City of Stars (24 page)

It was as well that Arianna was masked and hooded as she made the sea-journey to the mainland, or her face would have betrayed a most un-Ducal excitement about the trip. More new experiences awaited her on the shore. The Bellezzan state carriage was kept on the mainland and rarely used. Arianna had never seen horses before and was immediately overawed by their size and power.

It did Gaetano's suit no harm at all for her to see him mounted on the tall bay he had left in the Ducal stables on his way to Bellezza three weeks earlier. Arianna smiled up at him from her carriage window.

‘You seem used to horses, Principe,' she said to him.

‘Indeed I am, your Grace,' he answered her formally. ‘And beautiful as your city is, it is the one thing I have missed there.'

‘I'm glad to know that everything otherwise was to your satisfaction,' said Arianna, drawing her curtain.

‘What is your name?' asked Vicky, settling Falco in a kitchen chair. ‘Can you remember that?'

‘Nicholas Duke,' said Falco, carefully reproducing the name he had agreed on with Georgia. It felt strange in his mouth, but there was no doubt that he would be able to remember it.

‘Nicholas,' said Vicky. ‘Can you tell us anything about yourself?'

Falco shook his head. ‘No,' he said, untruthfully.

‘Your parents?'

He shook his head again.

‘How did you hurt your leg?' she persisted.

‘I think it was a riding accident,' said Falco.

‘And how did you get here?'

Falco looked pleadingly at Georgia. ‘I can't explain,' he said. He could feel tears welling up.

Vicky looked distressed. She stopped asking questions and put the kettle on. ‘I think you're right, Georgia,' she said in a low voice. ‘We must call the police and trace his parents as soon as possible. But let's have some coffee first – he looks worn out.'

She carried a tray through to the living room, where the piano was and her violins. But she almost dropped it when she heard Falco's gasp behind her. He was staring at a picture on the piano. It was a younger version but recognisably the Stravagante Luciano. Vicky put down the tray and helped Falco into a comfortable chair.

‘I see you looking at the photo,' she said. ‘It is my son, Lucien. He ... died last year.'

‘He lives in another place,' said Falco. Georgia kicked his ankle.

Vicky sat down, white-faced. ‘That's what that strange man said at the funeral,' she said, trembling. ‘What does it mean?' She passed her hand over her eyes. ‘Sometimes I fancy he's still alive in some other world. I've even imagined that I've seen him.' She looked cautiously at them to see what they thought of this.

‘I think it's just a manner of speaking,' said Georgia quickly. ‘Perhaps he's religious.' And she glared at Falco.

*

‘We had the most extraordinary case today,' said Maura, over dinner. ‘The police rang in about a boy. He's lost his memory and seems to have been abandoned by his parents.'

‘Good grief,' said Ralph. ‘How old is he?'

‘Thirteen,' said Maura. ‘At least he says he is. But small for his age. He's very handicapped too. Has to walk with crutches. But the extraordinary thing is, he was reported by Georgia's violin teacher, Vicky Mulholland.'

Georgia felt her spaghetti Bolognese turning to ashes in her mouth. She swallowed hard. Now was the time for her to own up. But Russell was listening, not tuned out the way he usually was during meals.

‘Yeah, actually, I found him wandering round outside as I was passing her house,' she said. ‘I asked her if she would call the police.'

All the rest of the family turned their attention fully on Georgia.

‘Why on earth didn't you say?' asked Maura.

Georgia shrugged. ‘It was no big deal,' she said.

‘What? You find abandoned children every day, do you?' asked Ralph.

‘She finds cripples easily enough,' said Russell. ‘Georgia collects them.'

‘Handicapped people, Russell,' said Maura sharply. ‘Well, I wish you'd said, Georgie. I might have to declare an interest at work now.'

‘What interest? It's not as if I know him,' lied Georgia. ‘I just found him and took him into Mrs Mulholland's. That's not a crime, is it?'

‘No, but there's a complication,' said Maura. ‘You see, there was no reported missing child of his description so we had to put him in temporary foster care. Well, you know how backed-up we are in Islington with children needing foster families and our children's homes are all bursting at the seams.'

‘Don't tell me we have to have him here,' said Russell.

‘No, Russell,' said Maura. ‘But the Mulhollands volunteered and we've approved them as temporary foster-parents. He'll be living with them till we find his real parents.'

‘What do you think has happened to them?' asked Ralph.

‘In all likelihood, I think they're probably asylum-seekers, who have deliberately left him to be found, so that he can get proper medical care. He may even have come into the country unaccompanied. It wouldn't be the first case we've had,' said Maura.

‘A bit unfeeling to abandon the kid, though,' said Ralph. ‘Particularly if he's lost his memory.'

‘If he has,' said Maura. ‘It's more likely that they told him to pretend he'd lost it – as a cover story. I should think his family are far from unfeeling.'

Georgia felt uncomfortable; her mother's guesses were a bit too close to the truth.

‘Welcome back,' said Paolo. ‘We don't seem to have seen much of you lately.'

‘I know,' said Georgia. ‘It will be different from now on.'

‘Will it?' asked the older Stravagante. ‘You seem very sure. I don't know what you and Luciano have been up to. I said it was a good idea to befriend the younger generation of di Chimici, but you must be careful. The Duke is a powerful enemy.'

Georgia was let off the hook by the return of Luciano in his carriage. He had to tell Paolo and Doctor Dethridge what appeared to have happened to Falco. The four Stravaganti were silent for a moment, each thinking separate thoughts about this event.

‘And ye two knowe no thinge aboute the chylde's resouns?' asked Dethridge. ‘Yt is a terrabyl thinge thatte he has done.'

‘I think he was just tired of living with his physical problems,' said Luciano.

‘But he didn't tell either of you what he was planning?' persisted Paolo.

It was difficult for Georgia and Luciano to withstand the two men's questioning while looking them in the eye. In the end, Paolo let them go but he looked very grave.

With great relief, the two younger Stravaganti walked into town.

‘I never want to go through another night like that,' said Luciano. ‘How was it at your end?'

‘Fine,' said Georgia. She looked and felt quite wretched though. She now had a secret from Luciano as well as from everyone else in Talia and she didn't know how he was going to take it.

Falco lay unsleeping in Luciano's old bed in London. He did not know how to relax. So much had happened to him since this second stravagation. He hadn't had any idea that Georgia planned to bring him to Luciano's parents, but he liked them. David was nothing like Falco's real father and wasn't at all frightening. He had accepted the idea of fostering the lost boy as soon as his wife put it to him. And it was lovely to have a sort of a mother again. Falco had almost forgotten what it was like.

But he felt guilty that he was here instead of Luciano. And his heart was heavy with his imaginings about what his family would be suffering in Remora, Giglia and Bellezza, as soon as they all knew. He knew that Georgia would be with Luciano in Remora now and he felt suddenly homesick for Talia.

He was giving Luciano up as well as his family and he had grown attached to the Stravagante as an extra brother. But now, if he were to carry out his full plan, he would not see Luciano again. The choice – for now – had been removed from him though. Georgia had the talisman and she was asleep in another house. As well as awake in Remora, doubtless being quizzed about Falco right now.

He sighed and closed his eyes. At the foot of his bed a mirror reflected black curls on the pillow – not for the first time.

‘You did what?' said Luciano.

He had wanted to know everything about Falco in London and Georgia, although she hadn't intended to tell him about that part of her plan yet, found his questions too pressing to parry. At least they were in a public place. They were drinking lemon sherbet bought from a stall in the Campo delle Stelle, sitting on the stone seat that surrounded the slender column in the centre.

Luciano seemed so fierce Georgia's heart misgave her. She wanted him to admire her even if there was no chance of anything deeper and now it looked as if she might have blown it.

‘I can't believe it,' he said now. ‘My parents! But they've never talked about fostering before.'

‘Well it wasn't exactly planned,' said Georgia. ‘They just offered because Social Services couldn't find any other place for him.'

‘Planned is exactly what it seems to have been,' said Luciano bitterly. ‘You never told me my parents were going to be involved.'

‘Do you mind?' asked Georgia nervously.