Unmasking Elena Montella (34 page)

All of a sudden, everything became clear. She had to go back to Venice. As surely as she’d had to leave, she had to return. She’d had to get away in order to do that, she could see that now, and she would return with a clear head – and a plan.

Although Elena would never admit it, her mama had been right all along. There was no getting away from facing up to her responsibilities.

With this new resolution, Elena got up and route-marched back along the coastal path. She was going back tonight and she was taking Fernando the bear with her.

On Sandro’s arrival back, Rosanna had been relegated to the spare bedroom. Life in the luxurious double bed upstairs was over. It was a good job, she thought, that Elena had left when she had otherwise she’d have had to explain that to Sandro as well as the two male visitors. Luckily, Sandro hadn’t asked any more questions about Reuben and Mark, and Rosanna had been careful not to mention them, even though she had plans for Reuben.

‘
This artist of yours,’ Sandro said over a cup of coffee on his first morning back, ‘do I know his work?’

Rosanna bit her lip. ‘His name is Reuben Lord and he’s English.’

‘
Never heard of him,’ Sandro said dismissively. ‘He can’t be that good if I’ve never heard of him.’

‘
He’s very good,’ she said. ‘Just waiting for his big break, that’s all. Just like you had to wait for yours – remember?’

Sandro nodded thoughtfully. ‘It was always coming, of course, but it took its time all the same,’ he said.

Rosanna curled her fingers up into a tight ball. He really could be the most conceited of people sometimes.

‘
And Reuben’s will come too and just imagine how wonderful it would be if you had some sort of knowledge of that. He could be your protégé!’

Sandro’s eyebrows rose. ‘Yes!’ he said, a finger raised to his mouth. ‘You might have something there. I’d have to see his work, of course, before I committed myself.’

‘
Of course,’ Rosanna said, humouring him.

‘
I wouldn’t want to put in a good word for him in the circles I now move in if his work was inferior.’

‘
And I’m sure he’d look after your
Bimba
,’ Rosanna said, crawling into his favour on Reuben’s behalf.

‘
He’s kind, then?’

Rosanna nodded. ‘Oh, yes,’ she said, not bothering to tell Sandro how Reuben had recently dumped Elena for her without so much as a text message.

‘
And he’s in Venice now?’

‘
Yes.’

Sandro frowned as a thought raced through his mind. ‘He isn’t one of those men who was here in my studio when I came home, is he?’

Rosanna paused as she tried to think of a way around this.

‘
Because I didn’t like those guys,’ he elaborated. ‘They looked like freeloaders.’

‘
You think everyone looks like a freeloader.’

‘
Everybody
is
a freeloader!’

Rosanna glared at him. ‘Are you including me in your sweeping statement?’

Sandro glared back at her and then started to giggle like a girl. ‘My dear Rosanna! You are a delightful exception.’

Rosanna continued to glare at him, not sure what he meant by that comment but relieved that it had got them away from Sandro’s cross-questioning as to who Reuben was.

‘
So,’ Rosanna began, ‘do you want me to talk to my friend about your apartment or not?’

Sandro sighed. ‘Yes, yes! If he’s a friend of yours, that’s good enough for me.’

‘
And it will be a special rate rent?’

‘
If he agrees to look after my
Bimba
.’

‘
He will.’

‘
And he won’t be able to move any of the canvases I leave here. It will still be my apartment.’

‘
Of course, Sandro. He’ll have every respect for your work,’ Rosanna said, thinking that it would all probably be moved down to the basement at the earliest opportunity.

‘
Then we might well have an agreeable arrangement.’

Rosanna smiled to herself. She couldn’t wait to tell Reuben.

Emiliana was delighted with Elena’s decision.

‘
You won’t regret it!’ she told her earnestly. ‘You and Rosanna have many things to sort out but it will all work out in the end, believe me.’

The more her mama went, the more Elena became nervous.

‘
Families must stick together,’ she went on. ‘Through the good times
and
the bad.’

Why was it, Elena wondered, that you were always fed clichés at such times? It was one of the few times in her life when she needed to hear something good and honest and original. Prof would have those sort of comforting words for her, she felt sure of that. Yes, her dear Prof would be just the right sort of person to talk to if only he wasn’t bound up in all this business too.

‘
Mama,’ Elena said, ‘I’m going to make a call.’

Her mama said something about keeping it short as she wasn’t made of Euros.

‘
I’ll be using my mobile.’

‘
I didn’t know you had a mobile.’

‘
No. I just got it,’ Elena lied.

She walked through to her bedroom and fished in her suitcase for the phone she kept hidden. Was she really going to do this? She supposed she had to. She had to make a start on sorting out the huge mess she’d got herself into.

She rang the number and waited.

‘
Hello?’

‘
Prof?’

‘
Elena? Is that you?’

‘
Of course it is! Who else calls you Prof?’ she said, immediately feeling at ease for hearing his kind voice.

‘
Where are you?’

‘
I’m in-’ she hesitated. ‘I’m in Positano,’ she finished.

‘
I thought you were in Venice.’

‘
I was. And I will be again this evening.’

‘
I thought I saw you the other day – at the Danieli here. Were you here?’

Elena gasped. She really wanted to sort things out but she wasn’t ready to confess everything yet.

‘
No,’ she lied, her face screwing up at her horrible lie. ‘But I saw you,’ she said.

‘
You did? Well, why didn’t you say something?’

‘
You were with somebody.’

There was a moment’s silence.

‘
Elena,’ Prof began, ‘it’s not what you’re thinking.’

Elena grimaced. She’d rung her dear Prof to get away from clichés. ‘I wasn’t thinking anything.’

‘
I just met this woman and we had lunch.’

‘
Oh.’

‘
A few times, actually. She’s very nice. You’d like her.’

Elena frowned. Prof would make a terrible adulterer.

‘
Sorry,’ he said, ‘that didn’t come out quite how I meant it.’

‘
It’s all right,’ she said.

‘
No. It isn’t,’ he said. ‘I feel terrible about it.’

‘
Why?’

‘
Because every minute I was with her, I should have been with you.’

Elena paused. She wasn’t sure what to say. And what exactly was
he
saying? He was feeling guilty but did that mean he still loved her? And did she love him?

‘
Prof,’ she began hesitantly.

‘
Yes?’

‘
How do you feel about me?’

‘
What do you mean?’

She took a deep breath. She wasn’t being very fair, was she? She knew how she felt about him. She wasn’t in love with him. She didn’t think she ever had been.

‘
Elena?’

‘
I’m still here.’

‘
You sound strange,’ he said. ‘What’s wrong? Why are you asking me how I feel about you? You know how I feel.’

‘
Yes,’ she said in a whisper. ‘But I’m not sure how I feel about you any more.’

‘
Is this because of Anastasia?’

‘
Who?’

‘
The woman I was with because she wasn’t anything to do with us-’

‘
I know,’ she assured him. ‘And it’s got nothing to do with her. This is just about me. I’ve not been fair to you, Prof. I’ve been selfish and mean and you deserve better than that.’

‘
Elena, are you breaking up with me?’

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I’ll return your ring.’

‘
Sod the ring! I don’t want the ring – I want
you
!’

‘
Do you? Do you really?’

‘
Yes! Of course I do. I don’t go around proposing to anybody, you know. It took me forty-nine years to pluck up the courage to ask you.’

‘
But I’m all wrong for you.’

‘
Why do you say that? Is it the age thing?’

‘
No.’

‘
Then what?’

‘
I just don’t think we’re suited – not really.’

‘
But we get on so well.’

Elena sighed.

‘
Look,’ he said, ‘I don’t want to break up with you on the phone. This is horrible.’

‘
I know it is and I’m so sorry but I had to tell you. I’ve not been very honest with you lately – with anyone, in fact,’ she said. That was the closest she was going to get to the truth.

There was a pause and a crackle of static on the phone.

‘
Are you still there?’ she asked.

‘
I’m still here. I’ll always be here for you, Elena.’

Elena felt tears spring to her eyes. ‘No,’ she said, ‘don’t be. I don’t deserve you.’ And then she hung up.

The Alilaguna from the airport was packed with holidaymakers keen for their first glimpse of Venice. Elena could safely say that she was the only person on board who was dreading reaching her destination. The flight back had been delayed by an hour and she’d been sat in front of a baby who’d howled for the entire journey. Now, she felt hot and irritable.

When they reached the Fondamenta Nove, it was nearly lunchtime. Elena dragged her suitcase off the boat and followed the waterfront round over the Ponte Panada and dipped into a calle. Making sure it was all quiet, she reached into her coat pocket for the mask and put it on, keeping hold of her suitcase. She loved the fact that the mask not only turned her invisible but anything she was holding too so that her suitcase disappeared which was a blessing really because a suitcase going for a walk on its own would have looked a bit peculiar.

It took only about eight seconds for the mask to work its magic this time which was just as well because a couple of teenagers turned into the calle kicking a football. They didn’t seem to notice when it bounced off her invisible suitcase.

Elena took the familiar route from the waterfront to the apartment, wondering if Rosanna would be in and how she was going to get in herself if there was anybody around. She took the key out of her handbag and boldly inserted it into the keyhole, turning the handle and letting herself in. That was the easy bit. If she closed the door behind her, it would make a clang worthy of a medieval castle and she had to be sure nobody was in before she did that.

Standing absolutely still, she craned her neck up the flight of stone steps into the living room. She couldn’t tell if the place was empty or not: it was so huge that there might very well be a party going on in the spare room at the back and she wouldn’t be able to hear. She waited. At last, she felt sure she heard a voice: a man’s voice. What could she do? She could simply leave the door open: it was a quiet area and everyone knew everybody else, but that would probably get Rosanna into trouble. Yet she had to get in. She couldn’t afford hotel prices and didn’t want to have to go as far as the mainland. And she needed to see Rosanna – that was what she’d planned.