Gino’s Arranged Bride

Later that night, when everyone else was in bed, Gino said awkwardly, ‘Laura, you mustn’t mind that Nikki clings to me a little. You’re her mother, and I’m a stranger-’

‘You’re not a stranger,’ Laura said quickly. ‘You never could be. I’m not jealous. I’m grateful to whichever fate sent you to us.’

Suddenly she made a swift movement, taking his head between her hands and kissing him briefly on the lips.

‘That’s for being wonderful,’ she said, and went away before he could say anything.

Whichever fate sent you. The words resounded in his head. More and more he’d felt that he had no control over what happened to him, that he was merely following signposts.

Gino would have been the first to admit that he’d been irresponsible most of his life, having little reason to be otherwise. The events that had driven him from his home had matured him, but also shipwrecked him.

Then a little girl, in dreadful need, had taken his hand and said, ‘You, and nobody else.’

There was no escape.

But he didn’t feel wonderful. When he thought of failing her he felt terrified.

CHAPTER FIVE

A FEW evenings later Gino came in from work to find Nikki eagerly poring over a mail-order catalogue, selling clothes.

‘That one,’ she said decisively, pointing to a blue dress that seemed to be made of some floaty material, perhaps chiffon.

‘It’s a little old for you,’ Gino said, considering it.

‘Not me, Mummy. She’s got a date.’

‘A date? Who with?’

Nikki giggled. ‘Didn’t you know she’s got a boyfriend?’

‘Yes, I did,’ he said gruffly. ‘I’ve seen him.’

‘What’s he like?’

‘Fat and old.’

‘He is not,’ Laura said, coming in from the kitchen. ‘He’s in his forties. That’s not old.’

‘He’s fat.’

‘He’s strongly built. Gino stop this. I don’t know why you’ve taken “agin” Steve. He’s a nice man.’

‘Nice is as nice does,’ Gino growled.

‘And what does that mean?’

It didn’t mean anything and he knew it. He couldn’t have explained why the thought of Laura on a date with Steve disturbed him, but as a good brother he was going to object.

Not in front of Nikki, however. For her sake he decided to fade into the background while Laura studied Nikki’s choice of dress.

‘It’s a bit young for me,’ she demurred.

‘But you are young, Mummy.’

‘Thank you darling, but I’m thirty-two. That’s quite old.’

‘It’s too young for a man of forty-five,’ Gino growled.

‘That’s for me to say,’ Laura said, edgily. ‘Will you please keep your nose out of my business?’

Gino didn’t reply, but he looked so crestfallen that Nikki said, ‘Poor Gino! Mummy’s rotten to you.’

‘She is, isn’t she?’ he said, sounding hurt.

‘But why?’

‘I don’t know.’ He sighed forlornly.

She put her arms about him. ‘You’ve got me,’ she comforted him.

‘Grazie, piccina. Now I don’t mind so much.’

‘You’re hopeless, the pair of you!’ Laura said in exasperation. ‘Gino, stop acting the fool!’

‘But I am a fool,’ he defended himself. ‘You’ve always known that.’ To Nikki he confided, ‘She’s being rotten to me again.’

They solemnly nodded together.

Laura gave a choke of laughter, and her brief annoyance died. She didn’t know why Gino was suddenly in an awkward mood, but he’d more than redeemed himself.

‘All right,’ she said, ‘I’m sorry I was rotten. Now let me see that dress again, darling. How much is it? Hm!’

Sadie and Claudia came in and exclaimed over the dress and its suitability for Laura. Mrs Baxter, arriving later, was also pleased, adding, ‘And you should splash out on a really good hairdresser.’

Gino went up to his room, wondering if he was the only person in the house who hadn’t taken leave of his senses.

It got worse. Bert and Fred, on their way out to work, were united in the opinion that blue was Laura’s colour and she should go for it.

When the meal was over Gino helped Laura with the washing-up.

‘What are you playing at?’ he demanded. ‘That fellow’s a slime ball.’

‘How would you know?’ she demanded, indignant that he wouldn’t let it drop.

‘I’ve seen him kissing your hand,’ was the best he could manage.

‘Oh, really! Have you never kissed a woman’s hand?’

‘Of course I have, but that’s different. I’m Italian. It’s expected.’

‘Who expects it?’

‘The tourists. The girls arrive looking for romance. It’s part of the holiday, so you kiss their hands, you tell them they’re beautiful, and then you-that is, they-why am I telling you all this?’

‘Because you forgot to be cautious,’ she said, scoring a disconcerting bull’s-eye. ‘So that’s where you honed your English?’

‘Yes, it was almost always English girls,’ he admitted. ‘The others don’t fall for it so easily.’

She regarded him satirically.

‘In any case,’ he added, suddenly awkward, ‘I’m not like that any more, I only meant-’

‘That’s it’s all right for you to kiss women’s hands, but if Steve does it, he’s a slime ball.’

‘I was a slime ball. We all were, me and Franco and Carlo and Mario and Enrico and-’

‘All right, I get the picture.’

‘If you want the ugly truth, when the tourist season arrived we used to count the girls getting off the planes.’

‘You’re a real charmer, you know that?’

‘I was. It was my stock-in-trade. But not now. I grew out of it.’ He added significantly, ‘Some men never grow out of it.’

‘So you judge him on the basis of one moment, observed from a distance. Well, if that’s the worst you can say about him I don’t think I’ll worry.’ A sudden devilish imp made her add crossly, ‘And if we’re talking about characters out of a bad film, how about your lady friend? All teeth ’n’ tits!’

The robust expression, coming from her, made him stare. ‘What?’ he demanded, half shocked, half laughing.

‘You know who I mean. Vulgarity personified. Don’t you lecture me about who I go out with.’

Since he could hardly admit that Tess was using him Gino backed off. ‘I am not-I’m merely trying to stop you making a mistake.’ He recalled something Tess had said. ‘He’s probably got a wife somewhere.’

‘He hasn’t. He’s a widower.’

‘He says.’

Then Laura lost her temper. Closing the kitchen door so that nobody could hear her she turned on Gino, eyes blazing.