Island of Mermaids (21 page)

Althea was in a cleft stick and she knew it.
‘
Well, as long as Kent doesn
’
t fall in love with me, you
’
ve nothing to worry about.
’
That foolishly given promise would haunt her.

‘
Oh, how can I know what tricks you will play to get him!
’
was Carla
’
s angry exclamation. Then she burst into tears, her shoulders racked with sobs. Althea put her hand on Carla
’
s dark head.

‘
Don
’
t cry for Kent, Carla,
’
she said sof
tl
y.
‘
Soon he
’
ll go back to England and perhaps he won
’
t return here for a long time, even next summer. You
’
ll be able to forget him.
’

Carla lifted her tear-stained face.
‘
It would be better if
you
would forget him. He was mine before you came. Now—I don
’
t know—perhaps I
’
ve lost him to you.
’

‘
Never that,
carissima.
If Kent had truly been yours, then no other woman would ever take him away. Don
’
t you think if he really loved, his love would be strong enough?
’

Carla sniffed and blew her nose.
‘
I don
’
t know.
’

Her mother
’
s voice called
‘
Carla!
’
and the girl answered
‘
Coming
!’
She dabbed at her eyes and hurried indoors.

Althea walked slowly towards the
‘
gingerbread house
’
. It was true that she had promised on her honour not to fall in love with Kent, even omitting the escape clause
‘
try not
’
to please Carla. Should anyone ever bind themselves to such a course? Was it really love that she felt for Kent or only propinquity, the accidental companionship of an Englishman who lived temporarily nearby? If she had met Kent Sanderby in England would she have placed him above the other men friends she had known there? Even of this she was uncertain, for although he seemed not to dislike her company she was aware of the defences he put up when he thought she might encroach too far into his life.

She stepped towards the door of her apartment and then a man
’
s figure appeared from the shadows.

‘
Cristo!
’
she exclaimed.
‘
What are you doing here at this time of night?
’

‘
Waiting for you,
’
he replied.
‘
Carla said you had gone out
with the Englishman, so
—’

‘
She didn
’
t know. She merely guessed that.
’

‘
But it was true after all. I heard you and Carla talking and you did not deny.
’

‘
Well, if I did, it
’
s no business of yours, Cristo,
’
she told him abruptly.

‘
But it is my business. I
’
m madly in love with you and I
can
’
t bear you to go out with anyone else.
’

‘
That
’
s ridiculous nonsense,
’
she retorted.
‘
You
’
re not even here all the time, so how could you hope to prevent my going out with whom I choose?
’

‘
I shall marry you,
carissima
, and take you to Rome, and then I
‘

‘
Then you
’
ll lock me up in a cage like a Victorian wife who was never allowed to go anywhere or do anything without her husband
’
s approval?
’

‘
Yes, I would like to do that,
’
he admitted. He seized her hand and was about to pull her towards him when footsteps sounded along the paved terrace and Althea
’
s father appeared.

‘
Hallo, Cristo
!’
he greeted the young man cordially.
‘
I see you
’
ve escorted my daughter home. It
’
s tempting to stroll about in these lovely gardens at night. Full of soft, mysterious sounds and the most enchanting scents. Goodnight, Cristo. See you in the morning, I suppose. Coming, Althea?
’
She needed no second reminder, but called
‘
Ciao, Cristo
!’
over her shoulder and preceded her father into the hall of their apartment.

‘
Saved by the gong
!’
she exclaimed with a laugh, when the door was safely shut.

Lawrence chuckled.
‘
I guessed he was making a bit of a nuisance of himself.
’

‘
I didn
’
t know he
’
d arrived.
’

‘
He and his mother came this afternoon. For your information, Cristo has an appointment in Naples tomorrow. He
’
s hoping to sell a car to a likely customer.
’

‘
Thanks for telling me. He hasn
’
t been quite so bad lately. I
’
ve been able to keep out of his way or else be among a number of other people.
’

Her father lowered himself into an armchair.

‘
D
’
you find all these friends of the family rather tiring?
’
she asked after a few moments. She wondered if he had known what a horde of relatives and others would come tripping over to the villa when he announced his intention to marry Emilia.

‘
Oh, it will all simmer down in no time. Emilia
’
s family have to satisfy their curiosity when someone new comes into it. After that there
’
ll be only the occasional visit from her sister or brother. Nothing to worry about.
’

Althea was relieved. After a pause she said,
‘
I went down the Scala Fenicia with Kent and we had dinner at Marina Grande.
’

‘
Good. I shall miss him when he goes back to England for a while.
’

Not as much as I shall, she reflected, but that might even be a blessing in disguise.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Carla
seemed to have recovered by next day from her gloomy, tearful mood and Althea soon realised that part of the credit was due to her father.

During the morning Carla invited Althea to her bedroom.
‘
I have something to show you,
’
she promised, her dark eyes sparkling.

Althea followed and waited while Carla unwrapped a fancy box, then took from the tissue paper a length of exquisite silk.

‘
Your father, Lorenzo, has given me this lovely fabric for a dress for the wedding.
’

Althea smiled.
‘
It
’
s lovely and suits your colouring.
’
The printed pattern of deep rose and plum with splashes of acid green was beautifully blended.

‘
Have you a good dressmaker?
’
Althea asked.

‘
Oh yes. Here in Anacapri there is Barbarina. She has made many dresses for me and Mamma.
’

‘
Don
’
t you usually buy them in Naples?
’

‘
Sometimes. Also, when Mamma has money, we go to Rome for a—what do you say?—a spree?
’

‘
A shopping spree.
’

Althea was thinking that she would be dubious herself in entrusting such costly silk to a village dressmaker, but perhaps Carla knew Barbarina
’
s skills.

‘
I think it is most lucky that Lorenzo will give us beautiful silks,
’
Carla said.
‘
Now we shall always be well dressed.
’
Althea found on returning to her room that her father had also treated her to a length.

‘
There
’
s enough for a dress and a full-length coat,
’
he said, as she unfolded the silk.

‘
Thank you, Father. You have the most excellent taste for your daughters. Carla is delighted with hers.
’

In the lavender, hyacinth blue and fuchsia pattern, Althea was reminded of the colours of Capri and its sea. She had intended to go to Naples for an outfit, but now she could not refuse to wear her father
’
s gift at his wedding and hoped that Barbarina would not botch the material. She regretted now that she had not tried out the local dressmaker on an inexpensive cotton dress.

Just before lunch Carla came running through the garden to Althea.

‘
He
’
s gone
!’
she panted breathlessly.

‘
Gone? Who?
’

‘
Kent. He
’
s gone back to England. You knew he was going today,
’
she said stormily.
‘
You went out with him for the goodbye.
’

‘
But I didn
’
t know he was going so soon.
’
Althea was as shocked as Carla. Kent had said nothing last night of his immediate departure. There had been only vague references to the fact that he must go soon.

‘
How d
’
you know he
’
s gone to England?
’
she asked Carla.
‘
He may only have gone over to Naples.
’
Althea remembered last night
’
s discussion about the pieces of statuary that might be picked up there.

‘
No, no, Assunta told me. Also Rinaldo. He has given them the money for their wages and says he will not be back for a long time.
’

‘
I don
’
t understand,
’
murmured Althea, although she admitted to herself that Kent had a right to please himself in his comings and goings. He was not subject to her or Carla
’
s wishes.

‘
You said the farewell to him,
’
accused Carla,
‘
but you did not tell me.
’

Althea sighed.
‘
No, Carla, he didn
’
t say any farewell to me either.
’

‘
Now he will not be at the wedding,
’
Carla declared.
‘
Oh, everything is spoilt for me. If Kent is not there I shall be sad.
’

‘
There
’
ll be many others there instead,
’
Althea reminded her.
‘
But I thought Kent would be there. When he asked me about the date, I told him it was not yet fixed.
’

Why had he gone so suddenly? Althea asked herself. She remembered his varying moods of yesterday, silent and conversational by turns. Had his decision been influenced by yesterday
’
s events? Supposing she had not called
on him
in the afternoon and then spent the rest of the day with him, would he have travelled back to England without a word to anyone except his own people who worked for him? She was at a complete loss to understand his action, but there was nothing to be gained by mourning his absence.

She managed to console Carla to some extent by emphasising that she had been treated exactly the same, but when she mentioned Kent
’
s disappearance to her father, he said casually,
‘
Oh, yes. Urgent business affairs, he said. He went on the morning steamer to Naples.
’

‘
When did you see him? How did you know?
’

‘
His man Rinaldo brought me a note earlier this morning.
’

‘
You didn
’
t tell me,
’
she said, more indignantly than she intended.

‘
I couldn
’
t then. You
’
d gone off with Carla somewhere.
’

‘
Why on earth couldn
’
t he have said something last night?
’
Althea grumbled.

‘
Perhaps he hadn
’
t decided then,
’
her father pointed out.
‘
Or he received a cable in the middle of the night, packed his bags, paid his staff and fled
!’
she said sarcastically.

Lawrence
’
s eyes twinkled with amusement.
‘
Hadn
’
t you better ask yourself what you did to
him
yesterday that caused his sudden flight? After all, you were with
him
most of the afternoon and evening.
’

‘
I? Well, I can
’
t remember every single word we said, but we weren
’
t quarrelsome, and when we were at the piazza, Brian and a friend joined us and we all came home together.
’
After a pause, she asked in a calm, controlled voice,
‘
Has he gone for good? I mean he won
’
t return until next summer?
’

‘
Ah, now that I don
’
t know.
’

‘
But your wedding? He was invited.
’

‘
Well, he doesn
’
t have to attend that when he has important business matters to occupy him. He has a living to earn.
’
Somehow she had expected her father to side with her and agree that Kent was rude, that he should have indicated to

Althea direct that he would have to leave Capri. Yet Lawrence was plainly defending Kent in every detail.

Perhaps, Althea thought, it was lucky that she and Carla had the forthcoming wedding to occupy their time. Yet even this happy festivity did not quite compensate for the aching emptiness caused by Kent
’
s absence. Then it occurred to her that perhaps his departure was not sudden or in a panic. He had deliberately avoided any kind of farewell scene. Now she became angry both with herself and him. What did he take her for? Did he really believe that she would throw her arms around his neck and tearfully beg him to return soon?

That might have happened with Carla, but not with Althea. Somehow this aspect of the situation comforted her and strengthened her resolve to forget Kent Sanderby or to remember him only as a pleasant, if unpredictable, companion on a few jaunts one summer when she had stayed with her father in Capri.

Even Cristo
’
s presence was more supportable, especially as he was returning to Rome next day.

During the next fortnight the Villa Stefano seethed with excitement. The telephone shrilled endlessly, there were visits to Naples for shopping, for the formalities connected with the wedding of an Englishman to an Italian woman.

Lawrence and Emilia had mutually agreed that the actual wedding ceremonies, the civil and the religious, should be quiet, as befitted a second marriage for each of them, but the reception would be at a hotel in Naples and a large number of guests had been invited.

The day before the wedding Lawrence and Emilia, with their respective daughters, stayed at the Naples hotel, so that they would have more leisure to prepare. Emilia, especially, was not fond of sea travel and had declared that she could not face a steamer trip and a wedding on the same day.

The four had a quiet little dinner-party in the evening followed by a game of cards, at which Emilia was delighted to beat her future husband.

‘
It is a forecast—an omen,
’
she said happily.
‘
After tomorrow I shall always win.
’

Lawrence pulled a mock mournful face.
‘
I suppose you will. What have I let myself in for with three demanding women to pull me all ways at once?
’

‘
You
’
ll enjoy it, Father,
’
said Althea, laughing.

Emilia dropped a light kiss on his cheek and Carla linked her arm in his.

When she was finally dressed next morning, Althea was well pleased with her appearance. Barbarina, the dressmaker, had made an excellent two-piece, simply cut and beautifully finished as befitted good quality material. The matching coat was lined with parchment
moir
é
silk to give it substance and line, as well as contrast with the patterned silk. She had chosen a pale biscuit-straw hat with a large curving brim that made her eyes sparkle.

She went to Carla
’
s room to show herself off.
‘
Am I presentable?
’
she asked the girl.

Carla
’
s smile as she looked Althea up and down was satisfaction enough.
‘
You look almost like a very smart bride yourself. And me?
’

‘
Wonderful. You
’
re dramatic without being too showy.
’
When choosing hats, Carla had been tempted by a beautiful cartwheel of transparently woven straw in a deep rose-pink that picked up one of the colours in her outfit. But Althea had tactfully persuaded her to select instead a perky little confection of shell-pink tulle that contrasted so well with her dark cloudy hair.
‘
This one does wonders for your eyes,
’
Althea had commented.

Lawrence expressed his appreciation.
‘
You look a charming pair,
’
he said, as he eyed them up and down when they paraded for his benefit.
‘
Oh, I can see that I shan
’
t have to put up with either of you for long. Handsome young men will come from miles around just to hold your hands.
’

‘
Holding our hands won
’
t get us off yours, my dear Pa,
’
Althea told him.
‘
The men will have to show more willing than that if you
’
re to be relieved of us both.
’

As Carla did not quite grasp these allusions, Althea had to explain. Then Emilia entered the room, beautifully turned out in a deep sapphire-blue suit with a matching feather hat, which added a little to her height.