Francesco watched his mother take the box. She bit her lip while she deliberated what to do, until curiosity got the better of her and she opened it. Without waiting for her permission, Luca took her left hand and slipped the ring on the fourth finger. ‘Please forgive me, my darling.’ A fat tear trickled down her cheek. ‘Please say you’ll marry me?’
She shook her head and pulled off the ring, replacing it carefully in its box. ‘I cannot marry you.’
Luca felt the world fall away. ‘You can’t? Why?’
‘Because I can’t live anywhere else but here.’
‘Why not?’
‘I can never leave Francesco!’ She swallowed.
Francesco stared at her sadly. Then he looked at Luca, his brown eyes large and pleading.
‘Francesco is right beside you,’ he said softly. ‘He’s right there in that chair.’
Cosima looked at the empty space beside her. ‘Stop, Luca. Don’t . . .’
‘He’s here, I swear it,’ he insisted.
‘Don’t torment me!’ Her face turned white with fury. ‘Don’t use my son to get to me!’
Luca closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He emptied his head of thoughts so that Francesco could transmit into the void.
‘Talk to me, Francesco,’ he said. ‘Your mother needs you now, and so do I.’
He waited. Cosima remained totally still, staring at him incredulously. At first all he could hear was his heart thumping in his ears. If he failed she’d lose all trust. He had to communicate with Francesco. His life depended on it.
In the silence of his mind words formed sentences that were not of his making. Slowly Luca repeated what he heard. He didn’t open his eyes for fear of breaking the moment and he didn’t think of Cosima’s reaction, but concentrated on holding on to the voice, a shiver of excitement washing over him for at last being able to communicate with her son.
‘I left my toys around the house to get your attention, Mamma, but you always blamed my cousins. You never imagined it was me. I tried so hard for you to notice me. I’m always with you, every day and every night. I have never left your side, but you cannot see me which makes me sad. I’m sorry I ran after the feather. One minute I was in the water and the next I was on the beach, shouting at you, but you didn’t see me and you didn’t hear me. I wanted to make you better so I put my butterfly on your pillow but you got cross with Alessandro. You didn’t know it was me, wanting to say sorry. Alessandro saw me but he was too afraid to tell you. I gave him a yellow rose to give you, but you didn’t imagine it was me. Don’t you remember? Yellow is my favourite colour. I put a white feather on the candle table in the church, then at your feet when you knelt in prayer. There was no other way to reach you. Only Luca can see me and he doesn’t know why. Some children can see me too, which is fun for it is very lonely like this. I try to reach the light, but I’m so heavy with your sorrow that I can’t jump high enough. One day you’ll know that dying isn’t an end but life going on in a different way. I know now that it was my time to return home. It was already decided before I was born. The one thing we take with us is love. I carry your love with me, Mamma, in my heart.’
Francesco stopped talking. Luca’s eyes were wet with tears. He looked across at Cosima; her hand was over her mouth and her fingers were trembling. Neither spoke.
Francesco moved his hand and placed his fingers on the box. It was barely discernible at first, but then it gained a little speed as Francesco moved the box across the table. The little box moved right before their eyes, seemingly all by itself, until it stopped in front of Cosima.
Francesco looked up at his mother. ‘I want you to be happy,’ he said.
Luca tried to speak but all that came out was a croak. He cleared his throat, then repeated what Francesco had said.
‘Ask him one thing,’ Cosima whispered. ‘What is the name of his favourite butterfly?’
Luca didn’t need to ask. Francesco was already replying. ‘My Morfino.’
Cosima began to cry. ‘That was his special name for it. The Morfino. Tell him I hope Heaven is full of Morfini.’
‘He says one day you’ll come and see for yourself.’
Cosima opened the box and placed the ring on her finger. ‘I want to be happy, too,’ she said. ‘But I don’t want to leave Incantellaria.’
‘So, you’ll marry me?’
‘Yes, if you’ll stay here with me.’
He took her hand across the table. ‘If you want to stay here, stay here you will. My happiness depends on yours, Cosi.’ He laughed as Francesco placed his hand on top of theirs. ‘We have your son’s blessing. Now let’s keep quiet until we’ve got my daughters’ blessing too.’