‘The villa you saw there is part of the estate of Bella Rosaria which belongs to Baptista. That was where she took me after I recovered from the fever. I used to awaken in the night and hear her weeping for my father’s death.’
His face was troubled and Angie held her breath, feeling something happen here that was beautiful and mysterious. But before she could speak he forced a smile and said, ‘Why are we talking about sad things? Let us take our wine outside.’
The shadows were beginning to lengthen and it was deliciously cool by the fountain. Smiling, she watched their reflections. But then something made her look up, and what she saw in Bernardo’s eyes caused the breath to catch in her throat.
Slowly he took her hand in his and held it for a moment, touching it almost reverently. He said nothing, and in the silence Angie could hear her heart hammering. He wasn’t even kissing her, just holding her hand as hesitantly as a boy, yet she could feel herself responding so intensely that she was almost scared.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Always before she’d been in control. Suddenly she wasn’t in control of anything, especially her own feelings. She felt like someone who’d set out to take a pleasant day trip and found themselves clinging onto a runaway train. In another moment he really would kiss her, and she wanted it more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.
The soft shrill of his mobile phone shattered the moment. Bernardo took a long breath and answered it reluctantly. ‘Yes?’ he said, sounding ragged.
Angie watched a change come over his face as he listened. Finally he said, ‘We’ll be right there.’ He shut off the phone and said, ‘That was Renato. There’s been an accident on the boat. Heather nearly drowned. He asks that you go to her at once.’
‘Of course.’
On the way down the mountain he explained tersely, ‘She and Renato went out on the Jet Ski, and she fell off. When he turned back to look for her she’d gone under. It sounds like a nasty moment. Luckily he found her fairly quickly. He called me from the boat. They should reach the port about the same time we do.’
At last the port of Mondello came into view. The
She found Heather sleeping in the big bedroom. To Angie’s relief her colour was good and she was breathing normally. She woke at Angie’s touch and gave her a sleepy smile.
‘Trust you to get in the wars,’ Angie said. ‘Renato sent for me.’
Heather eyed her wickedly, ‘I hope you weren’t interrupted at too difficult a moment.’
‘There’ll be others,’ Angie said, conscious that she was colouring. ‘I want you to spend tomorrow in bed. We’ll leave as soon as you’re better.’
Renato drove them home, Angie travelling in the same car as Heather, and Bernardo following on behind. She tried to give her friend all her attention, but inwardly she was thinking of Montedoro, another world, where eagles soared and spirits were free.
CHAPTER THREE
BERNARDO remained at the Residenza next day, but they had little time alone. Angie felt duty-bound to stay close to Heather, who slept most of the time under the influence of a sedative. Also, she found herself caught up in a family crisis.
‘Renato called Lorenzo,’ Bernardo told her. ‘But he’d checked out of his hotel in Stockholm this morning.’
‘But-I don’t understand. He was supposed to stay until tomorrow.’
‘I know. But he’s gone, and nobody knows where.’
‘He’s not playing fast and loose, is he?’ Angie demanded suspiciously.
‘How do you mean?’
‘Having a final fling before the wedding. I’ve heard about continental men.’
‘I’ll be-!’ Bernardo exclaimed, nettled. ‘That’s not only unjust, it’s bigoted, prejudiced-and I don’t know what. It’s practically racist. In fact, it
‘Well, Italians do have rather a reputation.’ Angie said illogically.
‘Does that mean Lorenzo lives up to it? Do all Englishmen act the same way?’
‘Well, no. But I don’t know Lorenzo well enough to say what he is like. And, as his brother, you probably do.’
He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. ‘Yes, I’m sorry.’
‘No, I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.’
He looked at her with a little smile that made her heart turn over. ‘I think we just had our first quarrel.’
‘So we did.’
They exchanged rueful glances and he opened his arms, pulling her into a hug.
With the house in a bustle there was no chance of developing the hug into something interesting. Footsteps in the corridor made them pull apart hastily. The next moment Renato entered, looking exasperated.
‘The mystery is solved,’ he said. ‘Lorenzo has just called to say he’s on his way home. Apparently he decided this morning to skip all his appointments and come back.’ His voice grated with displeasure on the last words.
‘He couldn’t bear to stay away from Heather,’ Angie sighed. ‘That’s sweet.’
‘It’s not sweet,’ Renato snapped. ‘He had work to do, work he was already behind with.’
‘He’s getting married in a few days-’ Angie protested.
‘Is he at the airport now?’ Bernardo put in quickly before an argument could start.
‘No, he was calling from Rome, where he had to make a connection. He’ll be here in about three hours.’
‘Fine,’ Angie said crisply. ‘I’ll tell Heather.’
She favoured him with a glare before walking out smartly, closely followed by Bernardo.
‘I pity Heather,’ she said crossly. ‘I really do. Fancy having Renato as a brother-in-law.’
‘Perhaps she loves Lorenzo enough not to mind being related to Renato,’ Bernardo observed. ‘They say love can do that to people.’
It flashed across her mind that he might not be talking about Heather and Lorenzo. For he himself was related to Renato, and if-
Lorenzo’s return changed things, but not in the way she’d expected. He arrived that afternoon, looking harassed, and it didn’t seem to Angie that this was a man who’d tossed everything aside to be with his beloved. Instead he hurried to find Renato and the two of them spent the rest of the day closeted in the study, from behind whose door Angie could hear agitated voices.
Perhaps Lorenzo was berating his brother for not taking better care of Heather. She certainly hoped so. She wondered when she would have another chance to be alone with Bernardo.
It came the next day. Lorenzo, looking pale and tense, was swept off by Renato to work at the company’s head office in Palermo, while Baptista claimed Heather’s company.
‘Naturally, we’d be glad if you joined us,’ she said with a smile, ‘but I expect you and Bernardo have made other plans.’
‘Well-’
‘Of course you have. And when the wedding is over I hope you won’t feel you have to hurry back to England. Perhaps you could stay another week?’
‘Thank you, I’d like that,’ Angie said, feeling the sun come out inside her.
This time it was her choice to go to Montedoro. Bernardo offered to show her the island, but she wanted to return to his eagle kingdom, where he was most completely himself.
When they were part of the way up the mountain he turned the car onto the grass and they got out and walked under the trees. From here Sicily was spread out before them in all its glory. Above them birds sang, the trees were in full beauty and the sky was an unbelievable blue. Angie stopped to breathe in the sweet air. The next moment
