shall be late for lunch and Mamma will be upset.’
There was no time for a shower. Jan brushed her smooth shoulder-length hair, coaxed it into turning up at the ends. I must look for a photograph of Bianca, she decided. Does she have my dark hair, my grey eyes and arched brows? The nurses say my skin is my best point, fine and clear. In fact—she smiled at herself and leaned forward into the mirror—not to beat about the bush, chum, flawless.
Why do we look alike at a distance? Michael used to say, ‘Jan looks like a woman and walks like a princess,’ but he’s probably saying that to another girl now.
She was scrambling into one of her own dresses when the significance of what she had just thought struck her motionless. She had thought about Michael, remembered he had left her, without that awful sickening pang of agony. For the first time. Was she getting over him?
The Cellinis, mother and son, were waiting for her. She apologised for her lateness and moved to her seat, which Marco drew out for her with his never-failing formal good man n ers. But he was frowning.
‘ Why are you not wearing one of my sister’s dresses?’
‘ Is it a rule, signore ? Surely I am allowed to decide what I wear? It seemed I had already made too free with your family possessions this morning.’
‘ Go and change.’ It was an order.
‘ But the Signora is waiting.’
‘ We shall wait. Mamma, Signorina Jan is not quite ready for lunch. We must wait for her.’
The Signora smiled and bent her head graciously in agreement. Fuming with rage, Jan left the table, went to her room feeling like a child in disgrace, and pulled off her dress. Her hands shook as she snatched down one of Bianca’s.
At lunch she was too angry to speak. The fresh-caught fish, the strawberries soaked in wine, tasted like nothing. When his mother had withdrawn for her siesta, Marco said:
‘ I’m sorry, I forgot. I brought our letters from the mainland. It saves time, to collect them. There is one for you.’ He laid an envelope on the table and she saw with a leap of her heart that it was in Michael’s writing, readdressed from the Rome hotel.
‘ Thank you, signore .’
‘ We agreed you should call me Marco when we are alone. Please do so.’
‘ Marco.’
‘That’s better. You are not sulking because I scolded you?’
‘No. I deserved scolding, for running away with your car. It was a stupid thing to do and I have already apologised. But I am very angry indeed at being ordered away from the table like a child, to change my dress. I tried my best not to keep your mother waiting, yet you forced me to do so.’
‘ That need not happen again, if you will keep your promises.’
She was longing to be alone and open Michael’s letter, but Marco had given her an opening she could not miss. ‘ Marco, what is the purpose of this—this masquerade? Why do you insist I dress up as your sister? You want people to think she is at home, don’t you? I’m not prying in matters which don’t concern me, but if I’m to play a part in this deception, at least I should be told something about it.’
His mouth whitened. His eyes, looking at her, were hard as pebbles.
‘ I am a rich man, Jan. My sister has expensive clothes from good dress houses. You are a working girl, you tell me, and I thought you would enjoy the chance to wear such clothes.’
‘ You—damned little snob! How dare you! Yes, I earn every penny to pay for my clothes. And yes, some of them are bought at a chain store. But I’m not ashamed of them. If you’re ashamed of me, you shouldn’t have asked me here as a guest. I’d have come as an employee, for the remainder of my holiday, if you ’ d offered me a job looking after your mother straight out, instead of disguising it as an invitation.’
The tightness went out of his face. He almost smiled. ‘ Dear me, what fireworks! I’d no idea you could be so temperamental. Almost Italian, if you’ll allow me to say so. I assure
There was no time for a shower. Jan brushed her smooth shoulder-length hair, coaxed it into turning up at the ends. I must look for a photograph of Bianca, she decided. Does she have my dark hair, my grey eyes and arched brows? The nurses say my skin is my best point, fine and clear. In fact—she smiled at herself and leaned forward into the mirror—not to beat about the bush, chum, flawless.
Why do we look alike at a distance? Michael used to say, ‘Jan looks like a woman and walks like a princess,’ but he’s probably saying that to another girl now.
She was scrambling into one of her own dresses when the significance of what she had just thought struck her motionless. She had thought about Michael, remembered he had left her, without that awful sickening pang of agony. For the first time. Was she getting over him?
The Cellinis, mother and son, were waiting for her. She apologised for her lateness and moved to her seat, which Marco drew out for her with his never-failing formal good man n ers. But he was frowning.
‘ Why are you not wearing one of my sister’s dresses?’
‘ Is it a rule, signore ? Surely I am allowed to decide what I wear? It seemed I had already made too free with your family possessions this morning.’
‘ Go and change.’ It was an order.
‘ But the Signora is waiting.’
‘ We shall wait. Mamma, Signorina Jan is not quite ready for lunch. We must wait for her.’
The Signora smiled and bent her head graciously in agreement. Fuming with rage, Jan left the table, went to her room feeling like a child in disgrace, and pulled off her dress. Her hands shook as she snatched down one of Bianca’s.
At lunch she was too angry to speak. The fresh-caught fish, the strawberries soaked in wine, tasted like nothing. When his mother had withdrawn for her siesta, Marco said:
‘ I’m sorry, I forgot. I brought our letters from the mainland. It saves time, to collect them. There is one for you.’ He laid an envelope on the table and she saw with a leap of her heart that it was in Michael’s writing, readdressed from the Rome hotel.
‘ Thank you, signore .’
‘ We agreed you should call me Marco when we are alone. Please do so.’
‘ Marco.’
‘That’s better. You are not sulking because I scolded you?’
‘No. I deserved scolding, for running away with your car. It was a stupid thing to do and I have already apologised. But I am very angry indeed at being ordered away from the table like a child, to change my dress. I tried my best not to keep your mother waiting, yet you forced me to do so.’
‘ That need not happen again, if you will keep your promises.’
She was longing to be alone and open Michael’s letter, but Marco had given her an opening she could not miss. ‘ Marco, what is the purpose of this—this masquerade? Why do you insist I dress up as your sister? You want people to think she is at home, don’t you? I’m not prying in matters which don’t concern me, but if I’m to play a part in this deception, at least I should be told something about it.’
His mouth whitened. His eyes, looking at her, were hard as pebbles.
‘ I am a rich man, Jan. My sister has expensive clothes from good dress houses. You are a working girl, you tell me, and I thought you would enjoy the chance to wear such clothes.’
‘ You—damned little snob! How dare you! Yes, I earn every penny to pay for my clothes. And yes, some of them are bought at a chain store. But I’m not ashamed of them. If you’re ashamed of me, you shouldn’t have asked me here as a guest. I’d have come as an employee, for the remainder of my holiday, if you ’ d offered me a job looking after your mother straight out, instead of disguising it as an invitation.’
The tightness went out of his face. He almost smiled. ‘ Dear me, what fireworks! I’d no idea you could be so temperamental. Almost Italian, if you’ll allow me to say so. I assure
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