by Penny Jordan
It wasn’t the first time she’d encountered missiles along this section of the road that led to the cottage; over the last few months some of the local youth had taken it upon themselves to regenerate the hostility of the past, more from mischief, she imagined, but it didn’t make it any easier to cope with.
She pedalled on, gritting her teeth for the next hill when another rock flew past her head. This time the bike tilted and she lost control, tumbling off to land in the gravel on the side of the road.
It was all she could do not to cry. She got to her feet with an effort and righted her bike, but the fall had punctured the front tyre. She looked around but there was no sign of anyone to help. She was at least ten kilometres from the cottage and it was uphill all the way.
She brushed at her dusty face and plodded on, the parcel containing the dress Alex Hunter had given her strapped to the rack on the back of the bike.
After fifteen minutes or so she heard the sound of a powerful car coming up the hill behind her. She moved to the side of the road, her shoulders hunched as she pushed the bike through the loose gravel, the perspiration stinging as it streamed past her eyes.
‘Hey there, little elf.’ A familiar voice spoke from the open window of the car as it pulled up alongside her. ‘You look like you need a lift.’
Amelia’s bottom lip wobbled dangerously as she turned to look at Alex Hunter. ‘I—I’m fine, thank you,’ she said, somehow summoning up a tattered remnant of pride.
His playful smile disappeared to be replaced by a frown. He killed the engine and got out of the car to take the bike from her. She tussled with him for a moment before finally letting it go, her hands going up to her face to cover the shame of her tears.
‘Oh no,’ he said softly, and, putting the bike to one side, gathered her up against his broad chest, his deep voice rumbling against her breasts where they were crushed up against him. ‘What on earth is the matter?’
‘I—I have a p-puncture…and s-someone threw a rock at me,’ she sobbed.
She felt him tense against her. ‘A rock? What sort of rock?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know. It was probably just a pebble…’ She gave a little sniff. ‘It happens now and again…’
He held her from him to look down at her, his expression serious. ‘What do you mean it happens now and again?’
She brushed at her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘It happens a lot. They’re just kids making mischief. It’s because of my family’s history… It’s too hard to explain.’
‘The Vialli bandits?’
She looked up at him in surprise. ‘You’ve heard of them?’
He nodded. ‘I’ve been reading up on the history of the island. It’s quite a colourful past.’
A shadow came and went in her eyes. ‘Yes, well, if only people would leave it in the past where it belongs…’
‘So you’re a relative of the original Vialli gang?’ he asked.
‘Yes and no. My father was only on the fringe of the operation. He wasn’t directly responsible for anything that happened,’ she explained.
‘So who was the ringleader?’
‘One of my uncles,’ she said. ‘He was killed during the takeover bid, along with several other relatives. My father has been made the scapegoat for the last thirty-four years. He virtually lives the life of a hermit to keep away from the past.’
‘That’s tough,’ Alex said. ‘What about your mother?’
Amelia bent her head to stare at the front of his shirt where her tears had left a damp mark. ‘She died when I was eighteen. It broke her heart living up here away from all her family who had turned their backs on her.’
‘So what actually happened?’
‘It’s a long story.’
He gave her an encouraging smile. ‘I love long stories.’ He led her to the grassy verge away from the dusty gravel. ‘Here, sit down and tell me all about it.’
Amelia sat next to him on the cushion of grass so they could face the view as she related the story, hastily covering her scratched and dirty knees with her uniform. She could feel his broad shoulder close to hers and her nostrils flared again to breathe in the alluring scent of his maleness.
She took and a breath and began, ‘Well…the Vialli bandits were originally ex-Barbary corsairs.’
‘Pirates, huh?’
‘Yes, amongst other things. Anyway, they formed a resistance to overturn the monarchy. They kidnapped one of the king’s twin grandsons and demanded a ransom. The king refused to pay it.’
Alex frowned. ‘Why did he do that?’
‘I don’t know.’ She glanced at him briefly, her teeth capturing her bottom lip for a moment before she released it and turned back to look down at the lush valley below. ‘Maybe he didn’t want to be seen being manipulated or something.’
‘So the kidnappers killed the little prince?’
She hesitated for a fraction of a second. ‘Yes…his body was found after an undercover rescue attempt failed. He had been blown up by a bomb.’
She felt Alex wince. ‘Hard to live down that sort of stuff,’ he said.
‘Yes.’
‘So what was left of your family has had to live with that ever since?’ he asked.
‘Yes. It’s been hard…you know…everyone looking at you as if you have murder and insurgence on your mind,’ she said with a dejected slump of her shoulders.
‘Poor little elf,’ he said, turning her head so he could cup her face as he looked into her eyes. ‘It sounds to me as if you need to be taken away from all this drama for a while. Are we still on for dinner?’
‘D-dinner?’ She looked at him with a shadow of uncertainty in her green-flecked hazel eyes.
‘Yes, that’s why I came up here in the first place. One of the nursing staff said you lived up here in the foothills. I was taking a chance on finding you at a loose end so I could take you out to dinner somewhere.’
‘There aren’t any restaurants up here.’
‘I know, but what about down at Porto di Castellante?’ he suggested.
Amelia lowered her gaze, frightened of the temptation he was dangling before her and even more terrified she wouldn’t be able to resist it. ‘I have to cook my father something… ‘
‘I heard he’s not well and not keen on seeing anyone professional,’ Alex said. ‘I thought if I came up to take you out it might be a way of breaking the ice in case there’s anything I can do for him.’
She raised her gaze back to meet his, a look of surprise flickering there momentarily before she looked away again.
‘Did I say something wrong?’ he asked.
‘No…it’s just that he asked me to ask you to visit him, but I just didn’t get around to it when I…er…saw you earlier today.’
‘I can’t promise to be of any help but sometimes it helps to get a second opinion.’
‘He’s got advanced lung cancer,’ she said, the bleak resignation evident in her tone. ‘A second opinion is not going to save him.’
‘That’s sad,’ he said. ‘What about palliative care? Who is overseeing that?’
She let out a defeated sigh. ‘He won’t accept any treatment.’
‘So you are managing him on your own?’
‘Not very well, I’m afraid,’ she confessed, her eyes drifting to the view once more. ‘I have tried my best to get him to be reassessed but he won’t budge. He’s not in much pain as yet but I dread what is ahead.’
‘It’s a brute of a disease,’ he said with feeling. ‘I’ll have a chat with him and see if I can change his mind. Besides, we can always organise some self-administered morphine for him to use at home when things start to go downhill.’
‘You’re a heart specialist,’ she said, looking at him again. ‘This is not your responsibility.’
‘Perhaps not, but how else am I going to get you to agree to come out with me?’ he asked with a twinkling smile.
Amelia felt the familiar kick of panic deep in her stomach. She had travelled this r
oad before and it had almost ruined her life. Alex Hunter was here for work and pleasure; there was no promise of permanency. How could there be? She would be a fool to even dare to dream otherwise.
‘You’re only here for a month,’ she reminded him, a tight set to her mouth.
‘So?’
‘So…that’s not long enough to get to know someone properly.’
‘Listen, Amelia, I’m an open book. What you see is what you get. I’m not hiding any dark secrets. I’m not married and nor am I currently involved with anyone and haven’t been for quite some time.’
‘So that’s supposed to reassure me?’ she asked with a deepening frown.
He smiled at her. ‘Of course.’
Amelia felt herself caving in in spite of her every attempt to counteract it. He was so utterly charming and irresistible. What would it hurt to go on one little date with him? she wondered. The fact that he was only here for a short time made it even less likely for her to be in any danger of losing her head or heart, she reasoned. Besides, this was a chance for her to prove to herself once and for all she had moved on after her experience with Benito. Only a naïve fool would fall into the same trap twice and she was no fool, or at least not any more.
Besides, Lucia and her brother were right—she did need to have a bit of a life now and again. All work and no play was a sure-fire recipe for burn-out and then who would look after her father and brothers?
‘I don’t know…’ she began hesitantly, not wanting him to see how tempted she really was.
‘Come on, give me a chance. I promise not to step over any boundaries. No sex, well…not on the first date anyway, but after that who knows?’ He gave her another teasing grin.
She gave him a school-mistress look. ‘You really are incorrigible.’
‘I know, but you’re so cute I can’t resist trying to win your heart.’
‘It would take a whole lot more than a sexy smile and a quick wit to win my heart,’ she said, trying to purse her lips but failing hopelessly.
‘You think I’ve got a sexy smile?’ His eyes glinted as they held hers. ‘I have to confess I’ve had extensive orthodontic work done.’ He tapped his two front teeth. ‘These are totally fake—porcelain veneers. I had my teeth knocked out during a football match.’
There was nothing she could do to stop her smile. ‘You really are unbelievable.’
He tapped her on the end of her nose. ‘So are you, elf.’ He got up and pulled her to her feet beside him. ‘Now, come on—let’s get this poor bike in the back of my car and get you home and hosed, and ready for our first date.’
Amelia sat in the front seat of his car as he loaded her bike in the back and mentally prepared herself for the first time he saw the poverty of her home. She could already feel herself cringing in shame. It had been years since she had brought anyone to the cottage. She always arranged to meet the few friends she had kept over the years at their homes, or at a quiet café well away from the main centres of the island.
‘It’s this turn here on the left,’ she directed him after they had gone a few kilometres, a fluttering sense of nerves assailing her the closer they got. ‘I’m sorry the road is not in better condition. Your car will be filthy.’
‘No problem.’ He sent her another one of his high-beam smiles.
She took an unsteady breath and looked forwards once more. ‘It’s very good of you to come up here like this…but I must warn you it’s probably nothing like you’re used to.’
Alex concentrated on negotiating the rough driveway that led to a dilapidated cottage in the shelter of the trees. He could sense her embarrassment and wondered how he could put her at ease. He’d seen his share of poverty-stricken homes during his various field trips to less developed countries, and knew how important it was to not jeopardise someone’s sense of dignity just because they didn’t live in a house that met the western standards he’d grown up with and more or less taken for granted.
‘It must be really peaceful living way up here,’ he commented as he parked the car underneath one of the trees.
‘Yes…it is.’
He came around and opened her door for her, frowning when he saw her scraped knees as she got out of the car. ‘You’ve hurt yourself. Why didn’t you tell me? I could have done something earlier.’
‘It’s nothing…just a scratch.’ She brushed her uniform back down over her legs.
‘I’ve got my doctor’s bag in the back. I’ll dress those grazes for you now.’
‘No, please…it’s fine…really. I have my own first-aid kit things inside.’
He didn’t press the issue; instead he followed as she led the way to the cottage, but he noticed how her brow was furrowed and her shoulders slightly hunched as if she carried a too-heavy weight on her back.
Amelia opened the front door but there was no sign of her father when she entered the cottage. ‘Papà?’ she called out.
Alex came up behind her. ‘Has he gone out?’
She frowned as she led the way inside. ‘He hardly ever goes out.’
She looked around the kitchen where the dishes her father had used that morning were still on the table. Her gaze went to a note propped up against a mug. It was in her father’s roughly scrawled handwriting informing her he’d gone somewhere with Silvio and would be back late and not to worry.
‘What does it say?’ Alex asked.
She folded the note and pocketed it, a shadow of unease in her hazel eyes as they met his. ‘My younger brother has taken him somewhere.’
‘Is that unusual?’
‘No…not really, except Silvio hasn’t been home or even in contact for two weeks…’ A small frown tugged at her smooth forehead.
‘Maybe he’s taken your father out for a meal or something.’She nibbled at her bottom lip for a moment. ‘Maybe.’
‘Well, look on the bright side,’ he said. ‘You don’t have to cook dinner for him after all.’
‘But you came up to see him and now he’s not here.’
‘I can come some other time,’ he said. ‘It’s no trouble.’
‘Maybe something’s happened.’ Her frown deepened. ‘What if he’s taken a bad turn?’
‘Then your brother will take him to the hospital. Why not call the switchboard and ask if he’s been admitted?’ he suggested.
A tide of colour washed into her cheeks and Alex mentally kicked himself. Of course she couldn’t call the hospital. There was no electricity that he could see or any sign of a telephone. He could only assume she wouldn’t have the funds available for a mobile either. He reached for his own mobile. ‘I’ll give them a quick call myself. What’s his first name?’ he asked.
‘Aldo,’ she answered, twisting her hands together.
He made the call and after a brief conversation replaced the phone in his pocket. ‘No, he hasn’t been admitted.’
She blew out a tiny breath. ‘I can’t help worrying about him.’
‘That’s understandable, but at least he’s with your brother so you can take the rest of tonight off and kick your heels up with me.’
She gave him an apologetic glance. ‘I don’t think I should go out tonight. I’m sorry.’
‘I’m not taking no for an answer,’ he said. ‘You deserve some time off. A quick dinner by the seaside will be good for both of us. Besides, I gave you a lift home so you owe me.’
Amelia could tell by the determined look in his eyes that she was going to have a hard time convincing him to leave without her. The thought of spending the evening alone in the cottage wasn’t too appealing, but she felt she should at least put up a token resistance. ‘I don’t know…I have an early start tomorrow.’
‘No earlier than mine. Come on, get a wriggle on. We’re wasting valuable time here when we could be sitting watching the sun go down with a glass of wine in our hands.’
She could feel herself weakening. ‘I need to freshen up first. Do you mind waiting?’
‘I don’t mind at all,’ he said, and pulled
out a chair and sat down. ‘I’ve got a couple of calls to make anyway. I’m expected at the castle tomorrow evening. I guess there’s some sort of protocol I’m meant to follow. I don’t suppose I can turn up there and slap the old guy on the back and say, “G’day, mate, I’m Alex Hunter.’’ I’d better check with the castle staff on how I’m supposed to address him.’
Amelia fought back a wry smile as she left him busily punching in numbers. She was certain he knew exactly how to address anyone from royalty to the lowliest commoner without turning a single hair. He hadn’t given any sign of being put off by the run-down nature of her family home, which made it all the harder for her to keep him at a relatively safe distance. Most men would have turned up their noses and backed out without even bothering to say goodbye. Her ex-lover, Benito, had been appalled by the distance he’d had to travel to pick her up, let alone the condition of the cottage when he’d got there. He had made her feel so ashamed, and in her youth and innocence she had failed to see the warning signs that their relationship was not as it should have been. But perhaps she hadn’t wanted to, she thought with a little pang of sadness as she moved towards the cramped bathroom.
After a quick, cold bath because there wasn’t time to heat water on the fuel stove, she spent ten minutes agonising over what to wear. Her choices were limited to start with, but she finally narrowed it down to the dress Alex had bought her or a skirt and blouse that had belonged to her mother. However, her mother’s outfit was ruled out as soon as she put it on. It had faded over time and did nothing for her, hanging off her slight frame like a sack.
With almost reverent fingers she picked up the dress Alex had bought and slipped it over her head, gently doing up the zipper at the side. She twirled in front of her mottled mirror, amazed at how the beautiful fabric brought out the creamy tone of her skin and the green flecks in her hazel eyes.
She rummaged in her small supply of cosmetics and found a lip-gloss and applied it to her mouth, wondering what the nuns at Saint Gregorio’s would say if they could see her now.
Then, giving herself one last twirl, she picked up her only evening purse and went back to where Alex Hunter was waiting for her, a tiny, moth-like fluttery sensation in the middle of her stomach at the thought of being alone with him for the rest of the evening.