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“Of course.” She settles Morgan in her lap. “So, as well as the castle where many of us live in apartments, we have around twenty individual cottages. Some are newly built, some restored and repaired, and some converted from ancient barns and crofts. The island has been inhabited for many hundreds of years, though it was deserted for centuries, too, until my husband purchased it a few years ago. Our men live in the cottages. Oh, and Faith, obviously.”
“Men? How many men?”
Cristina hesitates while she does a mental tally. “Fifteen. Most of them work for my husband, though there is an elderly yacht’s skipper, too. Then there’s Megan, the doctor, Mrs McRae, our cook, Janey, another cook. Aaron and Beth, obviously, and Jacob, though they’re away in the US just now, visiting my husband’s sister. You’ve already met Magda, I think. She’s our nanny, and she has her work cut out with Jacob and my two as well. Tomasz is eleven, and my little Sebastien is a year or so older than your Morgan. They will be playmates while you are here, as Jacob and Tomasz are.”
“Don’t forget Wee Robbie,” Faith reminds her.
“Ah, yes.” Cristina smiles sadly. “Robbie had a difficult start in life. I do not know the details. He is eight years old and grew up in Glasgow but now he is fostered by one of the men. Usually he lives at the mansion, where you were…” She trails off, clearly uncertain how to describe my previous stay.
“Where I was held prisoner,” I put in, but without rancour.
“Yes. That. Anyway, Robbie spends time here in the holidays, when his new parents are working. He seems to enjoy himself, but he’s very quiet. Shy, I would say. He adores Faith, and my husband, surprisingly. He stays with Faith when he’s here and spends his time on the cliffs watching the seals and birds. He prefers to play chess with my husband rather than charge round with a football like the other two.”
Now, that’s an image to conjure with. A Mafia boss finding time to play with a disadvantaged, lonely little boy.
“Do I…do I have the freedom of the island? I mean, can I come and go as I like?”
“Of course, though you will require assistance, I gather. Your ankle…”
“I know, but—”
I’m interrupted by the door opening. Jack steps in and takes in the gathering.
“Oh, am I disturbing you? I was wondering how you were, Ruth. And Morgan, obviously.” He takes the baby from Cristina and kisses her downy head. “Have you got over our adventure, sweetheart?”
“I think she has,” I answer for her.
“And, have you?” he replies, placing his daughter on the duvet between us, then stretches out alongside her.
I note that both the other women slip out of the room to leave us together.
“Where did you go last night?” I ask him as soon as we’re alone.
“I bunked up in Aaron’s apartment. He’s away.”
“Why?” I’m puzzled. “This is your apartment.”
“I’m giving you space, Is it working?”
“That depends what you’re trying to achieve.”
He rolls over so he’s resting on his forearm, both me and Morgan sheltered beneath him. “I love you, Ruth. And I love Morgan, too. I knew she was a little cutie the moment I set eyes on her. She’ll break hearts, starting with mine. But that night, when I thought… Christ, you know what I thought. You were there, too. I had to get her out of there. And you. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to either of you.”
“You saved us.”
He kisses my forehead. “You saved yourself, really. And you flagged down those guys on the motorbikes to help me.”
I shake my head. I know where the credit lies for this, for the fact that we’re all here to tell the tale. “It was you who phoned the fire service. And you who found another way out, with Morgan, when the downstairs window blew out and trapped you in my bedroom.”
“I climbed down a drainpipe. It was hardly dragon-slaying. Although if you do have a dragon or two that needs dealing with in your stories, I’m your man.”
I ignore his attempt to lighten the mood. “The whole house was ablaze. It went up so fast… Morgan slowed you down. You could have easily got out on your own. You could have just jumped.”
“And I would have, if it had come to it. With Morgan.”
“I thought…” I bite back a sob. “I was so scared you’d leave my baby behind. That you wouldn’t be able to save herandyourself.”
He glares at me in disbelief. “Why would you even think that? She’sourbaby. I would never have left her.”
