‘Oh, no,’ Holly said quickly. ‘It’s much too soon for that.’
‘Too soon? Why?’
‘After the way he felt about her-’
‘You think he still has a rose-tinted view of his wife? I don’t think so.’
‘Even so, it was all so terrible-he has to get over the shock,’ Holly persisted.
‘You’re a wise woman. You will help him recover. And then-well…’
But Holly shook her head as caution swept her again.
‘There’s no question of it.’
‘So positive? He’s an attractive man with a good position in life, and you seem fond of his child. It wouldn’t be impossible that you might grow to love him.’
‘Yes, it would,’ Holly said firmly. ‘There are too many things in the way.’
‘You love someone else?’
‘I did once. Never again.’
‘I see. Well, I’m a nosy old woman, but I won’t pry any further.’
She was shrewd enough to leave it there, and over the next few days the house became a more cheerful place as her influence was felt. Emboldened, Berta gave in her notice, and departed, with a generous bonus, into Alfio’s arms.
There was a small dinner party in Galina’s honour, at which she kept Holly close to her, smiling contentedly in a way that made her wishes plain.
Holly tried not to spend too much time watching Matteo, unwilling to give substance to Galina’s suspicions. But her eyes strayed towards him too often for comfort, delighting not only in his looks but in his air of poise and authority, his calm detachment. He would speak to a guest, smiling enough to be polite, but the next moment he would retreat into the gentle melancholy that only she completely understood. Holly found a strange, disturbing pleasure in the thought that she knew the depths of him that were hidden from everyone else.
Yet she had no thought of marriage. Their closeness, half-sweet, half-bitter, was enough for the moment. She did not know if she should call it love. She no longer trusted herself on that subject. There was still an antagonism between them, as much on his side, she suspected, as on hers. It was nothing like the unsuspicious, uncritical joy she’d known with Bruno, but then, that hadn’t been love, and she never wanted to feel it again.
Could you be in love with a man whose kisses had thrilled you to the depths one minute, and whose harshness made you want to rage at him the next?
She came out of her reverie to realise that she’d heard a faint, unfamiliar noise. One of the other men put a hand in his pocket and took out his cell phone. She saw the change come over his expression as he stared at it, evidently reading a text.
‘Put the television on,’ he said quickly. ‘Get the news.’
In a moment they were indoors, crowded around the set, where an announcer was saying, ‘Nobody knows how Fortese acquired a gun, but he used it to great effect, shooting dead two prison guards before making his escape…’
‘Fortese,’ Holly whispered. ‘Isn’t he-?’
‘Yes,’ Galina said, beside her. ‘I have always been afraid that this would happen.’ Then she forced a smile. ‘But they will recapture him before he can-that is-’
‘Before he can come after Matteo,’ Holly said. ‘Of course they’ll recapture him. They must.’
‘They must,’ Galina agreed.
In silent dread they looked at each other.
CHAPTER TEN
EVERYTHING changed.
One moment they were enjoying a happy dinner party. The next the guests were saying goodbye, wishing Matteo good luck, but eager to get away.
Within half an hour a posse of police on motorcycles had arrived, ready to take up their positions in the judge’s defence. Matteo greeted them quietly. He had shown almost no reaction to the news, merely nodding calmly as though this were a normal part of life.
And for him it was, Holly realised.
She could barely take in the way life had changed out of all recognition. It might all have been a dream, except that the swarm of armed police made it horribly real. A man who already had several murders against him had set himself to kill Matteo, and was now on the loose, with a gun.
He could be anywhere. The only certain thing was that he wanted revenge and wouldn’t rest until he got it.
She went straight up to Liza’s room, relieved to find her asleep. She longed to talk to Matteo, just to look at him and see him standing there alive. But protecting the child from the knowledge of what was happening had to come first.
She did not even see Matteo again that night, but the next morning he spoke to her quietly before leaving.
‘Two of the police will be staying here, just in case Fortese gets ideas. All of you remain in the house and you’ll be quite safe.’
He departed with barely a nod, and her last sight of him was driving away, accompanied by four police outriders.
Between them she and Galina kept Liza occupied that day, so that she should notice as little as possible out of the ordinary. It took a lot of ingenuity, especially when Matteo returned in the evening, with a change of guard. But they managed.
Galina went to his study and stayed for an hour. When she came out she said to Holly in a strangely urgent voice, ‘He wants to see you.’
She found him looking pale and strained. When he spoke his voice seemed to come from a distance, which contrasted strangely with his words.
‘I have to ask you a favour,’ he said sharply. ‘Not for myself, but for Liza.’
‘Of course.’
He looked uneasy, and seemed unable to look at her as he added, ‘It’s something only you can do for her.’
‘You know I’ll do anything she needs. Name it.’
‘Marry me.’ It came out almost as a bark.
She frowned. She’d heard the words, but didn’t divine their meaning.
‘What did you say?’
‘I want you to become my wife. For Liza’s sake.’
Light dawned. ‘Yes, I see. But there’s no need-I’m not going anywhere. I’ve promised you I’ll be here for her.’
At last he rose and faced her.
‘That’s not enough,’ he said urgently. ‘You need to be her mother-legally-so that nobody else can interfere.’
‘Matteo, what are you talking about? Why should anyone interfere?’
‘I mean-if I weren’t here…’
Like a thunderclap his meaning burst on her.
‘You mean Fortese-you actually think-?’
‘If he manages to kill me Liza will need you as never before. Holly, we have to be married, so that she can’t lose you as well. You’re her only hope if anything happens to me.’
‘Then don’t take the risk,’ she cried. ‘Go into hiding until they catch him.’
She thought she’d never seen so much passionate outrage in one human face.
‘Back off?’ he said in a voice whose softness didn’t disguise its vehemence. ‘Let the villains win? Can’t you understand that the only hope of defeating them is for people like me to face them, no matter what?’
‘But you have a child-’
‘We all have families, we’re all afraid, but if we run away then they’ve won. They take over, and what happens then to all the promises we made about protecting the world from them? What happens to our children in the world that we’ll bequeath them then? Holly, for the love of heaven, tell me that you understand!’
She nodded bleakly. ‘I do understand.’
‘If he comes after me, I’m ready for it. But what I won’t do-can’t do-is run away.’ He added with an icy bleakness that matched her own, ‘No matter what the cost.’
Holly tried to get away, but his hand on her arm was merciless.
‘It’s not like you to duck out,’ he said. ‘You’re stronger than that.’
‘I thought I was, but you’re asking me to jump off a great height into the unknown. I don’t know you. Much of the time I don’t even like you.’