was never pompous.’
Marco glanced quickly at Jan, meeting her eyes in a question. The Signora had spoken of her husband in the past tense. Jan ’ s Italian grammar being shaky, she had not been quite sure until she saw Marco’s reaction.
‘ You are doing my mother good,’ he said as they started the climb down to the beach.
‘ I wish you would stay with her as a companion. I will double whatever they pay you at your hospital.’
‘ I need notice of that question. How can I decide such an important step while hanging on to a cliff by my eyebrows?’
‘ You’ll think about it?’
‘ Who wouldn’t? A fat salary, an easy patient, the Bay of Naples. I’ll think about, it, Marco. But don’t be too hopeful. I’m too young to get myself trapped in a cul-de-sac and say goodbye to all ambition.’
The path led down between banks of flowers whose warm scent filled the air. Broom there was, in golden cascades, and herb-scented shrubby plants, and great clumps of moon-daisies. Though the going was steep, the steps were well kept and there were good hand-holds. When Marco called a halt for a rest, it was possible to see a thumbnail-shaped bay between two headlands, which could only be reached by water.
‘ Can’t one walk round at low tide?’ Jan wondered.
‘There is no tide in the Tyrrhenian sea, you ignorant girl! ’
‘ Sorry, I forgot. Could one swim round?’
‘ Only if one were an exceptionally good swimmer. The cliffs go sheer into the sea on either side, and there would be no place to moor a boat.’
Jan pointed below them. ‘ How do we manage the last bit? From here, it looks as if the cliff ends in mid-air over a sheer drop.’
He chuckled. ‘ It does. The last part of the descent is by ladder.’
‘Help!’
‘ An-iron one, cemented into the rock. We keep it in repair, though no one uses the beach nowadays. I used to, as a boy, but Bianca complains the climb up again spoils the cooling effect of the swim.’
‘ Why isn’t it overgrown, if no one uses it?’
‘ W h at an inquisitive girl you are! I’ve no idea. Probably Dino or one of the men about the place clears it from time to time. They may use it for swimming, for all I know.’
‘ I see. You did give Dino orders to lock it, didn’t you?’
‘No. He misunderstood me. I told him not to allow you to get yourself lost, and to keep an eye on you. He exceeded his orders, that’s all.’
‘ Then it was for his own reasons he didn’t want me down here.’
Marco gave her a sharp glance. ‘ What makes you say that?’
‘I wonder about things, that’s all. The hinge on the gate was oiled.’
‘ I have an efficient staff. Shall we move on, or do you want to rest a few moments longer?’
‘ On. I can’t wait to get into the sea. Blue, emerald, turquoise, green, azure. It fascinates me. Is it warm?’ The ladder was vertical, the descent longer than Jan had imagined. Looking down, she felt slightly sick. It would be awful to fail now, but she wished heartily she had not been so insistent upon coming down to the sea.
‘ There’s always a first time,’ Marco smiled. ‘ Once you’ve done it, you won’t think a thing about it. Wait, now.’ He went down several rungs, then leaned outward, his arms outstretched as he gripped the sides of the ladder firmly. ‘ Come down to me. Don’t look down, I’ll tell you when to stop. Put your feet into the rungs, please, not on my face.’ She felt his hand take a grip of her heel and guide her foot. ‘ That’s right. Now I am holding you, you cannot fall. Move when I move. Left foot down now.’
She was all but clasped in hi s arms as they moved down step by step. All she could see were the iron steps, the riven and striated rock, the outcrop of tiny flowering plants. She could feel the warmth of his body close to hers, hear his breathing.
‘ Are you all right, Jan?’
‘ Yes, thank you. I feel perfectly safe.’
‘ In my arms?’ She heard him chuckle quietly. The wretch,
Marco glanced quickly at Jan, meeting her eyes in a question. The Signora had spoken of her husband in the past tense. Jan ’ s Italian grammar being shaky, she had not been quite sure until she saw Marco’s reaction.
‘ You are doing my mother good,’ he said as they started the climb down to the beach.
‘ I wish you would stay with her as a companion. I will double whatever they pay you at your hospital.’
‘ I need notice of that question. How can I decide such an important step while hanging on to a cliff by my eyebrows?’
‘ You’ll think about it?’
‘ Who wouldn’t? A fat salary, an easy patient, the Bay of Naples. I’ll think about, it, Marco. But don’t be too hopeful. I’m too young to get myself trapped in a cul-de-sac and say goodbye to all ambition.’
The path led down between banks of flowers whose warm scent filled the air. Broom there was, in golden cascades, and herb-scented shrubby plants, and great clumps of moon-daisies. Though the going was steep, the steps were well kept and there were good hand-holds. When Marco called a halt for a rest, it was possible to see a thumbnail-shaped bay between two headlands, which could only be reached by water.
‘ Can’t one walk round at low tide?’ Jan wondered.
‘There is no tide in the Tyrrhenian sea, you ignorant girl! ’
‘ Sorry, I forgot. Could one swim round?’
‘ Only if one were an exceptionally good swimmer. The cliffs go sheer into the sea on either side, and there would be no place to moor a boat.’
Jan pointed below them. ‘ How do we manage the last bit? From here, it looks as if the cliff ends in mid-air over a sheer drop.’
He chuckled. ‘ It does. The last part of the descent is by ladder.’
‘Help!’
‘ An-iron one, cemented into the rock. We keep it in repair, though no one uses the beach nowadays. I used to, as a boy, but Bianca complains the climb up again spoils the cooling effect of the swim.’
‘ Why isn’t it overgrown, if no one uses it?’
‘ W h at an inquisitive girl you are! I’ve no idea. Probably Dino or one of the men about the place clears it from time to time. They may use it for swimming, for all I know.’
‘ I see. You did give Dino orders to lock it, didn’t you?’
‘No. He misunderstood me. I told him not to allow you to get yourself lost, and to keep an eye on you. He exceeded his orders, that’s all.’
‘ Then it was for his own reasons he didn’t want me down here.’
Marco gave her a sharp glance. ‘ What makes you say that?’
‘I wonder about things, that’s all. The hinge on the gate was oiled.’
‘ I have an efficient staff. Shall we move on, or do you want to rest a few moments longer?’
‘ On. I can’t wait to get into the sea. Blue, emerald, turquoise, green, azure. It fascinates me. Is it warm?’ The ladder was vertical, the descent longer than Jan had imagined. Looking down, she felt slightly sick. It would be awful to fail now, but she wished heartily she had not been so insistent upon coming down to the sea.
‘ There’s always a first time,’ Marco smiled. ‘ Once you’ve done it, you won’t think a thing about it. Wait, now.’ He went down several rungs, then leaned outward, his arms outstretched as he gripped the sides of the ladder firmly. ‘ Come down to me. Don’t look down, I’ll tell you when to stop. Put your feet into the rungs, please, not on my face.’ She felt his hand take a grip of her heel and guide her foot. ‘ That’s right. Now I am holding you, you cannot fall. Move when I move. Left foot down now.’
She was all but clasped in hi s arms as they moved down step by step. All she could see were the iron steps, the riven and striated rock, the outcrop of tiny flowering plants. She could feel the warmth of his body close to hers, hear his breathing.
‘ Are you all right, Jan?’
‘ Yes, thank you. I feel perfectly safe.’
‘ In my arms?’ She heard him chuckle quietly. The wretch,
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