Island of Mermaids (8 page)

‘
Suppose Carla fails?
’

‘
Then Kent said it would have to be a consolation lunch just the same.
’

‘
What is
“
consolation
”
?
’
he asked.

‘
Oh, it means—comforting someone who has lost or has a certain grief
.’

‘L
ike me
.’
His black eyes glittered.
‘
I must have this consolation. What does it matter if we don
’
t lunch with my aunt and cousin? We can amuse ourselves and do what we like
.’

Althea, however, was adamant.
‘
You
’
re very inconsiderate, Cristo,
’
she scolded.
‘
Not at all courteous to your aunt
.’

She had guessed that an accusation of lack of manners would hurt Cristo more than an attack of logic.

He exclaimed that he was
‘
dolent
’
.
‘
Now I have offended you.
’

Althea gave him a guarded smile.
‘
Let
’
s explore the square while we
’
re waiting. We shall soon see when the others leave the professor
’
s house.
’

Cristo agreed and, away from the inviting interior of a taxi, proved an interesting guide and most anxious to atone for any recent discourtesy.

He told her that several houses in the square had once belonged to noble families.
‘
You can see the crests over the doors and the gates to courtyards.
’

On the far side pizza-sellers announced their hot steaming wares set out in tin trays, while a man
diligently
brushed peaches until they glowed; then he arranged them on his barrow in a beautiful golden pattern.

Cristo led Althea down narrow streets across which washing hung suspended between the windows; women in upper storeys let down baskets on long ropes so that street sellers could fill them with vegetables or a bottle of milk.

The air was filled with the din of voices and calls and Althea enjoyed this glimpse of Naples away from the routine tourist
’
s-eye view.

Suddenly she became aware that she and Cristo had left the square behind.
‘
We must go back
!’
she said urgently.

But the taxi still waited in the square.

‘
We must have a drink
,’
Cristo suggested.
‘
Would you like coffee or something iced?
’

‘
A long cool drink, please.
’

They found a cafe at the
corner
of the square and she was grateful for the delicious lemon drink with shaved ice.

Cristo talked about Rome and its delights.
‘
So much to see and to do. You must come soon and stay with my mother,
’
he invited expansively, then added as an afterthought,
‘
Your father, too. Does he know Rome well?
’

‘
He
’
s been several times, but mainly on business. I doubt whether he has taken time off to see the sights at all leisurely.
’

Cristo told her about his job as a car salesman in a showroom and amused her with anecdotes about some of the would-be purchasers.

Presently she glanced at her watch, then screwed round in her chair towards the other side of the square.
‘
The taxi! It
’
s gone!
’

‘
What matters? We can get another for ourselves,
’
was Cristo
’
s unperturbed reply.

‘
But I don
’
t know the name of the restaurant where we were to lunch.
’

‘
I shall be delighted to give you lunch wherever you choose,
’
he offered.

In the smart hotel which Cristo selected Althea failed to enjoy the delightful lunch set before her, course by course. She was worried chiefly on Carla
’
s account. What would the girl think when she came away from the professor
’
s house, either elated at success or needing sympathy for failure, only to find that obviously Althea and Cristo had become impatient and gone off somewhere by themselves?

After lunch Cristo suggested a stroll through the streets and arcades.
‘
It is possible that we might see Zia Emilia and Carla if they want to do some shopping.
’

Althea thought it as unlikely as hoping to spot an acquaintance along the length of Regent Street.

At one point they came to a small public garden set on a height overlooking the harbour.

Cristo pointed out Capri. The island, a saddleback between the two heights of Monte Tiberio and Monte Solaro, rested like a bird on a sapphire sea. The peak of Solaro was capped, as nearly always, by the white sirocco cloud brought by the south wind from Africa. It was easy to see why legends of sirens and mermaids had been whispered about this idyllic island.

Cristo was in favour of staying longer in Naples, but Althea was determined to return on the six o
’
clock steamer.
‘
We shall meet your aunt and the others then.
’

Yet although Althea searched the ship during the crossing there was no sign of either of the Marchettis or of Kent Sanderby.

‘
You see?
’
Cristo was all smugness.
‘
They have stayed
j
somewhere to enjoy themselves and we could have done the same. There was no need to hurry home.
’

‘
I couldn
’
t have stayed any longer in Naples,
’
Althea told him coldly.
‘
My father needs me.
’

‘
That is nonsense! There are servants in my aunt
’
s house. They can do everything for your father. Besides, he is not an old man unable to look after himself.
’

Althea did not answer, although she recognised the truth of Cristo
’
s words. She was aware that she was making devotion to her father the excuse for fending off difficulties or anything likely to prove tiresome.

At the villa dinner was an uneasy meal with only the three of them there, Mr. Buckland with Cristo and Althea. Mr. Buckland had wanted to know the verdict about Carla
’
s future and was surprised that his daughter did not know. Cristo was more than usually talkative about cars, Rome, his own future and places he intended to visit. Althea longed for the moment when she could escape to the sanctuary of the
‘
gingerbread house
’
.

At last the meal was over and after coffee on the terrace she left the two men. Let them talk if they wanted to.

It seemed that Mr. Buckland had no wish to have long conversations with Cristo, for he joined Althea in their sitting-room after a short time.

‘
I
’
ve had enough of Cristo for one day,
’
Althea said.
‘I
felt I couldn
’
t take any more.
’

Her father smiled gently. Tie
’
s a bit irritating, I
’
ll admit. Seems rather vain and shallow, but perhaps I
’
m too old to understand young men of today.
’

‘
He
’
s twenty-five and he seems to have all the faults of a nineteen-year-old,
’
she snapped.

‘
Remember he
’
s Italian. The young men mature quickly in some directions and in others seem to us quite callow. But the same could be said of Englishmen.
’

Althea related the incidents of the day and how she and Cristo had lost touch with the rest of the party.

‘
No doubt I shall hear all the news tomorrow morning. I hope Carla was successful.
’

‘
I
’
m not sure about that,
’
was her father
’
s comment.
‘
It might be a happier future for Carla if her voice isn
’
t quite good enough for a professional career. She
’
s not really cut out for it.
’

‘
Well, even a few lessons in Naples will provide her with a little variety in her life, even if eventually she never makes the grade,
’
returned Althea.

CHAPTER THREE

Althea
was correct in her estimate that she would hear all the news the following morning.

She and her father usually took their breakfast coffee and rolls in their sitting-room with the french windows open on to the garden.

Carla followed Rosanna with the tray. Obviously the girl was in a gay mood.

‘
Oh, I am so happy!
’
she exclaimed before even a
‘
Buon gio
rn
o
’
could be exchanged.

‘
The news is good?
’
queried Althea quickly.

‘
The professor will take me as a pupil. He likes my voice. But there is more than that to make me happy.
’

‘
Have some coffee with us and sit down and tell us all about it,
’
invited Althea.
‘
Rosanna, would you bring a cup for the Signorina?
’

But Carla was too exultant to sit down. She roamed excitedly around the room, perching on the arm of a chair, springing up and whirling around to some other fleeting resting place.

‘
I
’
m terribly sorry we missed you, Cristo and I,
’
began Althea.
‘
Actually, we were only at a cafe in the square opposite the professor
’
s house, but somehow the taxi went away when we weren
’
t looking. I wanted to know how you got on.
’

‘
Oh, it didn
’
t matter. Kent took us to lunch and we celebrated. Then we went for a drive along the coast. We stopped for tea and cakes at a small place, where there was an hotel they were getting ready for the tourists. Kent met a friend who had a boat and we all went out in it.
’
Carla giggled.
‘
Mamma was not very keen. She does not like little boats, only large steamers. Still, she was not ill. Then we came back to Naples in the evening and had dinner at a new hotel in Mergellina. That was most exciting, for there was dancing in a kind of covered garden and I danced with Kent many times.
’

‘
And how did you come home when the last steamer had gone?
’

‘
Kent told Mamma not to worry. It would be no trouble to hire a motor launch to bring us back to Capri any time we liked. So that is what we did. Past midnight when we arrived here.
’

‘
You seem to have enjoyed yourself very well,
’
put in Mr. Buckland.

‘
One of the happiest days of my life,
’
agreed Carla.

‘
Now you will have to work hard at your singing,
’
Althea reminded her.

‘
Oh yes, indeed. I must work hard for Kent. I must please him.
’

Carla took a couple of sips at the coffee, then skipped off across the garden. In a few moments she was practising scales and arpeggios with joyous abandon.

‘
Trips to Naples merely for singing lessons are going to seem very dull to Carla after all this initial send-off,
’
murmured Mr. Buckland.

Althea laughed.
‘
Oh, she
’
ll simmer down.
’
She spoke casually, but her thoughts were not at all casual. Carla was doubly vulnerable where Kent was concerned, in her desire to please him by her singing and, much more important, as a woman. Was it fair of Kent to build up the hopes of an impressionable girl and then cast her down when it suited him? He would stay at his Villa Castagna for two or
three
months, then when he returned to England, Carla would be left forlorn and unhappy. Unless, of course, Kent Sanderby was going to change his plans and his whole way of life and marry Carla.

Althea asked herself how could she know what was in his mind and the answer was that his future was no concern of hers.

She packed up the breakfast tray ready for Rosanna to take later, then sat down close to her father.
‘
I
’
ve thought over your ideas for a shop here,
’
she began.

Tes? With what result?
’

‘
I think I like the idea, provided you can be relied on not to work yourself to death.
’

Lawrence Buckland patted Althea
’
s shoulder.
‘
I
’
m glad, my dear, although I don
’
t want to force you to stay here. Nor do I want you to work yourself to death. It shouldn
’
t be necessary for either of us to put in more
than a part-time stint. I guarantee you
’
ll have ample time for leisure.
’

‘
What
’
s the first step?
’
she asked.

‘
Approach the local authority first for a permit to trade, I should imagine. My good friend, Dr. Fortini, will advise me there. Then suitable premises.
’

‘
I
’
ve noticed some new shops being built near the piazza in Anacapri. One or two are occupied, but there are others not quite finished.
’

‘
We shall have to find out what we can get. I don
’
t want some dark little place next door to a cheese shop or a tavern.
’

‘D’
you think Kent Sanderby would be of any help to you?
’
She had spoken before she could stop herself. She would be the last person to ask Kent for the benefit of his professional knowledge, even on behalf of her father.

‘
He might be most useful,
’
her father agreed readily.
‘
He could at least point out faults and snags in a place.
’

‘D
id you know he was an architect?
’

Her father glanced at her.
‘
Of course. He told me he specialises in restoring old properties.
’

Althea was silent for a moment or two. So Kent had revealed his profession to her father and naturally he would assume that she would also be aware of it. Instead, she had taunted him with having a certain amount of bricklayer
’
s knowledge.

‘
I don
’
t want any mention of our plans in front of Emilia or Carla.
’
Her father
’
s quiet warning cut through Althea
’
s thoughts.

‘
Naturally I won
’
t say anything about it.
’

‘
We
’
ll wait until we
’
ve something definite started. Then I
’
ll te
ll
Emilia.
’

After a pause Althea asked,
‘
When you have a shop, would you want to continue living here or find some place of your own?
’

Her father gazed out into the garden before answering.
‘
I
’
m not sure. We shall have to settle that question when the time comes. I
’
m very comfortable here and I hope you are.
’

‘
Could hardly be better from my point of view,
’
she said.
‘
We
’
ve practically a little villa to ourselves and at the same time there are other people around.
’

She did not ask why he wanted a certain amount of secrecy. No doubt he had his reasons and would reveal them in due time.

‘
And Kent? You don
’
t mind if he knows?
’

‘
No harm there. He
’
ll be discreet. Besides, if we want help from him, we
’
ll have to be frank and honest with him.
’

When Althea accompanied her father later during the morning on his walk to the centre of Anacapri, she suggested that he might like to look at the new shops. Some were already open, including a studio where a young English artist was arranging his works. Althea could not resist stopping to gaze at the colourful scenes, the glimpses of narrow streets, the translucent coast views or a portrait of an old woman tanned and wrinkled by more than sixty summers.

The Bucklands stopped for a few minutes to chat to the young artist. His name was Brian Telford, he told them, and he had lived in Capri for two years.

‘
I
’
m a bit like the German who dashed over from Naples one afternoon to visit the Blue Grotto and stayed here for forty years! I came here the first time for a summer vacation, but the next year I stayed all the summer. Finally, I gave up the struggle and settled here.
’

Althea hoped his new venture would succeed.
‘
I suppose you had a studio somewhere in Capri?
’

‘
Really only one-third of a very narrow and dark little shop. If I can
’
t make a living here, I shall ha-e to auction my paintings off to pay the rent.
’
He laughed in the face of such a prospect.

Builders were still working on some of the adjacent shops and Lawrence inspected a couple. He made no comment until he and Althea had walked a few yards away.

‘
One of those might do very well, but I shall have to study the question of cost. There
’
s no sense on throwing money
away on an expensive shop, when it
’
s the goods you have to sell that really matter.
’

On their return to the little piazza in the centre of Anacapri Kent waved to them. He was sitting at a table outside one of the cafes.

Althea was not sure that she wanted to accept his invitation to join him for a drink, but her father was eager to talk to him, so she had no option.

In a few moments the two men were deep in discussion of Lawrence Buckland
’
s new project and Kent listened, putting in a word or two or asking a question.

Althea took the first opportunity to butt in.
‘
I have to persuade my father not to become too eager and over-excited about his new toy. Before long he
’
ll be working all hours.
’
Lawrence laughed.
‘
You see what a dragon daughter I have, Kent. She
’
d harness me down like a small boy ©n leading reins, if she could.
’

‘
It
’
s your old harness that I
’
m afraid of,
’
she retorted.

Kent smiled.
‘
Then it seems that if things go well, you
’
ll both be staying indefinitely on the island?
’

‘
Oh yes,
’
answered Lawrence.
‘
I
’
m charmed with the place
—
and I have several reasons for wanting to stay.
’

‘
I hope the prospect doesn
’
t displease you,
’
Althea said to Kent.
‘
I promise I won
’
t go near your villa in your absence and tumble to a suicidal end over your precipice.
’

‘
You
’
d better not. Might be no one to catch you when you fall.
’
His face had taken on a more sombre expression.

‘
I
’
m sorry we missed you yesterday, Cristo and I,
’
she said quickly while she had the chance.
‘
We hadn
’
t really gone off on our own. We were at the cafe on the other side of the square and we didn
’
t see you and Carla leave the professor
’
s house or the taxi drive off.
’

He gave her a cool, indifferent glance as though he had not really been listening to her explanation.

‘
Didn
’
t matter,
’
he said brusquely.
‘
You were quite free to make other plans if you wished.
’