Authors: Dilly Court
Ivy reached for the wine bottle and topped up Phoebe’s glass. ‘Never mind, ducks. Drink that and it’ll make things look a bit rosier.’ She glanced over her shoulder. ‘It sounds like Mamma is starting to prepare the evening meal.’ She refilled her own glass and hid the empty bottle behind a pile of empty plant pots. ‘She doesn’t approve of me having a drink in the day. I suppose it’s because of your ma, God rest her
soul
, but all due respect to Annie’s memory, I ain’t going to go down the same path. It’s just nice to sit here in the sun and listen to the birds singing in the trees and sip this lovely red wine. I love it here and I never want to go back to gloomy old England.’
‘I wish I was like you,’ Phoebe said enviously. ‘I know it’s beautiful here, and the sun shines a lot more than at home, but I miss London.’
‘And what about Rogue Paxman?’ Slightly tipsy, Ivy eyed her with a knowing grin. ‘Oh, come on, Phoebe love. I ain’t stupid. I know there was something going on between the two of you, and it weren’t just on his side.’
Phoebe downed her wine in one gulp. Suddenly the truth had to come out. She could keep it to herself not a moment longer. ‘I love him, Ivy. I don’t know how it happened or when it first started, but I can’t get him out of my mind. I try to forget him but I can’t, and then I feel terrible. Gino is a good man and I want to love him in the same way, but it just doesn’t happen.’
Ivy reached out to pat her on the shoulder, and her eyes were brimming with sympathy. ‘I guessed as much, and I feel for you, I really do.’
Phoebe wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have burdened you with my guilt. Forget what I said.’
‘It will get easier,’ Ivy said softly. ‘Gino adores you, that’s obvious for all to see. You’ll settle down if you give yourself time, and when you have a baby of your own it will bring you closer together.’ She patted her belly, smiling. ‘I get the feeling that I might be in the
family
way. It’s too early to tell for sure, but I hope I’m right.’
Phoebe set down her empty glass and leaned over to give Ivy a hug. ‘I’m really happy for you.’
‘What about you?’ Ivy cocked her head on one side like an inquisitive robin. ‘I know it’s early days, and you waited until you were legally wed, unlike Nenzo and me.’ She winked and nudged Phoebe in the ribs. ‘Once we’d realised that we wanted each other there was no stopping us.’
A bank of clouds blotted out the sun and a cool breeze from the mountains rippled the glassy surface of the lake. Phoebe rose to her feet. ‘It’s getting late. I’d better get back to the island or Cosima will tell Gino I’ve been out all day and left her to do all the work.’
‘Tell the old bitch to go to hell.’ Ivy stood up, smoothing down her skirts. ‘I’ll give her what for, if you like. I ain’t afraid of Cosima Argento.’
From their elevated position Phoebe could see a small craft preparing to leave the jetty with supplies for the island. ‘I must go or I’ll miss the ferry.’ She picked Teddy up in her arms, ignoring his protests. The sky seemed to darken suddenly and she could hear waves crashing on the shore. The sails of the small boat disappeared in the darkness and above the howling of the wind she could hear cries for help.
‘What’s the matter, Phoebe? You’re white as a sheet.’
The sound of Ivy’s voice brought Phoebe out of the living nightmare that had suddenly blotted out everything but fear itself. The sun was still shining and the deep blue waters of the lake mirrored the sky. The
white
sails of the boat were flapping idly in a gentle breeze and she could see the ferryman hefting boxes on board. Teddy wound his small fingers in her hair, giving her a smacking and very moist kiss on the cheek, and everything was normal again.
‘Are you all right?’ Ivy asked anxiously. ‘You had a funny turn, ducks.’
‘I’m fine,’ Phoebe said, struggling to hold Teddy, who was now wriggling in an attempt to get down on the ground and continue his exploration of the insect life in the garden. ‘It was just an odd fancy.’
Ivy grinned. ‘That happens sometimes when you’re in what they call a delicate condition. Maybe we’ll both have babies next year. Wouldn’t that be lovely?’
Glancing over Ivy’s shoulder, Phoebe saw her grandmother coming towards them. She frowned. ‘Don’t say anything to Nonna. It was nothing.’
‘I won’t say a word.’ Ivy smiled, tapping the side of her nose. She kissed Teddy, laughing as he wound his arms around her neck. ‘No, little man. You can’t stay here, much as I’d love to keep you for myself. Go with Phoebe like a good boy.’
Maria thrust a bag of apples into Phoebe’s hand. ‘You look pale, cara. Are you feeling poorly?’
Phoebe kissed her wrinkled cheek. ‘No, I’m quite well, but I have to go now. I really hate living so far from you.’
Maria frowned. ‘You’re a married woman now, Phoebe. You have to go wherever your husband takes you. I didn’t want to live in London, but I made the best of it, and that’s what you must do.’
‘I try, but Cosima is a difficult woman.’
‘I know that well enough, and to be honest I’ve never liked her, but on the other hand it was good of her to take you all in.’
Phoebe could see that this conversation was going nowhere. She could not expect her grandparents to save her from the situation that she had created for herself. ‘Yes, you’re right, of course, Nonna.’
‘Maybe you should rest a bit more,’ Maria suggested, exchanging knowing glances with Ivy.
Phoebe knew exactly what they were thinking. She smiled vaguely, and nodded her head. ‘I’ll try, but now I must take Teddy and catch the ferry before it sails.’ She kissed them both again and tucking a protesting Teddy under her arm she left the garden and set off for the jetty.
During the next few weeks Phoebe made an effort to keep Cosima happy. She held her tongue when she might otherwise have retaliated, and she forced herself to smile when she felt that she could scream with frustration. She lay in her husband’s arms each night and prayed silently that she would not conceive a child, at least not until they had a home of their own.
Each day was more or less the same as the last. The weeks passed and autumn gave way to winter. The comparatively mild climate allowed Gino to continue fishing, but Phoebe found herself trapped in the tiny house or bound by the confines of a small island. Despite her attempts to keep the peace, the tension between her and Cosima reached danger level.
Sometimes
, when Cosima pushed her to the limit of her patience, Phoebe could do little other than take Teddy to the tiny bedchamber beneath the eaves, which was unheated and bitterly cold. They would huddle together in the bed while she attempted to keep him amused by telling him stories. She would have given anything for a picture book or some toys to keep him amused, but apart from some wooden bricks that Julio had made, he had nothing to play with. Sometimes she took him for walks around the island, but the lake with its ever changing temperament still terrified her and she kept tight hold of his hand, scolding him if he ventured too near the water’s edge. Her nerves were in a constant state of agitation and late one afternoon, when she returned from such a walk, she found Cosima waiting for her with a look on her face that meant trouble.
The row that ensued was based on the fact that Phoebe had not scrubbed the stone step outside the house; a chore that she was forced to undertake every day whether or not it was strictly necessary. It had rained in the night, washing away the dust and fallen leaves, but that was not good enough for house-proud Cosima, or at least that was the objection she raised now. Phoebe had gone off gallivanting without a thought for the woman who had taken her in, despite the fact that it put her to great inconvenience. Looking into Cosima’s narrowed eyes, glinting with malice, something inside Phoebe snapped and she lost her temper. She told Gino’s aunt exactly what she thought of her, collected her few belongings and stormed out of the cottage with Teddy
in
her arms. She stood on the jetty in the sleet-spiked rain and waited for an hour until the ferryboat arrived. Lalia had seen her through the window where she sat daily, watching the changing colours of the lake, and she came hobbling towards her in an obvious state of distress. When Phoebe told her that she would never put a foot in Cosima’s house again as long as she lived, Lalia begged her to reconsider.
‘Please, Phoebe. Think about Gino. What will he do if his uncle refuses to allow him to use his boat?’
‘He won’t,’ Phoebe said shortly. ‘Gino invested all his money in that vessel. Uncle Marco can’t continue working alone. It’s too hard for an old man.’
Lalia wrung her hands. ‘Don’t leave like this.’ She glanced over her shoulder at the cottage. ‘Cosima is watching us now. Make your peace with her, please. I’m begging you to swallow your pride. Think of the boy.’
‘I am thinking about Teddy and he deserves a better start in life.’ She turned round, squinting into the storm as she heard the plashing of the water on a wooden hull and the flapping of the sail. ‘I’m sorry, Mamma,’ she said firmly. ‘But I’m going to my grandparents’ house. Gino knows where to find me.’ She kissed Lalia on the cheek but Teddy turned his head away when Lalia tried to embrace him.
‘He’s forgotten me already,’ she said tearfully. ‘How will I live on this island without my family?’
Phoebe picked up the bundle containing her possessions. ‘Goodbye, Mamma. We’ll visit you often, but you must see that I can’t stay with that woman.’
‘I have to put up with her,’ Lalia muttered beneath her breath as she turned and limped away.
With the aid of the ferryman, Phoebe climbed aboard the small craft and settled down with Teddy on her knee. When they set sail she closed her eyes, hugging Teddy to her so tightly that he could scarcely move. She was not a good sailor and she hated boats, but she managed to keep calm even when they hit squally patches of water.
She received a mixed reception when she reached the Giamattis’ cottage. It was her grandfather who welcomed her with open arms, but Maria was angry with both her and Cosima, and she did not dissemble. ‘You were at fault,’ she said, folding her arms across her bosom. ‘You should have shown more respect for someone who has put a roof over your head.’
‘Come now, Maria,’ Fabio said mildly. ‘The girl put up with a lot from Cosima. You know what she’s like.’
Maria turned on him, her dark eyes flashing angrily. ‘Of course I know what she’s like, but she was good enough to take them in and she deserves to be respected. Phoebe must go back immediately and tell her she’s sorry.’
‘No,’ Phoebe said, shaking her head. ‘I won’t do it. I’ve been an unpaid servant to that woman right from the start. I’ve done everything she asked of me and more. I’ve kept my mouth shut when she said hurtful things to me, and I’ve done my best to fit in, but I’d rather sleep in the vegetable patch than go back to the island.’
Ivy took Phoebe’s hand and squeezed it. ‘You poor
thing.’
She turned to her mother-in-law. ‘Please, Mamma. Don’t make Phoebe go back to that awful place.’
Maria pursed her lips, frowning. ‘Well, she can’t stay here. We’re crowded enough as it is, and she’s a married woman now with a child of her own.’
‘Have a heart, cara,’ Fabio said, stroking his chin as he did whenever he was agitated. ‘Phoebe is a good girl. There must have been something bad going on there for her to leave in such a hurry. We can’t send her away.’
‘And where will they sleep?’ Maria spun round to face him. ‘Gino will come running after her and we’ve only the two small bedrooms. Julio is forced to lie on the kitchen floor at night as it is.’
Phoebe was wet, cold and shivering from nervous exhaustion but anger roiled in her stomach at the unfairness of it all, and she took Teddy by the hand. ‘We won’t stay where we’re not wanted. I’ll find somewhere in the town.’
‘Go then,’ Maria said with a stubborn set to her jaw. ‘You must learn to be a responsible adult, Phoebe. You aren’t a child who can come running home because you’ve fallen out with Gino’s relations. I had to live with my mother-in-law for many years before we had a home of our own.’
Ivy uttered a murmur of protest but was silenced by a look from Maria. Phoebe could hardly believe that her grandmother was taking sides with Cosima, but she was too proud to argue the point any further. She left the house, walking out into the rain, but her
grandfather
followed her and caught her by the hand. ‘Wait, cara. Don’t take too much notice of your grandmother; she’s upset. She only wants the best for you.’
Phoebe gazed up into his anxious face and she felt a surge of love for the old man who could be strict, but had always been kind and fair. ‘I know that, Nonno. But things have gone too far with Cosima. She really hates me. I can’t go back there.’
He shook his head, his brow furrowed. ‘There’s only the shed where we keep the goat. It’s rough, but it’s warm and dry. If you’re really that desperate you can sleep there for tonight.’
‘Thank you, Nonno.’ She reached up and kissed his leathery cheek. ‘Anywhere would be better than living on that island with a witch.’
His lips twitched. ‘I’ve always thought that Marco deserved better.’ He took her bundle from her and held out his hand. ‘Come with me, Phoebe. We’ll go and ask the goat if she would like some company.’ He squeezed her hand, smiling. ‘Don’t worry, cara. Your grandmother will come round in time.’
The outbuilding was constructed of stone with red roof tiles and a small window set high in one wall. The nanny goat occupied most of the ground floor, but a ladder led to a platform above where the straw was stored. Fabio lit a lantern and hung it from a nail protruding from the wall. ‘It’s not a palace, but it will do for tonight. It’s warm and dry and the straw is clean.’
‘It’s fine, Nonno,’ Phoebe said sincerely. Anywhere away from Cosima would seem like paradise. She
could
still hear her tormentor’s whining voice carping endlessly. The sound reverberated in her head, and with it visions of her vindictive face. She might once have been quite handsome but Cosima’s character was now etched on her features for all to see.