‘You feel ill, cara?’
‘No, just nervous.’
‘Of the landing?’
She shook her head. ‘Of meeting your family.’
‘You will not meet them today,’ he assured her. ‘I asked my parents to wait until tomorrow.’ He smiled as Bea stirred. ‘Wake up, bella. We are nearly there.’
They left the plane with much waving and hand kissing from the flight attendants for Bea. Dante would have picked her up to carry her but she shook her head.
‘Walk—please.’
So Beatrice Grace Palmer made her entrance into the airport, hand in hand with both parents, her father carrying a shiny pink holdall with Pinocchio and Bear peeping out of it. As the trio reached the baggage carousel Rose saw a young man waving vigorously.
‘Va bene, it is Tullio with my car keys,’ Dante told Rose. ‘He will help with the luggage.’
Tullio bowed, smiling, as Dante presented him to Rose and Bea, who grew very excited when she spotted her mother’s familiar battered student luggage on the baggage carousel.
‘Ours, Daddy,’ she said, pointing.
Dante gave Rose a look which turned her heart over. ‘So it is, tesoro,’ he said huskily, ‘and that is mine beside it.’
The useful Tullio helped stow the luggage in the car while Rose fastened her daughter into the smart scarlet car seat. She chuckled suddenly and Dante looked round, smiling.
‘What amuses you, cara?’
‘Your car looks faintly ridiculous with a child’s seat on board.’
‘It must get used to it, yes?’ He had a quick conversation with Tullio, who took his leave of them, blew a kiss at Bea and hurried off.
‘Where’s he going?’ asked Bea.
‘To take a taxi back to work.’
‘What does he do?’ asked Rose as Dante helped her into the passenger seat.
‘He works for me. He is good at the selling, too.’
‘But not as good as you!’
‘He soon will be. He is eager to learn. And as an advantage with the selling he is an attractive young man, yes?’
‘Very attractive!’ Rose turned round to smile at her daughter, who was cuddling Pinocchio. ‘Are you comfortable, darling?’
Bea nodded happily.
‘Allora,’ said Dante and switched on the powerful engine, ‘let us go home.’
‘Not fast!’ ordered Bea in alarm. ‘I don’t like fast.’
‘Welcome to fatherhood,’ murmured Rose. ‘Soon she’ll ask if we’re there yet.’
Dante laughed and drove with care as they left the airport. He touched Rose’s hand fleetingly. ‘Did you hear what she said?’
‘She called you Daddy. You obviously liked that.’