It seemed odd to be regarding him as dangerous when his fate was in her hands, but he was no longer the down-and-out she’d met that morning. In fact, that had been an illusion. The reality was this other man who strode into the court as though he owned it, and took up position in the dock with an air of impatience, as though he were doing them all a favour.
She was his advocate, and obliged to do her best for him, but the temptation to bring him down a peg was almost irresistible.
The trial began. What happened then, Minnie could only ascribe to a malignant fate, making her life as difficult as possible. By dubious means Luke had contrived to wrap himself in a halo, at least as far as Netta was concerned. Now events conspired to give that halo a new brilliance.
The four oafs from the night before were also in the dock, grinning and scowling by turns. They had their own lawyer, ready to challenge Minnie on every point, and it soon became clear that they were trying to establish themselves as innocent victims.
They were all small and wiry compared to Luke’s impressive size, and at one point their lawyer flung out a hand in his direction, inviting comparison. A sensible man would have let his shoulders sag, or at least done something, no matter how useless, to shrink himself.
Luke, to Minnie’s total exasperation, stood up straight and folded his arms in an attitude that contrived to be aggressive. She could have torn her hair.
She redoubled her efforts, concentrated all her forces, managed to trip the oafs up, made them contradict themselves and showed them up for what they were.
Everyone relished the moment when the ringleader stumbled into silence while Minnie simply spread her hands as if to say, You see! The massed ranks of Pepinos began to applaud, and were firmly shushed by Netta.
More than a lawyer, Luke thought, unwillingly impressed. A consummate artist, a force of nature.
And he was going to be her next challenge. He was beginning to enjoy the prospect.
At last Fentoni declared that he was fed up with the lot of them, and imposed hefty fines all round.
One of the oafs, incensed at this ‘injustice’, made a lunging movement at Charlie, but found himself facing Luke, who stepped in quickly and took hold of his ear. While he twisted and yowled with pain Luke raised an eyebrow in the direction of the police, as though asking what he should do with this object. An officer hastily intervened. Fentoni promptly doubled the oaf’s fine, and the session was over.
Netta beamed at Luke, then beamed some more when he insisted on paying Charlie’s fine as well as his own. Charlie’s brothers crowded round, slapping Luke on the back. Minnie groaned.
‘Netta, he is not a hero,’ she tried saying firmly. ‘Charlie would probably never have been in trouble if he hadn’t met him.’
‘You’ve quite decided that I’m to blame,’ Luke said, appearing beside her. ‘Aren’t you at least supposed to believe in your client?’
‘You are not to blame,’ Netta told him firmly. ‘Tonight we have a big party at our home, and you will be the guest of honour.’
‘You’re too kind, signora,’ Luke said impressively.
‘You’ll have no trouble finding the Residenza Gallini,’ Minnie said darkly. ‘You’ll know it by all the bits falling off the building.’
‘And if I don’t notice them, I’m sure you’ll point them out to me,’ he said smoothly.
He was about to turn away when Minnie remembered something and stopped him. ‘You need to call your mother,’ she said in a low voice. ‘She called you this morning while I was in your hotel room. I took a message.’
As she turned he stopped her with a hand on her arm. ‘You will be there tonight, won’t you?’
‘Of course I will, if only to stop you deluding my poor family any more.’
His grin jeered at her. ‘You haven’t had much luck so far.’
‘I’ll improve with practice. Don’t forget your mother,’ she said in a voice that put an end to the conversation.
He took out his cellphone, which she had returned to him earlier, switched it on and dialled. Hope answered at once.
‘Darling, I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t mean to be indiscreet, but I forgot it was so early.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘This morning, when I called and the phone was picked up by that young lady. She sounded charming, but of course I got off the line at once.’
It dawned on him what she was talking about.
‘No, Mamma, it’s not like that.’
‘Nonsense. When a young lady answers a man’s phone at seven in the morning it’s always “like that”.’
He looked around and found Minnie’s eyes on him. Of course she could guess every word his mother was saying. In outrage he turned his back on her.
‘Mamma, listen to me-’
‘Yes, my son,’ she said and obligingly fell silent.
That stumped him. It had been the bane of his life that he had a mother who listened. Unlike other mothers, she didn’t brush his explanations aside, thus giving him a permanent excuse-‘But Mamma, I tried to tell you-’ She simply sat there waiting, while he tied himself in knots.
Comparing notes with his brothers, he had found them all similarly afflicted. It had made growing up very hard. Now she was doing it again.
‘You’ve got the wrong idea,’ he growled.
‘I hope not. I thought she sounded very nice. There was something in her voice, a soft vibration that’s always there when a woman has a passionate nature.’
‘Mamma.’
But then she surprised him with a great burst of laughter that rang down the line.
‘Don’t be silly, Luke, I’m only joking. She was probably the chamber maid bringing you an early breakfast. I expect you were in the shower.’
‘Yes,’ he said, filled with relief.
‘It was wrong of me to tease you, but I would be pleased to think you were forgetting Olympia so soon.’
‘Olympia?’ he asked blankly. ‘Oh, yes-Olympia.’
When he hung up a few minutes later he saw Minnie regarding him with a look he chose to interpret as cynical amusement.
‘Do you mind telling me what you said to my mother?’ he demanded.
‘Very little. It was mostly of the “um-er” variety, and she needed no encouragement to think what you think she was thinking. She plainly believes that women clamour for a scrap of your attention and swoon with desolation if you don’t look their way.’
He had been going to tell her that it was Hope’s idea of a joke, but before he could do so she added, ‘This was your first night in Rome and she reckoned you’d pulled already? Who are you? Casanova?’
‘In my mother’s estimation, yes.’
‘Or did she think there was a simpler explanation, and that money came into it somewhere?’
‘No, she knows I don’t have to use money. At least, not in the sense you mean.’
‘Is there another sense?’ she demanded, aghast.
‘I have been known to buy a lady dinner and the best champagne before a night of mutual pleasure. But nothing as crude as you’re suggesting.’
Of course he wouldn’t, Minnie thought before she could stop herself. This man would never have to pay a woman to get into his bed. The thought didn’t improve her opinion of him. If anything, it added to his sins.
‘I’m sure my mother never suggested any such thing,’ he added.
‘No she was very kind and assured me that she “quite understood perfectly”. I suppressed the impulse to tell her that hell would freeze over first.’
‘First?’ he asked innocently. ‘First before what?’
She regarded him icily. ‘Before you wrap me round your little finger the way you’ve done with the others. Netta, cara.’ She turned to embrace Netta who’d appeared beside her. ‘I must be going to my office now.’
‘Then you can give Signor Cayman a lift to the Contini,’ Netta suggested quickly.