The Italian Matchmaker(9)

‘Oh, do, Hugo. It’ll be fun,’ Freya added.

‘One must never do it just for fun,’ said Hugo seriously. ‘It’s not a game. We’re talking about spirit energies. If you go about it with the intention of causing amusement or fear you will attract the same energy. Like attracts like. I don’t want to encourage mischievous spirits to bang on the table and blow the candles out. But I can take a piece of jewellery off one of the girls and tell you things about her that may surprise you.’

‘Oh, goodie,’ said Freya. ‘Take my wedding ring.’ She pulled it off and handed it to him. She glanced at Luca and noticed that beads of sweat had formed on his brow.

Hugo took the ring and held it in his hands. ‘This contains your energy, Freya. I’m simply going to tune into it and tell you what I see and sense.’ He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. The room fell silent. No one moved. They only slid their eyes from one to another in nervous anticipation. Luca bit the inside of his cheek. The whole thing made him feel hot and uncomfortable.

‘So, Freya, you have a very strong feminine energy. Like a sugared almond, sweet and pretty on the outside, tough as a nut on the inside. You’re secretly obsessive about tidiness and vacuum the sitting-room when no one’s looking. In fact, I can see you hurriedly putting the hoover away before Miles comes back from his walk.’

Freya laughed.

‘There’s no secret about Freya’s need to tidy up all the time. She’s positively anal!’ said Miles.

‘I see you spending a lot of time folding children’s clothes and putting all the tins in lines with their labels at the front. I see you as a child in a red dress crying because your shoes don’t match.’

Freya gasped. ‘How could you possibly know about that?’

‘But your mother tied red ribbons on your black patent shoes and now I see you smiling and dancing around the room.’ Emily glowed with pride. Her husband became so attractive when he used his ‘gift’. ‘You had a little white dog called Pongo and I see an old lady in a pleated tweed skirt, beige sweater and sleeveless green jacket, you know, those quilted ones.’

‘Husky,’ said Emily helpfully.

‘That’s the one,’ said Hugo.

‘My grandmother,’ Freya observed quietly.

‘She’s in spirit,’ continued Hugo. ‘But she’s with you all the time, watching over you.’

‘What was her nickname for Freya?’ Miles asked, hoping to catch Hugo out.

‘Pumpkin,’ Hugo replied.

‘No it wasn’t!’ Miles was quick to correct him. ‘It was Frisby.’ Hugo frowned.

‘No, darling, Hugo’s right,’ said Freya. ‘She did call me Pumpkin.’

Hugo nodded, eyes still closed. ‘But you asked her to stop calling you by that name when you grew up.’ Miles fell silent.

‘Can you tell us what lies in her future?’ Sarah asked.

‘You’re going to go to Italy,’ said Hugo.

‘To visit you, Luca,’ Freya said happily.

‘I hope I’m included!’ Miles interjected.

Hugo’s face clouded a moment and he frowned. ‘Of course,’ he said.

Miles’s smile remained, but his eyes betrayed a certain discomfort. He had never liked Luca. He had been safe enough while married to Claire, but now he was single again he had that predatory glint in his eye that made him dangerous. Miles was very self-confident but he wasn’t a fool. Freya and Luca were unfinished business.

‘That place makes me feel uneasy.’ Hugo opened his eyes and handed the ring back to Freya.

‘You’re joking,’ said Freya, feeling a prickle of anxiety.

‘Of course he’s joking,’ interjected Emily, but she knew from her husband’s face that he had seen something too horrible to share.

‘It’s all a load of nonsense!’ Luca had loosened his bow tie and was undoing the top button of his shirt.

‘But how could Hugo know all those things about Freya?’ Annabel asked.

‘He could have heard them from Rosemary at lunch.’

‘Give him something of yours, then,’ Emily suggested. ‘Give him your watch, let’s see what he has to say about you.’

‘Yes, the big City player,’ said Miles heartily. ‘What’s the real reason you quit and where will you go from here?’

‘No,’ said Luca quickly. ‘I’ve had enough of this game.’

‘You can’t accuse my husband of being a liar and then refuse to let him defend himself,’ Emily continued, her voice rising a note.

‘It’s okay,’ said Hugo with a smile. ‘I’m not here to convince anyone. I come across cynics all the time.’