she knew any such request would be laughed at then ignored.
So, she dug her nails into the palms of her hands and prepared to endure.
* * *
It was a quiet journey.
Apart from asking once or twice if she was comfortable, Andrea said nothing, and it occurred to Maddie, as she replied politely and briefly in the affirmative, that he too might be having second thoughts about the wisdom of this trip.
At first, she’d been able to concentrate fiercely on the spectacular scenery. When they eventually joined the major road, there was little to absorb her but the busy and fast-moving traffic. And it wasn’t enough.
Her anger had subsided, leaving a deep, aching hollow in its place, with tears never too far away. She could feel them pricking at her eyes, and burning in her throat, but she wouldn’t allow as much as one drop to fall.
At the same time, she knew she had no right to feel so wretched—so desolate, and she was disturbed by the intensity of her own emotions, and reluctant to contemplate what this might signify.
Knowing only this trip was a mistake, and she wanted it to be over.
Portofino occupied the edge of a small peninsula, and the road leading to it was narrow and twisted like a snake.
Just as if she wasn’t nervous enough already, thought Maddie.
‘There is no need for concern.’ He must have noticed the tense clasping of her hands in her lap. ‘I know this road well.’
‘I’m sure you do.’ She instantly regretted the slight snap in her tone, adding with cool if inaccurate civility, ‘And I’m not at all worried.’
‘Certo che no!’ he returned. ‘Of course not.’ He paused. ‘Cars are not allowed into the village, so we will have to park and walk a little way.’
‘A walk would suit me very well,’ she said. ‘A long one, perhaps, while you transact your private business.’
‘Ah,’ he said softly. ‘But for that, mia bella, I need you at my side. Did I not make that clear?’
She gave him a bitter look. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘But I hoped for everyone’s sake that you might have changed your mind.’
‘But mine is not the mind that needs to change, Maddalena.’ There was an oddly harsh note in his voice. ‘As I intend to prove to you very soon.’
He turned the wheel and swung the car into a small crowded parking area overlooking the bay, slotting it expertly between two four-wheel drives. He walked round to the passenger side and opened the door for her to alight, extending a helping hand which she ignored.
She stood for a moment, straightening the creases in her skirt, and smoothing her hair, released from the scarf, with unsteady fingers.
‘Andiamo.’ Andrea’s hand was firm on her arm.
She tried to hang back. ‘Please—I can’t do this. I’m not ready...’
‘Ready or not, it is time you knew the truth. Learned why you were brought here.’ He paused. ‘And some of the reasons why I have not let you go.’
They set off down the steep hill, but turned off after a couple of hundred yards on to a lane, little more than a track.
‘Where are we going?’
‘To pay a visit to the Villa Gabriele.’
She said hoarsely, ‘Do you realise how cruel you’re being—to her?’ Almost adding, ‘And to me,’ but stopping herself just in time.
‘This is not cruelty,’ he said. ‘But necessity.’
They rounded a bend, and the house was in front of them, honey-coloured in the sunshine behind its wrought iron gates. Large, too, and surrounded by flower gardens, and with charming balconies to its upper floor windows.
No expense spared, thought Maddie, a fist clenching in her chest. And is this trip designed to show me what I’m missing by turning him down as a lover? Is there another villa, somewhere, waiting for a mistress? The new name on the list?
Andrea took her up the path, and the short flight of steps to the front door, where he rang the bell.
Almost before Maddie could draw breath, the door opened and she found herself confronted by Domenica. She greeted Andrea with a bob of her head and a polite murmur, but for the astonished Maddie there was just the usual unfriendly glance.
What on earth is she doing here? Maddie asked herself as they walked through an airy hall into a large salone at the rear of the house, and out on to a terrace overlooking Portofino and the sea.
A woman dressed in black was standing by the stone balustrade, and she turned quickly. But this was