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‘I can try. I haven’t done this before, but I’m willing to give it a go.’
‘Okay. Well, there’s no pressure, because something of this age could crack at any time. But if you can get it open in two pieces that would be really good.’ Rose was so eager to see what was inside she would have been happy to smash the egg on the floor right now, but she’d have Professor Paulozzi to answer to afterwards.
‘Okay then.’ He grinned. ‘No pressure.’
Carefully, meticulously, he widened the fault line and eased the two halves of the egg apart. Rose held her breath as he lifted the top off, placing it into the container she’d put at his side.
The smooth edges were almost perfect in places, showing the marks of where each half of the egg had been finished. And inside... They almost bumped heads as both Rose and Matteo craned to see what was inside.
‘It’s a pair of gold earrings, with what looks like glass beads...’ Rose was conscious that the people in the viewing gallery couldn’t see what they saw. ‘Some beads, maybe amber or glass, two fibulae and a ring...’
‘Can we get a better view on the scanner?’ The jewellery must have been wrapped in something, and was coated with a fine debris that had solidified over the years.
‘Yep.’ Matteo manipulated the image on the screens, turning it slowly.
‘Stop... That’s it. The ring has an image of two clasped hands.’ She looked up at Matteo. ‘That’s probably a betrothal ring. And...can you move across to the left a bit? Yes, just there.’
The fibulae lay together, and on the screen Rose could see indentations along the side of each one. Words. She twisted her head, trying to see what they said.
‘Amat et... Amatur...’ Matteo could make the Latin inscription out.
‘Loves and is loved.’ Rose whispered the words. He moved the image slightly, and the letters on the other brooch moved into focus.
‘A... E...’ He spelled the letters out slowly.
The buzzer on the intercom sounded again and they both ignored it. Matteo’s face suddenly creased into a smile. ‘Aemilia. That’s her name.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
TWO SATURDAYS SPENT in Rose’s company. And already he was contemplating missing out on the opening of a project he’d given his heart and soul to, for a third.
Finally, Matteo forced himself to choose. The choice would always be the same, had always been the same si
nce he’d made that one life-defining choice that had brought him back from England to Sicily. But this time, choosing his work and his community over a woman seemed more difficult.
He picked up his phone and dialled. It wasn’t such a big deal. It was one Saturday, and Rose would still be there afterwards.
‘This clinic. You helped build it?’ Rose sounded genuinely interested.
‘The project was a partnership between the local community and a women’s centre in Palermo.’
‘So it’s just for women, then? What about the men in the area, don’t they need a clinic?’
Matteo smiled. That was just the point he’d made to Dr Isabella Mori, the director of the women’s centre. ‘Yes, they do. There are going to be specific sessions which are held with women in mind, but it’s open to help anyone.’
‘Sounds fascinating.’ She paused, as if waiting for something. If it was an invitation, she probably didn’t know what she’d be letting herself in for. ‘I don’t suppose that visitors are allowed, are they?’
‘Yes, it’s going to be quite a party. Almost everyone from the area...’ Matteo bit his tongue. That wasn’t really the way to discourage Rose.
Another pause. ‘So anyone can go?’
Something warm reached out for his heart and Matteo ignored it in favour of considering this rationally. But even his rational mind found it difficult to resist Rose’s enthusiasm.
‘If you and William would like to come, you’d be welcome...’ He added the obvious caveat. ‘Although I should warn you that my family can be a bit overwhelming at times. They take welcoming visitors very seriously.’
‘We’d love to come, thank you. It would be really interesting to see what you’ve been doing.’ She completely ignored his warning, and equal measures of panic and anticipation made Matteo’s heart beat a little faster.
He wondered whether Rose knew what she was getting herself into, because he was pretty sure that he didn’t. But it was done now, and all he could do was call his aunt and uncle and try to persuade them not to smother Rose with hospitality.
