‘Who is she?’
‘One of his regular bridge four. She’s not even attractive. She’s got lanky brown hair and a round face.’ They both laughed.
‘What’s got into the man?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe I’m too wholesome for him.’
‘Wholesome is a good thing,’ said Luca kindly.
‘Maybe he wants dirty sex, someone who’ll do all the kinky things I don’t want to do.’
‘What kinky things don’t you want to do?’ Luca couldn’t help himself.
She blushed. ‘I don’t know. Miles hasn’t exactly asked me to do anything. He’s very conventional. I’m just trying to find an explanation.’
‘So, you gave him an ultimatum?’
‘I told him to finish it or I’ll take the children and leave him.’
‘I imagine you put the fear of God in him?’
‘I think I did.’
‘I’m sure he’ll do what’s right.’
‘But can I trust him now? I’m not sure I can.’
‘You have four children who need you to trust him, or at least to make the marriage work.’
‘Yours have adjusted, haven’t they?’
‘Yes, I think so. But I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Coco and Juno came for a week and it was great, but naturally they’d be better off if Claire and I had stayed together.’
‘But now they have the best of both worlds. Time with Mummy in England and time here with Daddy.’
‘It hasn’t been easy for them. Every child wants their parents to love each other.’ He looked at her steadily. ‘Do you still love Miles?’
She didn’t hesitate. ‘Of course. But he’s hurt me.’
‘If you didn’t love him he wouldn’t have the power to hurt you.’
‘We’ve been married for ten years. I can’t imagine life without him. I was arrogant enough to think I was the centre of his world. I never imagined he’d fall in love with someone else. I feel as if he’s knocked the wind out of me.’ She smiled sheepishly. ‘I’m not so arrogant any more.’
Luca touched her shoulder. ‘You’ll go back in a few days and he’ll have ditched the dog. You’re going to have to make a real effort not to let it destroy you.’
‘I know. If he gives her up, I’ve got to let it go. It won’t be easy.’
‘But you’ve shown him you mean business.’
‘I don’t think he ever imagined I’d just run off like this.’ She grinned. ‘I think you’ve put the wind up him, Luca.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes. I told him I was coming out here to see you. If anyone can provoke his jealousy, it’s you.’
‘I’m glad I’m helpful.’
‘You’re more than helpful,’ she replied, squeezing his hand. ‘You’re a real friend.’
30
Fitz was nervous about seeing Alba again in spite of the fact that they had both married and found happiness with other people. Thirty years could be reduced to almost nothing when it came to the emotions. Alba had broken his heart. Rosemary had put a plaster over the wound, but beneath the superficial healing it still remained open. He didn’t suffer the same acute pain as in those first few months after she had left, and time served to dull the discomfort, but the ache was always there. A niggling regret. A longing for something precious. He often wondered about her and fantasised about what might have been. Now, gazing at the beauty that was Incantellaria, he wondered whether he would have been happy here. He wished he could say with certainty that he would not.
Romina loved nothing more than what she described as a ‘situation’. She would have never imagined Fitzroy Davenport and Alba Pallavicini together. He was so incredibly English – a cigar and slippers sort of man – while Alba was so Italian. Her father might have been English, but Incantellaria had brought out the Italian in her. She and Fitz were as different as a Great Dane and a sleek black panther. She didn’t see the parallels with her own marriage – Romina wasn’t a woman who was self-aware. If things had been different, Fitz might have ended up running the trattoria instead of being married to the well-meaning but bossy Rosemary. She could barely restrain her impatience to thrust the former lovers together and wished she could whisk Rosemary off to give them time to talk about the past without her hanging over them like a fearsome judge. Rosemary wouldn’t allow them a moment alone. Women like her were fragile beneath their brittle exteriors and seething with jealousy. She had done well to ensnare Fitz and Fitz was a fool to have got caught!