Veretti’s Dark Vengeance

CHAPTER FOUR

HELENA was in another place, one in which the air sang with a hundred new impressions. The most disconcerting was the way she and Salvatore were talking, as though there was an instinctive connection between their thoughts. It was surely impossible, yet he knew what she was thinking, in a way that had only ever been true with Antonio.

It wouldn’t last. They were still enemies, but for a shocking moment she could see ahead to another world where enemies clung together in uneasy alliance.

Then the mist cleared and the world settled back into its right place.

‘It’s time I was leaving,’ she said slowly. ‘Will you summon your gondolier?’

‘If you wish, but I should prefer to walk you back to the hotel.’

‘All right. Thank you.’

He fetched her wrap and laid it gently about her shoulders. She drew breath, bracing herself for the feel of his fingers on her skin, but it didn’t come. Accidentally or by design he’d contrived to drape the silk without touching her.

She shivered.

They left the building by a side door which led directly into a tiny alley that she knew was called a calle, so narrow that she could have touched both sides at once. The buildings rose up high, so that it was almost like being in a tunnel. She leaned back, gazing up into the narrow strip of sky, so fascinated that she began to walk on without seeing where she was going, and Salvatore had to grasp her quickly.

‘You nearly walked into a door,’ he said.

‘Where are we?’ she murmured. ‘I’m lost.’

‘It isn’t far back to the hotel. You came around the long curve in the canal, but we’ll cut across that. Didn’t Antonio tell you how deceptive distances can be in Venice?’

He still had one arm around her shoulder, guiding her, so that she could look up as she walked, and still feel safe.

‘He didn’t tell me everything,’ she said.

‘I’m glad of that. I’m so glad.’ After a moment he asked, ‘What did he tell you about me?’

She laughed, a soft sound deep in her throat, that briefly made his hand tighten.

‘He said I should beware,’ she said.

‘And will you?’

‘I always trusted Antonio’s advice, and it was always good.’

‘Probably wise. Did he tell you that you’re strong enough to challenge me, or did you discover that for yourself?’

‘I knew in the first moment.’

He turned her towards him, looking down into her face, illuminated by the moonlight. His own face was in shadow, but she could see his eyes and read their meaning.

‘Because you knew your weapons were the best,’ he murmured. ‘And just now, I’m ready to admit that. I’m not even trying to resist them because they overcome me, so that I don’t even want to resist.’

She felt his hands on the side of her face, saw his head block out the moon so that there was only darkness as his lips touched hers. And she was glad of the darkness because suddenly everything changed, the world was a different place and nothing was as it had been.

His mouth was gentle, moving with leisurely ease as though he had all the time in the world. Helena held her breath, transfixed by something that was happening deep inside her in an unknown region. She’d guessed this was coming, had thought herself ready, but nothing could have prepared her for the way she was coming alive.

It was as though no life had ever existed before. The world had begun that moment and it was a glorious place, full of light and fire. With all her being she wanted to explore further, to see how intense the heat might become, how blinding the light.

He’d spoken of being overcome by her, yet it was she who was being overcome, not by force but by temptation so strong that it destroyed her will. She put up her hands to his shoulders, perhaps meaning to push him away but actually holding on to him.

Years of abstinence had taught her to think of herself as a cold woman, whose fire had flamed briefly and then died forever. So many men had reached this point and she’d kissed them, hoping to fan the flame back to life, but it had never happened. Dead. Cold and dead.

Until now, with this one man who should have been the very last to attract her. They were combatants, hostile, determined to think the worst of each other because it was safer that way. But in his arms there was no safety, nor did she want any. Enmity, she discovered, could be thrilling.

So she drew him closer and moved her lips against his, seeking more of the pleasure that had come like a bolt from the blue. Feeling her response, he responded in turn, letting his hands explore her, but so lightly that at first she wasn’t sure it was happening. But then there was no doubt. His caresses had the skill of the devil, touching, inciting, then moving on, leaving a trail of excitement behind them.

Now she wanted him, wanted everything with him. She must take him to her bed, lie with him naked, offer herself to him and claim him inside her at the same moment. And when he entered her she would keep him there, for pleasure such as this could not be rushed.

Instinct told her that he could show her new worlds, carry her to the stars and satisfy something desperate inside her that had been denied too long. All her frustrated womanhood rose up, crying out for release, ready to do anything, offer him anything if he would only take her to that peak.

Offer him anything!

The words seemed to shriek, like demons howling with laughter at her naïvety. How easily he’d brought her to this moment, and she, who’d prided herself on being armed and ready, had succumbed without a protest. How he must be enjoying it!

It was over. The desire, so tormenting one minute, was extinguished the next, turning her body to ice. Part of her wanted to cry out as the beauty vanished, but another part knew that she was safer this way.

Safety. That was what mattered. Nothing else.

Vaguely she heard footsteps, felt his arms loosen about her, heard his sigh of resignation.

‘People are coming,’ he growled. ‘We don’t want to be stared at.’

He drew her away and in a few moments they had reached St. Mark’s Square. Not much further to the hotel, and as she walked she was planning what to say when they got there.

How sure of himself he must be. How easily she’d fallen for it. How he must be laughing in triumph, and how she was going to enjoy wiping the smile off his face!

They were entering the hotel. She would let him escort her to the elevator, shake hands and coolly bid him goodbye. Just a few more feet. There was the elevator, the doors were opening-

‘I’ll leave you here,’ he said. ‘Goodnight, signora, and thank you for a lovely evening.’

‘Wh-what did you say?’

‘I said goodnight. I think we both know the time isn’t right.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ Helena demanded.

Salvatore spoke softly.

‘I mean that when I’m ready to make love to you, I won’t go to your room with the world watching.’

‘When you-How dare you? You arrogant swine! Are you fooling yourself that I’m waiting on your pleasure?’ she exclaimed.

‘I’m not fooling myself, but perhaps you are. The decision has already been taken for both of us. It’s only a question of when. That was clear to both of us from the first moment.’

‘I know no such-’

‘Don’t pretend,’ he cut her off harshly. ‘You know as well as I do what lies ahead. You decided to seduce me in the exact same moment you became my enemy, as a demonstration of power. That’s fine because I decided the same thing, and when the time comes the power will be equal. I may even allow you to see how badly I want you, but I’ll do it at a time and a place of my own choosing. Is that clear?’

‘You must be out of your mind,’ Helena said furiously.

‘No, but I have seen into yours, and I find it fascinating. Let us not rush. We can fight and fight, and please each other at the same time. I look forward to it.’

‘Well, I certainly don’t.’

She stormed into the elevator and tried to close the door against him, but he moved quickly to get in beside her, closing the doors and pressing a button that held them closed.

‘You’re lying, Helena,’ he said. ‘Or perhaps you’re just deceiving yourself. Whichever it is, we’ll both enjoy finding out.’

‘We will not. Kindly get out, now!’

She thought he would refuse. He didn’t move, but stood regarding her intently, his hand still on the button that controlled the door, effectively imprisoning her.

‘We’ll meet again soon,’ he murmured.

Giving her no time to reply, he released the door, got out and closed it again. In a rage she pressed the button for the third floor. Once in her room she slammed the door.

At that moment she could have committed murder. Salvatore had deliberately inflamed her desire because he’d been trying to subdue her as she was trying to subdue him. And when he’d made her half-crazy he’d shown her deliberately and unmistakeably that he, not she, was master of the situation.

The fact that she’d meant to do exactly the same to him made it much, much worse. Worst of all was the fact that her excitement, which she’d thought safely dead, had come searing back when he rejected her, and was now tormenting her again.

Tearing off her clothes, she got into the shower and ran the water as cold as possible.

‘No!’ she said. ‘That isn’t going to happen! I won’t let it!’

Desperately she slammed her fists against the wall as the water laved her naked body. She wouldn’t let it happen, but it was already happening. She would never forgive him for that.

But then she remembered how he’d trembled against her. The trap that had caught her had also caught him. The battle honours were even and the best was yet to come.

‘Emilio Ganzi is a fine manager,’ Antonio had said. ‘He’s run Larezzo for years and what he doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing.’

Helena could well believe it as he came to meet her from the motor boat. He was in his early sixties with white hair and a genial face.

‘Everything is ready for you,’ he said. ‘We are so glad that Antonio’s wife is going to stay with us, and we will all do our best to help you.’

The workers were gathered to get their first glimpse of the new owner. Some of them recognised her from her earlier visit.

‘I couldn’t resist taking a look that day,’ she explained. ‘It was so fascinating that I decided I didn’t want to sell. I wanted to stay here and be part of Larezzo.’

They liked her for that. They liked her even more when they found she spoke Venetian. But what really made her popular was the red glass heart she wore, and the fact that Antonio had given it to her.

He was remembered as a man who’d enjoyed riotous living: plenty of eating, drinking and loving. In other words, a true Venetian. Several of the middle-aged women sighed, misty-eyed, at their memories.

Then one of the younger girls gave a little shriek, pointed at Helena and whispered, ‘Helen of Troy’. That put the seal on their approval. How like Antonio to end his days married to a beautiful model!

Emilio gave her the grand tour, similar to the one she’d already taken but deeper, more intense. When they had finished her decision was confirmed. She loved this place, and these people, and she was going to defend them from Salvatore with her last breath-or, more practically, her last euro.

That became more evident when she studied the books. Antonio had warned her that there was a loan against the factory, taken out five years before, and rescheduled twice. The firm was keeping its head above water, but the repayments were taking a big chunk out of the profits.

‘The fact is,’ Emilio said when they were alone, ‘that our wages bill is too big because Antonio had a kind heart. People reach retirement age and they don’t want to leave, because we are like a family. So he always let them stay.’

‘Then they stay,’ Helena said firmly. ‘We’ll have to find another way to increase the profits.’

Emilio beamed and went off to tell the ‘family’ that everything was going to be all right.

Then the bombshell hit.

The letter from the bank was polite but firm. In view of the ‘change of circumstances’ the loan must be repaid at once.

‘I’m afraid they can do it,’ Emilio sighed. ‘There’s something in the small print about change of circumstances giving them the right to nullify the agreement.’

‘We’ll see,’ Helena seethed.

As always she dressed carefully for the aspect she intended to present, in this case cool, efficient and, if possible, unsexy. That last bit was hard but she did her best with a matching dark coat and dress. The hotel’s hairdresser almost wept when she told him to draw back her tresses into a style as stark and restrained as possible, but he reluctantly obeyed.

‘Now I look like a Victorian governess,’ she said with deep satisfaction. ‘Excellent.’

A call to Valerio Donati, the bank manager, set up an appointment for that afternoon. She arrived ten minutes early and was shown in at once. Signor Donati was effusive with compliments about her ‘businesslike punctuality’, but she wasn’t fooled. This man had made up his mind and would not budge.

‘Do I understand, signora, that your late husband did not inform you of the financial situation?’

‘I knew about the loan, but Antonio said that since all repayments had been made strictly on time…’

It was true. There was nothing in the loan to raise alarm, and she had no doubt that the bank had simply seized on an excuse.

‘How long do I have?’ she asked.

‘I would need to know something within a couple of weeks; either that you had raised the money or made some arrangement to sell the factory.’

A suspicion was growing in her mind.

‘Thank you,’ she said, rising to go. ‘I’ll be in touch.’

She walked slowly back to the hotel, sunk in thought. She’d been very firmly backed into a corner. If she couldn’t raise the money she could sell to Salvatore.

‘Am I going crazy?’ she asked herself. ‘Why should I think he has anything to do with this? Can he tell a bank what to do? Surely not.’

But somehow it was just too neat.

‘What will you do?’ Emilio asked when she recounted the interview.

‘I don’t know. I could just give in and sell to Salvatore. You might all prefer that.’

‘But you’re one of us now,’ he said reproachfully. ‘We thought you were going to stay.’

One of us. The words resonated with her. They were a family, and they had invited her in. She couldn’t let them down.

Besides which, the chance to annoy Salvatore wasn’t one to be missed.

She made some calls to her bank manager in England and he sent her some files online, showing the precise state of her finances. She was mulling these over in the hotel lounge one morning when a voice overhead said,

‘You don’t mind if I sit down, do you?’

Looking up, Helena saw a very pretty woman in her forties, elegantly dressed and with an attractive twinkle in her eye. She introduced herself as the Contessa Pallone.

‘But you must call me Clara. I’ve so much wanted to meet the woman all Venice is talking about.’

‘Really? But I’ve only been here five minutes.’

‘But everyone knows who you are.’

‘Antonio’s widow.’

‘And the woman who’s holding out against Salvatore. Believe me, there aren’t many who can do that. He’s a powerful man and he likes everyone to know it. We’re all agog to see what’s going to happen.’

Helena laughed. ‘I’m glad I’m providing the entertainment.’

She ordered coffee and they settled down for a chat. Clara had a light-hearted personality but beneath the exterior Helena discerned a shrewd brain, and she felt drawn to her.

‘I’ll admit I had an ulterior motive in approaching you,’ Clara admitted.

‘Of course,’ Helena chuckled. ‘They’re always the most interesting. What can I do for you?’

‘I run a charity. It supports a children’s hospital, and we’re going to have a fund-raising evening in this hotel tomorrow night. It would be wonderful if you could be there, and perhaps donate a piece of Larezzo glass.’

‘I’d love to. I’m just going over to the factory now. I’ll find the loveliest piece I can.’

She took the boat over to Murano an hour later and, under Emilio’s direction, chose a large horse, made of clear glass, its tail streaming out behind.

‘It’s the most expensive piece we make,’ Emilio said. ‘We don’t want to be outdone by Perroni.’

‘So Perroni makes a donation too?’

‘Every year. Signor Valetti always offers the best piece he has. He gives a great deal of money to charity.’

Helena thought wryly that was what she would have expected of Salvatore. He gave money, he gave things, and so acquired a reputation for generosity with the least trouble to himself.

‘He’ll probably be there,’ she mused. ‘And Clara must have known that when she invited me. Well, there’s more than one battlefield.’

‘Excuse me?’ Emilio asked, frowning.

‘Nothing. Please have this packed up and I’ll take it with me when I return to the hotel.’

Next day she handed the horse to Clara, asking that it should be listed as a gift from Antonio.

She’d said that she approached this as a battle, and that evening she surveyed her wardrobe like a general choosing the appropriate uniform. White, she decided; pure silk, modest and elegant. The neck was comparatively high, the sleeves were long, the hem swept the floor. In short, it was the opposite of what she guessed Salvatore would expect. Tiny diamond studs in her ears completed the effect.

The reception was held in the huge downstairs lounge of the Illyria. Clara sent her son up to collect Helena and escort her. He was an extremely handsome young man in his early twenties, and they made a splendid entrance. Clara introduced her to the assembled company, who applauded. Helena smiled and nodded to them, while secretly looking for Salvatore. After the way they had parted, how would they confront each other now?

Then she saw him, looking polished and assured in evening dress and black bow tie. Despite her scorn for his character Helena allowed herself a moment to admire his appearance. Wherever he went, whatever he was doing, Salvatore would always be the most impressive man in the room, with his tall body that combined athleticism and negligent grace, and his handsome face. But more than these was his air of assurance, his assumption that he was a lion among jackals.

And the winged lion was the symbol of Venice. They were everywhere. From her hotel window Helena could see one atop a tall pillar staring out over the water, proudly announcing that this was his city, under his protection, and under his command.

There was no mistaking that look, she realised, either in the stone animal, or here in this apparently civilised gathering. The meaning was the same both times.

Salvatore had seen her. He gave her a brief bow of recognition and took the first chance to come to her.

‘I’m glad you’re here. Clara showed me your gift, and I wanted to thank you for putting it in Antonio’s name.’

‘Of course I did. After all, he was my husband, even though you don’t see it that way-’

‘Please.’ He held up his hand. ‘Surely we can put that aside for tonight? Let me just tell you that you look beautiful without you reading anything hostile into it.’

He was charming, yet there was also something unreal about this conversation. At their last meeting he’d incited her then refused to make love to her with a cool assurance that was almost an insult. Now he was behaving as though that had never happened and, as before, he was making her veer between opposing moods with alarming speed. One moment it would have been a pleasure to slap his over-confident face. The next, she found herself responding to him.

He leaned close to murmur, ‘You know we’re being watched, don’t you? The whole of Venice knows about us.’

‘But just exactly what do they know?’ she said. ‘Or-more to the point-what do they think they know?’

Salvatore smiled faintly. ‘A nice distinction. I guess you could make them believe anything you wanted. It’s an art you might teach me.’

‘Oh, I think you know a few tricks of your own,’ she teased. ‘And I’m always willing to learn new ones.’

‘Now you’re not being fair,’ he protested. ‘If I said you were up to every trick you’d insist that I’d insulted you.’

‘Of course. And the annoying thing is that if I said it about you it would be a compliment, no matter how insulting I tried to make it.’

‘And you’d try very hard.’

‘Without a doubt.’

They laughed together. In the surrounding crowd heads turned. Knowing looks were exchanged.

‘Clara tells me that you always donate one of the best pieces,’ she said. ‘I’m longing to see it.’

‘Let me show you.’

She gasped when she saw his gift, a large eagle, seemingly coming in to land with wings swept back. It was made of black glass shot through with silver which glittered and winked depending on the angle of the viewer.

‘That’s beautiful,’ she said sincerely.

‘It’s going to have first place among the new collection that will be unveiled soon. I look forward to your own collection with trepidation.’

The new Larezzo collection wasn’t completely finished, but she would never tell him that.

Next to the glorious eagle her horse looked conventional. She must have showed it in her face because he said, ‘There’s always a contest to see whose gift raises the most money for charity. You’ll be an easy winner.’

‘That’s nice of you, but I don’t think so.’

‘I’ll take a bet on it. Franco!’

A plump, prosperous-looking man near-by turned at his call and beamed. When Salvatore had introduced them to each other he said, ‘Franco likes nothing better than a wager. Here’s the deal: I’ll wager that Helena’s piece of Larezzo glassware will attract a higher bid than my eagle.’

‘Name the sum,’ Franco said in delight.

‘Ten thousand euro,’ Salvatore said at once.

The other two gaped at him.

‘I trust my instincts,’ he added. ‘The horse is a very fine piece, as is all Larezzo glass. What about it, Franco?’

‘Done!’ They shook hands.

The action attracted immediate attention and a small crowd gathered around them, all wanting to be in on the action. Franco whipped out a notebook and scribbled down the bets, obviously used to doing exactly this.

‘What are you doing?’ Helena muttered to Salvatore. ‘You could end up paying out a huge fortune.’ Her eyes glinted wickedly. ‘And then how would you buy me out?’

‘But you’re not going to let me buy you out, so it’s academic.’

‘I suppose it is.’

‘Besides which, if I lose a fortune I won’t be able to buy you out, and you’ll feel quite safe.’

Never in a million years, she thought, would she feel safe with this man. But she only smiled and shook her head.

‘I promise you, I already feel quite safe,’ she said. ‘I’m only concerned for you.’

He gave a rich chuckle that was a pleasure to hear.

‘How kind of you to worry about me, but please don’t. I assure you I’ve protected every angle.’

‘I believe you,’ she assured him sweetly. ‘I doubt if I’d believe you about anything else, but if you tell me you’re playing a cunning game, I recognise the truth.’

‘And aren’t you playing a game every bit as cunning?’

‘I certainly hope so,’ she said with mock indignation.

Franco had finished taking bets.

‘Of course,’ he said, ‘it’s understood that neither of you bids for your own item.’

‘That’s agreed,’ Salvatore said.

‘Agreed,’ Helena added.

Somewhere in the background an orchestra struck up for the dance that was to take place before the auction.

‘Dance with me,’ Salvatore said, taking her into his arms.