and women, mingled with sadistic male laughter.
She must have fallen asleep, for she woke as the door was thrown open with a clang, and a bowl was deposited on the floor. Feeling hungry, she crawled over to the bowl which was filled with a watery grey slop. She took a mouthful, but it tasted so disgusting, she began to retch. She sat back down on the floor and tried to calm herself by counting the number of tiles on the wall.
Two days passed, with the sweaty policeman continuing to question her. She responded defiantly, protesting her innocence and demanding to see her father.
On the third morning, she heard the sound of keys in the lock. She braced herself for another grilling. The policeman was now accompanied by a man wearing the uniform of the Gestapo. It was clear from his manner that the German would be leading that day’s interrogation. He spoke adequate Italian, but his questioning of her simply went over old ground. When they had finished, the two men stood in the doorway for a few moments, talking quietly together, before leaving and locking the door behind them.
The following day, she once again woke to hear the keys in the lock.
‘Stand up,’ demanded the guard with the fleshy neck.
Her heart racing, her legs shaky, Livia followed him down the corridor towards the waiting room. To her relief, her father was standing by the desk. She ran to him and he embraced her, kissing her hair. ‘It’s all right, my darling, it’s all right,’ he whispered.
The German officer emerged from the corridor. ‘Fortunately for you, we have received new information that changes the situation,’ he said. ‘But you will report here every morning at nine o’clock until further notice. Do you understand?’
‘But I have lectures to go to,’ she protested.
Her father touched her arm. ‘She understands – she’ll be here, thank you.’
Outside on the pavement, he guided her hurriedly across the road until they were out of sight of the building.
‘What did he mean about “new information”?’ she whispered.
‘Let’s get home,’ her father said, ‘and I’ll explain everything.’
Back in the apartment, Livia ran a bath and lay soaking in the hot water. She washed her hair and brushed her teeth. She changed her clothes and put a little scent behind her ears to dispel the sour stench of Villa Triste. Her father was waiting for her in the sitting room.
‘You must be hungry,’ he said. He pushed a plate of bread and a small piece of ham towards her.
‘Ham? Where did you get this?’
‘A contact of mine. I wanted something nice for you.’
She smiled. ‘Black-market food, Papa? I’m surprised at you! And grateful.’ She tore at the bread and devoured the ham greedily.
‘Do you want a drink?’ He handed her a glass of grappa. ‘You must need it. I know I do.’ He poured himself a large tumblerful, and took a swig, settling into his armchair.
‘So tell me,’ she said. ‘Why did they arrest me? Was it the radio? The newspaper?’
‘No, neither of them. It’s Vicenzo.’
‘Vicenzo? Why?’
‘It’s complicated, but I will try to explain,’ Giacomo said wearily. He looked tired, she thought, older than his years. Suddenly, his hair seemed to have grown whiter. ‘It seems that an actress is in love with him. She heard him mention you, just in passing, and jumped to the wrong conclusion. She thought he was in love with you. Filled with jealousy, she decided to denounce you – she has connections with the German SS.’
Livia sipped her drink. ‘Is it because we pretended to Mamma that he had a romantic interest in me?’
‘No, I don’t think so. But it helped to get you out.’
‘How?’ She was confused.
‘The police contacted Vicenzo in Rome – thank God he was still at his house. They asked about you and whether he knew you, and he told them you were an old friend. They asked if there was anything more to it – a more “personal” relationship. He said that he was fond of you and had recently visited you. He was asked if you were in the partisan movement, which of course he said was nonsense. Eventually he was ordered to come to Florence, where he was interrogated by Carità himself. He managed to convince Carità that this actress was jealous of your relationship with him, and simply wanted you out of the way. Before he returned to Rome, he came to see me and told me the whole story, and asked me to convey