The Venetian Playboy’s Bride

CHAPTER EIGHT

IT WAS a mile to the Vittorio if you knew the backstreets well. Guido dodged and dived, taking a short cut that led through the house of a friend called Enrico, pilfered a glass of Enrico’s wine and a kiss from Enrico’s wife, before vanishing, calling his thanks over his shoulder.

A few minutes short of the hotel he found himself beside a small canal. Hurrying along, he nearly collided with a woman coming the other way.

‘I’m so sorry-Dulcie! I-’

But her face told him the worst, and her words confirmed it.

‘You are the lowest of the low,’ she flung at him.

‘If I could just explain-’

‘What is there to explain? Only that you’re a devious rat, and that I know already.’

‘Dio mio! You did see them.’

‘See what?’

He tore his hair. ‘I wouldn’t have had this happen for the world-’

‘Then why do it? Oh, of course, you meant being found out. I suppose you thought I’d never discover the truth about you-’

‘I was going to tell you myself, I swear I was.’

‘And that was going to make it all right?’

‘Of course not but-if I could make you understand how it came about. It was an accident. I know I should have told you everything from the start, but does it really matter so much. Just one tiny little deception-’

‘One tiny little-? I don’t believe you said that. I should have known when you stood me up tonight, giving a very fishy excuse, in fact no excuse at all. Something came up! Surely you could have managed something better than that?’

‘I couldn’t think of anything,’ he admitted. ‘But now you know, can’t we start again?’

‘Am I hearing things? Even you couldn’t be so devious and unscrupulous-’

‘Cara, please, I know I don’t measure up to your high standards, but I will. I swear I will. Did I really do something so terrible?’

‘If you have to ask that you wouldn’t understand the answer. There’s no point in talking any more. Goodnight, and goodbye.’

‘You mustn’t leave now. Stay and listen to me.’ In his eagerness he took hold of her shoulders.

‘I don’t want to stay, and please let go of me.’

‘I can’t just let you go.’

‘You can’t do anything else. Take your hands off me.’

‘Just another few minutes,’ he begged.

‘What kind of fool do you take me for? Let go.’

She tried to thrust her way past him, but he dropped his hands to her waist and drew her close.

‘I’ll let go,’ he said firmly, ‘when I’ve explained this.’

She tried to escape. This kind of ‘explanation’ was too dangerous. But his lips were unexpectedly fierce on hers. He was kissing her like a man whose life depended on it, as if he feared he might never get the chance again, and there was a forcefulness in his lips and his arms that thrilled her even while she fought to stay aloof.

She could feel the treacherous excitement creeping through her. Her heart and sensations cared nothing for the warnings of her head. They wanted him, wanted what was happening now, wanted it to continue…

‘Let me go,’ she gasped, managing to free her mouth.

‘I can’t do that,’ he said, also gasping. ‘I daren’t in case I never find you again. I won’t risk that.’

‘You’ve already lost me. I was never yours in the first place-’

He silenced her in the only way possible. It wasn’t fair, she thought wildly. She’d fought this temptation since the moment she’d met him, and now he was forcing her to feel it when he’d just come from Jenny.

The thought of Jenny gave her the courage she craved. Putting out all her strength she managed to free herself. He took a step back, fighting to keep his balance while she fended him off. Neither of them realised they were standing so close to the water until he toppled in with a yell and an almighty splash.

Venetians live in and out of the water from their earliest years, and for one of them to fall into a canal is no big deal, except for the pollution. Guido kept his mouth firmly closed until he broke the surface, then rubbed his eyes and looked around for steps. But there were none in sight, and since it was low tide the stone bank was too high for him to climb out.

He reached up his hand, calling, ‘Help me out, cara.’

Dulcie had dropped to one knee and was regarding him anxiously. ‘Are you hurt?’

‘No, but I’m wet. Help me out.’

‘Why? You can swim!’

‘Sure, I’m a great swimmer-’

‘Good. Then swim home.’

She rose to her feet and turned away.

‘Cara!’

Before his horrified eyes she vanished into the darkness, leaving him bobbing in the water.

It took another hour’s walking before Dulcie had talked herself back into a sensible frame of mind. So he was a treacherous creep. She’d always known that. It was what she’d come here to prove. Now she’d done so, earned her fee, and she was very happy. The feel of his lips was still on hers, telling her she was lying to herself, but she would be strong-minded about it.

In this mood she returned to the Empress Suite, having made up her mind to warn Jenny about him. She’d waited too long already. Firmly she knocked on Jenny’s bedroom door.

‘I need to talk to you,’ she called.

Jenny’s voice came from inside. ‘Can’t it wait until morning?’

‘No, it’s important.’

Strange muffled sounds reached her, and a grunt that had a masculine tone. Full of foreboding, Dulcie opened the door.

The room was in darkness, but in the silver light from the window she could see the huge double bed. On one side of it was Jenny, hastily clutching the sheet to her. On the other side was a suspicious bump.

Dulcie stared at that bump, disbelief warring with anger and misery. He’d not only played her false, but he’d rushed straight back here after their encounter by the canal.

‘This really isn’t a good time,’ Jenny protested.

‘I think it’s a great time to expose a man as a cheat and a liar,’ Dulcie said firmly, making for the far side of the bed and grabbing the sheet.

A pair of hands grabbed it back. She yanked. He yanked. But she yanked harder, wrenching the bed-clothes right back to reveal the naked man beneath.

She had never seen him before in her life.

‘This is Fede,’ Jenny said in a small voice.

‘This?’ Dulcie stared. ‘He’s not Fede.’

‘Yes I am,’ the young man declared, trying to haul the sheet back and cover his embarrassment. Having succeeded, he politely offered her his hand. ‘I am Federico Lucci. How do you do?’

‘Very badly,’ Dulcie said in a dazed voice. ‘In fact I think I’m going slightly crazy. If you’re Fede, who did I just throw into the canal?’

They both stared at her.

Dulcie turned away suddenly and went to stand in the window, looking out. She was beyond thought, and almost beyond feeling. Buried deep in her turmoil was something that might yet turn out to be happiness. It was too soon to say.

The other two seized the chance to get out of bed and put some clothes on. When she looked back Fede had switched on the light, and now things began to be clearer-and more confused.

In the picture Roscoe had shown her there had been two men, one playing the mandolin and singing to Jenny. Naturally she’d assumed this was Fede. The other man, sitting just behind them, was little more than a baby-faced boy. It had never occurred to her-or to Roscoe, she was sure-that he might be Fede.

Yet it seemed that he was.

Then who-?

It was Jenny who recovered her composure first. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked. ‘Why have you been going about throwing people into canals?’

‘Because he asked for it,’ Dulcie said wildly. ‘Because he-oh, no, he couldn’t have.’

‘Perhaps you have been too much in the sun?’ Fede suggested kindly.

‘Yes I was,’ Dulcie admitted. ‘I was very poorly and he looked after me. But I thought he was you-he was wearing your shirt-at least, it had your name on it-and rowing a gondola-’

‘It sounds like Guido,’ he said.

The name stunned her. She’d been hearing about Guido all evening. ‘Guido who?’

‘Guido Calvani. He’s been my friend since we were at school. One day he’ll be a count, but what he really likes best is rowing my gondola. So I let him borrow it, but he has to pretend to be me because he doesn’t have a licence.’

Dulcie forced her limbs to unfreeze long enough to go to her purse and take out the photograph.

‘Is that him? The one playing the mandolin?’

‘That’s Guido,’ Jenny said. ‘He’s been a good friend to Fede and me. When I first came to Venice he used to do Fede’s stints on the gondola so that we could be together.’

‘We knew we were being followed,’ Fede put in, ‘so sometimes we’d all go out together, to confuse her Poppa.’

‘You confused him all right,’ Dulcie said, sitting down suddenly.

Jenny gave Dulcie a puzzled look. ‘But how do you come to have this picture?’

‘Your father gave it to me,’ Dulcie said reluctantly. ‘As you suspected, he had you followed when you were last here. He thought Fede was-well-’

‘A fortune hunter,’ Fede supplied wryly.

‘I’m afraid so, but it’s worse. He seems to have got you totally muddled with Guido, and thinks you claimed to be heir to a title.’

‘That’s what Guido was telling me when that picture was taken,’ Jenny remembered.

‘Your father’s spy must have been near enough to hear that,’ Dulcie said, ‘but not near enough to get the story straight. He obviously just overheard bits. Did he take this picture?’

‘No, it was taken by one of the street photographers to sell to tourists,’ Fede said. ‘I know because I bought a copy off him, and one seems to have reached the count, Guido’s uncle, and he’s been giving him a hard time about it ever since. Signor Harrison’s spy must have bought one too, and carried back a garbled version of what he’d overheard.’

Jenny was looking at Dulcie curiously. ‘But why did Dad give this picture to you?’

‘Can’t you guess?’ Dulcie said bitterly. ‘I was sent here to find Fede and set him up.’

‘How?’

‘Pretend to be rich, divert his attention from you. Find out if he really was an aristocrat, as he’s supposed to have claimed.’

‘But I’m not,’ Fede said blankly. ‘I’ve never pretended to be. That’s Guido.’

‘I know that now. I was supposed to make a play for Guido-Fede-flaunt my money-Roscoe’s money-then show you that he wasn’t faithful, that he’d follow the cash. I’m a private detective, Jenny.’

‘You’re a what?’

‘Your father hired me to “open your eyes”. It seems that he’s the one who’s blind. Oh, Jenny, I’m so sorry. I thought I was saving you from a deceiver. But I got it all wrong.’

She braced herself for the shock and disillusion in Jenny’s eyes. But after the first moment Jenny relaxed and shrugged. As she looked at Fede a smile came over her face, and the next moment they were in each other’s arms.

Dulcie understood. Jenny had the love of the man she loved, and nothing else mattered.

‘You mean you’ve been sweet-talking the wrong man all this week?’ she asked from the shelter of Fede’s embrace.

‘Something like that,’ Dulcie said stiffly.

Jenny gave a choke of laughter, and Fede joined her. After a moment Dulcie too managed a weak smile.

‘It’s not funny,’ she said. ‘He’s been deceiving me.’

‘Well, you were deceiving him too.’

‘Only in a good cause,’ Dulcie said firmly. ‘But I don’t understand about this title. I’ve been to his home. It’s in a backwater. It’s not-’

‘Not what you’d expect from a future count,’ Fede supplied. ‘That’s why Guido likes it. Actually he’s a very rich man in his own right. He started a business making souvenirs. He owns two factories, one making glass, and one making all sorts of tourist knick-knacks, fancy dress, pictures, videos-’

‘Masks?’ Dulcie asked in a strange voice.

‘Oh, yes, masks. They’re his speciality. He even designs some of them himself, but mostly he’s a very sharp businessman. His official home is in the Palazzo Calvani, but he keeps that little apartment as a refuge, and of course it’s a good place to take the kind of ladies he doesn’t want his uncle to know ab-’ he stopped as Jenny kicked him.

‘Thank you,’ Dulcie said blankly. ‘I get the picture.’

‘It’s a pity you didn’t hit on the right man,’ Jenny mused.

‘Pardon?’ Fede was startled. ‘You want other women chasing me?’

‘Only because I know you’d have been faithful, my darling,’ she told him fondly. ‘Then Dulcie could have straightened the whole thing out with Dad.’

‘I’m not sure I could,’ Dulcie said. ‘He wants you to marry a rich man, or a title, preferably both.’

‘And all I want is Fede,’ Jenny said. ‘I don’t care if I never see a penny of Dad’s money. I’m of age. I don’t have to do what he says. It’s just that I wanted to avoid a split with him. You see, he’s terribly stubborn. Once he’s “cast me off” he’ll feel he has to stick to it forever. And I’m all he’s got. If we have a break he’ll never see his grandchildren and he’ll have a miserable, grumpy old age.’

‘He’s very set on having his own way about this,’ Dulcie said.

‘So am I.’ For a moment Jenny’s face looked astonishingly like Roscoe’s. ‘So we just have to think of something.’ She yawned. ‘But let’s do it in the morning.’

‘It is the morning,’ Dulcie said. ‘It’s five o’clock.’

‘There’s plenty of night left,’ Jenny said firmly. ‘Goodnight, Dulcie. You should go and get some rest.’

Dulcie could only go to her own room and strip off, trying to come to terms with her turbulent thoughts. Part of her was furious with Guido. This was all his fault for pretending to be Fede when he must have known he wasn’t, she thought illogically.

But part of her was gloriously happy because he wasn’t a heartless schemer after all. All the best of him was true, the gentle consideration he’d shown her in his apartment, the chivalrous way he’d kept his distance while delicately hinting that he wanted something very different. It wasn’t the calculation of a man pursuing a woman’s fortune. It was the honest behaviour of a man who didn’t need her fortune.

Her heart sank a little when she considered her own actions. But they had fooled each other, and surely they could put that behind them?

She’d been holding back her feelings, but now there was nothing to stop her admitting her love, and the world was bright again. At last she fell into a deep sleep which lasted until nine the next morning. She rubbed her eyes, wondering what the day would bring.

She showered and dressed hurriedly. As she left the bedroom she saw that breakfast had been served on the terrace. Jenny and Fede were sitting there drinking coffee, and they hailed her with smiles.

‘Isn’t it a wonderful morning?’ Jenny said blissfully. ‘I’m so happy I could die.’

‘Then I will die with you,’ Fede said gallantly.

‘We’ll all die if Roscoe gets wind of this,’ Dulcie said, but she too was happy. Guido was a free man. The delicate emotion that had built up between them over the last few days was love after all, and she was free to give her feelings full rein. If only she could see him soon.

There was a knock on the door.

‘I ordered more coffee for you,’ Jenny said.

‘Thanks, I’ll answer it,’ Dulcie said, rising and making her way to the outer door, where someone outside was knocking again, impatiently.

She pulled it open and saw Guido.

Mingled with her first leap of joy was amusement at his expression. He looked definitely sheepish, and entered cautiously, as though expecting boiling oil to fall on him. Remembering their last meeting Dulcie wondered if she herself should be looking for boiling oil.

‘You’re not still mad at me?’ he asked, studying her smiling face.

‘Should I be?’ she fenced.

‘Well, you were pretty mad last night. I should remember because you threw me into the water.’

‘I didn’t throw you, you tripped.’

‘You didn’t help me out.’

‘You can swim.’

‘And I had to. In the end I got picked up by a barge carrying garbage and I got home smelling so bad even the alley cats fled from me. It’s not funny,’ he added as her lips twitched.

‘Yes, it is.’

‘Yes, I guess it is,’ he conceded wryly. ‘When I awoke today I knew I had to see you and explain, try to make you understand how it happened-but now-all that really matters is-’ he became absorbed in watching her face ‘-all that matters-kiss me, my darling, kiss me!’

He pulled her against him in the same moment that she opened her arms to him. She knew now how badly she’d longed for the feel of his lips on hers. She’d pretended it wasn’t true, but secretly she’d ached for him to kiss her.

‘I’ve wanted to do this so often,’ he murmured between kisses. ‘I knew from the first moment that it was you, and you knew it too, didn’t you, cara?’

‘I don’t know what I knew,’ she whispered, dazed.

‘You did, you must have done.’ He kissed her again and again. ‘So many kisses to make up,’ he said against her mouth. ‘And all our lives for more kisses.’

‘All our-?’ She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Everything was going too fast.

‘Of course. Years and years to spend kissing you and loving you in every possible way. Years to have beautiful children with you.’ He pulled back, taking her head gently between his hands, and she never afterwards forgot the sight of his face, gloriously happy, blazing with triumphant love. It lived in her mind as a terrible contrast to what followed.

‘Tell me, darling,’ he said crazily, ‘do you believe in Fate?’

‘Well, I-’

‘Because it was Fate, wasn’t it, that brought us together, Fate that made your sandal fall off straight into my boat?’

‘Not exactly,’ she said, beginning to see danger.

‘It wasn’t an accident?’ he asked, eyes wide. Suddenly he burst into joyful laughter. ‘You saw me from the bridge, and you said to yourself, “I must have this handsome fellow”, so you tossed your shoe to get my attention. Oh, cara, say that it’s true. Think what it will do for my ego.’

‘Your ego is quite big enough without help,’ she countered, playing for time. “‘This handsome fellow” indeed!’

‘Last night when you were angry I thought my life was over.’ Abruptly his tone changed and he spoke in a moved voice that startled her. ‘Because that’s what you are to me. My life.’

‘But you don’t know me-’

‘I knew you from the first moment. I know you have a kind heart and will forgive my innocent deception, because you know it didn’t spring from malice. But tell me, how did you find out? I was going to ask you last night, but you were too busy throwing me into the canal.’ With his mercurial nature he’d gone from serious to clowning in a split second. Dulcie could barely keep up with him.

‘I don’t blame you for ducking me,’ he hastened to add. ‘When you found out I wasn’t whom you thought-how did you find out by the way?’

‘I didn’t, not until later.’

‘But-then why were you mad at me? I’m not an unreasonable man, cara, but when someone throws me into the canal I like to know why.’

‘Does it matter?’ she asked, finding his fun irresistible, even at this fraught moment. ‘I should think Venice is full of people who’d like to throw you into canals.’

‘Sure to be. But they usually control it.’

What a life it would be with this enchanting madman, she thought. If only she could navigate the shoals ahead first.

‘Listen,’ she said urgently, ‘I’ve got something to tell you-’

‘Tell me that you love me,’ he broke in. ‘Tell me that first and last and what do I care for anything else? You do love me, don’t you?’

‘Yes, yes, I do. But listen to me, it’s important-’

‘Nothing is important except that we’ve found each other. Kiss me, now and always-’

She was in his arms again, her troubled words silenced by his lips, and this time it was different, as though her confession of love had invigorated him. Before, his embrace had been troubled, cautious, asking her response. Now he was a man who knew himself loved and it was there in the possessiveness of his mouth and his arms. She would tell him everything in a moment, she promised herself, but just a moment-and another moment-

‘Is that the coffee?’ came a call from the next room.

‘A curse on anyone who interrupts us,’ Guido sighed. ‘We shall have to go and be polite carissima, but soon we must be alone together, and then-’

There was another shout from inside and Guido reluctantly let her go.

‘Later,’ he whispered, then raised his voice to call, ‘Fede,’ and went in search of the voice. ‘What the devil are you doing here? And Jenny! How wonderful to see you again!’

Dulcie followed him into the main room to find him laughingly embracing Jenny.

‘You two know each other?’ he said, looking from Jenny to Dulcie.

‘Only slightly,’ Dulcie said quickly.

‘Guido my friend, I was going to call you and beg your help,’ Fede said quickly.

‘You two don’t look as if you need my help. I never saw two lovers so happy.’

‘But Jenny’s Poppa still wants to break us up. He even put a private detective on our trail to discredit me.’

Guido made a sound of disgust. ‘A private detective? What kind of miserable apology for a human being deliberately chooses such a sneaky, underhand job? Still, what harm can he do you?’

There was an awkward silence. Dulcie took a deep breath.

‘It’s not a he,’ she said. ‘It’s me.’

Slowly Guido turned to look at her.