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CHAPTER ONE GUIDO CALVANI took another turn along the hospital corridor, trying not to think of his uncle, lying behind the closed door, desperately ill. He was high up on the top floor. At one end of the corridor the window looked out over the heart of Venice, red roofs, canals, little bridges. At the other end was the Grand Canal. Guido stopped and regarded the flashing water, snaking its way through the heart of the little city to where it would reach the Palazzo Calvani, home of the Calvani counts for centuries. By tonight he might have inherited the title, and the thought appalled him. His mercurial spirits weren’t often depressed. He approached life with an optimism that was reflected in his appearance. His blue eyes might have been born gleaming, and a smile seemed to be his natural expression. At thirty-two, rich, handsome, free, he had no cares, save for the one that now threatened him. Guido was a man of warm affections. He loved his uncle. But he also loved his freedom, and
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO NO SOONER were the words out of his mouth than he’d vanished under the bridge. Dulcie dashed to the other side as he emerged and began to negotiate his way to the shore. She took a quick look at the picture to make sure she had the right man. Yes, there he was, smiling at Jenny, playing the mandolin. Thank goodness he didn’t have a passenger, she thought as she hobbled off the bridge and along to where he’d pulled in. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she called. ‘I just turned my foot and the shoe slid off and went right over the side of the bridge before I could grab it. And then it hit you on the head. I’ll never forgive myself if you’re hurt.’ He grinned, holding up the dainty gilt sandal with its absurdly high heel. ‘But I am hurt, very badly. Not in my head but—’ he bowed gallantly with his hand over his heart. This was what she’d expected. Practised charm. Right! She was ready for him. He’d pulled in by a short flight of steps that ran down into the water. ‘If you will sit down, I’ll
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE ‘YOU must forgive me if I talk too much about Venice,’ he said. ‘I forget that everyone must feel the same about their own home town.’ ‘I don’t know,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘I can’t imagine feeling like that about London.’ ‘That’s where you live?’ ‘It is now, but I was raised on my father’s estate—’ ‘Ah yes, Poppa the earl. And he has huge ancestral acres, yes?’ ‘Huge,’ she agreed, mentally editing out the mortgages. ‘So you were raised in the country?’ he encouraged her. ‘Yes, and I remember how peaceful it was there too. I used to sit by my bedroom window at dawn and watch the trees creeping out of the mist. I’d pretend they were friendly giants who could only visit me in the half-light, and I’d write stories in my head about the things they did—’ she stopped and shrugged, embarrassed to have been lured into self-revelation. But he was looking at her with interest. ‘Go on,’ he said. She began to talk about her home, the childhood she’d spent there, and the imaginary fr
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR ‘I SHOULD be getting home soon,’ Leo said next morning. ‘I only came to see Uncle, and he’s fine now.’ ‘Don’t leave just yet,’ Guido hastened to say. ‘He sees you so seldom, and who knows how long he’ll be around?’ They were having breakfast on the open-air terrace overlooking the water, relishing in the warm breeze and Liza’s excellent coffee in equal measure. ‘Uncle will outlive us all,’ Leo insisted. ‘I’m a farmer, and it’s the busy time of year.’ ‘It’s always the busy time of year, according to you.’ ‘Well, I don’t like cities,’ Leo growled. ‘Hellish places!’ ‘Don’t talk about Venice like that,’ Guido said quickly. ‘For pity’s sake!’ Leo said, exasperated. ‘You’re no more Venetian than I am.’ ‘I was born here.’ ‘We were both born here because Uncle made Poppa bring his wives to Venice for the births of their children. Same with Marco’s mother. Calvani offspring must be born in the Palazzo Calvani.’ Leo’s tone showed what he thought of this idea. ‘But we were both taken
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE SHE opened her eyes on total darkness. Her headache was gone and she felt light. Easing her way out of bed she discovered that she hadn’t yet recovered. It took all her strength to walk to the window and undo the shutters. Outside was a world of calm shadows. It was dark, the only light coming from the moon seeking to penetrate the narrow canals below. This little apartment seemed to be in a backwater, with a narrow canal, or rio running beneath. She couldn’t tell where she was, except that this wasn’t the glamorous part of the city. It was the homely part, where the Venetians lived. A young couple wandered along the opposite bank, dressed almost alike in jeans and sweaters. They looked up, saw her watching them and vanished into the shadows. Switching on the bedside light she saw that the bathrobe was now lying on the bed, although it hadn’t been there when she’d fallen asleep. When had he done that? She had no idea, but there was no doubt he’d entered the room and left i
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX HE ORDERED her to rest in front of the television while he unpacked the food in his tiny kitchen, and made her a cup of tea. Remembering his strictures about English coffee she was half looking forward to returning the compliment, but the tea was excellent. She spent the afternoon at work in the kitchen while he helped with the ‘menial tasks’, fetched and carried and generally did as he was told, but with an air of meekness that belied the wicked glint in his eyes. Several times she glanced at him, wondering if she would catch the intense look that had seemed to suggest so much, but he had himself under command now. Except that often she sensed him watching her too. But he had his timetable, she knew that now. While she was officially an invalid he would act like her brother. And after that she would be gone, she remembered with a little ache. In the early evening they sat down to eat and her meal was a triumph. He approached it cautiously, as if to say that he’d heard abou
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN THE evening dress Dulcie chose was a stunning, ice-blue floral Jacquard that left her arms and shoulders bare. Dainty diamond studs winked in her ears and a diamond pendant hung about her throat. Now that she’d become an attractive pale-biscuit colour the effect was delightful. She felt guilty, decking herself for an evening’s entertainment when she should be calling Fede to say she must break their date that evening. But she kept putting it off, not sure what the right words might be. How could she possibly explain to him that she was standing him up to go to dinner with the Calvanis to see if he was one of them? No, whatever excuse she found, the truth was out of the question. There was no putting it off any longer. She reached for the phone, but it rang before she could touch it. ‘Dulcie, cara.’ ‘Hello,’ she said, flooded with delight before she could get her defensive caution into position. ‘I’ve been trying to find the courage to call you. You’re going to be annoyed
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT IT WAS a mile to the Vittorio if you knew the backstreets well. Guido dodged and dived, taking a short cut that led through the house of a friend called Enrico, pilfered a glass of Enrico’s wine and a kiss from Enrico’s wife, before vanishing, calling his thanks over his shoulder. A few minutes short of the hotel he found himself beside a small canal. Hurrying along, he nearly collided with a woman coming the other way. ‘I’m so sorry—Dulcie! I—’ But her face told him the worst, and her words confirmed it. ‘You are the lowest of the low,’ she flung at him. ‘If I could just explain—’ ‘What is there to explain? Only that you’re a devious rat, and that I know already.’ ‘Dio mio! You did see them.’ ‘See what?’ He tore his hair. ‘I wouldn’t have had this happen for the world—’ ‘Then why do it? Oh, of course, you meant being found out. I suppose you thought I’d never discover the truth about you—’ ‘I was going to tell you myself, I swear I was.’ ‘And that was going to make it al
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE ‘WHAT did you say?’ Guido asked quietly. It took all her courage to say, ‘I’m the private detective.’ ‘You?’ he sounded as though he didn’t know what the words meant. ‘But Dulcie is on our side now,’ Fede said eagerly, ‘so it’s all right. She’s going to help us.’ ‘I don’t know if Roscoe will listen to me,’ Dulcie said, ‘but I’ll do everything I can.’ Guido was gazing at her curiously, but his manner was still calm. He hadn’t quite understood yet. Or maybe he didn’t want to. ‘You’re—a private detective?’ he repeated slowly, still in that strange way, as though he was trying to decipher meaningless sounds. ‘Yes.’ ‘And you came here to—?’ ‘Roscoe’s worried about Jenny. He got the wrong end of the stick. He thought Fede was claiming to be you.’ ‘Can you imagine that?’ Fede chuckled. ‘Me, related to a count! So he sent Dulcie to find me and tempt me away from my Jenny. As though anyone could do that. Only—here’s the joke—she thought you were me!’ ‘And so she targeted me instead
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN GUIDO had prevented Roscoe taking Jenny away, thus buying the lovers some time, but the strain of the ensuing days nearly turned Dulcie’s hair white. He moved into the suite, taking over the second bedroom so that Jenny and Dulcie had to share the first. He spent his time exploring the city, dragging his daughter along, and proud to bursting point of having Lady Dulcie as his guide. He demanded a full account of her dinner at the palazzo, with diversions regarding the social niceties to be observed at a count’s residence. ‘Just because I’m a self-made man it doesn’t follow that I’m an ignoramus,’ he declared belligerently. ‘And I don’t want any mistakes in that direction.’ Dulcie assured him that nobody could possibly make any mistakes. Guido telephoned her once, explaining coolly that the best masquerade outfits were to be found at a shop in the Calle Morento. She should take Jenny there and make sure she chose a Columbine costume. ‘Shouldn’t that be me?’ she asked wryly.
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN SHE half expected Guido to make an excuse to leave her as soon as they were out of the door, but he walked along with her for a while. He’d recovered himself now, and was on his guard. ‘That was a terrible thing to say,’ Dulcie said at last. ‘That Roscoe did you a favour.’ ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.’ ‘Much I care about that!’ she cried. ‘That’s not what this is about! We could still have it all.’ ‘If only that was possible!’ he said at last. ‘You know how much you tempt me. But it’s no use.’ ‘Why are you so determined to hold out against me?’ she asked passionately. ‘Yes, I’m making a fuss about nothing, aren’t I? Why should a man care if he meets his ideal and she turns out to be deceiving him for money?’ ‘Ideal?’ she whispered, not certain that she’d heard right. ‘It’s a laugh, isn’t it? I thought I was so street smart. Alive to every trick. Boy, was I kidding myself!’ ‘And that’s why you hate me?’ ‘I don’t hate you. Hating is a waste of time. It’s just that
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE AS ALWAYS Count Calvani made sure nobody outshone him at his own ball. His long flowing robes glittered with gold thread, and on his head he wore the distinctive cap, plain at the front, raised at the rear, that said he was a Doge, one of the great men who had ruled Venice in the old days. His mask was an elaborate creation in scarlet satin, sporting tiny red and gold feathers. He made a grand entrance into Guido’s room, where his three nephews had congregated, and stood, tall and splendid, for them to admire him. When they had done so to his satisfaction he gave his opinion of their attire. ‘Why are you all Harlequins?’ he complained. ‘The place will be crawling with Harlequins. Do you want to be mistaken for other men?’ They presented a handsome sight in their identical skin-tight costumes of coloured diamond shapes, alternating with white. Only a young man with a flat stomach and taut muscles could risk the revealing garb, and while Marco might be a fraction taller, a
CHAPTER TWELVE
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