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‘What happened that day, Lazzaro?’
But even though she’d asked, even though she was sure she could deal with it, his voice told her that maybe she couldn’t. The hollows of his pain and raw grief were so evident it made her wince, made her close her eyes as, albeit gently, and albeit tenderly, this time he pushed her away with three little words.
‘Ask your cousin.’
‘Going anywhere?’ Brave, but scared, she smiled down at him the next morning.
Two strikes and he was out for good was her unwritten rule—but Lazzaro’s eyes weren’t avoiding hers this morning. In fact, utterly relaxed, he even managed to make her laugh.
‘Just to my room…’ His hand was under the sheet, exploring her shamelessly. ‘I’ll meet you at breakfast and tell you what our plans are until our flight this evening.’
‘Go, then…’ Caitlyn grinned. She loved him all of the time, but liked him more when he was like this.
‘You know the only place I’m going,’ Lazzaro drawled, making her gasp as he did something indecent, ‘is here.’
‘How was your night?’ Alberto Mancini beamed over them.
The mood was rather more relaxed as his intimate, though very well-bred friends gathered for a lavish breakfast.
‘I trust you were comfortable?’
‘The bed was a bit lumpy,’ Lazzaro teased good-naturedly. ‘But for a second-rate hotel—not bad!’
‘Come,’ said Alberto. ‘I am going to speak with the minister and his lovely wife—and before I make my speech, can I borrow your boss?’
‘Of course.’ Caitlyn smiled, swallowing hard when Bonita slipped into Lazzaro’s vacant seat.
‘Thank you,’ she said, ‘for your discretion yesterday. I am so glad last night is over. If it wasn’t for Lazzaro, I don’t know how we’d have got through.’ She gave a tired smile. ‘I know that Lazzaro tells his PA everything.’
‘Not this one…’ Caitlyn started, but her voice faded as Alberto took the floor, greeting his guests, thanking them for coming. That much Caitlyn understood, but after a moment he handed the microphone to Lazzaro, and she watched as he spoke on his friend’s behalf. Whatever he said made everyone laugh—only not Bonita. Her hand was dry as it reached for Caitlyn’s.
‘Thank God for Lazzaro…’ Bonita said in a strangled whisper. ‘Alberto is forgetting names, slurring his words sometimes—I did not want him to look a fool, or for people to think he was drunk, so I asked Lazzaro to stick by him…to cover for his memory lapses…’ She dabbed at her cheek with a handkerchief, then saw Caitlyn’s shocked expression, and for a second it was Bonita consoling Caitlyn.
‘You really didn’t know? Lazzaro never told you?’
‘I thought…’ Caitlyn winced in misery, but Bonita actually laughed.
‘What must you have thought? Oh, but you are new—you would not know what a wonderful man he is just yet.’
Oh, but she was starting to.
‘Alberto is sick,’ Bonita explained, her voice brave, but her hand slipping into Caitlyn’s again, and clinging onto it as she spoke. ‘He is to start treatment as soon as possible, but we want to wait—his daughter gets married soon. Just two more weeks is all we are asking,’ Bonita rasped. ‘If we can just hold it together for two weeks, till his daughter gets married—then we can tell everyone.’
Just for a second Caitlyn met Lazzaro’s gaze—guilt and regret were washing over her for her harsh assumptions—for thinking the very worst of him. And she was proud too—proud that even last night, with his back to the wall, he hadn’t betrayed his friend’s trust.
Hadn’t told her the truth when it would surely have been so much easier for him.
CHAPTER NINE
‘I WISH you’d told me,’ Caitlyn said, wondering how the sky could be so blue and the sun could be out, yet it was so cold as they emerged from the hotel. Finally she was to be treated to a real glimpse of the Eternal City…
‘It wasn’t my place to tell.’
‘So you let me think the worst?’
