Secrets on the Italian Island

by T A Williams

  As he led her off along the quay to the left she took his arm, although she couldn’t help thinking guiltily that just two nights ago she had been hanging on the arm of a different man. She had never been torn between two men before – however temporarily – and she felt so awkward she almost relinquished her hold, but didn’t. It just felt right somehow. And who could tell what might happen between them over the next few months, once she had left this island and extricated herself from the spell cast upon her by the man who lived on it?

  She enjoyed the view as they strolled along, savouring the warm evening air, the twinkling lights all around the bay and the happy holiday atmosphere. After a couple of minutes, as they approached the squat granite fortress that had guarded the port for five hundred years, Toby slowed and pointed proudly with his free arm.

  ‘Here she is, the Esmeralda.’

  Although not a three-deck multi-million-dollar gin palace, this was still an impressive and elegant yacht and Anna stopped and stared in silent appreciation, taking in the height of the masts and the sheer size of this fine-looking boat. Finally, she glanced back at Toby.

  ‘She’s a beauty. How many of you are there on board? She’s a big boat.’

  ‘Just the three of us: Salvatore the skipper, Bruno the deckhand and cook, and me. It’s the first real holiday I’ve had in years.’ He looked hopefully across at her. ‘There’s plenty of room. I was wondering…’ He sounded hesitant. ‘Are you sure you can’t take some time off work and join me? I’d really love it if you would. We can go wherever you like.’

  It was an offer that held real appeal but there was no way she would be able to just take off. ‘It’s a lovely thought and a very kind offer, but I’ve been summoned back to the office. Like I said back in London, it would have been great to go on a cruise with you, but I just can’t – I’ve got to work.’ Regret gnawed at her that she couldn’t just drop everything and spend time with this lovely man. ‘I’m leaving here in two days’ time and I need to be at work on Monday morning. They’re short-handed and I’ve apparently got to go straight off again God knows where.’

  ‘I know you said it wouldn’t be possible, but I thought I’d try again. It would have been wonderful if you’d been able to come along, but I understand your hands are tied.’ He sounded deflated.

  Taking pity on him she leant over and kissed him softly on the cheek. He felt good and he smelt good. ‘It really would have been. You’re very sweet, Toby, but I just can’t wriggle out of it I’m afraid. Besides, I imagine you must have a whole list of girls you can call who’d like nothing better than a few weeks sailing around the Med with you.’

  He caught her eye for a moment, looking suddenly serious. ‘But they aren’t you, Anna.’

  ‘Yes, but…’ She could hardly believe her ears. ‘But we’ve only been out twice – three times including tonight. You hardly know me.’

  His expression became less serious, more tender. ‘I know enough, and I look forward very much to getting to know everything there is to know about you. All I can tell you is that I’ve never felt such immediate attraction to anybody in my whole life. I wanted to say something in London but I chickened out at the last minute. This evening I’ve been trying to summon up the courage to tell you, but this is so far outside of my comfort zone that I’ve kept putting it off. That evening with you back in Bristol changed my life. Seriously.’ His face relaxed into a smile. ‘Want to know something? As far as this cruise was concerned, it was all planned that we were going to sail south from Cagliari to Sicily and from there around to Greece. The guys had even booked marina berths all over the place and dinner at the best restaurant in Siracusa. When you told me you were coming to Elba, the first thing I did next day was to get them to change the whole thing so that I could see you again. They said it wouldn’t be possible but I bullied them into it.’ His eyes flashed in the orange glow of the streetlight. ‘And I don’t regret it for a minute.’

  ‘Wow, Toby, I don’t know what to say.’ She was genuinely gobsmacked. She had been hoping he might at least hint at some feelings developing for her but this? For a moment she genuinely feared she might burst into song – or tears. Nobody had ever said anything like this to her at any time in her whole life and she was having trouble digesting it. ‘I didn’t realise.’

  ‘I imagine you must have men falling for you all the time but could you at least be prepared to meet me again when I’m back in the UK? I’d love it if you would.’

  The colour rushed to her cheeks and she was glad it was night-time. ‘Of course, I’ll meet up with you again and I definitely do not have men throwing themselves at me. I love being with you and I can’t wait to see you again as often as you like.’ A thrill raced through her at the idea of seeing him again and she knew she really meant it. ‘I promise I’ll get in touch as soon as I come back from wherever they send me next week.’

  She heard him sigh with relief. ‘That’s so good to hear. For now, would you at least like to come on board for a coffee or a nightcap? Or you could stay the night if you like – like I said, nothing dodgy, I promise. There are four guest cabins and I’m only using one of them.’

  She gave him her biggest smile. ‘It’s a really tempting offer but I can’t. I’m really looking forward to seeing you again, but I’m afraid I’d better go now.’

  Part of her – quite a substantial part of her – didn’t want to go, but she was so confused by these unexpected revelations, she knew she had to get some time to herself to let her head clear. She kissed him again on both cheeks and then once on the lips, letting hers rest against his for a few seconds. It felt really good. Suddenly the spectre of Marco lurking in the background began to dissolve. What was she doing, lusting after a man who was totally unsuited to her on so many levels when she had this modest, affectionate and very appealing man? On impulse, she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed herself tightly against his chest, relishing the sensation, before reluctantly drawing back.

  ‘Thank you for a lovely evening. It’s been great to see you and I really wish I could have come with you. Enjoy the rest of your holiday; I’ll be thinking of you. Ciao.’

  As she walked off, she could feel his eyes on her and she felt sorry for him – and for herself at not being able to take him up on his offer of a romantic cruise around the Mediterranean. One thing was clear, she liked him a lot and, for once, Naughty Anna and Sensible Anna were singing from the same hymn sheet.

  As she drove back home she compared the warm, uncomplicated way she felt about Toby – and the obvious affection he felt for her – with the far more primitive feelings of sheer physical attraction she had for Marco. Her first impressions of Toby had been confirmed and she was now in no doubt she wanted to see more of him, and she knew this would make it even easier to stay clear of Marco’s magnetism and bid him goodbye without regret. At long last she could feel the spell this island had cast upon her beginning to unravel.

  Chapter 18

  Anna went for an early morning swim next morning with her four-legged friend. While she swam about in the crystal-clear water, she was regularly prodded by George’s nose as he loomed, torpedo-like, alongside her, snuffling happily while he doggy-paddled about. Turning, she looked back at the green hills behind the beach, picking out the pink-tiled roofs of Jack’s house and, just below it, her own little place. The larger, more imposing, roof of Marco’s villa was visible a bit further behind, surrounded by that archetypical Tuscan mix of umbrella pines and tall slim cypress trees. From what he had said, she wasn’t likely to see him today and that was fine with her. All the way home in the car last night she had been telling herself she could finally see the light. Marco had been an interesting interlude, but that was that. Common sense had now prevailed. At least, this was what her head was telling her. It remained to be seen whether the message had got through to her body.

  She now realised it would be crazy to feel too sad at having to leave Marco. She barely knew him. Their conversations had been supe
rficial at best and, aside from his environmentalism, she had no idea what his other passions, dislikes, habits or hobbies were. Yes, in all probability he was a womaniser but he hadn’t done anything bad to her and if anybody was to blame for her getting herself into such a state about him, it was her. It was all very well to accuse him of having hypnotic powers or some sort of weird mystique, but she was the one who had fallen for it. How could she have been so struck by him in such a short space of time?

  It didn’t take long to work it out. This was the very first time in her life that she had found herself the object of the attentions of such a handsome, accomplished and confident man and it had gone to her head. Reason had deserted her and she had run the very real risk of losing Toby, a man who felt as strongly about her as she did about him and whose kindness and modest generosity demonstrated just what a good person he was. Thankfully the penny had finally dropped and she felt as though she was emerging from a dream – and it was a dream of her own creation.

  She took a deep breath and dived underwater, relishing the newfound feeling of freedom, and came up again snuffling in chorus with the dog.

  Her head was still spinning at what Toby had confessed to her last night. She had spent a lot of the night thinking about him and repeating in her head his exact words, over and over again. He had told her he had never felt this way about anybody before, and nobody had ever said that to her. Toby was perfect for her and under other circumstances she would have loved to go off on a cruise with him. But her job had prevented her from accepting his invitation and now of course he was about to set off for some other part of the Mediterranean and she herself would almost certainly be far away by the time he returned to Bristol. Whether she would see enough of him over the following weeks and months to allow their relationship to develop was in the lap of the gods, but she knew she really wanted it to happen.

  The other man on the island with whom she knew she intended to stay in touch was, of course, Jack. The more she got to know this gentle and fascinating man, the more she enjoyed his company – not to mention that of his dog – and she was determined to take him up on his invitation to come and spend a few days’ holiday back here. The annoyingly irrational hemisphere of her brain immediately reminded her that this would also bring her close to Marco once more, but she successfully stamped on it.

  After a lovely refreshing swim and a game of fetch with George, Anna went home and settled down to bake herself a birthday cake for tomorrow. The oven had produced a fairly edible quiche the other day so this time she tried her hand at a Victoria sponge. It came out pretty well and she hoped Marco might like to have a slice before they went off to dinner tomorrow night. She had toyed with the idea of cancelling their date but seeing as she now felt confident it would be nothing more than two friends having a meal together she had decided to stick with the original plan.

  She had a surprise just as she was about to leave to drive up to Portoferraio again to collect Ruby and investigate the north east of the island. Her phone bleeped and she checked the screen.

  Hi Anna. Something’s come up. Afraid I can’t join you today. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. Sorry. Ruby.

  Anna stood there by the door for a few moments, rereading the message and wondering what to do. Sir Graham had to all intents and purposes put her in charge of his daughter for the duration of their stay on the island and, as such, she felt duty-bound to question what circumstances had arisen to allow Ruby to take a day off. It didn’t sound as though she was unwell but rather as though she had something to do. What could that be, here on Elba? Of course, the most likely explanation, now that she knew Ruby a bit better, was that she had just crawled into bed after a night on the tiles and was about to crash out. Should this be reported to Sir Graham?

  Anna immediately rejected this course of action. She had grown to like Ruby in the short time she had known her and she sympathised with her in many ways. Growing up with Sir Graham as her dad must have been challenging and evidently still was. Exposing Ruby to her father’s well-chronicled rage was something she was loath to do, so after more consideration Anna decided to give her the benefit of the doubt this time and just sent a brief reply saying she looked forward to seeing her tomorrow morning at nine.

  As she headed for the car, she felt quite disappointed that she would be on her own again. It had been fun having a friend to talk to over the past couple of days and, in spite of her initial doubts, she knew she would miss Ruby’s company. She had booked a RIB from Portoferraio, and at ten o’clock she set off to check out the last remaining piece of coastline still to be explored. A thermometer at the port indicated an unusually high temperature for September and it was wonderful to get out on the water where there was a cooling breeze.

  She had a very pleasant, but geologically unrewarding, trip eastwards around the north coast as far as Capo Vita. This occupied her for over an hour, surveying the low cliffs and the tree-clad hills through her binoculars, but she saw nothing exciting and so finally turned for home. As she was skimming along, approaching the bay of Portoferraio, enjoying the feel of the air drying the sweat on her body, she became aware of a familiar shape just emerging from the harbour under power.

  The red hull and the twin masts were unmistakable. It was Toby’s yacht, the Esmeralda, and she felt a little thrill at the sight of it. There were people on deck and she throttled back, feeling the RIB settle down into the water as it slowed. She reached for the binoculars to check whether one of the people she could see was Toby before heading over to bid him farewell… for now. As his blurred figure came into focus she gave a little murmur of approval. He was just wearing swimming shorts and he looked good, very good. His shoulders were broad, his chest strong, and his stomach was ribbed in all the right places. After lingering on him for several seconds she moved the binoculars sideways to check out who else was with him and as she did so, she got a shock.

  Apart from the skipper at the helm, there were two other figures out on the deck. One was unknown to her, presumably the deckhand, but the other was unmistakable. It was none other than her replacement partner and the future head of the company. Ruby was wearing a minimal bikini and she looked good – and happy. She looked even happier as she wandered over to Toby and wrapped her arms affectionately around his bare torso. As her arms encircled his waist and she reached up towards him with her lips, Anna tore the binoculars away from her eyes and crouched down in complete disarray. Of all the things she had been expecting to see, this was definitely the most surprising.

  Or was it?

  She stayed down on her knees and out of sight until the yacht had sailed past and away along the coast before she straightened up again. All the time she was thinking about what she had just seen and wondering how it could have come about. On reflection she had to admit she had been surprised at how well Toby and Ruby had got on last night at the restaurant. The more she thought about it, the more she came to the conclusion that a spark had probably been ignited during their brief meeting and somehow the flames had then been fanned. Had they just happened to bump into each other at the harbour or had they sought each other out? Thinking back, she realised that Ruby had been talking about the hotel where she was staying and had named it several times. Also, Toby had told her all about the Esmeralda. Had Ruby maybe stopped off at the yacht on her way back from her evening stroll or had Toby called her at her hotel? However it had happened, what was quite clear was that communication had been established between them and contact made. And from the way Ruby had pressed herself against Toby, that contact was pretty intimate.

  But how could it be, Anna asked herself, that so soon after confessing his feelings Toby had turned his back on her and gone off with another woman? Unlike with Marco, Anna had really got the feeling she could trust Toby and had genuinely believed what he had told her last night. Now, suddenly, he was revealed to be as deceitful.

  Suddenly this morning’s text made sense. The reason Ruby wasn’t working was because she was going f
or a sail with Toby. As the yacht retreated into the distance, Anna sat down by the wheel and took a long drink of lukewarm water from the bottle. For a moment she slipped into work mode and felt a stab of annoyance that Ruby had thought it acceptable to bunk off without remorse but deep down, she knew that wasn’t what was bothering her. As the realisation that she had lost Toby sank in, a wave of disappointment washed over her. Ruby had put paid to any possibility of things ever developing between them in the future and she felt a pang of real regret.

  She reached for the throttle and headed into the harbour, feeling particularly introspective.

  After returning the RIB, she went along the quay to a cafe, sat down in the shade and ordered an espresso, a bottle of cold water and a refreshing mixture of white chocolate, lemon, and peach ice cream. While she consumed all this, she added today’s negative geological result to her report and reflected that her stay on this lovely island had produced a real sting in its tail. Feeling the need for a bit of friendly companionship, she pulled out her phone and called Jack, inviting him for dinner. He thanked her but declined her offer, telling her he wasn’t feeling hungry but insisting that she come round to his house for an aperitivo at six.

  That afternoon she took a detour so as to investigate two additional old mine workings shown on the map, but again found nothing stimulating. When she finally drove back home she was still in sombre mood but the sight of the friendly black Labrador waiting to greet her managed to raise her spirits at least a little bit. She changed and headed straight down to the beach with George, reflecting that this was probably just about the last time she would be doing this, at least until she came back on holiday if, indeed, she ever did. The cool water failed to cheer her although she did her best to try to accept what had happened as phlegmatically as she could. Toby deserved to be happy and she had no claim on him. As for Ruby, the speed with which she had chosen not only to dump the man in New York but to betray a friend and colleague was distasteful and Anna knew that she would leave NMM before Ruby ever took over from her father.