I am so sorry – have I been here for ages? I appear to have lost all track of time.”

  “It is quite all right, Linette, but the assistant wishes to close up and we must be getting back to the ship.”

  Linette’s face fell.

  “Oh,” she sighed, “Roberto has asked us if I – we would care to dine with him this evening at his house in the hills. Do say yes, Anthea.”

  Anthea regarded her eager young face and did not feel that she could refuse her, even if she felt a little uneasy at the prospect of dining out with a stranger.

  “Very well,” she answered eventually, “but now we should return to our carriage and then on to the ship. They will be wondering where we are.”

  “Of course. Roberto, will you write down your address for us and we shall see you later this evening?”

  Roberto pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and wrote down where he lived.

  Handing it to Linette, she smiled and reddened.

  “Ciao,” she sighed to Roberto, as he took her hand gently and kissed it. “Until nine o’clock.”

  They went in search of their carriage. It was exactly where they left it with the driver asleep in his box.

  Anthea coughed and he awakened with a start.

  “We would like to go back to the ship now.”

  He took their parcels and held the door open.

  “Do you like Roberto? He is very handsome, is he not?” asked Linette, almost as soon as they had sat down.

  “He seems a very nice young man.”

  “He is very talented, don’t you think? He says that he would rather paint landscapes than portraits, although he does do some. He wants to paint me by the sea at Sorrento, can you imagine?”

  “Sorrento! Where is that? I don’t think I can allow you to go off on your own to some strange place.”

  “It is only across the Bay of Naples and you would have to come with me to chaperone me. That is, if Papa does not find something dull for me to do once he gets here.”

  The carriage sped off to the quayside where The Sea Sprite was docked.

  Anthea did not respond to Linette’s plea for her to act as chaperone while Roberto painted her. She was too shocked to see the change that had come over the girl in such a short time.

  ‘She is so infatuated with him – I can see,’ thought Anthea, as Linette prattled on about Roberto and his many virtues.

  By the time they reached the ship, the Captain was anxiously pacing the deck.

  “Where have you been, ladies? I was about to send out a search party for you,” he grumbled, as they walked up the gangplank.

  “I am sorry, but we were detained in an art gallery,” replied Anthea. “I bought a painting and it all took rather longer than I expected.”

  The driver was unloading their parcels.

  “I can see you had a pleasant time,” commented the Captain. “Dinner will be at eight o’clock.”

  “Oh, we are not dining on board tonight,” piped up Linette.

  “We have been invited to a local’s house – an artist we met in the gallery,” put in Anthea quickly.

  The Captain raised one eyebrow.

  “Midshipman Jones will be most upset,” he replied, with a smile at Anthea. “He was to join us.”

  “Then perhaps he should accompany us to dinner at Roberto’s?” suggested Anthea, “and be our body guard.”

  “I think that would be most appropriate. I shall go at once and inform him to be ready – at what time?”

  “We are expected at nine o’clock,” replied Anthea. “Can the driver be ready again at half-past eight, please?”

  The Captain walked off down the deck, so Anthea and Linette moved towards their cabins.

  “Thank you,” whispered Linette. “I thought he was about to tell me off! He is conscious that he is responsible for me and that Naples can be a rough place. Will it not be awkward with Midshipman Jones along, though, after – ”

  “I am certain he will do as he is told. Now, here we are, I would like a rest before we go out tonight, so I shall close the connecting door. Please wake me if you cannot hear any movement by eight o’clock.”

  Anthea went inside her cabin and closed the door.

  She had a great deal to think about.

  ‘I could not have foreseen this new situation with Roberto and I can see it could lead to much trouble if not handled correctly. What will the Earl think? Whilst there is no harm in going out to dinner at Roberto’s house, if Linette begins to slip out on her own to see him, it could be a problem, not to say dangerous.’

  She lay down on her bed and tried to rest. Soon she had dozed off and was woken by the gong announcing dinner.

  ‘It must be eight. I must hurry and dress myself as the carriage will be here for us soon.’<
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  “Hello, Anthea. I am glad you are up – I was about to get worried.” Linette said, opening the connecting door.

  She had put on a deep sapphire dress that matched her shining eyes and the red coral around her throat made her skin look even whiter and set off her dark hair to perfection.

  “You look so beautiful,” exclaimed Anthea. “What a pity your Papa is not here to see you.”

  “Yes, it is a pity and I did so want him to see my new hairdo. I shall have to be very careful I do not ruin it in my sleep tonight.”

  “Perhaps we could request that Paolo returns to us every day and dress our hair?” suggested Anthea.

  “What a wonderful idea. It will be very expensive, but it would be a great treat for us. I shall send a message to him in the morning. I hope Papa is not going to be too late tomorrow – I cannot wait to see him.”

  Anthea thought of the Earl as she dressed and her heart immediately began to beat faster.

  ‘I am so looking forward to seeing him again,’ she mused. ‘But I really must not make him aware that I am harbouring silly fancies about him.’

  “Are you ready yet?” Linette then called out.

  “Almost.”

  “We must hurry and not keep Roberto waiting.”

  Anthea smiled.

  ‘She is in love,’ she thought, as she picked up her shawl, ‘and for the first time. That is why she does not want to reveal that she is a lady as she fears he may think her too far above him socially.’

  Their driver was waiting for them on the quayside and Midshipman Jones was already seated in the carriage and he behaved as if nothing had happened between him and Anthea, much to her relief.

  Linette could hardly contain her excitement.

  “I wonder what kind of house he lives in? Do you think it will be a villa?”

  “I have no idea,” answered Anthea, as the carriage sped towards the address Roberto had given them.

  They were soon going uphill with wonderful views across Naples Bay.

  Shortly the carriage stopped outside a large whitewashed villa with wooden shutters.

  The door opened and Roberto emerged.

  “You are here,” he called out. “I was worried that you would not come.”