She took the cutting and went next door, her heart beating with expectation, waiting for the moment when he saw her, the shock in his face, then the pleasure.
He was standing by the window, talking over his shoulder to the fat man who sat with a scowl on his face. Mandy made out the words, ‘I don’t know how you thought you’d get away with it, Vanwick. Do you think I don’t read the paperwork, or did you think I couldn’t understand it?’
‘You’re making too much of this,’ Vanwick tried to say.
‘When a man cooks the books to charge me double, I’ll make of it what I like. Look at that newspaper cutting. It’ll tell you how much I know.’
As Vanwick took the cutting Renzo turned and regarded him contemptuously. His eyes flickered over Mandy and away again. There was no recognition. Nothing. He might not even have seen her.
But, just for a moment, he glanced back. Was it there? A question? Is she, isn’t she?
Then Vanwick spoke, trying to whine his way out of trouble, but Renzo silenced him with a blast of cold fury, all the more frightening for being restrained. As he spoke he moved about the room, occasionally pausing. And now Mandy, sharply alert, noticed that he kept one hand behind him. And that hand was always holding on to something, out of Vanwick’s sight.
Another glance at his face and she understood everything. He was in pain, suffering so badly that it was all he could do to stay on his feet.
His hand was just visible, so that she saw the moment when it clenched violently and knew he was at the end of his tether. Suddenly he swayed. Quick as a flash, she moved in front of him and felt his hand grip her arm with frantic strength.
‘Get out of here,’ he told Vanwick.
‘But what are you going to-’
‘I’ll tell you later what I’m going to do. In the meantime you can sweat.
Vanwick hurried away. As soon as the door was closed Renzo’s grip grew more fierce and he leaned on her heavily from behind.
‘A chair,’ he said hoarsely.
She guided him carefully to the nearest chair and supported him with all her strength, so that she could ease him into it slowly.
‘You should have a doctor,’ she said.
‘No, I just need a few minutes’ rest while my back eases. Get me the pills in the desk drawer.’
She found them and poured him some water from a decanter. He gulped everything down and sat there, shaking.
‘I still think you should-’ she began, but he interrupted her sharply.
‘Never mind what you think. If you’re going to work here, you’ll have to learn not to argue with me.’
‘But I’m not going to work here.’
‘Aren’t you Lucia’s new assistant?’
‘No, I’m…just someone who happened to be here. Let’s leave that until later. Can you rest in that chair? It looks a bit hard.’
‘You’re right. I need to get across the courtyard to the part of the building where I live.’
‘Shall I fetch someone to help you?’
‘No way. Do you think I want my staff knowing that I’m like this? Why do you suppose I threw Vanwick out?’
‘You mustn’t show weakness to an enemy, must you?’
‘So you do understand that!’
‘But your staff aren’t enemies.’
‘It’s as dangerous to show weakness to employees as to enemies.’
‘Well, as I’m neither-’
‘No, you’re a damned interfering woman, who has to stick her nose into other people’s business but, now you’ve done it, you may as well be useful.’
Indignation made her speak without thinking. ‘You’re a real charmer, aren’t you?’
Renzo turned his head quickly, his eyes meeting hers, while the words resonated between them. How often in the past had she accused him of charm?
And he must remember it now. How could he not?
‘I can be,’ he said at last. ‘When I have something to gain.’
‘Well, don’t waste it on me,’ she ordered him tartly. ‘Just tell me what you want me to do.’
‘Let me take your arm while we walk across to the other side.’
Mandy had to help him up, not looking at his face because she knew he would hate her to see it contorted in pain. Then he slipped his hand through her arm and made it to the door, leaning on her slightly.
They moved across the hall to another door that led into a wide courtyard, beautiful with flowers and shrubs, where a gardener was working. Renzo beamed and called to him pleasantly, while the hand that gripped her tightened desperately.
‘That door,’ he said, pointing. ‘Here’s the key.’
She guided him through it and to a chair.
‘Close the door,’ he gasped. ‘And lock it.’
An elderly woman appeared through the opposite door, horrified when she saw him. ‘I told you what would happen if you overdid it,’ she exclaimed.
Instead of barking at her, Renzo assumed a rueful expression. ‘All right, Teresa, you knew best, as always. Just get me a whisky.’
‘On top of those pills?’ Mandy exclaimed. ‘I don’t know what they were, but if they’re any good you shouldn’t be drinking alcohol.’
‘Cancel the whisky,’ Renzo growled. ‘I’ll have it later.’
He lay back against the sofa, covering his eyes with his hand. Mandy watched him with pity, wanting to go to him but knowing this wasn’t the time. There was so much to be said first, so much to be discovered. Did he have any memory of her at all?
Glancing around the room, she saw a wheelchair standing by the far wall. She wondered how much time he spent in it. Clearly he could walk, but not very much, and she guessed he forced himself to his feet more often than he ought.
At last Renzo dropped his hand and found Mandy was sitting in front of him, where he could see her face clearly. For a moment they looked at each other.
‘Do I know you?’ he asked at last.
She tensed, feeling the question like a slap in the face.
‘I’m not sure,’ she said after a moment. ‘Perhaps you do.’
‘It was you, wasn’t it-on the mountain?’
‘Yes, it was me.’
‘Then you really existed all the time? I wasn’t certain. I had so many dreams and illusions-I’ve lived in limbo.’
‘I thought you were dead,’ she said softly.
His mouth twisted. ‘I am dead. Can’t you see?’
‘You’re not dead, you’re just bad tempered,’ she said, speaking lightly on purpose. ‘But that’s not surprising. From what I heard, you went through a terrible time-’
‘For pity’s sake, don’t start being sweet and understanding,’ he said in disgust. ‘It makes me want to commit murder.’
‘No change there, then. You and I often wanted to murder each other.’
‘Yes, that bit’s coming back. We were always quarrelling, weren’t we?’
