Moth to the Flame(4)

although it was still relatively early. She got out of bed and reached

for the broderie anglaise dressing gown that matched her

nightdress, pulling the sash securely round her slender waist before

padding out on to the gallery. But as she went towards the bedroom

door she heard a familiar but distressing sound coming from the

bathroom. Immediately she crossed over and tapped on the door.

'Jan, love, what's wrong? Are you ill? May I come in?'

There was a pause and then Jan herself opened the door. 'Oh, hello.'

Her tone was ungracious. 'There's really no need to bother. I'm fine.

I must have eaten something that disagreed with me. Perhaps it was

that melon-it does upset me sometimes.'

'I'll make some coffee.' Juliet gave her an anxious glance.

'Do you want to go back to bed? You look pale.'

'Of course I'm pale, I've just been throwing up. For God's sake,

don't fuss. You're as bad as Mim,' Jan said impatiently.

But by the time the coffee was made and they were sitting on the

balcony with fresh rolls and butter on the table, Jan had regained

her colour and her good temper with it.

'Wonderful!' she exclaimed, reaching for the glass of freshly

squeezed orange juice which Juliet silently extended to her. 'You

are an angel. I should have invited you over long ago.'

Her eyes moved rather challengingly over Juliet's tight-lipped

expression.

'Well, go on, darling. Ask me if it's true.'

'Do I really have to?' Juliet could not suppress the bitterness in her                       
       
           



       

voice.

'I suppose not.' Jan finished her orange juice and set the glass down

on the table. 'As a schoolmarm, I imagine you're more than capable

of adding two and two together and achieving the correct result. I

might have managed to keep you at bay over my weight, but I knew

I couldn't hope to fool you over this foul morning sickness. I merely

hoped it wouldn't happen while you were within earshot.'

Juliet met her eyes squarely. 'Were Mim and I never supposed to

know?'

Jan shrugged. 'Let's just say that your visit at this precise time

was-inopportune.'

'Then why on earth didn't you tell me not to come?' Juliet tried not

to sound as hurt as she felt and her voice sounded flat in

consequence.

'Because I was afraid that if I started putting you off with footling

excuses Mim might take it into her head to come in your place. And

while I might be able to fool you for a while, I knew I wouldn't

escape her eagle eyes. And as you can imagine, she's the last person

I want to know about this. Not until I have everything sorted out

anyway.'

'What are you going to do?' Juliet asked unhappily. 'Are you going

to-get rid of the baby?'

Jan's eyes opened to their widest extent. 'An abortion in Italy? You

have to be joking! No, far more conventional than that. I'm getting

married. In fact if you'd delayed your visit for another week or so, I

probably would have been married already. All problems solved, all

Mim's most romantic .hopes for me gloriously fulfilled, and after a

discreet interval, the promise of her first grandchild. Everything

perfect.'

'I see,' Juliet said rather drily. 'That being the case, may one ask

why you didn't simply get married in the first place and avoid all

these rather hasty and hole-and-corner arrangements?'

Jan poured herself some coffee. 'There were reasons,' she said,

frowning. 'There still are, for that matter. Mim isn't the only relative

that we're keeping in the dark about our plans. Mario has a brother

who's been causing us some grief.'

'In what way?' Juliet spread butter on a roll and bit into it, although

she had little appetite. Jan's news had left a sick, hollow feeling in

the pit of her stomach. Mim's premonition had been well founded, it

seemed.

Jan shrugged again. 'Big brother feels that he should have a major

say in Mario's wedding plans, and needless to say, he doesn't

approve of my part in them,' she answered rather carelessly. 'Not

that we've ever actually met, of course.'

'But is Mario likely to be influenced by his opinions?' Juliet could

not conceal the anxiety in her tone. 'Italians are supposed to have

this incredibly strong sense of family and,..'

'Well, the brother holds the purse strings for a start,' Jan broke in,

spreading her hands gracefully. 'And you're right about the family

feeling. They come from the South -Calabria actually, where such

things matter a lot, although they don't actually live there now.

Santino-that's the brother-is some kind of industrialist in the

North now, and has his finger in any number of financial pies from

what I can gather, including tourism.' She leaned back in her chair,

lifting her face to the sun. 'I think-in fact I know-he hoped Mario

would make a sensible marriage, in other words marry some other

industrialist's daughter and bring about another kind of merger as an

added bonus. I don't figure in his scheme of things, naturally.'

'But that's terrible,' Juliet said heatedly. 'Arranged marriages are a

thing of the past, anyway.'

Jan lifted her eyebrows. 'Apparently they're still very traditional in

the South. Santino's ideas aren't as extraordinary as you think.'

'But-but does he know about the baby?'

'Lord above, no!' Jan raised her eyebrows exaggeratedly. 'As a

matter of fact, in view of his open hostility, we haven't told him

very much at all. Mario feels it's best to maintain a low profile and

just present him with a fait accompli after the wedding.' She

sounded almost bored. 'Once we're married, there's very little he

can do about it, and I doubt if he'll actually carry out any of his

threats.'

'Threats?' Juliet pushed the remains of her roll away uneaten, and

stared at her sister.

Jan laughed. 'Not aimed at me, silly, although I'll admit he's made

some damned unpleasant remarks in the past. No, he's told Mario

that he'll cut him off with the proverbial shilling-or lira, I suppose,

to be exact. But he'll soon relent. For one thing Mario's his heir, and

Santino himself isn't married or likely to be. He's far too busy

making money and having a good time-the damned hypocrite ! His

strait-laced views on morality don't exactly extend to his own

conduct,' she added on a little flash of petulance.

'I thought you didn't know him.'

'Only by repute,' Jan said. 'And I did see him once- at a safe                       
       
           



       

distance in a night club. And once seen, never forgotten.'

'What is he like?' Juliet's curiosity was aroused almost in spite of

herself.

'Very tall. Towered head and shoulders above everyone else around

him and knew it. And as dark as Satan,' Jan said after a moment's

thought. 'That's as much as I noticed, because Mario hustled me off

at the speed of light out of harm's way.' She gave a faint giggle.

'Actually, I think he's a bit jealous of him. I said quite casually that I

thought he was very attractive and Mario simply exploded. And he's

never taken me up on any of my offers to beard the lion in his den

and convince him what a simply wonderful and suitable addition I'll

be to the Vallone family.'

Juliet stared at her wonderingly. Jan's tone seemed almost to be one

of relish. She did not seem to care that her future brother-in-law's

attitude to her was an insult. All that seemed to matter was the fact

that he was an attractive man, and according to the hints she had

dropped, an accomplished rake.

'I wonder why not?' she said a little grimly.

Jan smiled again rather smugly. 'As I said, I think poor Mario has

always been just a teeny bit in the shade. Perhaps he was afraid that

Santino might try to cut him out yet again.'

Juliet compressed her lips tightly together. 'I see,' she said with

sarcasm. 'Your future relationship with your husband is obviously

going to be founded on mutual trust.'

'Oh, for heaven's sake, don't be so damned suburban,' Jan said

crossly. 'We don't all suffer from the same romantic illusions as you

seem to. They may sing "O Perfect Love" at weddings, but that

doesn't necessarily mean it exists. Mario suits me very well in a

number of ways, and it's time I was thinking of getting married

anyway. Modelling's fine while you're young, but people are too

fond of relegating you to the scrap heap once you're over twenty.

All these schoolgirls, just waiting to claw their way over you on

their way up the ladder. It's almost worth the prospect of being fat

and hideous for months to think that I'll be kissing all that goodbye.'

'I thought you loved it.' Juliet stared at her. 'Mim and I always

thought that this was your world-your life. You could always have

come home.'

'To what?' Jan demanded. 'This is all I know. I'm not trained for

anything else, and I can't imagine things are any different in London

from what they are here. Or do you imagine that I'll get some kind

of second-rate job showing dresses, in some tatty provincial

department store? Thanks, but no, thanks. I'll settle for Mario

instead and put up with whatever I have to from his family.' She

glanced at her plain and very expensive-looking gold wristwatch. A

present from Mario? Juliet found herself wondering. 'Lord, I must

fly, or I'll have that Di Lorenzo bitch breathing down my neck.' She