Venetian Masquerade (11 page)

Fitfully, she tossed and turned because something else was worrying away at her subconscious, and then she suddenly saw Sonya’s face, staring up at her from the garden and remembered how cool her friend had been after that.

She saw him kiss me. Sonya thinks I am going to start an affair with Alessandro and she disapproves,
Amy decided
. Tomorrow, I will try to explain.
And finally, she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

Chapter Nine

T
he next morning, Amy woke to the sound of church bells. James was still sleeping peacefully, and she looked down at his innocent face, long dark lashes resting on his cheek and that entrancing dimple in his chin. Leaving him to rest, she slipped on a robe and went downstairs to make some much-needed coffee. The debris from the party was still strewn all around, and she began to fill the new dishwasher with cups and plates while the coffee machine bubbled and spat. Then the doorbell rang, and assuming it to be Sonya, Amy went to the door and opened it without checking.

Alessandro came striding in and walked straight into the kitchen before turning to face her. She gaped at him in astonishment and pulled her robe protectively over her nakedness.

“I thought you would be on your way back to Rome.”

“My flight is this afternoon. I was rude yesterday, and I came to apologize.”

“Well…that’s a first. But apology accepted.” She faced him, trying to look calm and in control, but she was aware of the heat running through her body.
Please don’t touch me...

Alessandro looked intently at her for a moment before continuing. “If we are to have an arrangement over my access to James, I realize we have to be civilized with each other, and I have no right to interfere in your life. Gabriel will obviously be kind to James—I can see that the child adores him, and I promise I won’t try to spoil that relationship.”

“Thank you. Would you like some coffee?”

Alessandro’s shoulders relaxed visibly at the invitation. He nodded and sank into a chair.

“I’ve been thinking too, Alessandro. I had no idea you would have such a rapport with children—frankly, it’s a side of you I never saw, and it came as a complete surprise. I feel very sad, mostly for James that he has been denied knowing you, and I plan to put that right.”

“You do?”

“If we can have a truce. You have to let me get on with my life, and please, please don’t…”

“Kiss you?”

“It doesn’t help anything, does it? We’ve both moved on; we have other commitments now, and that…relationship…has to be put in the past. What we decide now must be for James’s sake. If you will accept that, then I will tell James you are his father and you can spend whatever time you like with him.”

“Amy, it would mean the world to me. Is he still asleep?”

“Yes, you can come and see him if you want to.”

He nodded and followed her upstairs into James’s room. He was just stirring as they went in, and he sleepily regarded Alessandro before putting his arms out to Amy for a cuddle. She sat on the bed, pulled him onto her lap, and smoothed his ruffled hair.

“Alessandro has come to say goodbye. He’s going back to Rome this afternoon.”

“I enjoyed your party, James,” said Alessandro, squatting down to face his little boy. “And I wondered if I could come to see you the next time I come to Venice in a few weeks?”

“Can we play football?”

“Yes, we certainly can.”

“I like my football kit. I’ll wear it next time you come.”

“I’ll look forward to that.” Amy could have sworn there was a sparkle of tears in Alessandro’s eyes. “I have to go now, but I’ll see you soon.”

To the amazement of both his parents, James suddenly put out his arms to his father, and with a glance at Amy, asking her permission, Alessandro took his son in his arms for the first time.

Neither Amy nor Alessandro were able to speak, and it was James who finally broke the tension. Prodding his father’s face, he said “You’ve got a dimple in your chin, just like mine.”

“Yes, I have, and one day, you will have just the same problem trying to shave round it as I do.”

A few minutes later, having left James to play in his bath, Amy and Alessandro went downstairs, just in time to come face to face with Sonya as she and Donna breezed through the front door, which had been left ajar. Sonya’s eyes widened as she took in the image of Amy, wearing a loosely gathered robe with obviously nothing on underneath, and Alessandro fully dressed, clattering down the stairs behind her.

“I’m so sorry,” stammered Sonya, “I had no idea…I mean…the door was open, and I thought…we’ll come back later.”

“Sonya, please stay!” called Amy, but her friend had rushed, scarlet-faced, out the gate and was hurrying down the road, dragging poor Donna by the hand.

“Shall I go after her?” asked Alessandro.

“No. I need to talk to her properly. Don’t worry.”

“Amy, here are all the details of where you can contact me if you should need to. May I take your phone number?”

She nodded and wrote it down for him.

“I won’t rush in and spoil James—he is a fantastic little boy and a real credit to you—but if there’s anything at all you or he need…well, you know what I’m trying to say.”

“Yes, and I appreciate it. But James has everything he could possibly want right now; he has a happy life with lots of friends. He loves his school and he’s very secure. There is nothing you could buy him that would improve on that.”

“You never were very impressed by material things, were you?” He smiled.

“No. I’m sure it’s difficult to know who your friends are when you are so rich, and I couldn’t bear to have to wonder if the people I cared for just had an eye on my bank balance.... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so cynical.”

“I’ll call you soon.”

He turned and walked towards the
vaporetto
s, and she went back into the house, closed the door, and leaned against it feeling weak. Being so close to Alessandro and watching him hold James so lovingly had been such an ordeal, she felt quite dizzy. How was she ever going to get through the rest of her life, cope with this pain and longing, knowing this scenario was going to be repeated every time Alessandro was in town?

With a groan, she went back upstairs to where James was splashing in the bath, dive-bombing a plastic boat with a large turtle.

“I like Ales…Alessondo…I can’t say his name, Mama. Can I have a different name for him? What can I call him?”

“We’ll think of something,” she whispered. “Yes, I know you like him, and he likes you too. Very much.”

Half an hour later, Amy and James walked down the road to Sonya’s apartment and rang the bell. It was a while before she came to the door and immediately clear she was upset. “Come in. James, Donna is in the lounge watching television. Why don’t you go and find her?”

“Okay.” He pottered off, and Amy followed Sonya into the kitchen.

“I’m sorry for walking in on you this morning, Amy. I am deeply embarrassed. I should have realized yesterday that there was something afoot with Alessandro—I just hadn’t expected him to stay the night. It’s all right,” she continued before Amy could answer. “I’m not condemning you—it isn’t my place to—but I am concerned you will hurt Gabriel very badly.”

“Gabriel?”

“Surely you realize he’s in love with you…and I had rather assumed you felt the same.”

“He’s not in love with me!”

“Of course he is.”

“Sonya, you don’t understand. Gabriel and I are just…we’re simply…I love him too, but—”

“Then you have a funny way of showing it. I can see why you would be attracted to Alessandro—he’s sex on legs—but Gabriel is a kind and dear man who doesn’t deserve to be two-timed. Oh, you needn’t worry; I won’t tell him what you did, but—”

“Sonya, will you shut up for a moment! I didn’t spend the night with Alessandro. He came round this morning to say goodbye to James, who was still upstairs in bed.”

“Oh…I’m sorry. Anyway, it’s none of my business.”

“No, it isn’t,” Amy snapped. “But for your information, I have promised to tell James that Alessandro is his father and have agreed they can spend time together, which was your advice, if you remember. This means that Alessandro will visit from time to time—it does not mean I am having an affair with him. He kissed me last night, and I know you saw that. But I have made him promise never to do that again if he wishes to see James, and he has agreed. Understood?”

“Yes…I’m sorry.”

“Well, I’m going home now, and if you are in a better frame of mind, perhaps you and Donna would like to come round later to finish the party left-overs with us. I’m sick of the sight of jelly, ice cream, and cold sausages.”

The two women looked at each other for a moment, and then both began to laugh.

“Oh, Amy, thank God you don’t hold a grudge. Am I forgiven?” Sonya took Amy’s hands.

“Yes, of course. I don’t blame you for drawing the conclusions you came to. It must have looked very peculiar. Now, if that’s fresh coffee I can smell, please can I beg some?”

Relieved that her friendship with Sonya was back on track, Amy left James to play with Donna and went back to the house to finish clearing up. She leaned on the gate and looked at the old house, which was now transformed almost beyond belief. Gone was the peeling grey paint, replaced by a pale terracotta finish. New windows gleamed in place of the old sash ones, which had been so hard to open and draughty when closed. Inside, the building alterations were complete: ten refurbished bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and, nearing completion, a small apartment on the ground floor for James and Amy with two bedrooms, bathroom, and a living room. The magnificent dining room with adjoining conference suite were all completed except for decoration and furnishing. They were well on track to finish by mid-January, and she had to plan some advertising to fill the hotel in time for the Venice Carnival in February. She also needed staff to cook and clean, so there was still a lot to organize.

Constanzo and Simona were walking slowly down the road on their way back from church.

“The house is lovely, Amy. Maria would be very pleased to see what you have done with it. We did enjoy being with you yesterday at James’s party, and it’s good to see the old place alive again. Maria used to have such lovely parties years ago, especially at Carnival time. Everyone in fancy dress with masks and wonderful gowns.”

“Well, we will too, Simona—we’ll have a big party on opening night during carnival fortnight.”

“Oh, how lovely. Constanzo and I might have moved by then, but we will still be close by in a smaller place. I hope we’ll be invited.”

“Of course you will! Have you put your villa on the market yet?”

“Ah, no. We may have a buyer, someone we know…”

“Well, that’s wonderful. Now I must go and clear up the debris from yesterday. It looks as if we had a party for a hundred, instead of ten small children.”

She bade them farewell and went inside to spend the rest of the day restoring order in the house. It echoed, and its bareness depressed her; she hoped the auction in Padua would provide some nice furniture to complement the décor she and Gabriel had planned. Most of the decoration would be complete before Christmas. But Christmas was only five weeks away, and there was still so much to do.
It will have to be a small event this year,
she thought.
I haven’t the time or energy to make too much effort. Perhaps Mama will come over from England. I wonder how Alessandro will spend Christmas—probably on a lavish cruise on his yacht with Sophia or a grand celebration at his parents’ mansion in Rome.
But somewhere in her heart, she had a feeling he would rather be kicking a football round the park with a small boy.

Chapter Ten

B
y the beginning of December, Amy and James had moved down into their apartment. James’s room was pale blue with a mural of Thomas the Tank Engine around the walls, and he was excited to have a bunk bed so friends could come to stay.

He was home after school, watching television, when the phone rang. With one eye on his program, he picked up the receiver before Amy could reach it. “Hello, this is James,” he said.

“Hello, James. This is Alessandro.”

“I’ve got a new bedroom now, and so has Mama. Are you coming to see me?”

“Yes, very soon. Can I speak to Mama?”

“It’s Alessondo,” he said, handing over the phone and switching his concentration back to his cartoon program.

“Alessandro…where are you?” Her heartbeat rose at the sound of his voice, and she struggled to sound cool and collected.

“I’m in Rome. Amy, I have personally been through all of the papers we have concerning your godmother’s investments, and as you know, most of them are now transferred to you.”

“Yes, I had a letter a few months ago. Is there a problem?”

“Not really, but there is an item I would prefer to discuss with you, something which needs some careful thought, and I think we should meet.”

“All right. When will you be in Venice?”

“The day after tomorrow. Can I take you to dinner?”

“No, but if you come to the house, you can spend some time with James. I’ll make supper.” She heard herself say the words, but they seemed to have been spoken by someone else. What on Earth was she doing?

“I appreciate that, Amy. I have missed…I missed him.”

‘”Six o’clock, then?”

“I’ll see you then.” And he was gone.

Amy put the phone down and turned to look at James, who was sprawled on the floor with one arm round a sleepy Snoopy. “Shall we take Snoopy for a walk?” she asked, and James immediately lost interest in the television.

“Yes! Can I take my football?”

Fifteen minutes later, they left the house, wrapped up in warm jackets and gloves against the December chill, and James took Amy’s hand as they headed for the park.

“Is Alessondo coming to see us?”

“Yes, James. He’s coming to see us on Saturday.”

“To play football?”

“If it doesn’t rain.”

“Do you like him, Mama?”

“Yes, of course.”

“More than Gabriel?”