Unmasking Elena Montella (15 page)

She tutted and walked on.

‘
Elena?’

‘
What?’

‘
What’s the matter?’

She stopped and placed her hands on her hips and he knew he was in trouble. It was a stance every man dreaded. ‘Nothing’s the matter! Why do you think something’s the matter?’

‘
Because you’ve hardly said a word to me all morning. I came out here to talk to you and you’re doing a good job of preventing me.’ Mark swore her dark eyes turned even darker at that moment and, if he hadn’t been made of such stern stuff, he might very well have high-jacked the nearest gondola and fled there and then.

‘
I didn’t ask you to come out here,’ she said.

He wasn’t at all surprised by her comment as he knew it would be flung at him sooner or later and he supposed sooner was preferable as it would give him a chance to sort things out.

‘
I know you didn’t.’

‘
Well, stop blaming me for -’ she stopped in mid-sentence.

‘
For what? For not being over-thrilled to see me?’

‘
That’s not fair, Mark.’

‘
Isn’t it? I’ve come a long way to see you, you know,’ he said. ‘I even got on a bloody plane. Do you know how terrified I am of planes?’

Her angry mouth opened into a circle of surprise and he instantly felt appalled at having made her feel so guilty.

‘
You’re the only person in the world who could get me on a plane,’ he added, wishing he hadn’t mentioned it at all. He hadn’t meant to but she could be infuriating at times and he wanted her to see what he was willing to do for her.

She looked over her shoulder at a stretch of murky canal. Mark thought about crossing the brief space and placing his hand on top of hers as she rested it on bridge but he also wanted to see what she’d do and hear what she’d say but, just as he was sure she was about to say something, a group of school-children filed between them, their voices loud and echoey. He watched Elena through the spaces that they made as they jostled and pushed each other, and he slowly convinced himself that she was never going to speak to him again.

When silence filled the streets once more, he said, ‘You came out here for a reason, didn’t you?’

She turned back to face him again. ‘Of course I did. I told you. I came to see Rosanna.’

‘
No, no,’ he shook his head, pleased that she was still speaking to him but annoyed that she still wasn’t being honest. ‘It’s more than that.’

There was a few moments’ silence as if they were both waiting for the other to speak first.

‘
Why are you being like this?’ she asked at last.

‘
Like what?’

‘
Why do you keep asking me all these questions?’

‘
Why are you being so secretive?’ he fired back.

A passer-by gave them an odd stare before walking on and leaving them facing each other across the bridge.

Mark scratched his head. ‘I don’t know what it is but I always get the feeling you’re hiding something from me. I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s like I’m only seeing a little part of you and that you’ve locked the rest of yourself away.’

‘
I don’t know what you mean,’ Elena said. It was just the kind of bland, uninformative response he knew he’d get.

‘
I sometimes get the feeling that you don’t love me enough. Is that what this trip is all about?’

Again, the silence between them was palpable but there was no taking the words back now. It was something he’d been dreading saying. He’d been holding it back and holding it back but the thought kept on surfacing and he had to have some kind of answer, even if it was an answer he really didn’t want to hear. He loved Elena - more than he could possibly tell her - and he’d come out to Venice in an attempt to make sure that things worked between them but, ever since he’d arrived, he’d been dogged by doubts and threatened by fears.

‘
You asked me why I came out here,’ she began in a subdued voice, ‘but I think I should be asking you the same thing.’

‘
And I’ve told you - I wanted to talk to you about all this.’

‘
It looks like you came out here to break up with me. Well, it would have been cheaper if you’d waited for me to come home!’

‘
NO!’ he yelled. ‘Elena!’ He could feel his whole face scrunching up in consternation. It was all getting out of hand and he felt he was making a real mess of everything. It wasn’t meant to have snowballed out of control like this. ‘I came out here to
stop
us from breaking up! The feelings I kept getting from you - I don’t know - I’m not explaining it very well - but we don’t ever talk at home. And I don’t see you much outside of work. I don’t even know what your flat looks like. I mean, what do you do when you’re not at the school? I want to know!’

He could feel his heart racing. All these words - all formed from these paranoid worries he had about his relationship with Elena - were pouring out in an uncontrollable torrent. What was wrong with him? Couldn’t he be a normal bloke and just make the most of what he’d been given? Why did he have to go and question everything? Things had been good between them. They had just as much chance as the next couple at making a go at things so why was he prodding and poking about?

‘
I’m sorry,’ he said at last. ‘You’re right. I shouldn’t be asking you all this.’

Elena shook her head. ‘No,’ she said very quietly. ‘It’s okay. You’ve got every right.’

Mark looked at her closely, watching as she blinked slowly, not once looking up at him. ‘You’re not angry with me?’

‘
No,’ she said. ‘In fact, I should have been honest with you from the start.’

Mark’s mouth felt dry in anticipation. He wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting her to say but it seemed an age before she spoke.

‘
I don’t know how I feel,’ she said at last.

Mark frowned. It wasn’t exactly the sort of confession he’d expected. ‘What?’

‘
You said you wanted me to be honest - that you felt I wasn’t being open with you. Well, now I am.’

Her eyes met his and he could feel himself burning up with shock.

‘
God!’ It was all his brain could come up with. But what had he expected? He’d confronted her, demanding an honest answer and he’d got one, so surely he should have been pleased? Except he hadn’t really expected this reply.

Neither of them spoke for a couple of minutes. It was as if they were allowing their words time to settle before they examined them in any detail. To be honest, he was terrified of saying anything else. He could see they weren’t going to get much further with things today. Elena looked tired and on the verge of tears and he felt he’d be pushing her right out of his life if he tried to talk to her anymore.

‘
Elena,’ he said softly, crossing the bridge to stand next to her. ‘I don’t want to leave things like this today but I think we both need a bit of time to think things over.’

She nodded and he stroked her hair and the soft skin behind her ear which he loved so much. She looked so sad and he desperately wanted to kiss her but he didn’t.

‘
Can I come and see you tomorrow?’ he asked.

She nodded again. ‘Where are you going to stay?’

He shrugged. ‘Somewhere cheap. Not too far away from you.’

‘
Okay. Come over in the evening.’

And that was it. There were no kisses or hand holding or hugs. She simply turned and walked away from him and, for the first time since losing Marmaduke, his cuddly toy cat, when he was five years old, Mark felt like crying in the street in front of everybody.

Rosanna made Reuben a cup of coffee and went upstairs to get changed. He took the opportunity to poke around the great Sandro Constantini’s paintings and he was shocked to discover an alarming collection of nudes. Why hadn’t he noticed them before, he wondered? He’d only noticed the scenes of Venice.

Bending down for a closer look, he noticed that they were all of Rosanna and his eyes fell upon her dark nipples and the gentle curve of her belly.

He put the paintings back and walked over to the kitchen to try and distract himself. There was a rack of washed plates and cups which should have been distracting enough but he started to imagine Rosanna’s bare arms, elbow-deep in washing-up suds, her long fingers washing the plates with delicate ease.

‘
Bugger!’

‘
Are you all right,
down there
?’ an angelic voice floated down from upstairs.

‘
Yes!’ he said, clearing his throat. He left the kitchen and went to sit down on the sofa, wracking his brains for topics to take his mind off the naked Rosanna in the paintings - the one who was getting dressed upstairs at this very moment.

Drains. His drains at home probably needed cleaning. Yes. He must get that sorted. Guttering. Probably full of pigeon crap. He must give Mike, the handyman, a ring about that. A new exhaust pipe for the car - he’d been putting that off for ages too. Council tax. Wasn’t he going to arrange direct debit for that?

It was working.

‘
I’ll be down in a minute,’ Rosanna shouted.

Drains. Guttering. Exhaust pipe. Council tax. Just keep chanting those, he told himself. Do not, under any circumstances, think of Rosanna in the bedroom above, and how easy it would be for you to follow her upstairs.

‘
Reuben?’

‘
What?’ his neck almost snapped as he turned to see her standing beside him.

‘
You okay? You’re a bit red.’

‘
I’m fine,’ he said. ‘You were quick.’

‘
I never waste any time,’ she said, fixing him with her large brown eyes. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

‘
Yes,’ he said

‘
I’ve got to go now,’ Rosanna said, checking her handbag for something and then flicking a lock of thick hair over her shoulder.

‘
I don’t see why I can’t stay here and wait for Elena,’ he said, suddenly remembering the reason he was there.

‘
I’m sorry,’ Rosanna said, ‘but it’s not possible.’

‘
Why not?’ He didn’t like the tone of his voice; he sounded petulant, like a spoilt child, but he wanted to get to the bottom of this. Now, not only did he think Elena was hiding something but that her sister was in on it too.

‘
I don’t make the rules here. This isn’t my apartment,’ Rosanna tried to explain.

Reuben looked across at her and he knew she was hiding something but, at the same time, her face was gentle, almost apologetic.

‘
I’m sorry,’ he found himself saying. ‘I’m putting you in an awkward position. I don’t mean to. It’s just that all this is very frustrating. I come out all this way to apologise for something that I don’t even think I should be apologising for. I’m mistaken for someone called Mark, then packed off to an outrageously expensive hotel where I’m expected to wait until her ladyship calls for me. It’s not bloody good enough!’

‘
I
know!
’ Rosanna agreed and, at once, he felt terrible about sharing his thoughts with her.

‘
Look, I’ve really got to go now,’ Rosanna said, ‘but I’m glad you feel you can talk to me.’

Reuben raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘Really?’

‘
Of course I am. We’re almost family,’ she added. ‘We should be able to be honest and open with each other.’

‘
Yes,’ he said, that one word,
family
, putting him firmly in his place.

They left the apartment and Rosanna told him to hold tight at the Danieli and that she’d be very surprised if Elena wasn’t there right at that very moment wondering where he was.

‘
And, if she hasn’t tried to see you today, I’ll have very strong words with her tonight,’ she finished.

Reuben watched her head off to her appointment, her shoes clicking on the pavement. She had a fantastic figure, he thought, as she disappeared round the corner and her burgundy dress had looked stunning.

Perhaps he should have told her that.