by Julia Anders
Finally she said to Isabella, "I have been enthralled with your magnificent art galleries, but one thing I want to do before we leave Florence is to visit the Boboli Gardens. It occurred to me it would make a pleasant outing for Tonio, and it would make it more enjoyable for me if he were along." Turning to the boy, she said slowly, "If your grandmother allows it, would you like to go to the Boboli Gardens tomorrow?"
As she had foreseen, he turned, pleading, to his grandmother. Lynne felt guiltily that she was being somewhat unfair in letting him know of the invitation because by doing so she was putting added pressure on his grandmother.
Isabella agreed though without enthusiasm, but then Lynne had never seen her show enthusiasm for anything.
A little later Tonio seemed struck with a sudden idea and, turning to his grandmother he said excitedly, "Perhaps I could stay with Lynne and Zio Jason when you and Grandfather go to the Lido with Vincente and Paola and the others? I hate staying with Carolina. She's so cross."
Isabella hushed him instantly.
"Is there some way we could be of help?" Lynne asked. "Wasn't Tonio asking if he could stay with us while you go somewhere?"
"It is nothing," Isabella said. "My husband thought he might have to go to Venice on business and wanted me to go with him. However, our plans have changed and we are not going after all. It was just a mistake of Tonio's."
Matteo's eyes went instantly to hers. There was an unspoken communication between them. He seemed even more disapproving than usual, but it looked to Lynne as if Isabella's eyes were commanding him to silence.
Meanwhile Tonio was sitting crestfallen since his grandmother had quieted him. Lynne said to him, "We'll have fun tomorrow. It was kind of your grandmother to agree to let us take you to the gardens."
It seemed to cheer him a little.
As coffee was brought to the table Matteo, as if coming to a decision, asked, "And when do you plan to leave Firenze?"
It seemed as if he had thrown down a challenge.
Jason took his time answering. He stirred his coffee slowly. Finally he said, "We have made no definite plans for departure. It seems important to me to get better acquainted with my nephew, and for you to get better acquainted with us."
Matteo's lips tightened and Lynne thought she saw a flash of anger in Isabella's eyes.
The cards were on the table now. Without putting it in so many words, Jason had let them understand that he was not giving up on his wish to have Tonio. They were obviously not pleased.
When they had left to return to the villa, Jason said quietly, "I'm going to call Darren and ask him to come. The D'Allasios will never give up Tonio voluntarily, that's obvious. We've given them plenty of opportunity to see that Tonio enjoys being with us and that we would be responsible, caring guardians. But they're as hostile to the idea as ever. I can see that. It's time to begin legal steps."
Lynne nodded in unhappy agreement. "Jason, there was one slightly odd thing. When Tonio asked his grandmother if he could stay with us, he said, 'When you and Grandfather go to the Lido with Vincente and Paola and the others.' But when I questioned her, pretending I hadn't quite understood, Isabella's translation was that Matteo had wanted her to go on a business trip to Venice but it had been cancelled. And then Matteo looked at her as if that was the first he knew of its being cancelled, and I could swear she was practically ordering him not to speak of it. Why would Tonio say the Lido and she change it to Venice?"
"The Lido is an island in the Adriatic just a few minutes by boat from Venice. Perhaps Matteo's business was in Venice but they were planning to stay on the Lido. It's a fashionable resort."
He seemed to be thinking aloud. "There's a gambling casino there, and the International Film Festival is held there. It seems odd they'd be going on a business trip with a group of other people."
"And I'm sure she only made up her mind to cancel it because of us. She didn't want Tonio with us while they were away from Florence. I could be misinterpreting but I'm certain that's it. Another thing Tonio said was, 'I hate staying with Carolina. She's so cross,' which certainly implies they've left him with her before—though I suppose it wouldn't necessarily have been for any length of time. It could have been just for a day or an evening, but it sounded as if they've gone away overnight and left him before, which seems at odds with what they told us about not going anywhere because of being in mourning."
"Yes, it is strange," Jason said. "I will be surprised if they let Tonio come to us tomorrow after all, considering the way our interview ended today."
Nevertheless, Jason's prediction proved groundless. Tonio was delivered to the hotel in time for lunch as had been promised. They were to return him to the villa in time for his early supper.
They went to a nearby trattoria for lunch and had a hilarious time teaching Tonio the English words for water, knife, fork, spoon, and so on, while Tonio insisted that at the same time Jason must learn the Italian equivalents. Whenever Lynne had to correct his uncle's pronunciation, Tonio found it uproariously funny.
When lunch was over, Jason asked, "Do you think you two could amuse yourselves for half an hour before we start for the Boboli Gardens? I have to make some calls to London, but I'll meet you in the lobby in thirty minutes."
"Of course," Lynne said. "Come, Tonio. Would you like to walk across the Ponte Vecchio?"
He slipped his hand into hers and they set off. In the center of the bridge they paused so that Tonio could look down at the water, and then began to leisurely window-shop their way back. Lynne found the window displays charming, but she hadn't yet been into any of the small shops that lined the bridge.
"Oh, look," Tonio cried at one window, pointing to a group of cunningly crafted metal animals. "See the funny giraffe with the green eyes!"
Lynne admired them and then her eye was caught by a gilt pendant on a chain. It was a personified sun disk with swirling rays and a smiling face.
"What are you looking at, Zia Lynne?" Tonio asked.
She pointed. "That necklace. It's supposed to be the sun's face and he's smiling. Wouldn't that be lucky, to have a sun to always shine on you?"
"Why don't you buy it?"
"Oh, no," she said and started to move on, but he held fast to her hand. "It would look nice on your blue pullover."
She hesitated. She had never thought of buying anything for herself on this trip because Jason had bought her so much—more than she needed by far. But it would be fun to have one piece of costume jewelry as a kind of good luck charm. Impulsively she went into the shop and asked to see the pendant. As the shopkeeper put it into her hands, she saw that the workmanship was even lovelier than it had looked at a distance.
"How much is it?" she asked.
The shopkeeper named the price and at first Lynne thought she had heard him wrong, but he repeated it as she once more translated the lire into pounds. It was impossible! But then suddenly she understood and felt like a naive idiot. The beautiful sun pendant lying so heavy in her hand was real gold. She should have realized. The goldsmiths of Florence were world famous for their craftsmanship. Somehow it had not occurred to her that such whimsical pieces as the little animals and this sun disk would be fashioned of real gold.
"I'm sorry. It's lovely, but it's too expensive." She gave him an embarrassed smile and handed it back, "Why didn't you buy it, Lynne?" Tonio demanded.
"Because your Aunt Lynne is very foolish," she said when they were outside the shop again. "I assumed it was only gilt but it's real gold and cost far too much."
"But isn't Zio Jason rich?" he asked innocently.
She looked down at him, "Well, that has nothing to do with it. Just having money doesn't mean one should spend it foolishly on things one doesn't need."
Jason was waiting in the lobby when they returned to the hotel. They crossed the river, going back across the Ponte Vecchio, this time Tonio holding Jason's hand. At one point Lynne realized they were dropping behind and turned back. "I want to show Uncle Jason the gir
affe, Lynne," Tonio called. She nodded and smiled and waited until they caught up.
They walked around the Pitti Palace, deciding Tonio would rather go on to the gardens than go in to see any of the paintings.
Shortly beyond the Pitti Palace they came upon a gelato vendor and Tonio asked if he could have one. Lynne groaned. "Tonio, how could you after that enormous lunch?"
"Is it too expensive, Lynne?" he asked anxiously. "Even though Uncle Jason's rich, would it be spending his money foolishly?"
She burst out laughing. "No, of course not. There's a difference between buying an ice and buying a gold necklace. I only meant I thought you might burst if you ate one more thing."
"Oh, no." He was very serious. "I won't burst. I always have room for an ice. They hardly take up any space at all."
"Then run and get one." She smiled.
Sometimes during lengthy exchanges in Italian between Lynne and Tonio, Jason assumed a look of frustration at being left out. "What was that all about?" he asked.
"It loses a lot in translation," she said lightly, but seeing he was still waiting, she had to go on. The real explanation went back to the story of the golden sun disk and she certainly wasn't going to tell him about that, so she merely said, "When he asked for an ice, I was somewhat dismayed after that big lunch he ate. So he asked if it would be too expensive, and I said you could afford it but that I was afraid he would burst. However, he said a gelato didn't take up much room and he always had space enough for one."
Jason seemed satisfied with this abbreviated version of the story, and while Tonio happily consumed his gelato, they admired the lovely views of the city from the Giardino del Cavaliere. They roamed about the gardens and the Buontalenti Grotto, and as they turned into the Viottolone, Lynne stopped transfixed.
How very Italian it was, the very essence of the Italian style—formalized and yet with a kind of spacious and expansive joy and appreciation of beauty and heritage. Down either side of the wide avenue ran a row of the incomparable dark cypress trees. The Viottolone stretched on and on, and set into the trees every few yards was a marble statue. Some were ancient, some medieval, and while none perhaps were absolute masterpieces, each was lovely and special in its own way.
With the energy that only a five year old could possess, Tonio began to run down the avenue, zigzagging back and forth across it to touch each statue.
"Look at the face on this one, Lynne," Jason said. "You can almost see what she's thinking."
"It's incredible, isn't it?" Lynne said. "A country so rich in art that they can put all these marvelous pieces out in the open in public gardens for the people to enjoy."
At the end of the avenue of cypresses they came to the Piazzale dell'Isolotto. The small island in the round pool was all planted with flowers and citrus trees and in the center was a graceful fountain. Around the pool was a circular path with benches set here and there, and dense planting enclosed the whole area to compose a spot of green serenity.
"Here are two new words for you, Tonio," Lynne said. "Island and fountain." She explained the meaning of each and then Tonio said, "Now it's Zio Jason's turn," and obediently Jason repeated after her, "isola, fontana."
After circling the island twice, Lynne and Jason sat down on a bench. A sweet-faced woman holding a baby was sitting there, her older son playing nearby. Immediately Tonio and the other boy engaged in a game of tag, and then a wild chase around the path to the far side of the island.
The woman smiled at Lynne and said, "You have a fine son. He looks very much like his father."
"Oh, do you think so? My—my husband will be so pleased. Actually Tonio is our nephew." She repeated what the woman had said to Jason and he looked so proud that something twisted in Lynne's heart. For a little while it had seemed as if they were truly what they seemed to be, a real family on a pleasant outing. It was so easy to forget, or almost to forget, just for a few minutes, that it was all make-believe—that Tonio, and Jason, would never really be hers.
To distract herself Lynne asked, "May I hold the baby? He's such a beautiful child."
His mother gave him a kiss and put him in Lynne's arms. "That's very nice. It will give me a chance to have a cigarette." She opened her bag and took out a cigarette case.
"That is the most exquisite purse," Lynne said enthusiastically. "And the matching cigarette case. I've always heard that Florentine leatherwork was the finest in the world. Now I can believe it."
The woman seemed pleased. "These are from my husband's shop, just off the Piazza del Duomo."
"Then it's near our hotel. Perhaps I'll be able to visit it."
"I'll give you his card with the address. If you go there, you must tell him I said he was to give you » good price."
Lynne laughed and, as she was holding the baby with both arms, asked Jason to put the card in her purse.
They sat for a while longer and then the woman looked at her watch. "Oh, dear, it's half-past four. I must leave. Giorgio!" she called to her son. "Time to go home."
Reluctantly the two boys parted and Lynne handed the baby back to his mother.
"Good-bye. I won't forget to visit your husband's shop," Lynne said.
After a bit Jason said, "I suppose we should be getting back to the hotel, too, and get the car to take Tonio home. It's so peaceful here, I hate to move. I'm afraid it will be our last outing with Tonio—for a while."
Perhaps it was only that the afternoon was wearing itself away, but suddenly Lynne felt cold.
As they started up the Viottolone Tonio said, "Let's play hide-and-seek. This is a good place for that game. You hide, Lynne. We'll close our eyes, and I'll count to twenty out loud. It will be a good Italian lesson for Zio Jason, learning to count."
She explained to Jason and, laughing, he agreed.
She positioned herself behind one of the statues and before long an excited Tonio triumphantly pounced on her.
"Oh, is that Lynne?" Jason said. "I saw her posed there quietly, but I thought it was one of the marble nymphs. I suppose I should have wondered why a marble nymph would be wearing a blue pullover."
She translated for Tonio, who went into gales of laughter. "I know a new word for him, Lynne. Teach him 'hiding-place.'"
"Tonio says you must learn the word for 'hiding-place,' Jason. That's nascondiglio."
Tonio was still laughing as Jason haltingly repeated the word. Then he cried, "Now I'm it. Hide your eyes." They heard his scampering footsteps as he dashed off as they stood with their eyes closed.
At first Lynne didn't look too closely behind each nearby statue as she didn't want to spoil his fun by finding him too quickly, but after a few minutes she looked more carefully and still didn't see him. She went over to Jason, thinking perhaps he had spotted the boy and from the same motive as hers had pretended not to see him.
"Have you found him?"
He shook his head. "He's not over on this side."
They hurried on, but he had vanished.
The game had gone on too long. "Tonio!" Lynne called loudly. "Tonio. Come back. We give up." But along the wide avenue, no small figure stepped out from a hiding place.
"Perhaps he went back to the area near the island," Jason said. "You stay here." But he returned quickly, shaking his head. "I'll search behind the row of cypresses. Keep calling his name."
"I'll stay here in the path so he can see me if he comes out of hiding," she said. She walked rapidly up and down the avenue shouting his name. She could hear Jason's voice calling, too. Then she saw him cross to look behind the trees on the other side.
Icy fear was beginning to numb her. It was impossible that a small boy could vanish so quickly in the middle of a joyous game on a sunny afternoon, she told herself, but the panic didn't subside.
Jason reappeared, his face gaunt. "No sign of him."
"I'm going for a policeman." Lynne heard herself saying the words before she knew she was going to utter them.
"But he must just be hiding!" Jason said.
/> Lynne swallowed hard and shook her head. "I don't think so. He would know we're frightened. When we played hide-and-seek at Longridge, I explained he must never keep hidden if I said the game was over, because I might be too alarmed and run around looking in a panic and get hurt. He'd remember that. You stay where he can see you if he comes out into the avenue, but I'm going for the police."
"I'm afraid, Jason. I'm afraid."
CHAPTER TEN
She sped along the avenue, out of the garden and into a main street. Almost immediately, she saw a police van and uttered a prayer of thanks.
"Please help me," she gasped, out of breath from running. "My nephew is lost in the Boboli Gardens."
To her annoyance, the young police officer opened his log book and began to make notes. "Your name, please."
She wanted to scream at him that her name was of no importance, but a moment's reflection told her that arguing would only waste time, so she gave him the information he asked for. Then he let her tell him her story. "My husband and I were on an outing in the Boboli Gardens with my nephew, Tonio. He's five years old. Just before we started back to the hotel, Tonio suggested a game of hide-and-seek. We closed our eyes for a moment and when we looked for him, he had vanished. My husband ran back to the Piazzale dell'Isolotto and he looked behind the cypresses, but I stayed out in the middle of the Viottolone so he could see me if he came out of hiding. We called and called, but he didn't answer. Something terrible has happened."
"It shouldn't be hard for a small boy to stay hidden for a while in the Boboli Gardens," the policeman said with maddening calm.
"But he wouldn't," Lynne said firmly. "I know him too well to believe that. We had an understanding about never frightening each other that way."
"Suppose he wanted to frighten you, to punish you for something. Perhaps you had had some disagreement this afternoon."
"No!" Lynne was furious now. "There was no disagreement. It had been a perfect afternoon. Nothing had gone wrong between us. I tell you—something's happened to him."