‘Go on,’ he said when she fell silent. ‘Tell me how it was.’
She shook her head.
‘Mind my own business?’ he asked lightly.
‘We were married for ten years. How can I tell you how “it” was? Which “it” are we talking about? The first year, when we were discovering each other, or the middle years when we settled into being an old married couple?’
‘You mean when you were in your mid-twenties? That sort of old?’
‘That’s right. I didn’t mind being “that sort of old” because I knew I’d come home and found the place I belonged. I wanted to stay there for ever.’
‘But you can’t. Life moves on.’
‘I know,’ she said with a sigh. ‘At first we fitted together perfectly. I spent years going to law school and then serving an apprenticeship with a firm, not earning very much, and he didn’t earn very much either.’
‘What sort of job did he do?’
‘He drove a truck for a local firm that buys a lot of stuff through Naples and Sicily.’
‘So he was away a lot?’
‘If it was Naples he could get back the same day, even if it was quite late. For Sicily he’d have to be away overnight, maybe two.’
‘But that must have been handy if you were studying?’
‘It was. He used to say that all the other drivers worried about leaving their wives, in case they were unfaithful, but he knew his only rival was my books.’
‘What about children? Did you ever think of having any?’
Was it his imagination, or did she hesitate a moment?
‘We talked about it, but there were always hurdles to clear first. I wanted to give him children. He had such a great heart; he’d have been a wonderful father.’
She didn’t say any more and he left it there. Another show was coming up on television and they watched it for a while, making ribald comments about the quality of the contestants. She went into the kitchen to create a late night snack, then checked the curtains to make sure that they were completely closed.
‘They weren’t looking in, were they?’ Luke asked.
‘I wouldn’t put it past them. Once Netta’s set her heart on something, she doesn’t give up.’
‘Couldn’t you just be strong, and tell her that nothing on earth would prevail on you to marry me?’ he suggested.
‘I’ve already done that. It didn’t work. The way she sees it, our marriage would benefit everyone, so it’s my duty to sacrifice myself.’
‘Thanks!’
She grinned. ‘I just thought I’d warn you of the forces ranged against you.’
‘Think I can’t manage for myself, huh?’
‘Are you kidding? Between you and Netta I’d back her any day.’
‘So would I,’ he observed gloomily.
‘Don’t worry; I’ll save you from that ghastly fate. I’ll be strong for both of us.’
‘Who’s strong for you?’ he asked impulsively. ‘Who’s ever done that?’
Her shrug seemed to imply that she had no need, but he was beginning to know better.
The game show was followed by a historical film, made about fifty years ago and set in the days of ancient chivalry. It concerned a knight escorting a lady to her wedding with a great lord. They fell in love but maintained perfect virtue, symbolised by the knight laying his sword on the ground between them as they slept side by side.
People said ‘Gadzooks!’ and ‘Avaunt!’ The lady swooned regularly. The colour was lurid and the film was truly terrible. They enjoyed it immensely.
‘If you tried that sword trick in real life,’ Luke observed, ‘you’d be cut to pieces.’
‘And they’re all so clean,’ Minnie objected. ‘Days travelling through the countryside, and not a speck. Do you want anything else to eat?’
‘No, thanks,’ he said, yawning. ‘I’m off to bed.’
‘Me, too.’
In the doorway he paused and said lightly, ‘I don’t have a sword, but I do have a bad arm.’
‘You don’t have to reassure me,’ she said quietly.
‘I’ll see you, then.’
When she appeared in his room a few minutes later he was in bed. He extended his good left arm and she tucked herself into the crook. He turned out the light, and for a while she was so still that he thought she’d fallen asleep. But then she said, ‘Thank you, Luke.’
‘Does it help?’ he asked quietly.
‘You’ll never know how much.’
She fell asleep on the words. He waited, listening to her soft breathing in the darkness. At last, easy in his mind about her, he settled down.
Only once in the night did she stir and begin muttering words that he could not discern. He stroked her hair with his bandaged hand, murmuring, ‘It’s all right. I’m here.’
She became content, and didn’t move again.
Sometimes over the next few nights, lying in the darkness of that quiet room, Minnie had the feeling of being in a small boat that was drifting out into uncharted sea. Their destination was a mystery, but she knew there was nothing to fear.
She had no idea what deep instinct had made Luke so attuned to her needs, and so willing to subordinate everything else to her. This man whom she’d once thought harsh and insensitive, seemed to have the power to look into her heart, and be gentle with what he found there.
She lost track of time. By day they talked, or rather she talked while he listened, offering the odd word or question to bring forth more memories that always looked strangely different once she had voiced them. He had spoken of letting in the light of day, and it was true. At night there was the comfort of untroubled sleep.
It couldn’t last. The passion that had briefly flared was still there, subdued but waiting. But, for now, this was the sweetest experience of her life.
She lost track of time. She only knew that one night his cellphone, which he kept beside the bed, shrilled until they woke. He fumbled for it, tried to press the right button with his left hand, and dropped it.
‘Stay,’ she said, motioning him back while she picked up the phone, pressed the button, and handed it to him.
He grunted his thanks. ‘Pronto!’
It was Toni, and Luke could hear at once that something was badly wrong. Minnie, watching, heard him say ‘Mamma!’ twice, and grow pale.
‘I’ll be there as fast as I can,’ he said, and hung up.
‘What’s happened?’
‘It’s my mother,’ he said, speaking with difficulty. ‘She collapsed suddenly and had to be rushed to hospital. They think it’s a heart attack and she might-I’ve got to get there, fast.’
‘I’ll call the airport,’ Minnie said at once.
But the flight from Rome to Naples had just left, and there wasn’t another until the following morning.
‘It’ll be midday before I land,’ he groaned. ‘That might be too late. I’ll have to drive.’
‘Not with that bandaged hand,’ Minnie said. ‘You’ll never control a car.’
‘Don’t you understand? I have to get there!’ he raged.
‘Then I’ll take you. The roads will be clear at this hour, and we’ll be there in less than three hours.’
Without giving him a chance to answer, she went to her room and dressed quickly. When she came out he’d managed to scramble into some clothes and was standing by the door, his whole being expressive of tense urgency.
Her car was locked in a row of garages further down the street. As quickly as she could, she eased it out, and soon they were on their way out of Rome, on to the autostrada that led to Naples. Then she put her foot down, driving as fast as she dared.
Only once during the journey to Naples did he speak. ‘Thank you. I don’t know how I’d have managed but for you.’