The Italian’s Miracle Family Read online

  A quick search revealed the cruel letter. She read it briefly to make sure it was the right one, then slipped it into the drawer of her bedside locker. Feverishly she began searching through the remaining letters, just in case there was another mention of Carlotta’s infidelity. She found it in James’s reply, and took that too. When she was sure she’d removed everything dangerous, she slipped back into the corridor and stood in the darkness, listening fearfully. But there was no sound.

  Then a quick dash to replace the bag where Drago had left it. It was done. Now all she had to do was get back to her room. She was almost there when she heard his door opening, and turned, standing petrified in the light of the window.

  Then she saw something that shocked her. A smile illuminated Drago’s face, so that for a moment it was brilliant with joy. His hand moved as if to reach out to her, but then it fell back to his side and the smile died.

  ‘Are you all right?’ he asked politely.

  ‘Yes-yes. I just had to-get up for a minute. Goodnight.’

  She fled to her room and stood leaning against the door, trying not to believe what had happened: for a split second in the darkness Drago had thought she was Carlotta. He’d smiled, almost reaching out to her. But then the smile had died as the sad truth had overcome him again.

  Now Alysa was passionately glad at what she had done. It was wrong, disgraceful. She was a thief. But she had protected him from further grief, and she wasn’t sorry.

  She could hear him moving about in his bedroom next door to hers, and the mysterious communication that seemed to unite them showed her his movements-from the door to the window and back again, from the door to the wall, to the window.

  A pause, then the sound of the window being opened. In her mind she could see him standing there, looking out at the dark mountains with the moon rising behind them, trying to cool himself in the chill air. Vainly seeking an elusive peace.

  She knew the moment when he closed the window and began to pace the room again, until he ended up by the wall that separated him from her. She held her breath, hoping he’d gone to bed.

  But then came the sound of a long groan, like an animal caught in a trap. It shivered away into nothing, and after that there was silence.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  F OR the next couple of days they continued going through the letters, but there were no more revelations, and at last they could relax. The pills worked well and her cold improved fast, until they were able to go out for a breath of fresh air. Drago acted like a nanny, making her wear his own coat, and buttoning it up to the throat, while she laughed with pleasure. It was bliss to be fussed over.

  ‘You’re twice my size,’ she said, regarding herself in the mirror, almost vanishing into the huge coat, and flapping the sleeves which hung comically off the ends of her arms. ‘Whatever do I look like?’

  ‘You look like someone who needs a scarf,’ he said, wrapping one around her neck several times. ‘Has nobody ever taken any care of you?’

  ‘My mother did, until she died. But after that I’ve been pretty independent.’

  For ‘independent’ read ‘alone’, he thought.

  ‘What about James?’ he wanted to know.

  She made a face. James hadn’t been the protective kind, and until this moment it hadn’t bothered her.

  The beauty of the mountain was overwhelming as they went carefully up the slope, Alysa clinging to his arm at his insistence to avoid slipping. Overhead the trees hung heavy with snow, while in front of them the white path led up out of sight.

  ‘I’ve never seen anything so lovely,’ she sighed.

  ‘Don’t you have snow in England?’

  ‘It turns to sludge very quickly. But this…’

  She let go of his arm and turned round and round, looking up so that the bright morning sun fell on her face. Drago watched her, smiling at her ecstasy.

  ‘You look like a scarecrow,’ he said.

  ‘Thank you, kind sir. Yes, I do, don’t I?’ She began to spin faster. ‘Wheee!’

  ‘You’re scaring the birds,’ he protested as a startled flock rose from the branches above, fleeing these wild noises.

  The next moment they were engulfed in snow that had been disturbed by the scattering birds. Alysa collapsed with laughter, leaning back against a tree and sliding down.

  ‘Don’t sit on the ground, you crazy woman,’ Drago said, brushing snow out of his hair and taking hold of her.

  He yanked her unceremoniously to her feet, so that she staggered and he had to steady her against him.

  ‘Behave,’ he told her firmly. ‘Are you totally intent on getting pneumonia?’

  ‘That would be very awkward for you,’ she laughed. ‘Especially if I died. You get me up here, and I vanish for ever. You could be in big trouble.’

  ‘Nonsense, they’d give me a medal. Now, come on, I want to get you safely into the warm.’

  ‘Suppose I want to stay?’

  His answer was to pick her up and march firmly back to the villa.

  ‘Why do some women argue about everything?’ he growled.

  ‘Some men are made to be argued with,’ she said, steadying herself with both arms around his neck. ‘The temptation is irresistible.’

  He gave a bark of laughter, turning his head to glance at her, and immediately wished he hadn’t. Her mouth was so close to his that their lips almost touched. He looked ahead quickly, shaken by the vibration that went through him, almost causing him to stumble, and feeling her arms tighten about his neck.

  ‘Steady,’ she said in a trembling voice. ‘I don’t want to be dumped on the ground again.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said huskily.

  She struggled to control her breathing, which was coming in awkward jerks, thankful that he couldn’t sense the beating of her heart. Or could he? She could sense his. Unless it was merely the echo of her own.

  Don’t overreact. It was over a year since a man’s lips had touched her own, and she’d been taken by surprise.

  As he strode on she watched the side of his face. It was dark with something that she might have mistaken for fury if she hadn’t known better. She had neither fear nor hope that he would follow through; not now, while she was dependent on him. It would be a betrayal of trust, and he was a man of honour. There was no justice in the world, she thought sadly.

  As soon as they reached home they got to work, stoking up the fire, working in the kitchen, managing to avoid each other’s eyes even when they said goodnight and retired to their rooms.

  That night it rained, and by morning the worst of the snow had gone. Drago said he would arrange for her bags to be delivered. To her relief his manner was normal again, and she was able to respond in the same tone.

  ‘I’ve managed well enough so far,’ she said with a gleam of humour. ‘Although I suppose I should stop pinching your shirts.’

  ‘That’s the third one you’re wearing. I’ll be glad for you to recover your own clothes before I run out.’

  Then his smile died. ‘But it’s not that. The truth is that these last few days have been-Didn’t you feel it?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ she said in a tone of wonder. ‘We laughed. Can you believe that? I don’t think I’ve laughed in months.’

  ‘Me neither. It was the last thing I was expecting when we came here. It’s you-I’ve never known anyone like you. I don’t want this time to end.’

  ‘Neither do I,’ she admitted.

  ‘Just a couple more days?’

  ‘All right.’

  ‘I’ll call home and get them to send the bags right away.’

  But before he could take out his mobile phone, Alysa’s own telephone shrilled, startling her. The sound seemed to come from another world, one she had left behind without regret. The caller was her boss.

  ‘Alysa? Are you all right? I got worried when we didn’t hear from you.’

  ‘I’m fine, Brian,’ she said, trying to sound bright. ‘I took a little trip into the mountains and got sn
owed in.’

  ‘Damn. There are big things happening here, and it would really help if you came back.’

  ‘But I left everything in good order. I even cleared up all the problems with the Riley account.’

  ‘I know, and he’s very impressed,’ Brian admitted. ‘So impressed that he’s introduced a new client and told him to ask for you and nobody else. But he wants an early appointment. You should be very proud.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said slowly. ‘I suppose I should.’

  His voice changed, became persuasive.

  ‘Mind you, if it’s really difficult, I suppose I could assign him to someone else. Frank’s proving very good.’

  She knew Frank, a newcomer who was straining every nerve to impress the boss, and would obliterate her if he could. Brian had known just what to say.

  ‘How’s the snow?’ he asked.

  ‘Clearing,’ she admitted reluctantly. ‘All right, I’ll be back tomorrow.’

  Drago was watching her as she hung up.

  ‘Duty calls?’ he asked wryly.

  ‘I guess it does. Oh, if only-’

  ‘Hey, that’s enough. If there’s one thing you and I have learned not to say, it’s “if only”.’

  ‘I can’t help it. If only-if only-’

  She wondered what was happening to her. It had been on the tip of her tongue to tell Brian that she was still trapped and needed more time. But the habit of putting work first was too strong, and the words had come out of their own accord.

  ‘There’s a flight at six o’clock this evening,’ Drago said. ‘I’ll book it for you.’

  Her heart sank. She wanted to say that tomorrow would have done, and they could have spent one last comfortable evening together. Now it was too late. Unless, perhaps, there were no seats. But even that hope died.

  ‘All fixed,’ Drago said, hanging up.

  ‘I should have put Brian off,’ she said unhappily. ‘I wanted those extra days.’

  ‘So did I, but it wasn’t to be, and maybe it’s best. We’ve had something we both needed, and we’re stronger for it. I shall be glad for the rest of my life that I met you, and you helped me survive.’

  He reached out, enveloping her in a bear hug against the warmth of his chest. She turned her head so that it rested on his shoulder with her face turned away from him. His words reminded her of the letter she’d taken and which now, more than ever, she was determined that he must never see. She was afraid to meet his eyes lest they should somehow reveal her thoughts.

  They had been granted a special time in which to heal each other’s wounds. It had brought them suffering, but also a kind of healing. Now it was time to move on to a life that might be bearable again. But still her heart ached.

  Drago called his home and arranged for her luggage to be delivered to the airport, while she went to pack up the few things she had with her, putting the dangerous letter firmly away in her bag.

  He made her a final meal of spaghetti, and they washed up together.

  ‘We’d better leave now,’ he said. ‘I’ll need to drive slowly.’

  They made it to the foot of the mountain without mishap, and then they were on the road to the airport. Once there he bought her a coffee and went to meet the chauffeur, returning a few minutes later with her suitcases.

  ‘We’ve got a few minutes before you need to check in,’ he said, sitting down with her at the table.

  ‘Yes.’

  Just a few minutes, and then she might never see him again. The speed of her departure had taken her by surprise. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but suddenly she couldn’t remember any of them, and the time was ticking past.

  A waiter asked if Drago wanted anything, and he asked for coffee without taking his eyes off Alysa. When it came he didn’t even notice.

  ‘That’s that, then,’ he said.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘It should be a calm flight. The weather’s cleared nicely.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said again.

  She wanted to meet his gaze, yet she feared to meet it. There was something there that she couldn’t afford to see now that she was leaving. He was her friend and comfort, both of which she needed too much to risk them with any other kind of relationship. And yet-and yet…

  ‘Call me when you get there,’ he said. ‘Just to let me know you’ve landed safely.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said for the fourth time. Inwardly she was cursing herself for being tongue-tied.

  ‘Yes,’ he echoed heavily.

  She gave him a faint smile. ‘I reckon we’ve exhausted the conversation.’

  ‘It’s not the words,’ he said. ‘It’s the other things.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said before she could stop herself, and they both laughed awkwardly.

  ‘Luckily the other things don’t need saying,’ he added.

  As he spoke he reached out across the table to take her hand in his, rubbing his thumb softly across the backs of her fingers, then raising them so that he could brush them across his cheek. When he released her he put his hand to his eyes for a moment.

  ‘Will you be all right, after everything I’ve put you through?’ he asked.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m tough.’

  He met her eyes. His own were gentle.

  ‘No,’ he said softly. ‘You’re not.’

  ‘You’re not either.’

  He gave the self-mocking smile that touched her heart. ‘Don’t tell anyone.’

  ‘I promise. It’ll be our secret. What about you? Will you be all right?’

  ‘I will now, with your help. I’m only sorry it was so hard on you. I got off lightly in comparison.’

  She thought of the letter that he must never see, and smiled at him.

  ‘Drago, I’m not sorry we met. I’ll never regret that, however hard it was.’

  ‘Nor I. ’ He looked down and spoke awkwardly. ‘In some ways I’m glad I didn’t meet you earlier, when I was still married to Carlotta. There would have been…problems.’

  ‘I know,’ she whispered.

  ‘We’d better be moving.’

  He waited while she checked in, then came to the barrier with her.

  ‘This is as far as I can go,’ he said.

  But that wasn’t what he really meant; she knew. It was as far as they could go together.

  ‘Goodbye, Drago.’

  ‘Goodbye.’

  For a moment she thought he would kiss her, but instead he pulled her close for a fierce embrace, which she went into willingly. Holding him, feeling him hold her, she told herself that this was the last time she would seek refuge in him, and feel him seek it in her. And a tide of regret swept over her.

  ‘That’s your flight they’re calling,’ he said with a sudden husky note in his voice. ‘You’d better hurry.’

  But he didn’t release her.

  ‘Yes, I suppose I must.’

  ‘Hey, are you crying?’

  ‘Yes,’ she choked.

  She tightened her arms again, then released him and moved away quickly. As she went through Passport Control, she wiped her tears and took a last glance back at him, blaming herself for being glad he was still there. Then the check on her hand luggage. Another few moments and he would be out of her life for ever.

  One final look. Just one. And there was his hand raised in farewell, and his smile seeming to call her back.

  And that was it, she thought. That was the mystery about their brief time together-every moment of it a contradiction of the moment before, each truth denying the others. She’d been drawn to him from the first, even while she’d raged at him. He’d made her stronger. She could only hope that she had done the same for him.

  It was evening when the plane touched down, and the cold struck her as soon as she was outside. It was different from the cold of the mountains, which had been fresh and invigorating. This was merely depressing.

  The queue for the taxi took ages, and she took the chance to call him.

  ‘Safely down,’ s
he said.

  ‘Good. I’d say go home and have a good rest, but I guess there’ll be a pile of messages waiting for you there.’

  ‘I’d rather be back in the mountains.’

  ‘So would I-One moment.’

  Alysa could hear Tina calling in the background. So she was home now, and naturally wanted her father’s attention after having been away from him.

  ‘I have to go,’ she said. ‘Goodbye. And thank you for everything.’

  ‘Goodbye, Alysa-and thank you.’

  To her relief the taxi came, and she could force her mind back to the present and the future. Gradually the lights of London enfolded her again, and she told herself that it was good to come home. She said that several times.

  Her apartment was chilly. As soon as she entered she saw a light winking on her phone, telling her that there was a message. She picked it up and found it was Brian.

  ‘Welcome back. I knew I could rely on you. I’ve made an appointment with your new client for tomorrow afternoon. That’ll give me time to brief you in the morning. Frank’s furious that he couldn’t steal a march on you. I thought you’d enjoy that. Get a good night’s sleep and be ready for action.’

  She switched off and looked around the empty apartment, seeing it with new eyes. How bare it was! How long had it been like that? And she hadn’t noticed. It spoke of a woman who hardly existed, inside whose heart nothing happened.

  She wondered what Drago was doing now.

  Next day Frank scowled to see her back, which really was satisfying. She listened to Brian’s briefing, taking in every word, and when she met the client that afternoon everything went well. On the surface it was just as before.

  But later, when Brian had finished praising her, he added, considering her, ‘You’ve changed. I can’t quite work out how, but it’s good. I have great hopes of you, Alysa.’

  As winter faded into spring, and then into summer, she took on more clients, worked hard and won approving looks from her employers. Unlike Brian, few people were perceptive enough to discern the difference. Her apartment would have given a clue, becoming less stark and functional, but the real change was in her mind and heart, both of which seemed to flower again.