The Italian Matchmaker (24 page)

‘That’s the first thing I’d do.’

Eugenio shot her a look. ‘That place is a mystery if you ask me.’

‘
Mamma
thinks it’s haunted by the
Marchese
.’

‘Perhaps,’ Eugenio conceded. ‘I’m going to go and take a look. Do you want to come?’

‘No. I’m racked with curiosity, but I don’t think it looks very professional to be accompanied by your wife. Just come back and tell me exactly what you find.’

 

Luca picked up Cosima at the
trattoria
as arranged. She had changed into a black dress embroidered with small red flowers, and her hair was tied with a red ribbon. As he came closer he could smell the scent of lemons and felt the familiar ache of desire. He put his hand around her waist and pressed his lips to her neck.

She pulled away, looking around furtively. ‘Not here,’ she hissed. ‘Someone might see.’

‘Why should we hide? I want to shout my love from the rooftops!’

‘Please don’t.’ She gave an embarrassed laugh. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’

They drove down the coast, along the winding road that hugged the hills. The sun began to slip down the sky, sprinkling the sea with glitter. With the windows open, the warm wind on their faces, they both felt exhilarated, as if they were young lovers stealing forbidden time alone together.

Cosima directed him up a narrow road to a little restaurant she knew hidden among the trees. They sat on the balcony, under a trellis of honeysuckle and lemons. Large urns were placed around the edge of the balcony full of pink bougainvillea and white geraniums, and the smell of rosemary and olive oil wafted through the kitchen window. A couple of black dogs slept on the red tiles in the fading sunlight and birds came to peck at breadcrumbs on the ground. A group of young children with grubby faces and bare feet played on the hillside with a can of Fanta and some sticks.

Luca took Cosima’s hand across the table and stroked her skin with his thumb. She turned and looked out over the sea. ‘It’s beautiful here,’ she said softly, trying not to fuel her doubts with thoughts of her son.

‘
You’re
beautiful,’ he replied. ‘You get more beautiful the better I know you.’

She smiled. ‘If I really am beautiful to you, I must cherish you. It’s not every day a man tells me I’m beautiful and means it.’

‘Oh, I mean it,’ he said, looking deep into her eyes. ‘I’ve never meant anything so much in all my life.’

After a while a large, dark-skinned woman appeared with the menu. She was as ripe as an autumn peach with pink cheeks and big bulging eyes. Her grey hair was pulled back into a loose bun, and long beaded earrings dangled from her ears.

‘Ah, this is the best view for young lovers like you,’ she said with a chuckle, handing them each a menu. ‘
Prosecco
?’

‘Two
Bellinis
,’ said Luca. ‘To celebrate our first evening together,’ he added to Cosima in English.

The woman struck a match and lit the little hurricane lamp in the centre of the table. ‘There, that’s better,’ she said, standing back to admire it. ‘Now you can enjoy a candle-lit dinner. Take your time to look at the menu. I recommend the fish. You can come around the back and choose from the tank.’

‘This is a splendid place,’ he said.

‘It’s famous. You don’t think I’d bring you anywhere but the best?’

‘So, you’re not worried you’re going to bump into someone you know?’

‘I’m not worried, I just don’t want to antagonise anyone.’

‘Rosa.’

She lowered her eyes. ‘She’s not easy.’

‘The way Alba talks about you, I’m not surprised.’

‘Alba’s like a mother to me.’

‘I can’t imagine Rosa’s too happy about that.’

‘Of course not. But she’s not happy in herself.’

‘Her marriage?’

Cosima sighed. ‘She thinks Eugenio is not good enough for her. She wishes she were like her grandmother with lovers in every corner of Italy.’

‘Valentina?’

‘She’s obsessed with her. It wouldn’t surprise me if she were found murdered on the road to Naples in a car with some millionaire, draped in diamonds and furs. I don’t think she’s faithful to Eugenio for one minute. All she thinks about is material things she doesn’t possess.’

‘Unhappiness comes from wanting what one can’t have.’ He looked at her intently. ‘I’d be unhappy if I couldn’t have you.’ He knitted his fingers through hers across the table. ‘I want to make love to you.’ She blushed and turned away, her gaze lost somewhere out to sea. ‘I know. I won’t push you, my darling. I just want you to know I desire you. We’ve got all the time in the world.’

‘You’d wait that long?’

He barely recognised himself. ‘I’d wait for you for ever.’

Eugenio had picked up his old Fiat from Gianni’s. Rosa had tried to persuade him to buy a new car, but they didn’t have the money to indulge in needless extravagances. She had stomped off in a huff, accusing him of not treating her well. ‘You once called me Princess,’ she had complained. ‘Shame you can’t treat me like one.’ So he had bought her a pretty crystal necklace instead. It wasn’t a car, but she had been pleased. Rosa was like a magpie: if it shone it gave her pleasure.

He was curious to see what the
palazzo
looked like now. During the lengthy building work the entire place had been hidden behind scaffolding and no one had been allowed into the grounds. The odd builder had come into the
trattoria
for coffee and given away a few details, but not enough to satisfy the curiosity of the locals. Now Eugenio motored up the sweeping drive, impressed at the beauty of the trees that lined the elegant curve of the approach. The gardens were manicured, large topiary balls clipped into perfect spheres, the lawn mowed, the borders weeded. The
palazzo
itself took his breath away. It was magnificent, with imposing towers and a grand entrance. The old stone blended with the new and the pink roof-tiles shone like copper beneath the setting sun.

He rang the bell. Romina opened the door and greeted him warmly. At her feet was a little pink pig in a nappy. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ she said coolly. ‘This is Porci. A gift from my brother. So typical of Nanni to give me a pig!’

‘Unusual to say the least,’ said Eugenio. He couldn’t wait to get home and tell Rosa about the sparkling collar around the animal’s neck.

‘Come through. We’ll go straight to the folly.’

Eugenio followed her through the courtyard, marvelling at the splendour. How was he going to begin to describe it to his wife? He didn’t have the vocabulary.
These people must be as rich as kings
, he thought. Outside, the rest of the house party sat playing cards or chatting, drinking glasses of white wine. A maid hovered, waiting to take orders. They must have turned the
palazzo
into a hotel, for no one would entertain so lavishly.

Romina didn’t bother to introduce him to her guests. As they walked down the steps to the garden, the professor raised his eyes over his cards. ‘I see young Luca is now out of a job.’

‘The police will do nothing,’ said Nanni.

‘They should take fingerprints at least,’ added Ma.

‘Nothing has been stolen, has it?’ said Dennis. ‘No one hurt or threatened. For all they know, it could be one of us.’

‘More likely one of
them
.’ Ma nodded towards Ventura who was bustling about with a couple of young maids. ‘In novels it’s always disgruntled staff.’

‘Or the hostess herself,’ said Dennis with a laugh.

‘My sister might be melodramatic,’ said Nanni. ‘But she’s far too busy looking after all of us to bother creating a mystery for her own amusement.’

Down at the folly Romina unlocked the door and showed Eugenio inside. There was no evidence to suggest anyone had been lying on the bed. ‘She doesn’t come every night,’ Romina explained.

Eugenio gave a low whistle. ‘So this was the
Marchese’s
love-nest.’

‘How do you know it was his love-nest?’

‘It’s legendary. Valentina used to meet him here. It was their special place.’

‘I haven’t changed a thing. I kept it exactly as it was.’

‘The
Marchese
was a notorious pervert,’ he said with a chuckle. He leaned over to read the spines of the books neatly lined up in the bookcase. ‘Erotica. That doesn’t surprise me.’

‘If he were alive I’d point the finger at him,’ said Romina, folding her arms.

‘He’s dead and I still point the finger at him.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous! Dead people don’t come back. When you’re dead you’re dead. That’s it. Full stop.’

‘Well, there’s no sign of a break-in. Nothing stolen. No damage. Nothing.’ He shrugged. ‘As I said, there’s nothing I can do until she turns up again. In that case, call me.’

‘Maybe she won’t come back. Maybe, she’ll grow bored and go somewhere else,’ said Romina hopefully.

‘I’d take a good look at your staff,
signora
. And keep that key close to you at all times. I think you’ll find it’s nothing.’

After dinner, Luca and Cosima strolled along a small stony beach. It was twilight. The first stars were just visible, twinkling through an indigo sky, the waxing moon as shiny as a polished silver coin. He told her about his marriage, his divorce, his work and how it had all begun to suffocate him. He explained how coming to Incantellaria and meeting her had changed him.

‘I feel alive, aware of all my senses. Aware of everything around me from the smallest flowers to the breeze on my face. I came here for some peace, so that I could work out where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do. I never expected to metamorphose into someone different.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘I never expected to fall in love.’ They walked on in silence until he pressed her for an answer. ‘And you? Are you falling in love with me too?’

She took a deep breath. ‘Yes, Luca. I’m falling in love with you. But I’m afraid.’

‘Of what? Rosa?’

‘No, not my cousin. I’m afraid of allowing myself happiness. Whenever I feel happy something squeezes my heart to remind me of Francesco.’

‘You don’t feel you deserve happiness after what happened to your son?’

‘Yes.’

He stopped and drew her into his arms. ‘Francesco wants you to be happy. He doesn’t blame you. If it wasn’t for him you’d have drowned.’

‘I want to believe.’

‘Look, I saw him earlier today on the quay. When you left, he ran after you. He had a spring in his step. Then he grinned at me and waved.’

The longing glittered in her eyes. ‘I want to believe with all my heart.’

‘Trust me, Cosima. I wouldn’t lie to you. This is all very new to me. I’m bewildered by it too.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘I didn’t want to make you sad.’

‘Don’t you see? That is the one thing that will make me happy.’

They continued to walk, their arms wrapped around each other. Instead of Francesco’s name hanging over them like an oppressive shadow, they talked about him openly. Cosima’s anguish was lifted and she talked about her son with pleasure, recounting his antics and the funny things he had said. Luca was intrigued by the child who was only visible to him, but he longed for undeniable proof of his spiritual existence to give to Cosima. He had no idea how to talk to a spirit.

They sat on the pebbles and Cosima pushed her doubts to the very back of her mind. She let her desire take over and became aware only of the rough sensation of Luca’s bristles against her skin, the warmth of his lips on hers, the strength of his body as he enveloped her. With Luca she felt safe. She felt herself again. The last three years she had been nothing more than a mother without a child to love. Now she felt like a woman again, loved by a man.

Eugenio came home from the
palazzo
to find Alba and Rosa preparing dinner. His wife fell on him with excitement. ‘So, what’s it like up there? Tell me everything.’

Alba went back into the kitchen to check on the pasta. She didn’t want to hear about the
palazzo
.

‘It’s astonishing,’ he said, taking off his cap and scratching his scalp. ‘I saw the
Marchese
’s love-nest.’

‘Did you find the intruder?’

‘Just as I thought. Nothing.’

‘How very dull. Not even a little ghostie?’ Rosa ran a scarlet fingernail down his chest.

‘Not even a little ghostie.’

‘I’d like to make love to you in that little folly.’

‘I don’t think that will be possible, now the case is being handed over to Inspector Luca.’ He didn’t bother to hide the resentment in his voice.

‘So, he’s really going to guard the door?’

‘I think so. How else is he going to find the intruder?’

‘I love a mystery!’

‘I don’t think there is a mystery. But you know what? I think she’s turned the place into a hotel.’

‘You’re not serious!’

‘I am. There were so many people up there.’

‘Don’t tell
Mamma
. She’ll be furious!’

‘Don’t tell me what?’ said Alba, appearing in the doorway with a large bowl. Eugenio and Rosa exchanged glances.

‘It looks like that woman has turned the
palazzo
into a hotel.’

Alba almost dropped the bowl. ‘What? Are you sure?’

‘She had so many guests. There must have been at least fifteen people on the terrace,’ he exaggerated. ‘Drinking wine, playing cards.’

‘Won’t it be good for business?’ Rosa asked.

‘Incantellaria can’t take all these people.’