‘Make a considered judgement.’
They held each other’s gaze. She was as stubborn as he was. He sensed this was a pivotal moment. ‘So…Monday,’ he said as casually as he could.
‘Yes?’
‘I’ll tell the security guard to expect your people for the pilot scheme. We’ll go ahead for now. There’ll be badges waiting at the gate. I’m presuming you’ll be with the group?’ He couldn’t believe her answer meant so much to him.
‘Of course.’
Instead of allowing her triumph to show, she behaved professionally, coolly, as if this was the outcome she had expected all along. How she felt about the man making the offer was similarly buried. Silently, he saluted her.
Risk-taking was new to him, but it was apparent that there was no such thing as casual sex with Nell. He had to change something, or there would be no sex at all—and that wasn’t something he was prepared to factor into his calculations.
‘See you on Monday. If not before…’
Not before, Nell thought, allowing a slight smile of acknowledgement to touch her lips as she gathered up her things. She was still throbbing from sex, heated from their argument, reeling from Luca’s unexpected agreement to take in her scheme. But more than all that, she was stunned by the way she had opened up to him. What kind of fool exposed so much of herself to a man who didn’t know the meaning of emotion?
Chapter Eight
‘YOU did what?’ Nell blenched.
‘I rang up Luca and invited him round for tea,’ Molly repeated blithely.
‘How on earth did you find his number?’ Nell’s mind was racing. After everything that had happened between them, all the pain that had spilled out of her, she just wanted to forget—to put some distance between them. She had started to do just that even before she left Luca’s office. And now this!
‘I rang the hospital, told them I was a former patient and asked to speak to him. They put me through. You don’t mind, do you, Mum?’
What had happened between Luca and herself wasn’t Molly’s fault, Nell realised. Should she make a fuss and risk provoking curiosity even more, or just grit her teeth and go along with it? ‘No, dear, I don’t mind.’
No, dear? Out of the corner of her eye Nell saw Marianna’s raised eyebrows. Was this what it had come to? Had raising the barricades against Luca made her into some sort of stuffy Victorian mama? ‘Sorry!’ Dropping to her knees, she held out her arms. ‘Give me a hug, Moll, I need it. It’s been one of those days.’
‘I thought you saw Luca today?’
‘I did!’ Nell used a comic voice and pulled a face as if she had encountered a troll. To her relief Molly started laughing.
‘But you don’t mind if he comes to tea?’
‘Too late to worry now.’ And what could go wrong with Molly and Marianna around to back her up?
They arranged to eat outside on the balcony overlooking the Grand Canal. She would find an opportunity to draw him aside and tell him that this was the first and last time they would be meeting like this. Luca had been Molly’s doctor and this was a nice way for Molly to thank him—but that was it.
Molly had made all the arrangements—ringing Room Service to place her order, and then Housekeeping to make sure they had enough cushions for an extra guest. She had even set the table by herself, arranging the floral centrepiece provided by the concierge and positioning candles either side of it.
‘Candles in broad daylight? It isn’t dark yet,’ Nell pointed out.
‘Don’t be so boring, Mum. Remember, this is Venice. It’s supposed to be romantic.’
‘Romantic?’
‘A romantic city, I mean,’ Molly quickly amended.
And then Nell was too busy pacing up and down trying to convince herself she could handle tea with Luca to notice what was going on. It was only when the knock came on the door and Marianna and Molly got there before her that she realised they were both dressed to go out.
‘Where do you think you two are going?’
‘Out.’ Molly tipped her chin as she stared at her mother.
‘But you can’t go out! What about tea?’ For a moment, Nell thought Molly might relent. It was a proper English afternoon tea, their favourite: scones, jam and cream, breakfast tea with either milk or lemon, and soft sponge cakes coated in chocolate and toffee sauce to eat afterwards.
Molly stared at the tray longingly. ‘Sorry—things to do, people to see. Isn’t that right, Marianna?’
Marianna had perfected the art of staring off into the middle distance, Nell thought, glaring at her.
‘Don’t look so worried, Mum! It’ll be fun!’
Fun? What had Luca been thinking, accepting Molly’s invitation? ‘You’re probably right.’ She didn’t want to get into an argument.
The buzzer went.
‘Luca.’ As Nell opened the door, she hoped her eyes said what her voice couldn’t in front of Molly and Marianna—that he should have found an excuse not to come.
A bemused expression crossed his face as Molly and Marianna walked past him. ‘I’m sorry. I thought…’
‘Yes, so did I. Do you want to come in? You don’t have to,’ Nell assured him sincerely once they had turned the corner.
‘Don’t be silly.’ He walked in knowing he had been conned, and by a ten-year-old. He’d never guessed women started so young. He felt some explanation was necessary. ‘Nell…’
Shutting the door, she leaned back against the wall. ‘Luca?’
The call from Molly had taken him by surprise, but afternoon tea had sounded so innocent he hadn’t dreamed it was a set-up. He stared outside at the balcony, where deep-cushioned seats had been drawn up to a table draped in a damask cloth. For once he was lost for words and barely managed a lame, ‘This is nice.’
‘What are you doing here, Luca?’ There were only two chairs, Nell noticed now, cursing her inattention to detail.
‘Molly invited me. I assumed it was your idea…’ Clearly not, he thought, seeing Nell’s expression. ‘Next time I speak to her, I’ll—’
‘There won’t be a next time, Luca. There’s no reason for you to contact Molly. I won’t have her misled.’
‘Misled?’
Isn’t it blindingly obvious? She doesn’t have a dad and she’s considering you for the role. ‘I won’t have her misled into thinking you’re a friend,’ Nell clarified. ‘I didn’t want to raise her suspicions by saying no to this scheme of hers—before I knew she was planning to disappear—but you should have had the good sense not to come.’
‘I didn’t want to disappoint her.’
And now he’d developed feelings?
‘I won’t have Molly sensing how tense we are around each other. I don’t want you here, Luca. I thought I made that clear yesterday. Anything we have to say to each other can be said in the workplace or on the telephone.’
He dipped his head in ironic acknowledgement, and she didn’t move until he left the room. Even the way he shut the door, with a barely discernible click, seemed designed to mock her.
Eyes shut, Nell analysed her feelings. Her heart was pounding. She still wanted him. It was that simple.
She had to fight the urge to rush to the door to call him back. She waited until she was sure that he’d gone before letting out her breath in a juddering stream. Only then was her gaze drawn to the tray of dainty sandwiches and cakes waiting for them out on the balcony. Stalking across the room, she picked up the tray and tossed the contents into the canal.
She couldn’t settle. She paced the room until Molly and Marianna returned from their walk.
‘Did it go well?’ Molly asked eagerly.
‘As well as could be expected,’ Nell said honestly. ‘If you’d stayed you would have been able to help us eat the cakes.’
‘You ate everything?’ Molly gazed at the empty tray.
‘Er, yes. Every scrap.’ A white lie was necessary, Nell decided.
‘But you didn’t light the candles,’ Molly observed.
/> ‘Shall we go out?’ Nell changed the subject. The last thing she wanted was to enter into a conversation about Luca, a man so divorced from normal human feelings she wouldn’t have been surprised if he had been stamped cold-hearted end to end like a stick of rock.
As Nell had hoped, Molly’s interest switched immediately. ‘Where would we go?’
‘I don’t know…but I’ve decided that it’s time you and I and Marianna had an adventure.’
Nell began to relax as the water taxi travelled across the lagoon. This was better than moping around at the hotel. There was no point in trying to protect Molly from believing Luca would remain part of their lives, and then spoiling it all by being miserable. She had made a mistake, but she could and she would get over him—and Molly deserved some fun.
Like many cities in warm climates, Venice came alive in the evening. This was their first trip to one of the smaller islands on the tidal flats. Nell had asked the concierge at the hotel for suggestions for their night out, and he had mentioned a celebration to commemorate the end of the sixteenth-century plague. It would be like one big party, he had told her, and Nell thought it sounded like a good experience for Molly. She had bought them all fearsome long-beaked masks, explaining to Molly that Venetians had once filled these with herbs and other sweet-smelling medicaments, which they believed kept them safe from the disease.
‘You look gross,’ Molly commented, when Nell put hers on.
‘Well, perhaps we won’t put them on until we get there.’
Molly wasn’t listening. She was too busy peering out of the window at the other craft travelling in convoy with them across the lagoon. All the vessels were dressed with lanterns and greenery, and Nell could see that many of the passengers were in full costume. The women were wearing elaborate silk gowns in every colour of the rainbow, while the men wore close-fitting breeches with cloaks flung around their shoulders. It made them look like gallants of old escorting their beautiful masked companions to a romantic tryst.
The sense of anticipation increased as the fleet drew closer to the island. It was as if they were escaping back to another age, Nell thought. Seeing Molly’s face pressed to the window, she smiled wryly. It was about time she made a good decision.
‘Come on,’ she said when they docked. ‘We don’t want to get left behind.’ With Marianna on one side of Molly and Nell on the other, they hurried on shore to follow the crowd streaming along the dockside towards the shady alleyways leading to the town centre.
When they reached the main square it was packed. ‘Stay close to me,’ Nell warned Molly and Marianna, ‘I don’t want you to be swept away. There are so many people here. I had no idea it would be so busy.’
In the middle of the square was a large fountain. Around this were colourful stalls, and, lining the edge of the square, elegant houses set like jewels amongst tiny boutiques with leaded light windows. Flowers tumbled from wrought-iron balconies, splashing colour across ancient walls, and there were banners and flags hanging everywhere. Amongst the crowd, street entertainers on stilts with striped baggy trousers, painted faces and top hats appeared like fantastic creatures from another world. There were musicians playing—several bands at once, all of them competing for the crowd’s attention. The noise was incredible, but Nell found it exhilarating. Biting her bottom lip, she turned full circle, hardly knowing which way to look first.
Then there was an explosion above, and everyone around her was staring into the sky, staring and pointing to the fireworks, which she presumed must mark the start of the celebrations. As cheers and laughter erupted all around them, she held on tight to Molly.
‘I can’t see,’ Molly complained.
‘I’ll try and lift you up.’ But it was difficult. There was such a press of people, and Nell had to be content with squeezing into a corner behind a food stall, where Molly could stand on a step between her and Marianna.
‘Isn’t it wonderful?’ Molly cried excitedly clapping her hands.
‘Yes, it is,’ Nell shouted back. They couldn’t have been anywhere but Italy with the noise and exuberance, glitter and glamour. The craziness and abandon so perfectly reflected the soul of a people who wore their hearts on their sleeves and kept their faces turned to the sun. The mouth-watering scent of food teased their nostrils, and there was the heady fragrance of young wine, candle-wax, perfume, gunpowder…And now people were dancing, the couples swinging each other round to the energetic rhythms provided by a small group of elderly men dressed in traditional costume who were playing the harmonica, the accordion, the fiddle and the drum. Immediately a nearby group started up in competition, and then another and another. It was chaos, but such wonderful chaos.
Most people had taken the trouble to dress up like those she had seen on the boats, and nearly everyone was masked. It lent an air of mystery, of romance, a sense that anything was possible. Molly quickly put her mask on, though it kept slipping off, and Nell was sorry she hadn’t noticed before now how big it was.
‘I wish we’d come in proper costume.’ Molly had to tug off her mask so that Nell could hear her above the noise.
Downing her own mask, Nell agreed.
‘Perhaps if we come again next year?’
Nell was just about to put the damper on that idea when suddenly her eyes were covered from behind and she shrieked. Molly shrieked too—with excitement.
In that instant Nell knew who it was, though recognising him did nothing to stop her heart from pounding.
She turned to see a tall, powerfully built figure dressed from head to toe in black. The plain black mask enhanced his strong, saturnine features, and he wore a black cloak lined with scarlet silk. ‘Luca?’
He made a bow. ‘We are all anonymous here, lady.’
‘But it is you!’ Staring up, Molly clutched his hand.
‘In Venice we wear masks so that everyone is equal, and even a humble man like me may offer his services to three beautiful ladies.’ He acknowledged Marianna, and bowed to Nell, who gasped as he swung Molly onto his shoulders.
‘Shall we go?’ he invited.
Nell was so stunned by Luca’s unexpected arrival she couldn’t think of a single word to say. At least for Molly’s sake he seemed prepared to overlook his frosty reception at the hotel. Perhaps it was better to keep it that way. ‘Go where?’ she said at last.
‘Anywhere the music takes us.’
‘Yes, let’s!’ Molly checked with Nell. ‘Can we?’
With most of his face hidden behind the mask, Luca’s lips appeared crueller and more sensuous than ever. The dark glint in his eyes warned Nell to be cautious. She couldn’t forget his savage kiss, or their impassioned encounters. But she needed him—the project needed him—and she didn’t want to cause a fuss in front of Molly. She had to balance her mistrust against her duty…
‘Don’t forget,’ he said, ‘we’re all anonymous here.’
‘Please, Mum!’
Molly was pressing her to make a decision. Ripping her away now would cause an ugly scene, leaving doubts, questions Nell couldn’t, and didn’t want to provide answers for. But just one night, one anonymous night behind masks…It didn’t mean she had to start trusting him. She could let go, be herself. Or rather, be the person she longed to be…
Before Nell had chance to state her decision, a glamorous older woman came out of the crowd towards them.
‘Bellissima! What a pretty child!’
She was wearing full costume like Luca, her face almost completely hidden behind an elaborately jewelled mask. ‘Would you like me to take a picture of your group?’ She pointed to the camera swinging from Nell’s wrist.
Nell smiled politely. ‘No, thank you.’ The last thing she wanted was a reminder of Luca. But wasn’t it rude and unreasonable of her to refuse the offer? ‘I don’t want to trouble you,’ she amended.
‘It’s no trouble, I assure you. It will make a lovely souvenir for you to take home.’
The accent was so attractive. Nell guessed she was It
alian, possibly even Venetian like Luca. She handed over the camera. ‘Thank you. Grazie,’ she added when the picture had been taken.
‘Prego,’ the woman said, smiling as she disappeared into the crowd.
‘Now, come along, Molly,’ Nell said firmly. ‘I’m sure Signor Barbaro is here with friends. We mustn’t keep him—’
‘Signor Barbaro? Who is this Signor Barbaro?’ Luca demanded, turning his head up to Molly. ‘Do you know him?’
Molly threw herself happily into the conspiracy. ‘No!’
‘I can assure you, ladies, I am entirely at your service.’
‘Just a minute!’ Nell was forced to chase after them as Luca strode off through the crowd with Molly sitting on his shoulders. She caught up with him by the fountain and grabbed his arm. ‘We’re going back to the hotel now. It’s well past Molly’s bedtime—’
‘But the main firework display is at midnight. Won’t you be staying for that?’
‘How can we? Once it’s over all these people will want to go back to Venice. We’ll never find a water taxi—’
‘And so you’ll come back on my boat—’
‘Oh, yes!’ Molly agreed enthusiastically.
‘Absolutely not!’ Nell’s mouth tightened as she turned to glare at him.
‘Why not?’ Luca said.
A thousand reasons blazed from Nell’s eyes as she stared at him, none of which she could give voice to while Molly was in earshot. ‘Because we can’t possibly impose on you?’
‘It’s no imposition. There are so many small canals crisscrossing our city; it is only a short distance from one side to the other by water.’
For a time they were silent, while the party carried on around them. Nell realised that if she wanted Molly to remain unaware of the currents between herself and Luca, refusing his offer of a lift home was unhelpful. This was what they were here for after all…an evening of fun.
Nell looked up, realising Luca was saying something. ‘I’m sorry?’
‘I was just explaining to Molly that they should have told you in the shop that this type of mask is generally worn by men. Will you allow me to make amends?’
A Venetian Affair Page 26