Island of Mermaids (17 page)

Althea rose.
‘
Excuse me, Carla, but I
’
d like to be alone to think about all this.
’

‘
Lorenzo has not told you of his ideas?
’
queried Carla.

‘
Not yet, but of course he will as soon as he makes his decisions,
’
returned Althea. Loyalty to her father was in danger of being weakened at this moment, for how was it that Carla was in a position to communicate news of this unexpected development
?
‘
Has he told you anything definite?
’

Carla shook her head.
‘
No. Naturally he will talk to you first, but Mamma has spoken to me. She would not undertake to marry a second time if I could not like her new husband.
’

Althea admired this practical manner of assessing a new situation.

‘
You must have noticed,
’
Carla continued,
‘
how Lorenzo is most attentive to Mamma. He has taught her card games and sometimes they laugh together over phrases of our languages that they do not know.
’

‘
Oh yes, I realise how well they get on together,
’
agreed Althea.

In the privacy of her bedroom she tried to examine the problem, although she admitted it was scarcely her personal one. If her father decided to marry Signora Marchetti, there was little that Althea could do to prevent him. A second marriage on both sides needed more than an exchange of idioms in another language and the acquiring of a few card games. She was confident that her father would base his contemplated second marriage on a firmer understanding than superficial companionship.

How far could Althea rely on Carla
’
s supposition? What if it were all wishful thinking on the part of the Marchettis? If Althea dropped a hint or two on the subject and her father laughed at the idea, then nothing but disharmony could result.

Her mind turned towards these aspects which might affect her. Naturally she wanted her father to find happiness in his middle life, but she must face possibilities that had not yet occurred to her. If he married Emilia, then almost undoubtedly he would continue to live here in Capri. Was that why he was so anxious to establish a shop that would tie him to the island?

Again, there was the question of giving up the house in London. He would scarcely need to keep that on if he had no use for it. That meant that, although she had agreed to stay with her father in Capri for a year or so, she would eventually have to decide whether to stay here or return to England and take up her own life there. A small smile curved her lips at the thought that it might not be necessary to look so
far ahead into the future. If Kent
?
But that was too idle
a dream. She had to concern herself with practicalities.

Each day she waited for Lawrence to broach the subject, for she would give no hint herself in case Carla
’
s expectations were entirely unfounded. Yet there were pointers that her father had already assumed partial control over the two Marchettis. Carla was allowed to resume her singing lessons in Naples, provided she did not appear as a performer in any cafe or elsewhere without her mother
’
s permission.

‘
I pointed out to Emilia that Carla is a good girl at heart and only a bit impulsive sometimes, which is natural at her age,
’
he told Althea one morning.

‘
And Carla? Has she agreed to the conditions?
’

‘
She
’
s given me her faithful promise not to accept any introductions or sing with bands and so on. I persuaded Emilia to regard her daughter as really grown-up for these times and no longer a schoolgirl.
’

Althea noticed that Carla had promised Lawrence as well as assuring her mother.

Then there was the reinstatement of Kent who was no longer banned from the villa. Althea had said nothing of that visit to Monte Solaro and subsequently San Michele. She had intended to mention the incident casually to her father if not specifically to Carla, but with these far more important problems looming in front of her she had forgotten it.

One morning Lawrence and Kent were apparently making a fairly thorough tour of inspection of the Villa Stefano, both outside and in, and Althea came upon them as Kent was pulling away a small piece of crumbling wall at one
corner
.

‘
This is the side that gets most of the south wind, the sirocco. The stucco becomes cracked, then disintegrates, although the stone wall itself is fairly sound.
’

‘
Structurally then, the villa is in fair condition, you
’
d say?
’
queried Lawrence.
‘
The facing needs attention in places, the pergola ought to have new supports and the interior of the villa could do with a thorough redecorating.
’

‘
That
’
s about the size of it,
’
agreed Kent. He waved a hand at Althea who stood by.

‘
Kent is making a preliminary inspection of the villa
,’
explained her father—an unnecessary remark, Althea thought.

‘
Yes, so I see. Are you going to put it ship-shape?
’
she asked Kent.

‘
Polite architects wait until they
’
ve been given a commission,
’
he retorted.

For a brief moment she was exultant. If Kent was given the job of refurbishing the villa, that would mean that he might stay in Capri for some considerable time.

‘
Oh, I don
’
t expect to take up Kent
’
s valuable time on this son of thing,
’
her father broke in.
‘
If I know what needs to be done and I have Kent
’
s expe
rt
advice, then the work can go ahead—according to Emilia
’
s wishes, of course.
’

That last phrase seemed belated. Yet Althea tried to guard against reading into every casual remark a more proprietorial interest than actually existed.

Kent stayed to lunch and Carla was delighted at this mark of acceptance as a welcome visitor, but almost immediately after the meal he excused himself on the grounds that he wanted to do certain urgent work on his villa.

‘
The summer is racing by and soon I shall have to leave Capri and pick up some of my other work in England. I can
’
t leave some parts of my villa in such a raw state.
’

To Althea
’
s surprise and, perhaps, chagrin, he asked Carla if she wanted to spend an hour or two there with him.
‘
If your mother permits?
’
he asked Signora Marchetti courteously.

Carla was overjoyed to be given even this token of freedom and went off happily down the path, her arm linked in Kent
’
s.

Althea wondered mildly if Kent now wanted to show her that one trip up Monte Solaro and the walk down was not to be construed as anything more than a pleasant afternoon spent in amicable companionship.

Emilia found tasks to busy her in the kitchen and Lawrence suggested to Althea that he had received a batch of samples of silks this morning and she might like to see them.

In the sitting-room of the
‘
gingerbread house
’
Althea turned over the colourful fabrics, feeling the texture, holding them to the light. She knew the moment had now come when her father would take her into his confidence.

‘
What d
’
you think of them?
’
he asked casually.

‘
The materials? Yes, I think they
’
re just the kind to attract the customers.
’

‘
I
’
ve more important plans than just buying a few silks from Milan or Lyons. We could branch out into importing English tweeds and woollens. That
’
s where you
’
d come in
—
visits to England and Scotland. We must buy from the mills direct.
’
He paused for a moment, then continued,
‘
There
’
s something else, much more important to both of us. I
’
ve decided to marry Emilia.
’

Althea admired her father for coming straight to the point. Before she could offer any answer, congratulatory or otherwise he went on,
‘
I
’
ve spoken bluntly and I want you to do the same to me. If you feel that this is a course you
couldn
’
t possibly contemplate
—’

‘
Oh no, Father, not at all. I
’
m glad you
’
ve found a woman with whom you can visualise spending your more leisured middle years.
’
She kissed his cheek.
‘
Be happy with her.
’

‘
It
’
s more than twelve years since your mother died,
’
he murmured,
‘
so I don
’
t think I
’
m being unduly hasty. Also, I can
’
t expect to keep you tied to me. You
’
ll marry and want a home of your own.
’

She glanced at him with amusement in her eyes.
‘
Are you marrying Signora Emilia just for the sake of home comforts and tasty Italian food?
’
she queried.

He grinned.
‘Y
ou know me better than that! Emilia and I have many interests in common.
’

‘
Including an ability to play cribbage and other card games.
’

‘
And other pursuits besides card games,
’
he corrected her.
‘
Emilia and I have talked over some of the important questions,
’
he continued more seriously.
‘
She owns this villa, but her finances don
’
t stretch to the proper maintenance of it. This is where I can help. I shall take over the maintenance and repair of the place, although it will still belong to Emilia.

Dr. Fortini will give me advice in the matter of legal questions, he says. For a medical man he
’
s very knowledgeable about the law.
’

‘
I can see you
’
ve given the matter very serious thought,
’
she said quietly,
‘
but how will all this affect your health if you also have the proposed shop to cope with as well?
’

‘
Actually, I think it will help. I shall have enough to occupy me here in Capri and with the responsibility of two lively Italian women and one English blonde bombshell, I shan
’
t be able to hare off to Milan or London or
Scotland
. That
’
ll be your job.
’

‘
What will you do about our house in London?
’
she asked.
‘
That
’
s a decision in which you must share. If you want to keep it as a possible future home, then I shall
entirely
agree. It need not stay idle and empty; it could be let on a short lease, say, a year or so, perhaps. I
’
ll make it over to you in any case, so that you can feel a free agent.
’

‘
But how about the financial side of it?
’
she queried.
‘
Won
’
t you need to sell the house so that you can put the money into the Villa Stefano?
’

‘
Oh no. I
’
ve enough resources to take care of that. Besides, I owe it to you first to provide you with a home so that you
’
re independent. It might turn out after a year or so that you
’
re tired of Capri and want to live somewhere else. Or even—let
’
s face it—that you
’
re tired of the two Marchettis. If that happens, then you need a home or its value to enable you to be free and live elsewhere.
’

‘
That
’
s very good of you, Father, to give this matter so much thought and
attention
. On this London house I think I might like a
little
time to decide. We
’
ll do nothing in a hurry.
’

He smiled at her.
‘
That
’
s my sensible girl,
’
he murmured affectionately.