Roman Summer (17 page)

‘Ah, nothing negative, I agree.’

‘Negative? Such as?’

‘
Well, demand that they apologise or retract in print. This time it’s obvious they picked on the night you came to my place in search of Cicely, and as in the Siena story, there’s enough truth in each to allow them to plead justification. Their strength is that they don’t accuse us of immoral goings-on; they only hint, and a retraction of something that hasn’t even been said wouldn’t be worth the paper it was printed on. Quite apart from the fact that rebutting this latest story would involve Cicely, and that we certainly don’t want.’

Ruth bit her
li
p. ‘No. What then? Do we have to let it go, as we did before?’

‘I doubt if you can afford to. One isolated story didn’t matter. That’s why I dismissed it. But two begin to smell of a concerted attack and before it turns into a campaign against your reputation it had better be stopped. With some positive action which they’d have to understand. Even be happy to, is my guess.’

‘
By “positive” you mean go to law? Sue them? That they would enjoy the publicity that would afford them?’

E
rle
shook his head. ‘Nothing like that. To sue would be only one step beyond asking for a denial and just
about as efficacious against a libel that hasn’t even been made. No, the positive action I have in mind would be mine, and needing your full agreement.’ He paused, looking straight at her, holding her glance. ‘In short, I’m suggesting that you allow me to announce our engagement forthwith.’

For a moment the words didn’t register with Ruth. Then they did, cruelly and incredibly, since no one would propose as bluntly as that. Hearing her voice as if it weren’t her own, she echoed, ‘Our
engagement
? Yours to me? What do you mean?’

‘Just that. We announce our intention to marry at some future date which can be as vague as you please. As a public gesture only, of course. Emotionally it needn’t mean a thing to you.’

‘And to you—though you can’t possibly be serious?’

‘I am. For me you could say it’s a front I’m prepared to put up for your protection.’

‘For my protection! What could it do? The lies have already been told
!’

‘About an alleged
rou
é
—me, and a new woman in my firmament—you. In those roles, meat and drink to the gossip columnists. But if there’s anything the Italians relish fully as much as scandal, it’s the promise of a wholesome love-affair on its way to fruition. Offered that, they’d be prepared to Forgive and Forget All and be happy to speculate instead on a likely wedding date and who will be there as our guests.’

‘But it wouldn’t be true! It isn’t going to happen
!’

‘Which they’re not to know—until, after a decent interlude, the length of which would be your choice, we decide to tell them.’

Ruth protested again, ‘It’s an unthinkable suggestion. Quite, quite impossible. For one thing, no one would
believe it of—of you and me. For another
—
’ But
Ruth stopped short of telling him she knew he must have sent Stella Parioli to look over the Casa Rienzi with a purpose.

He took her up. ‘Who cares what anyone believes of the hard fact of an announcement in
La Gazzetta
or
Giomale e’Italia
?
It’s there to be read and accepted. But by your “For another thing” do you mean it’s impossible because you’re already bespoken? How do matters stand between you and Cesare Fonte?
’

‘I’ve told you, I like him. We’re friends.’

‘More than that, surely? By all the signs the man is in love with you. But so far you haven’t committed yourself?’

‘No.’

‘Why not?’ At Ruth’s quick frown
Erle
laughed shortly. ‘All right—impertinent questions. I apologise. But you do see that if you already had ties there, this
operation wouldn’t be on? Whereas
—’

‘It isn’t on in any case,’ she broke in. ‘My friends— yours—all know there’s never been any question of marriage between you and me. The English papers
will copy the news, and Cicely and your family
—
’

‘Ah, I can’t surprise my family by now. And Cicely has already forgiven me the gallantries which you found so sinister. She has told me so herself.’

‘Your own friends, then—what would they think?’

‘After the initial shock, I’m going to acquire a new image in their eyes. As a potential marrying man, instead of the hard case they’ve always thought me. And when, in the fullness of your own time, you throw me over, imagine the flutter of new interest there’ll be! I’m going to enjoy that, and so will they.’

At the flippancy of his tone Ruth frowned again. Watching her, his expression changed and he came over to her. He said gravely, ‘I’m serious, Ruth. Your own code is so rigid that you drive me to defend my motives with idiotic banter like that. But you’ve got to appreciate that, as I see it, I owe you this. It’s the only way I know to shield you from scurrility which you would never have invited if you hadn’t swum into my orbit again. Yours is a private world; mine is public, and though the gossip-mongers have to have their way with me, if I know anything about it, they’re not having it with you. What’s more,
you
owe it to
me
to allow me to protect you from possibly worse to come.’

‘It needn’t—if we didn’t meet at all again.’

He shook his head.
‘Too late for that. They’ve got their teeth in and they’ll hang on. The next
thing
would be speculation as to the whereabouts of the hidey-hole in which we were continuing our suspect affair out of the public eye. No, I got you into this, and I’m getting you out of it, if you’ll let me. Say you will?’

Ruth said nothing, blaming herself for weakening to his persuasion yet knowing that, to anything he asked of her with such sincerity, she would agree. But she still demurred faintly, ‘It wouldn’t work. I’m no good at playing a part.’

‘It’ll be up to us to
make
it work,’ he countered. ‘We’ll need to be seen about together; be pleasantly communicative with the Press; discuss our possible future plans in public. Oh, and you’ll have to have a ring
—
’

But from that she recoiled with such a passionate,
‘
No
!’
that
Erle
looked at her, eyebrows raised. ‘No to the whole idea? Or
n
o to the ring?’ he asked.

‘To—to the ring. I won’t accept one under false pretences.’

‘Aren’t you rather straining at a gnat, while agreeing to swallow a camel? You must have a ring,’ he said.

‘But not one bought for the purpose. I—couldn’t. I have an antique pearl and opal ring that was my great
-
grandmother’s. I’ll wear that if I must.’

‘You must, I’m afraid. And for the rest you’ll take your lead from me?’ At her dumb nod to that he went on, ‘At this point we ought to seal the agreement with a kiss, which you wouldn’t like. But if the Press boys expect us to lay on some public affection for their benefit, you’ll be tolerant of that?’

‘I—suppose so.’

‘Good. I’ll make things as easy for you as
I c
an, and let’s hope they’ll switch off the limelight in favour of the next hint of scandal in higher places than ours.’ As he made ready to go he added, ‘I’ll phone the announcement round the papers as soon as I get back to my office.’ But that brought another ‘No
!’
, followed by a pleading ‘No—
please
’ from Ruth which halted him. ‘It has to
be
announced,’ he said.

‘I know,’ she agreed. ‘But not in tomorrow’s papers,
please. I couldn’t bear
—
That is, I shouldn’t care for
Cesare Fonte to hear of it that way. I must tell him myself.’

Erle
looked at her from his distance across the room. ‘So?’ he said meaningly, and then, ‘All right. I’ll hold everything until after you’ve seen him. Let me know.’

Ruth said quickly, ‘May I keep the car for the moment?’ But she knew he hadn’t heard. He had slammed from the room.

As it happened, however, she hadn’t to dread facing Cesare for longer than until that evening, when
Erle
telephoned to suggest he should tell Cesare the news himself.

‘If you did it,’ he said, ‘I imagine you’d find it as distasteful to your conscience as you say you would, accepting my ring?’

‘Yes,’ she agreed bleakly.

‘Then give me permission, and I’ll do it for you.’

‘Tell my lies for me, you mean?’

He avoided agreement with the crudity of that. ‘I’d handle it better than you would, involved with Fonte
as you are
—
’

‘Only as a friend, to whom I’d hate to lie for no better reason than to shield myself from ugly scandal,’ she retorted.

‘Yes, well, don’t forget you’re scotching it for me too. But a
s
cruple like that makes it my duty to do this for you. I’ll send Fonte to you afterwards, and the way I’ll have done it should keep
him
as your friend.’

Tired of fighting, though ashamed to feel relieved, Ruth gave way. ‘Thank you,’ she said wearily. ‘I’m grateful.’

‘As a friend—until you decide you want
him
as something more,’
Erle
added, and rang off.

When Cesare came to see her, Ruth was to realise that living the masquerade of her engagement was no easier for his having heard of it first from
Erle
. Cesare was
so
openly generous in his wishes for her happiness that she was sorely tempted to entrust him with the truth. And though, with the announcement already sent to the papers, it was too late for that, at least she made herself answer some of his questions with honesty.

For inevitably he asked, ‘You were in love with
Erle
already when you refused me?’ To which she replied simply, ‘Yes.’

And—‘You’re convinced of loving him enough, in spite of all the women with whom his name has been linked?’ To which she said Yes again, and then—because she had to know—asked, ‘What did
Erle
tell you about—caring for me?’

Cesare smiled wryly. ‘I think he knows what I feel for you too. So he let me down
lightly
. He said, “You could say it’s a case of: Boy meets Girl; Boy loses touch with Girl for too long; Boy meets Girl again; Happy Ending.” Good of him, I thought, to play down his feeling for you instead of forcing me to compare it with mine, knowing you had found mine wanting.’

Ruth longed to confess, ‘He wasn’t playing it down. It doesn’t exist. In order to shield me he was simply being adroit with words.’ Aloud she protested, ‘It was mine that was wanting, not yours. Yet you—you’re generous enough to wish me well. We can still be friends?’

‘For as long as you want me, though after a while it may have to be with distance between us. Because obviously now
Erle
won’t renew my lease on the Casa, which means Agnese and I will be returning to Quindereggio after all,’ said Cesare.

‘Why “obviously now”?’ Ruth qu
eri
e
d. ‘Why do you think he won’t?’

‘Don’t you know? Surely because he must have bought it with the idea of making it your future home? Hasn
’
t he told you so?’

‘No. We—we haven’t discussed any future plans like that,’ she evaded. ‘Besides, you must be wrong. If he were thinking of it for me, he wouldn’t have sent Signora Parioli to check it over, would he?’

‘Ah, but it’s there that I was wrong. Misheard her, or misunderstood her, or, not crediting that she would have come without his knowing, jumped to the conclusion that he must have sent her.’

‘I jumped to the same conclusion,’ Ruth pointed out.

Cesare laughed. ‘Hoping, but not knowing so short a time ago that he was going to propose to you? Oh, Ruth, my dear, what does it feel like to be so infinitely lovable to at least two men, and yet so modest as not to know it?’

She looked away. ‘I always knew that you like
d
me. That, though we disagreed on a lot of things,
Erle
did too—in his fashion.’ Feeling herself on dangerous ground, she changed the subject to ask, ‘Supposing
Erle
did only want the Casa as an investment, would you still expect him not to renew your lease?’

‘Ah, I’m not asking him to renew it. I’ve definitely decided to sell up and go.’