‘She’s also unsuitable,’ said Romina in Italian so the girls wouldn’t understand.
‘I’m not looking,’ Luca replied. But he hoped Cosima would emerge with their order.
As they sat down, Luca’s attention was drawn to the other end of the terrace where a sultry looking woman with scarlet lips was smoking over coffee with a silver-haired man. He recognised her at once as Maria Friscobaldi. Sensing she was being watched, she raised her eyes. When she saw Luca, she smiled seductively, pausing her conversation a moment. Juno tugged at his shirt. ‘Daddy . . .’ she began. Maria acknowledged his daughters with a little shrug, took a drag of her cigarette, then rested her gaze once more on her admirer. Luca turned back to his daughter.
Soon Rosa came out with a tray of ice-cream, juice and coffee. She chatted to the girls in English, telling them about her children, inviting them to play if they got bored of being with their father. Coco admired her pink nail varnish and jewellery. Juno liked the smell of her perfume. ‘Yves Saint Laurent, Paris,’ she said. ‘One day when you’re a big girl, your daddy might buy some for you.’
‘How’s your cousin?’ Luca asked, tapping his teaspoon on the table absent-mindedly, trying not to look too interested.
‘Better,’ Rosa replied briskly. ‘It was good of you to come.’
‘How dreadful for you all,’ interjected Romina sympathetically. ‘I hope she is recovered.’
‘She is, thank you,’ Rosa replied politely. ‘Your son is a hero.’
Romina’s smile was genuine. ‘I know. I am so proud. I would expect nothing less of him. He is very instinctive for a man.’
‘Is she coming in today?’ Luca sipped his coffee.
‘No. She’s feeling better, but not up to working. Now, isn’t that a surprise!’
‘Oh dear, I sense a little jealousy. Sta attento, Luca,’ Romina warned. As Luca swallowed his disappointment he was distracted by a movement outside one of the small boutiques. It was Francesco.
‘Excuse me a minute, Mother. There’s someone I need to see.’
Luca strode to where Francesco stood playing with a yoyo. He was about to speak when Cosima stepped out of the shop. It took a moment for him to recognise her in a dress imprinted with little yellow flowers. She walked straight through Francesco.
‘Luca,’ she exclaimed in surprise.
‘Hello, Cosima.’ The boy had simply melted into thin air.
‘Are you all right?’ she asked.
‘I’m fine. You look . . . beautiful.’
‘Thank you.’ She lowered her eyes and Luca noticed how long her eyelashes were. ‘It feels a little strange, to be honest, not wearing black. I feel very conspicuous. It is better that we talk in private. Do you want to join me on the bench?’ She pointed to one that was empty. They sat in the sunshine, looking out over the little blue boats that bobbed about on the water. ‘Francesco would not want me to wear black all the time. He loved yellow.’ She lifted the fabric of her dress. ‘He’d approve of this.’
‘I don’t blame him.’ He wanted to tell her that it was because of Francesco that he had hurried to the boutique, but he hesitated.
‘Are you here with the professor?’
‘I’m with my daughters,’ Luca replied, pointing back at the café table.
‘You have daughters?’
‘Two.’
‘How old are they?’
‘Four and seven.’
‘Are you married?’
‘Divorced.’
‘I should say that I am sorry, but I’m not.’
‘I’m not sorry either,’ he said. ‘Not sorry at all.’
15
Luca brought Cosima back to the trattoria. The children had almost finished their ice-creams and Romina was telling them a story that had them enraptured. ‘Mother, this is Cosima.’
Romina’s face crumpled with sympathy. ‘My darling girl,’ she said. ‘I hope you are feeling better now. What a drama. You are so beautiful and young. It would have been a terrible waste!’
‘I made a mistake,’ said Cosima.
‘Those who don’t make mistakes make nothing at all,’ said Romina. ‘The professor told me that.’ Sensing something going on, Rosa swept out of the restaurant.
‘Cosima, what are you doing here?’
‘I was passing and bumped into Luca.’
Rosa looked stony. ‘You’ve barely touched your coffee,’ she said to Luca. ‘It’ll be cold now.’
‘Why don’t you get him another one?’ said Cosima.
‘You should both come up to the palazzo,’ said Romina, attempting to defuse the situation.