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‘All right.’ She smiled. It was hard not to when Stella was around.
‘Shouldn’t you change first?’ Stella suggested, glancing at Lisa’s elegant outfit.
‘Will you give me five minutes?’
‘Of course.’
They took the funicular down to the beach. ‘It’s great to be able to admire the view without picking your way down the cliff face,’ Lisa admitted wryly.
‘You should never do that, Lisa!’ Stella warned. ‘That cliff is for mountain goats, and crazy men like Tino.’
Lisa seized the opening: ‘Have you known Tino for long?’
‘It seems like for ever.’ Stella quickly became guarded again. ‘Look,’ she said, pointing out to sea. ‘Can you see the dolphins, Lisa?’
Stella’s adroit change of subject didn’t bode well for discovering facts about Tino. Her reluctance to talk about him made Lisa more certain than ever that both of them were hiding something.
When they reached the beach and the doors slid open, the first thing Lisa saw was another couple. Engrossed in each other, they were standing at the water’s edge with their fingers entwined. The young woman’s face turned up to her dark-haired companion was like a pale flame in the morning light. A stab of jealousy made Lisa hesitate and want to turn back. Had Tino been lying to her all along? And Stella too? No, not Stella…Stella would never lie to her. But she didn’t want to see… She didn’t want to be sure… She couldn’t bear to be so cruelly disillusioned. ‘I’m sorry, Stella. I should never have come down to the beach. There really isn’t time… I should go back and prepare for the meeting.’
‘You work too hard, Lisa. You should make a little time for yourself.’
Lisa’s glance slipped back to the couple standing at the water’s edge.
Misreading her interest, Stella grabbed hold of her arm, and started to lead her across the sands. ‘You must meet my daughter.’
‘Arianna and I have already met—briefly, at the villa when I first arrived.’
‘Then let me introduce you properly,’ Stella insisted, giving Lisa’s arm a little tug.
It wasn’t Tino! It wasn’t Tino… As they drew closer and Lisa saw her mistake she instantly regretted her suspicions, and when Stella began the introductions she discovered that, like Arianna, Giorgio was also an opera singer, an Italian tenor of some renown. He and Arianna were due to start a week’s rehearsals for a major new production at the Covent Garden Opera House in London. Of course, that was why Stella had been staying at the villa, Lisa realised. She had wanted to give the two lovers some space, before world attention intruded on their personal lives.
‘I have something to ask you, Stella.’
Lisa looked up at Arianna’s handsome companion, and then looked at Stella.
‘Not yet, Giorgio,’ Stella warned, her eyes twinkling.
‘No,’ Arianna agreed. ‘We must wait for Tino.’
Wait for Tino? Lisa’s mouth hardened. Why did he have to be part of this? Could no deal be struck, not even a love match, without his seal of approval? Why should Arianna’s happiness depend on him? She couldn’t understand it. Surely Stella’s approval was all that mattered?
‘Arianna is right, Giorgio,’ Stella said, ‘You must be patient. We have to wait for Tino to return.’
With a heartfelt groan, Giorgio looked for some relief from Arianna, but she only shrugged and kissed him impulsively on the cheek. ‘Waiting will make everything that much better,’ she insisted.
Every mention of Tino’s name was like a burr in Lisa’s side. It was growing increasingly hard to hide her feelings. ‘How long do you expect Tino to be away from the island, Stella?’
‘He will be back when he has finished his other business.’
Arianna’s face lit up with understanding. ‘Ah, so Tino has gone to the—’
‘Arianna!’ Stella silenced her daughter with a look. ‘We will talk about this later.’
Why had they all turned to stare at her now? Lisa wondered. Why was she being left out of the loop? Didn’t any of them trust her? She held in her feelings, but it seemed as good a time as any to leave. ‘It’s been lovely meeting you, Giorgio, and seeing you again, Stella, Arianna—’ she glanced apologetically at her shorts and bare feet ‘—but I really have to go now.’
‘I guess that’s not your business uniform?’ Giorgio suggested.
‘Next time you must share our breakfast,’ Arianna offered warmly.
