Coco looked up at the palazzo with wide eyes. ‘Is it haunted?’
‘Absolutely not!’ Romina replied. ‘There are no such things as ghosts.’
‘Yes, there are,’ said Coco. ‘All palaces have ghosts.’
‘Run along, girls,’ Sammy cajoled as Ventura disappeared inside. ‘Go and unpack, then we can explore.’
Romina gave him a quizzical look. ‘You should keep an eye on Coco,’ she warned. ‘I don’t think Claire is on top of things.’
‘She’s just imaginative,’ said Luca, feeling protective of his eldest daughter.
‘I won’t tolerate talk of ghosts. It’s silly. Ventura is quite enough for me to have to deal with.’
Luca followed his mother on to the terrace where the professor was reading poetry to Ma while she worked on her needlepoint. Dizzy was by the pool, Maxwell absorbed in making business calls to Vienna and London.
‘What are you going to do with the girls?’ Romina asked.
‘I don’t know. I’ll let them settle in, I think. They might like to swim.’
‘Bill will be pleased. He put the pool in especially for them.’
‘I might take them into town for tea.’
Romina raised her eyebrows, suspecting his motive. ‘That’s a good idea, darling. Perhaps I will come with you. I’d like to show them the harbour with all the pretty little boats. I’m sure they’ll be enchanted.’
‘I don’t think Coco’s enchanted by anything.’
‘Give her time. Incantellaria will work its magic. There’s still time to un-spoil her, even if it is too late for her mother.’ Romina glanced anxiously at Porci who was lying asleep beneath the table. ‘Most odd. Porci’s been off his food for a few days now, yet doesn’t seem to be getting any thinner. I wonder whether the staff are feeding him on the sly.’
‘There’s always enough food left over to feed an entire pig farm!’ Luca replied.
‘They’ve been told not to feed him between meals, but that belly looks full to me.’
Sammy appeared with the girls, a beach bag of swimsuits and towels hanging from her arm. She had changed out of her jeans into a pretty blue sundress and flip-flops. She was already tanned, her skin glowing and smooth. Even Maxwell did a double-take.
‘Isn’t this glorious, girls?’ she exclaimed.
‘Come and have a drink, you must be thirsty,’ said Romina. ‘Juno, my darling, come and show Granny your caterpillar. What’s he called?’ Juno approached her grandmother without inhibition. Coco remained glued to Sammy.
Romina made the introductions. ‘This is Maxwell.’
Sammy extended her hand. ‘Good to meet you.’ Her smile was white and wholesome. Maxwell metamorphosed into a different species. He shed his dull, beige skin and emerged a new man, as if he had been hibernating and had suddenly woken up.
‘Welcome. Can I pour you a drink?’
‘Give the kids something first,’ she said, sitting down. ‘Poor lambs, they’ve had a long journey.’
Suddenly Coco spotted Porci under the table. She summoned her sister with a cry of delight and both girls disappeared, falling on the unsuspecting pig who awoke with a squeal.
Maxwell poured two glasses of lemonade. ‘What will you have?’
‘Same, please.’
‘How long are you staying?’
‘A week, isn’t it great!’
‘You will love it here. Romina and Bill are exceptional hosts.’
‘How long have you been here?’
‘Too long! We have accepted Romina’s hospitality for weeks, using this as a base camp to explore the south of Italy.’
Ma watched with amusement as Maxwell flirted with Sammy though she seemed oblivious. ‘She’s jolly pretty. Maxwell’s going to make a fool of himself. The blunderer!’ Ma scoffed as Dizzy appeared in a diaphanous pink kaftan that barely covered her bikini bottoms.
‘This should be fun,’ said Caradoc, putting down his poetry.
‘Dizzy!’ said Maxwell, his voice rising a note. ‘Come and meet Luca’s children.’
Dizzy barely glanced at the girls before her eyes settled on Sammy. ‘Hi,’ she said tightly. She wasn’t about to shake hands with the hired help.
‘Nice to meet you. Right, girls. Time for a swim, eh?’ Dizzy stood behind her husband, picked up his glass of lemonade, and took a sip. She rested her hand proprietorially on his shoulder.
‘A good morning then?’ she asked.
‘Perfect,’ he replied, his eyes never leaving Sammy.
Ma gave a satisfied snort. ‘Dizzy should eat carbohydrates,’ she said without bothering to lower her voice. ‘Sammy’s as sunny as a continental breakfast.’