Шантель Шоу – The Italians: Angelo, Rocco & Stefano: Wife in the Shadows / A Dangerous Infatuation / The Italian's Blushing Gardener (страница 19)
It had begun some six weeks after the wedding. Her godmother had invited her to a lunch party at Largossa—‘A very small affair,
She’d been delighted to find Nonna Cosima present, but less pleased to see Signora Luccino, whom she was learning to call Zia Dorotea. For some reason, the older woman had seemed convinced from the start that Ellie’s marriage was entirely her own design, and that she deserved the credit for bringing it about.
And how wrong was it possible for anyone to be? Ellie thought bitterly. But at least the Signora had brought Tullia with her, which promised some alleviation.
It was during the
‘You look well,
Ellie set down her glass of
Only she had none to give.
She forced a smile. ‘I spent the weekend at Porto Vecchio. If I have colour in my cheeks, it’s probably thanks to the sun and sea breezes.’
‘I hope Angelo has also benefited from the break,’ said Signora Luccino. ‘The last time I saw him, I thought he looked a little strained.’
Ellie bit her lip. ‘He wasn’t able to accompany me. He had—engagements.’
‘Besides,’ she added. ‘It wouldn’t be his kind of place. It’s altogether—too basic.’
‘You are saying he has never been there?’ The Signora sounded scandalised. ‘That you go alone when you have been married less than two months?’
‘Oh, Mamma,’ Tullia intervened impatiently. ‘Husbands and wives do not have to live in each other’s pockets.’
‘Then perhaps they should,’ was the austere reply. ‘Particularly when the future of an ancient dynasty is involved. Angelo needs an heir, and perhaps he should be reminded of the fact.’
Nonna Cosima intervened gently. ‘I think, my dear Dorotea, that we should allow the children to conduct their own lives, and enjoy the freedom of these first months of marriage together. I am sure the nurseries at Vostranto will be occupied soon enough.’
‘But hardly when Angelo spends all week in Rome and Elena disappears to the coast without him at weekends,’ the Signora returned implacably. ‘I gave birth to my own son within the first year of my marriage, because I knew what my duty was.’
Ellie looked down at the gleam of her wedding ring, her face wooden, thankful that no-one in the room knew the entire truth about her relationship with her supposed husband.
At which point, Giovanni had arrived to announce that the Principessa was served, and Ellie was off the hook.
But not permanently, of course. Ever since there’d been little hints, little nudges, often growing into far more pointed enquiries about her health each time she encountered the Signora.
If things had been different with Angelo, she thought, if they’d been something approaching friends instead of strangers whose paths occasionally crossed, then she could have mentioned it to him—perhaps made a joke of it—but asking for it to stop at the same time.
As it was, she had to endure in a silence that was actually becoming painful in some strange way.
Now, she found she was watching her reflection in the glass panes, studying without pleasure the set of her mouth and the guarded wary eyes. If she’d ever bloomed, she thought with a sigh, there were few signs of that now.
She was startled to hear the distant clang of the bell at the front door. Visitors at Vostranto were rare during the week, and did not usually call without an appointment or an invitation. Perhaps the caller had come to the wrong house, she thought.
Yet a few moments later, there was a tap on the door heralding Giorgio’s arrival.
‘The Signora Alberoni has called, madam. I have shown her into the
For a moment she stared at him, initial incomprehension turning into disbelief. Silvia—
‘No, I won’t see her. Tell her to go.’
The angry impetuous denial was so clear in her head that she thought she’d already spoken it aloud, until she realised
Giorgio was still waiting for her reply, his expression faintly surprised. Her hands had balled into fists in the folds of her denim skirt and she made herself unclench them, forcing a smile.
Going through the motions of hospitality, she thought, when what she really wanted was to run away screaming.
Then, mustering her composure, she walked down the hall to the
ONE LOOK AT Silvia told Ellie that her cousin was not there to apologise. She was standing in the centre of the room, a dark red silk dress clinging to every curve, her eyes narrowed as she surveyed her surroundings.
‘You’ve done well for yourself, cara,’ she commented, sending Ellie’s elderly skirt and collarless white blouse a derisive look. ‘Strange how things sometimes turn out.’
She walked over to the fireplace and studied the coat of arms carved into its stonework. ‘This is the first time I have been here. Did you know that?’
‘No,’ Ellie returned quietly. ‘I didn’t know.’
Silvia tossed her head, making her blonde hair shimmer. ‘I tried several times to persuade Angelo to invite me, but he always made some excuse.’
‘I see.’ Ellie lifted her chin. ‘So, what excuse do you have for making this visit now?’
Silvia spread her hands gracefully. ‘Do I need one—to see my own cousin?’ She paused. ‘I didn’t send you a wedding present, because what can one possibly give someone who’s scooped the equivalent of the Euro-lottery? It was really very clever of you.’
She walked to a sofa and sat down crossing her legs. ‘Or was it?’ Her tone was meditative. ‘Maybe it was all the idea of that old witch, his grandmother and her daughter, the Luccino woman. God knows that precious pair have been trying to force him into an unwanted marriage for years. Did I supply them with the chance they wanted?’
She laughed harshly. ‘How ironic. How truly ironic.’ Ellie took a step forward. ‘Silvia—how could you do such a thing?’
‘Why wouldn’t I?’ Silvia’s eyes flashed. ‘Did he think—did he really think that I would allow him to throw me aside as if I was nothing? No-one treats me like that—ever. I knew the importance of his deal with Zio Cesare and how damaging its failure would be. Therefore, I decided to teach him a lesson.’ Her smile was calculating. ‘I knew I could still make him want me, and that he would not be able to resist my invitation.’
Ellie said in a low voice, ‘I meant—how could you involve me? As you’ve just said—your own cousin.’
Silvia shrugged negligently. ‘Because I knew you were the last girl in the world that Angelo would ever find attractive, so that when he was found in your room, he would look and feel a complete fool. It was the final perfect touch.’
Ellie turned away. She said in a stifled voice, ‘You must be mad.’
‘He made me suffer,’ Silvia retorted. ‘I wanted him to suffer too. To realise what he had lost when he ended our affair.’
‘But it couldn’t have continued,’ Ellie protested. ‘What would have happened if Ernesto had found out?’
Her cousin shrugged again. ‘He would have divorced me,
Happiness? thought Ellie with disbelief. What happiness could possibly grow from such a selfish obsession—or from inflicting misery on others?
She took a deep breath. ‘If that’s all you came to say, maybe you should leave.’
‘When I’m enjoying all this fabulous hospitality?’ Silvia gave a little, tinkling laugh. ‘I think I’ll stay for a while so we can chat—woman to woman.’ Her voice sank intimately. ‘I’m dying to know,
Her gaze swept mockingly over Ellie’s shrinking body. ‘I must tell you that you do not seem the picture of rapture,
‘You can think what you wish.’ Ellie lifted her chin. ‘However, I have no intention of discussing my relationship with …’ She hesitated. She could not bring herself to say ‘Angelo’ because she never used his given name. On the other hand she could hardly say, ‘Count Manzini’ to Silvia of all people.
So she compromised with ‘my husband’—a description totally lacking in accuracy, too, she reminded herself with a faint stab of unexpected pain.
Although she’d always known that she would have to see her cousin again one day, she’d imagined an occasion when others would be present, obliging her to find a way to smile, be civil and pass on.