by Penny Feeny
The priest who had lost Dolly her reputation. Lily didn’t see why he should be thanked for anything.
‘He’s always been very obliging to her,’ said Gerald. ‘She used to work for him, you know. He was besotted with her cartocci.’
Lily supposed this was a sweet treat and not a part of her anatomy, but she couldn’t suppress a snort of disgust.
‘What is it?’
‘I’ve been told about Father Rondini.’
‘Ah… Rumours are pernicious, aren’t they? Priests tend to have older housekeepers but at that time Dolly was young. It’s a nice job and it must have seemed like heaven to her, but it was an unwise appointment. People were jealous, perhaps? Who knows?’
‘So she didn’t have an affair with him?’
‘It doesn’t matter whether or not something is true, the crowd will believe what it wants. And measures have to be seen to be taken. I don’t ask about her private life and I don’t expect her to meddle in mine. Whatever happened between them, the padre knew she’d been unfairly treated. Perhaps that’s why he was prepared to listen to her request and use his influence to speed things up.’
Lily noticed that he hadn’t once called Dolly ‘that bloody woman’.
He went on, ‘It’s possible the other Carlotta had learned about your placement in the convent and did come back from the States, as she said. She probably thought she’d have plenty of time to get down to Sicily and claim you – though she may have been nervous of her reception by the Galettis.’ He chuckled. ‘Especially as she’d stolen her sister-in-law’s name.’
‘Don’t make excuses for her,’ said Lily.
‘But if Dolly got wind of this, she wouldn’t have allowed it to scupper the process. She was doing what she thought best and she was convinced you’d have a better life in England with Alex and Jess. That’s why, if Carlotta came, she came too late. You’d already gone.’
They had reached the end of the line of cypresses. In the distance Lily saw the door of the chapel open and Tina Roselli emerge, a strong splash of turquoise against the white background. She folded her scarf and fluffed out her perm. She put on her sunglasses, peering around for them, and began to stride towards the parked car.
Lily and Gerald turned back too. ‘It’s also why she felt guilty,’ he added. ‘When Carlotta turned up again that summer.’
‘And took us on the fishing trip?’
‘It was a frightful mess, wasn’t it? A catalogue of disasters. Dolly wanted to put things right. I didn’t find this out until recently, but she was the one who told Carlotta where you lived in London. Not a wise move. Apparently, she’d said she wanted to write a letter of apology, but I gather she went a bit further than that.’
‘Yeah, she caused plenty of trouble.’
‘Dolly loves your parents,’ Gerald said abruptly. ‘Such a shame they’re not together anymore.’
‘Their split was Carlotta’s fault,’ said Lily. Then she relented. ‘And mine too, I suppose.’
Gerald fingered his nicotine-yellow moustache. ‘We have the leading role in our own lives,’ he said. ‘But not necessarily in other people’s. You shouldn’t beat yourself up – any more than Dolly should. It seems to me you’ve had a quite a pleasant existence as a McKenzie. But nice to be in a position to find out about the rest of your heritage too.’
‘You didn’t have to tell me any of this,’ said Lily. ‘So why did you?’
He indicated the mass of gravestones, sharply defined against the blue haze of the distant hills, commemorating the generations who had lived and worked and died in the valley. ‘You couldn’t come this far, to this cemetery, without knowing the beginning of the story. What you do with the information is up to you.’
35
A note had been pushed under the door at Villa Ercole but nobody spotted it until the morning. Dolly came across it when sweeping with her long-handled dustpan and brush and passed it to Lily. ‘See! They are arrived!’
The note was written in Jess’s firm italic script.
Hope you enjoyed your outing! We are staying in Pensione del Sole in Roccamare and will come to see you tomorrow. J xx.
Lily had slept fitfully because she’d had too much to drink. They had stayed in Santa Margherita to eat with the Rosellis in a pizzeria owned by another of Guido’s cousins. Gerald had paid for the pizzas but the wine had been on the house. Her head was throbbing and the discovery that Jess was down the road was a relief. She didn’t want to wait for her to come to the villa. She persuaded Dolly that they should go and find her.
‘We missed her because we were out for so long yesterday. I don’t know why she didn’t tell us when she was coming.’
‘Pensione del Sole is not very good place for your mother,’ tutted Dolly. ‘She must sleep here.’
But when they called at the pensione, the landlady informed them the occupants of room seven had gone out; she didn’t know where. Dolly needed provisions from the alimentari; she would go to Nuncia’s and stock up on bread too. Did Lily want to come?
‘I’ll go for a wander,’ said Lily. ‘You don’t need to wait for me. I expect I’ll find them somewhere and they can give me a lift back to the villa. Or else I’ll walk.’
‘As you like.’ Dolly seemed mildly put out, but Lily didn’t want to go back to Nuncia’s and have her exclaim and reminisce about how close she and Marcello used to be in the old days. It grated.
She set off through the town, heading for the main piazza, hoping to spot Toby and Jess taking breakfast – cappuccino and cornetti, at any rate – in one of the bars there. They would be sitting outside; they wouldn’t hide away from the sun when they saw so little of it. They would stand out among the Italian holidaymakers; Jess, in particular. First she tried the Caffe Centrale, which she and Harry had always preferred, followed by the Jolly Bar opposite. She had no luck in either.
She noticed, with sudden glee, that the fountain in between the cafés was playing again. The jet was more of a spray than a torrent, but it wasn’t competing with Villa d’Este. It had flushed away the dead leaves and, from a certain angle, appeared to cast a shower of rainbows. She was admiring this spectacle when a scooter cruised so close that it almost shaved the back of her leg. She jumped out of the way and collided with a group of boys engaged in dribbling a Pepsi cola can to each other across the cobbles. One of the players stamped on the can; the others howled and threw themselves on top of him in an invigorating brawl. Lily left the piazza.
She mooched along the promenade, checking at the other bars that overlooked the deep enticing blue of the Mediterranean. The sea was especially tempting in the morning, when the sand was raked and litter-free and the sun benign. She crossed the road and stood at the top of the steps that led to the beach. Few swimmers were in the water and she wished she’d brought her costume with her. It would be bliss to plunge in. She took off her sandals and walked down to the water’s edge. The ripples felt cool and refreshing between her toes. With her free hand she shaded her eyes to see if she could recognise any of the frolicking bodies. Some young children in a family group were leaping after an inflatable ball. A bald man in goggles was powering himself parallel to the shoreline as if swimming lengths in a pool. Two ladies in vivid floral swimsuits were tentatively preparing themselves for the change in temperature.
Then she saw Jess. She’d risen in spectacular fashion from beneath the surface, like a mermaid, her hair falling in wet sheets down her back. She was splashing water at the man with her and he was splashing back. They both dived out of sight again and the place where they had been boiled and frothed as if they were scuffling under the sea. Lily was puzzled. She didn’t think they could be fighting. She hadn’t detected any aggression or heard any cry for help, but the behaviour seemed out of character for Toby. More like Harry, in fact. Harry loved to goad.
When Jess’s companion rose and shook himself like a dog Lily felt a glow of delight. Harry had come after all, he was here too! They’d be able to revisit their old
haunts around Villa Ercole. It wouldn’t be the same as being with Marcello, but they’d know how to have fun. And Dolly would smother him to bits. Harry was on typical form, thrashing about again, getting carried away. And Jess must have thought so, because she put her palm against his chest and very deliberately pushed him back under the water. Before he submerged he grabbed her hand and pulled her down with him in a great splash. Moments later they surfaced simultaneously and it was what he did next that threw Lily into a state of total disarray.
He kissed her.
Lily dropped her sandals and rubbed her eyes. She was over a hundred yards away. They had the same height and lanky build, but it wasn’t Harry she was watching. She was an idiot! Harry wouldn’t have given up surfing with his mates for a holiday with his sister. It was her father. She jumped up and down on the spot, calling out their names, ‘Jess! Alex! Over here!’
They both turned to the shore. Then they waved. It was one of those hearty vigorous waves employed by people who wanted to compensate for any possible embarrassment. For what? Fighting in the sea like kids? Not coming directly to Villa Ercole? Being together? She watched them approach, paying close attention to their body language. At one point Jess’s footing faltered and Alex grabbed her arm. He didn’t immediately let go.
‘Lily, my darling!’ Jess cried when she reached the shore. ‘I hardly recognised you. You look wonderful, so healthy and tanned.’
‘What are you doing here?’ said Lily.
‘You knew I was coming.’
‘No, I meant Alex.’
He winked at her. He didn’t consider, as Jess would have done, that he was soaking wet and if he cuddled her she’d get wet too. He wrapped his arms around her and raised her off the sand as if she were a child. ‘Aren’t you pleased to see me?’
‘Put me down, first. Then I’ll tell you.’
He laughed. Jess had fetched their towels and handed him one. ‘We couldn’t resist a morning swim,’ she said.
‘Oh, was that swimming?’
Alex, towelling his chest, lunged for her. He knew how ticklish she was. ‘I can throw you in too if you’re asking for it.’
Lily squealed. Then she made her face go solemn and said to Jess, ‘You never told me you were bringing him.’
‘I didn’t know myself until yesterday. It was his choice. He wanted to see you.’
Alex said, ‘You’ve had quite a time of it, my flower.’
Lily took a deep breath. ‘You won’t believe this,’ she said. ‘Yesterday I met the other one.’
‘The other what?’
‘The other Carlotta Galetti.’
‘Oh, my God!’ said Jess, stunned. ‘The one who lives in Palermo?’
‘She was in Santa Margherita with her husband for a family funeral. She’s called Tina Roselli now so luckily it’s not too confusing. Anyway, she’s going to do the test with me.’
‘The DNA test, do you mean?’
‘Yes.’
Jess might have been sculpted from ivory. When she took Lily’s hand the contrast in their skin tones was striking. ‘And if you find out you’re related to her, it will mean the Carlotta in Rome was telling the truth, won’t it?’
‘I suppose it will. But I should go ahead, don’t you think? Why wouldn’t I? It was your idea in the first place. You got Toby to tell me about it. Didn’t you say he was coming too?’
‘He couldn’t make it after all,’ said Jess, wrapping her towel around her like a sarong and starting up the beach.
‘So there was a spare plane ticket?’
‘Yes.’
‘If Alex has come here with you,’ persisted Lily, ‘does this mean that the two of you have got back together again?’
‘No, it doesn’t,’ they both said in unison.
She didn’t believe them.
*
Lily waited outside Pensione del Sole while Jess and Alex went up to their room to change. She propped herself against the whitewashed wall watching a cat toying with a prickly pear, impervious to its spines, batting and rolling it along the dusty path, then pouncing as if it were a live creature. She didn’t have to wait long. When they emerged Jess had a suitcase; Alex didn’t.
‘Aren’t you checking out?’ Lily asked him.
‘I don’t know. It might be easier to stay on here. It rather depends on the reception I get.’
‘You mean, from Gerald?’
‘Do you think he’ll want to see me? Especially if I’m not the person he’s expecting. Mind you, I’d hope we could be civilised. He can’t help being a self-centred bugger but—’
‘He’s very kind,’ Lily defended him. ‘Kinder than you know. He’s even fond of you, for some reason.’
‘Really?’ His expressive eyebrows danced a little jig on their own, but Lily had no intention of repeating her conversation with Gerald; it was private, between the two of them.
Alex slung Jess’s case into the boot of the car and they climbed in, rolling down all the windows. Jess said brightly, ‘You must have so much to tell us, darling. Were they fabulous, the gardens?’
‘What gardens?’
‘The ones you went to visit in Tuscany and so on. You did see them, didn’t you?’
‘Gosh, I forgot… so much has happened since.’ That trip had taken place in another lifetime and been overshadowed by subsequent events. ‘Yes, they were amazing. The emphasis is on the structure rather than the planting and it’s given me a few ideas. I learnt lots of tricks of perspective that’ll come in useful. There were these guys on the course who always had to work out the maths and geometry of everything on their calculators, which I thought was a bit over the top, but—’
Jess broke in, ‘That reminds me, someone you met on your travels phoned for you the other day. An Italian, I mean.’
‘Oh?’
‘I gave him the number of Villa Ercole and told him to try there.’
A man. Lily’s heart lurched. Marcello? But why would he ring England when he already knew where she had gone? ‘Did he give his name?’
‘Oh, yes. Nicolo.’
‘But I don’t know anyone called Nicolo!’ She reviewed her workmates among the tomato vines: Fabio, Gilberto, Alfredo. They wouldn’t know her British telephone number either. And she couldn’t recall giving it to anyone else during the garden tour.
‘Well, whoever he is, you must have made an impression on him.’ Jess laughed. ‘I expect you’ll find out when he rings the villa.’
There was both consternation and joy at the appearance of her parents. Alex hung back, unnaturally subdued, to allow Jess to be feted by Dolly. But Dolly had no inhibitions. She threw her arms around his waist because she couldn’t reach much higher and tugged him inside the house. Gerald was more circumspect. He hovered on the threshold between his study and the hallway, with a bemused frown.
Alex held out his hand. ‘I don’t want to impose on you,’ he said. ‘But I was worried about Lily – I heard she’d been in trouble with the police – and Toby gallantly let me take his place on the plane.’
Lily had to admire the way he was spinning the incident for his own ends. She murmured to Jess, ‘He does know it was all Dinah’s fault?’ Jess nodded.
Gerald clasped the proffered hand. ‘Dear boy, it’s been far too long.’
They moved in a group towards the kitchen. On the table lay a good selection of Nuncia’s wares. ‘In case you are hungry,’ said Dolly, setting a pot of coffee on the hob.
Jess and Alex were talking in overlapping sentences, reminiscing, firing questions, explaining their movements, apologising for the years of silence. Lily wondered if really they were conversing with one another. Neither Dolly nor Gerald seemed particularly attentive. In Sicily, you lived in the here and now.
Gerald, absently examining his fingernails, suddenly muttered, ‘Good Lord! The present!’ and stumbled out of the room. He came back with a stiff paper carrier bag with the word ‘SALDI’ written on it. ‘This was dropped off while you were out, Lily. The yo
ung man said it was a present you’d left behind.’
‘Marcello?’ said Lily faintly.
‘Is that who he was, Marcello Campione? Well, fancy!’
‘Where is he now?’
‘Went down to Roccamare, I believe.’
While she had been in Roccamare, he had come to Villa Ercole. And vice versa. How frustrating!
‘As a matter of fact,’ said Alex, leaping to his feet, patting his pockets, ‘I’ve brought you a present too.’
‘Have you?’
She was aware, when he produced the bottle of perfume – ‘Eureka!’ – and insisted she try it, that she should have been more grateful. She exclaimed over the lovely floral scent and dabbed it behind her ears and on her wrists, but she couldn’t stop her eyes darting to Marcello’s gift.
‘What’s the mystery in the bag?’ he said.
Lily drew out the orange dress. Jess and Dolly both leant forward instinctively to feel the fabric.
‘Christ, love,’ said Alex. ‘You’re going to look like an ice lolly in that.’
‘Shut up,’ hissed Jess.
‘It’s all right,’ said Lily. ‘I’ve tried it on. I know it suits me. I couldn’t go back to pay for it because of the police business… so Marcello’s stepped in. I’ll have to go and find him.’
‘But you’ve only just got here.’
‘I know.’ The coffee was bubbling and Dolly was assembling the cups. Lily turned to Gerald. ‘Have you still got those old bikes? Could I borrow one?’
‘Dear girl, when do we ever throw anything away?’
‘Isn’t this a bit of a wild goose chase?’ said Alex. ‘You’ve no idea where he is.’
‘You spend half your life chasing wild geese! Not getting anywhere.’
‘Aye,’ he acknowledged. ‘But Marcello’s bound to come back here, isn’t he?’
‘Is he?’
‘After a gesture like this? He bought the dress, right?’