March brought sun and showers and Carina sensed events were on the move. Strange men who came to the house were taken to buildings beyond the stable yard and covered wagons lumbered up the road almost every day. Ben was away so much and she was lonely without him.
Carina went for walks and picked the tiny red flowers of St Joseph for Selida. From her, she learnt the twins came from a village in the mountains. Selida had been employed by Donna Isabella as their nurse and stayed on at Monteleone ever since. She told her the boys had been educated at home, before they were sent to Ireland where Ben trained as a soldier and Alexander studied at university.
When he was at home, Carina sometimes caught Ben watching her with a speculative look in his eyes. What was he was thinking, she wondered? Surely, by now he knew he could trust her? She wanted to ask him when the revolution would begin but Ben put a finger across her lips. He made love to her, but didn’t tell her where he had been or what he had been doing.
One night he was later than usual and Carina could not sleep. She tossed and turned in bed and then made up her mind. If Ben refused to involve her, she must find out what was happening for herself. Once, when she wandered too far from the house towards the stables, a groom had stopped her and told her it was out of bounds. Carina had let it pass at the time, putting it down to the obsessive secrecy of Monteleone, but it was there her investigation would begin.
The next morning she told Selida she was going for a walk and descended the back stairs, making a detour past the kitchen. The cook was rolling pasta and the smell of tomatoes and garlic on the stove followed her down the passage. Looking out from the back door, she saw two stable lads grooming a horse in the yard. One was holding the stallion’s head while the other oiled its hooves. She waited until they finished, then slipped behind the loose box, walking swiftly until she came to a courtyard with high walls.
In front of her were storerooms with wooden doors and steps leading down to some kind of a cellar. Carina listened to make sure no one followed and then tiptoed forward. The door was open so she went down until her head was beneath ground level. As she pushed the door inward, cobwebs swept her face and she put down her parasol to brush them away. She could see stacked shelves reaching up to the curve of the ceiling. Why, it was only an old wine cellar! Carina smiled at her own foolishness. There was hardly space to move, let alone hold a secret meeting.
A shaft of sunlight came through the door as she turned back and the breath went out of her lungs in a gasp. Instead of wine barrels, she was staring at weapons. There were muzzle-loaders and bayonets stacked in rows, along with pistols and muskets. Wooden crates marked with skull and crossbones stood unopened on the floor. Here, Ben had assembled the military equipment for the revolution! Monteleone was to be the headquarters and she would be at the heart of it!
The next moment Ben’s voice exploded in her ear. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’
There was a dangerous look on his face as he pushed her back into the dark interior. When he reached for the door, Carina thought he meant to shut her in but he left it open a crack, allowing a small amount of light into the cellar.
‘Two of my men were watching you. They saw you come here and sent for me.’
‘But the door was wide open.’
‘The guards set you a trap. They don’t trust you. In fact, they believe you’re a spy.’
‘Then tell them the truth—’
Carina broke off as Ben dropped into a crouch. He took hold of the front of her skirt and pulled it up above her knees. His hand slid from her ankle to her calf, running over her silk stockings to the top of her legs. She tried to keep her knees together but he forced them apart to search the inside of her thighs. When he straightened up, he unbuttoned her dress and felt roughly inside the bodice.
‘Have you finished or shall I strip naked for you?’ Carina cheeks flamed with mortification. Her hands were clumsy as she fastened the buttons and brushing her aside, Ben finished the job himself. Then he stood back, studying her face with the same scrutiny he had bestowed on the rest of her.
‘I know how much you wanted my pistol and old habits die hard. If not a gun, what were you looking for?’
‘I want to know where you spend all day and half the night.’
‘You could have asked.’
‘You wouldn’t have told me! You never tell me anything!’
‘I haven’t told you because the more you know, the more dangerous it is for you. When you return to Palermo you will be interrogated – and possibly by Prince Scalia himself. The revolution is upon us, Carina. Indeed, I’m obliged to bring forward the date of your departure.’
Carina looked at Ben in disbelief. What was he talking about? She wasn’t going back to Palermo. She was staying here with him. She heard his words but could not take them in.
‘Baron Riso’s staying here tomorrow night and will escort you back to Palermo. He’s arranged for the British Consul to take you to your family. Between them, they’ll conceal all traces of where you’ve been.’
Thoughts crowded her brain, one following so fast upon another that Carina felt stunned. How could Ben endure the idea of her being interrogated by Scalia? An overheard phrase drummed in her head. ‘He’s a man with a precise method of sucking the juice from the grape and then discarding the skin.’ She couldn’t remember where she had heard the remark, but it wasn’t true of Ben. She refused to believe it.
‘I’ve invited Greta and Stefan for the evening,’ Ben continued with military efficiency. ‘Francesco Riso believes you’ve been with them all the time. I’ve kept my promise, sweetheart. You will return home with your reputation unblemished.’
To hell with his promises! The day after tomorrow she would be gone from Monteleone. They might never see each other again. What about us, her mind screamed? Ben had asked her to marry him, for pity’s sake! Furious, words sprang to her lips and Carina forced them down. Losing her temper would only make it worse. She lifted her chin and managed to ask quietly, ‘When did you decide all this?’
‘We received notice last week that Rosalino Pilo, one of Garibaldi’s best commanders, is on his way. Once Garibaldi hears the uprising is successful he will sail for Sicily.’
Compared to the great cause of Italy, their relationship was incidental and so, it seemed, was she. But Ben couldn’t make her return to Palermo. She would write to Nonna and tell her she was delayed. Baron Riso could take her letter for Mr Goodwin to pass on. If Ben insisted she left Monteleone, she would stay with Greta Mazzini.
‘I must get you back before your family take to their heels,’ Ben’s voice was kinder. ‘Most of the nobility have abandoned Palermo for Naples already.’
Her eyes burned with obstinacy and Ben avoided her gaze as he led her up the steps. He escorted her across the yard and Carina walked on to the house alone. There’s been a misunderstanding, she thought desperately. I must be cool-headed. Ben doesn’t realise I’m committed to the revolution. It’s the reason he won’t tell me anything. I must talk to him and make him understand.
The rest of the day dragged by, and Carina took supper in her room. She hoped Ben would be early, but it was after midnight when he came to bed. His eyes closed straightaway, but she knew he wasn’t asleep. She waited and then put her hand on his chest. Her fingers ran over his skin, skimming the flat surface of his stomach. Carina was astonished at her boldness. She wondered how much further she would go. Then his body tensed and Ben caught her by the wrist and pulled her hand away.
They lay face to face and Ben lifted her leg over his waist. Carina saw in his eyes the same hard elation she felt in herself. She moved astride him and tossed her hair back off her face. A smile played around her mouth and Ben swore softly. His resistance crumbled and he reached for her shoulders and pulled her down. He made love to her as if he wanted to impress himself upon her forever and her heart welled up with happiness. Ben couldn’t love her like this and then send her away. Tomorrow, when she asked him, he would let her stay.