A Lucky Star Read online

  ‘I must control myself,’ she thought, as the carriage reached its destination. ‘Did not Mama say that I always showed on my face whatever I was feeling? I don’t want him thinking I am a love-struck ninny!’

  The Earl then helped her from the carriage and they walked towards the restaurant.

  As they did so, Anthea could have sworn that she could see someone spying on them from the shadows, but when she looked again, there was no one there.

  “Are you all right?” the Earl asked her.

  “It is nothing. I am just anxious to make an equally good impression on the Benedettis as last time.”

  “Of course you will, they will be charmed and entranced by you again. Now come, let us proceed.”

  He offered her his arm and she tucked hers beneath it. Standing so close to him, she could feel his warmth and she longed to stay like that forever.

  “Lord Hayworth!” Signor Benedetti, rising from the table, shook the Earl’s hand. “And La Bella Miss Preston – you honour us again with your beauty.”

  The Earl smiled at Anthea as if to reassure her that all was well as they sat down.

  “Here’s to our new fleet of ships,” toasted Signor Benedetti, raising his glass, with everyone at the table swiftly following suit.

  Anthea was glowing with pride as she put her glass to her lips and the Earl was looking at her and smiling.

  Her heart leapt and she felt herself blushing.

  ‘Could I dare to hope he has feelings for me?’ she mused, as they chatted in Italian. ‘I would give anything if I thought he cared.’

  *

  Meanwhile up on the hill at Roberto’s, Linette was rather grumpily opening the door to Midshipman Jones.

  “I am sorry, my Lady, but Miss Preston was most insistent that I come and find you. His Lordship thinks we are out for a drive in any case.”

  “I am not a child,” sulked Linette. “Papa is being just beastly.”

  Midshipman Jones coloured and immediately she felt bad for taking out her ill-humour on him.

  “You had better come in,” she sighed. “Roberto and I are just beginning luncheon, but I am certain that he can stretch to another guest.”

  He took off his cap before following her inside.

  “Midshipman Jones,” called out Roberto, “will you not sit down and eat with us? There is plenty.”

  “Papa has sent him after me. I am sorry, Roberto, it is such a bore.”

  “It was not him, my Lady – it was Miss Preston who asked me to come. She has sworn me not to tell your father that you are here and, as long as you stay put, I will not say anything to him. I shall tell him that I brought you here and was with you all the time.”

  Linette eyed him cautiously,

  “Very well. Roberto and I were intending to visit a Church this afternoon and you can come with us, but only if you promise to stay in the carriage while we are inside.”

  “I am not certain – ”

  “Oh, don’t be stuffy, Jones! I promise faithfully I will not give you the slip again. You have been very kind not telling Papa where I was and I appreciate that.”

  “Very well, my Lady, but I shall be watching you very carefully from now on!”

  *

  The luncheon with the Benedettis was progressing smoothly. After the main course, Signor Benedetti brought out a contract and everyone signed it.

  The Earl paused as he dipped his quill in the ink.

  “This is a great moment for me, Signor Benedetti,” he murmured with a quaver in his voice.

  Anthea could tell that he was quite overcome.

  ‘But perhaps I don’t realise the significance of this deal,’ she pondered. ‘Did not Signor Benedetti mention a fleet of ships? I was rather under the impression that it was only one ship he was hoping to build.’

  The Earl signed the document with a grand flourish and the whole table broke into spontaneous applause.

  To Anthea’s surprise he then blushed deeply as he accepted their compliments.

  “To the finest fleet of ships in the whole of Italy!” he exclaimed raising his glass.

  After which the Benedetti’s proposed another toast,

  “To the beautiful Miss Preston!”

  And it was now Anthea’s turn to blush as she shyly raised her glass along with the others at the table.

  “I would be most honoured if you would agree to dine with me tonight,” whispered Signor Martinelli into her ear.

  Anthea smiled in reply and did not say a word.

  Much as she would find it a pleasant diversion, she had eyes only for the Earl and did not wish to lead on the handsome Signor Martinelli.

  At last the luncheon drew to a close and Anthea was shocked to hear a Church bell chime four o’clock as they climbed back into their waiting carriage.

  “Goodness! Is it really that late?” she muttered, as the carriage pulled away from the kerb.

  “The Italians love doing business over a luncheon and they do not like to be rushed,” replied the Earl with a smile. “I hope you enjoyed it, Miss Preston?”

  “Oh, immensely. Even if I now feel a bit unsteady from so much champagne! I shall need to retire for a nap before dinner.”

  “I do hope that Linette has not been too bored in the company of Midshipman Jones,” said the Earl. “Although he is of her own age, he is very quiet and Linette is fond of colourful characters.”

  Anthea fell silent.

  She hoped that Midshipman Jones had managed to catch up with her at Roberto’s house and that they had not already gone out somewhere by the time he arrived.

  ‘If the Earl’s business with the Benedettis has now finished, the three of us can do things together before we leave Naples,’ she mused. ‘Linette would not dare to run off to see Roberto if her father was with us all the time.’

  Just then, the Earl spoke up, interrupting her train of thought.

  “I do hope you were not offended that I asked you such a personal question yesterday when we were alone.”

  “No, not at all, my Lord.”

  “It is just that I find it rather hard to comprehend why such a beautiful woman as you is without a husband. However, having told me the reason, I can understand why you could be reluctant to be involved romantically again – ”

  Anthea looked into his eyes and was lost for words.

  They held each other’s gaze before the Earl looked away.

  ‘He does care! I know he does,’ she thought. ‘But is it that he believes me to be uninterested in romance that prevents him declaring himself or is there another reason? I sense there is more to this mystery than meets the eye.’

  “It is true that I was very upset by what happened to me,” she answered slowly. “But that was six years ago and I am still young enough to make someone a good wife.”

  “I would not dispute that and I believe that Signor Martinelli is very much of the same mind!”

  Anthea was horrified.

  ‘Does he think I am interested in Signor Martinelli? That will not do at all.’

  “He is very kind, but there is no point in embarking on a romance with someone who does not live in England.”

  But the Earl’s attention was distracted as she spoke by their driver shouting at a slow pony and cart that had pulled out in front of them.

  The Earl took out his watch impatiently.

  “I was hoping to spend time with Linette before dinner,” he said without responding to her pointed remark.

  ‘Perhaps I am just mistaken after all,’ she thought, miserably. ‘And I am just raising my hopes for no reason. He is just being polite in taking an interest in me. I should not read too much into it.’

  By the time they returned to The Sea Sprite she had convinced herself that her earlier impression was incorrect, and that the Earl was not interested in her in the least.

  “Papa!”

  Anthea heaved a sigh of relief to see Linette waving at them as their carriage drew up alongside the ship.

  “Da
rling. Have you had an enjoyable afternoon?”

  “Yes, I did, Papa. But enough of my day, I want to hear all about your deal. Did you and Signor Benedetti sign the contract?”

  “Yes, we did, and what is more, he has ordered not one – but a whole fleet of ships. There will be some very disgruntled Italians and Germans in Naples this day!”

  “You are so brilliant, Papa,” cooed Linette, “to steal the order out from under their noses like that, now come to the Saloon and tell me all about it.”

  Anthea stood on the quay momentarily forgotten as father and daughter walked laughing towards the Saloon.

  She quickly followed them up the gangplank and then decided to go to her cabin for a rest.

  ‘I can see that I am guilty of misreading the Earl’s intentions,’ she murmured, as she tearfully closed her cabin door. ‘I don’t wish to come away with a broken heart, so the sooner I pull myself together, the better.’

  Just before dinner, Linette opened the connecting door between their cabins.

  “You are angry with me,” she asked, looking upset.

  “Yes, Linette. I don’t care for the way you are behaving at all. I know that you are in love, but that does not mean that you can disregard the rest of us.”

  Linette looked taken aback. It was the first time that Anthea had spoken in such harsh terms to her and it was a shock to her.

  “You don’t want me to be happy?”

  “It is not that – it’s a matter of being sensible. How many times do we have to warn you about the danger here? Your father winning this important contract has meant that he is treading on the toes of the Camorra and Roberto can tell you how ill-advised that can be – ”

  “Oh, nonsense! Just because they killed Roberto’s father does not mean they are after mine! They almost never go after foreigners – or so Roberto says.”

  Anthea’s eyes were blazing as she replied,

  “And your Roberto is so clever and wonderful that if these men came after you to harm you, he would shield you, would he?”

  Linette suddenly looked dubious.

  Roberto may be handsome, but he was accustomed to using his hands to paint rather than to fight or wield weapons. Even Linette could see that he was not strong enough to protect her and, what was more, he lived alone.

  “He has asked me to go out for a drive with him tomorrow – what am I to tell him? He is expecting me.”

  Anthea got up and walked over to Linette with such a stern look upon her face that she almost shrank from her.

  “Never mind tomorrow. I don’t wish to spoil your fun, but we have to take what your father says seriously. If he does not need me to attend a meeting, I am coming with you whether you like it or not!”

  Anthea could see that Linette was close to tears.

  There was a tense minute when she felt that Linette might flee, but instead she nodded her head in agreement.

  “Very well, Anthea. You are right, of course, and I am being a perfect fool. But I love Roberto so and want to make the most of every second I am in Naples – you must understand that?”

  “I do,” replied Anthea, softly, thinking of the Earl. “But that does not excuse thoughtless behaviour.”

  “Will I see you at dinner?” stammered Linette.

  “Yes,” answered Anthea shortly.

  “And you will not tell Papa about Roberto?”

  “Only if you promise to tell him yourself and that is final.”

  Linette’s face was full of misery.

  She knew that if she owned up, then the likelihood was that her father might prevent her from seeing Roberto.

  As she closed the door behind her, Anthea heaved a sigh. It had upset her to have to speak to Linette not once, but twice, in such a fashion, but the girl did not seem to be paying any heed to her.

  ‘If the Earl discovers our deception, he will almost certainly send both of us home at once,’ she thought. ‘Even if Linette tells him about Roberto now, it could still make him very angry – not just with her, but with me.

  ‘And where will that leave me and where will I go? I just cannot return to London and an arranged marriage – I would rather weather the wrath of the Earl than that.’

  She was still ruminating about her dilemma as she made her way to the Saloon later that evening.

  ‘I do hope that by now Linette has told her father everything,’ she said to herself. ‘I must steel myself to be sent back home, but, if necessary, I shall throw myself on his mercy!

  ‘Oh, Mama, hear me in Heaven, please help me!’

  CHAPTER NINE

  Anthea took several deep breaths before she entered the Saloon and was a little disappointed to find Linette and the Earl laughing and joking as if nothing had happened.

  ‘She has not yet told him,’ she thought, as the Earl welcomed her.

  She cast a look at Linette, who was gazing down at her shoes with a guilty expression on her face.

  ‘Perhaps I shall leave them alone after the meal and she will tell him then,’ she reflected, accepting the aperitif the Earl was offering her.

  After dinner Anthea rose and made her excuses. As she left the Saloon, she gave Linette a meaningful look and hoped that she would take the hint.

  But at breakfast the next morning Linette confessed that she had not had the courage to tell her father about Roberto.

  “We were having such fun and it did not seem right to suddenly introduce a subject that could make everything unpleasant,” she explained, refusing to meet Anthea’s eyes.

  “I cannot pretend I am not disappointed, Linette, but I can understand why you would not wish to spoil an evening alone with your father. You must promise me that you will tell him all at the very first opportunity, but, in the meantime, what are the arrangements you have made with Roberto for today?”

  “He wants me to sit for him in his garden. We had planned on eating luncheon at his house and, then, Roberto will want to continue painting me.”

  “In that case, I will come with you to his house and then go for a ride. You must promise me faithfully that you will not set foot outside the door. Do you agree?”

  “Yes, Anthea. Papa did warn me last night about these Camorra people and I can see now that you were not exaggerating. I promise you, I will be more careful.”

  “Good, I don’t wish to curtail your fun or for us to fall out. I hope you understand that the situation is serious.”

  “I do. And I know that Roberto just did not wish to frighten me when he said I should not worry about them. Papa is such an important man that I don’t think Roberto realises how vulnerable that makes him.”

  “Good, now get ready and we shall leave presently. I wish to call in and see your father before we go – is he in his cabin?”

  “I would imagine so. Even though he has no more meetings, he is working very hard on the final design of the Benedetti ships. He wants to show Italy, if not the world, how brilliant he is.”

  Anthea set down her napkin and left the table.

  It was an overcast day and she could see that storm clouds were gathering over Vesuvius and she wondered if she should take an umbrella.

  The air felt quite heavy and almost before she had reached the Earl’s cabin, she was feeling hot and sticky.

  “Come in!”

  The Earl’s rich voice summoned her and she felt her stomach flip as she saw him there, seated at his desk.

  “Good day, Miss Preston. What brings you here?”

  “I wanted to see if you have any appointments that you would wish me to attend today?”

  “No, your work here is done for the time being,” he smiled. “You must go out and enjoy yourself with Linette, as I fear the weather may break and you’ll be soaked to the skin.”

  “That would be a great pity as I had hoped to see Pompeii before we sailed away and I am assuming that our departure is fairly imminent, now that your business is all but concluded.”

  The Earl laughed.

  “There is still much work
for me to do before that can happen, so I do hope you will not mind if we remain in Naples a little while longer. Once the designs have been approved, then we shall return to England.”

  “Thank you, my Lord,” she said, turning to leave.

  “Oh, Miss Preston – one other matter. I don’t wish to alarm you, but I would remind you once again about the threat from the Camorra. You promise me you will keep to the main road. Do not go off the beaten track – they would not dare to strike in full view of the public.”

  “You have received an actual threat from them?”

  “I have heard they are furious with me for sealing the Benedetti deal. They might well try to prevent things from progressing. But, no need to worry unduly – follow my instructions and you will be safe. I have ordered the driver to arm himself, just in case.”

  Anthea tried not to show her alarm that matters had reached a point where it was necessary to have an armed escort when going out.

  ‘I shall be sure that Linette knows the situation, just in case she is entertaining any foolish notions about giving me the slip,’ she decided.

  Later, as the carriage pulled away, Anthea could not help but look for signs that they were being followed.

  “You are rather jittery today,” commented Linette. “You must not worry yourself unduly. I will not run away, you have my word.”

  “No, it is not that I disbelieve you – it’s just that your father warned me again this morning that the Camorra are angry he has snatched the Benedetti contract away from Italian hands.”

  “Well, I am not going to let it stop me from having a really nice day. To think, Anthea! Roberto is going to paint me!”

  “I thought he did not care for portraiture. That is what he told us the first day we met him.”

  “Oh, he says I inspire him and shown him the error of his ways. He cannot wait to portray me on canvas. I am hoping to give it to Papa when I marry Roberto.”

  “You are not still thinking of that nonsense? Your father does not deserve it – you know he dotes on you.”

  Linette scowled.

  “I am twenty-one in two months and then we shall be free to marry, whether he gives us his blessing or not!”

  “Linette, I am shocked at your attitude. Your father is a wonderful man who does not deny you a thing. How can you be so careless of his feelings?”