The Italian's Rightful Bride - By Lucy Gordon Page 0,54

it. It’s your best chance. Do it!’

Renata was regarding her mother with eyes that held a terrible look. Gustavo got between them, dropping down to one knee and putting his hands on her shoulders.

‘Carissima,’ he said, ‘if you want to go, I won’t stop you, but please don’t. Think of me if you went away. What would I do without you?’

She stood silent, uncertainty written all over her face.

‘I know you’d rather go with Mamma,’ Gustavo said, ‘but I love you too, more than you know. Won’t you stay with me? Please.’

Renata took a long breath and suddenly it was as though a great burden had fallen from her. She straightened herself, looking suddenly taller.

‘I can’t go with you after all, Mamma,’ she said with childish dignity. ‘Papa needs me to stay and look after him.’

‘Thank you, my darling,’ he said.

Crystal’s gift for playing a part came to her rescue.

‘I’m sure you’re right,’ she said. ‘You should stay and be kind to Papa. Yes, that’s what you should do.’

She repeated this, evidently feeling that it was a mantra that she should cling to.

‘Now I need someone to drive me into Rome,’ she said.

‘The chauffeur will take you,’ Gustavo said. ‘I prefer to stay with my daughter.’

‘If you think a chauffeur’s good enough for me when I’m in such a state about my baby,’ Crystal sniffed.

‘Of course a chauffeur isn’t good enough,’ said Freddy from behind her. He’d slid into the room, unnoticed. ‘I’d be glad to drive you.’

‘Oh, Freddy, you’re so kind and understanding,’ Crystal said.

‘It’s my pleasure,’ he said, meaning it.

Joanna followed them out and downstairs to where the car had been brought around to the front. Before getting in Freddy gave her a wink. She shook her head in disapproval, which just made him wink again.

Before returning upstairs Joanna called Crystal’s Rome apartment. She knew the number after seeing Crystal dial it so often.

‘Elena? She’s on her way.’

The nanny gave an exasperated sigh. ‘There’s no need. I’ve fed him and he’s fast asleep. There’s nothing wrong with him.’

‘Well, she’s still on her way,’ Joanna said wryly.

She joined the others for supper and didn’t see Gustavo again until the end of the evening. Then he came seeking her, seizing her hands in his and holding them tight.

‘Thank you with all my heart,’ he said. ‘I would never have thought of that. However did I manage before you came along? You’ve transformed everything. If only I…’

For some reason he seemed unable to go on.

‘If only what?’

‘If only I’d listened to your advice before,’ he said, in an awkward way that told her it wasn’t what he’d been going to say.

‘It saved Renata’s face, poor little soul,’ she said sympathetically. ‘This way, she’s the one who made the decision.’

‘And that matters?’

‘Oh, yes,’ she said, her mind going back twelve years. ‘You’ve no idea how much it matters.’

He released her hands. ‘I’ll be grateful to you all my life,’ he said. ‘I only wish I knew the way to tell you what you’ve done for me—how much it means.’

She waited, hoping for something more, but it didn’t come. He’d retreated into himself again, and whatever he might have said would remain unspoken.

CHAPTER TWELVE

FOR those working on the dig, only one thing now mattered. How soon could they work their way through the bricks concealing the secret chamber? Brick after brick was eased out, dusted off carefully, and handed up to Lily, who inspected it minutely before passing it on to Danny, who X-rayed it. Sonya then put it through a battery of other tests, including scan and radar.

Joanna’s conviction grew. This was the earlier part of the old lost palazzo, which meant it was at least fifth century, and perhaps earlier. When the brick that should have been in the last layer was removed, revealing just one more ‘last layer’, Joanna led the cries of agonised exasperation.

‘I can’t bear any more,’ Hal moaned.

‘Oh, shut up, you cry-baby!’ she told him, calming down and managing to laugh. ‘Let’s get on with it.’

It took another half-day to work through the last brick into the gap.

‘We’re through,’ she said. ‘Let’s have the flashlight.’

In another moment she was shining the light through into the darkness. What she saw made her sit down suddenly, breathing hard.

‘What is it?’ Lily and Danny demanded in one voice.

‘Take this,’ she said, holding out the flashlight, ‘and tell me what you see in there.’

One by one they looked, but nobody spoke a word. They were all too dumbfounded.

‘I think,’ Joanna said