Page 37 of Change of Heart
‘Traitor! How can you betray generations of your forefathers by working for scum like the Varaldo family? They deserve to be wiped off the face of the earth.’ He stabbed a finger towards Luca. ‘And you with them!’
By now he was screaming at the top of his voice, oblivious to the remonstrations of the town clerk who repeatedly beat his gavel on the desk in front of him, but in vain. Alice even saw the clerk eyeing the security guard at the side of the stage when the mayor suddenly rattled off a string of foul expletives directed at the Varaldo family and his son, turned and stormed off the stage. There was stunned silence in the hall for several seconds after this outburst before a hum of conversation started. Alice turned to Luca who had returned to his seat beside her and laid a hand on his arm.
‘He’s not well, Luca. He needs help.’
‘He certainly does.’ There was a mixture of shock and pity in his voice. After a few seconds’ pause, he stood up and glanced down at her. ‘This won’t take long.’
She saw him climb up onto the stage and have a few words with the town clerk who listened intently before giving a sign of agreement. As he banged his gavel for silence, Luca walked back across to the dais and waited for almost half a minute before the audience quietened down.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, I feel I must apologise for my father’s behaviour. He’s not a well man or he wouldn’t have used the language that he did. On behalf of the Montorso family, I’m truly sorry.’
With a nod to the town clerk he came back down the steps again as everybody started leaving the hall. Alice and the Varaldo family also stood up, waiting their turn to file out. As they did so, a number of people came past to offer their verbal support, and it was increasingly clear that the mayor had shot himself squarely in the foot.
The baron insisted on taking the family out for dinner at the Casa Rosa along with Alice and Luca. They all sat down around a large table and started chatting sporadically. It was hard to gauge how they were all feeling. On the one hand, Alice was sure that they had all sensed the mood in the hall swing in favour of their application, but at the same time, there was no doubt that all of them had been stunned by the mayor’s incredible outburst. The fact that this violent reaction had almost certainly had an adverse effect on his cause and might even lead to his political downfall would definitely helptheircause, but it was tragic in its own way, particularly for Luca and his brother. In spite of everything, she almost felt pity for the mayor. Pity, however, was not something that the restaurateur was feeling. He arrived at their table looking decidedly buoyant.
‘Well done, Luca. I’m sure the public will share your view that opening the castle to the public will be a very positive step for everybody. I don’t think your father did himself any favours tonight, and I’m sure that’ll help sway any floating voters. Now what can I get you to eat? Leonardo has had me working all afternoon making fresh pasta. How about a salad with ham and parmesan followed by a plate oftagliatelle noci e gorgonzola? The sauce is made with walnuts from our own tree.’
They were happy to agree with his suggestions and he went off to fetch wine and water for them. He returned almost immediately with slightly sparkling white wine and a rich red wine and saw that everybody was served before leaving them to it. The baron raised his glass towards Luca and proposed a toast.
‘ArchitettoMontorso… Luca, that was an excellent speech. Thank you most warmly. Cheers.’ They all took sips of wine before the baron carried on, this time in more sober tones. ‘I’m afraid I was appalled by your father’s behaviour, but I confess to feeling almost sorry for the man. He obviously needs help. Maybe tonight’s outburst will push some of his close friends into persuading him to seek medical help. It’s tragic, really.’
Alice was interested to see that the baron’s reaction had been similar to her own. The mayor totally losing it on stage hadn’t been a pretty sight and she could imagine the conflicting emotions running through Luca now. He was sitting to the right of her with the baroness on the other side of him and they were deep in conversation. Achille was sitting on the other side of Alice so she started to chat to the man who would one day inherit the baronetcy. She remembered the conversation she had had with Silvia, the lovesick housemaid, and decided that this was as good a time as any to approach Achille about it. She waited until most of the others were chatting animatedly before turning towards him, lowering her voice before bringing the subject up as tentatively as possible.
‘I had a chat to Silvia a little while ago. She’s nice, isn’t she?’
His cheeks immediately blushed red and he glanced furtively up the table towards his father who was still fully involved in conversation with Lady Beatrice. ‘Silvia’s lovely…’ His voice tailed off poignantly and she tried again.
‘It’s nothing to do with me, so do tell me to mind my own business, but I get the feeling there’s a real spark between you two.’ Alice caught his eye for a second before he dropped his gaze to his glass. ‘Or am I mistaken?’
She had to wait a few seconds for his answer, delivered in a whisper. ‘You aren’t wrong – at least as far as I’m concerned. I think the world of her.’
‘Well, if you want my opinion I feel sure she feels the same way about you.’
‘You really think she does?’ He looked up at her eagerly, an expression of joyful hope on his face. ‘Honestly?’
‘Honestly. I’m sure.’ She didn’t tell him that it had been Silvia herself who had given her this idea. ‘Does this mean you haven’t told her how you feel?’
He shook his head. ‘I’ve been wanting to, but I’ve never had the courage to say anything. What if she were to tell me she didn’t feel the same way or, even worse, what if she were to be so outraged that she decided to go off and leave. I couldn’t bear that.’
Alice struggled not to smile. Here he was, the future Baron Varaldo and he sounded more like an insecure teenager.
‘Well, if you want my advice – and like I said it’s no business of mine so just ignore what I have to say if you wish – but I think it’s time the two of you sat down and had a talk.’ A thought occurred to her, not for the first time. ‘What do you think your father’s reaction would be if you told him you were in love with Silvia?’
‘That’s the other thing. I’ve been asking myself that for ages now. I must admit I’ve been afraid he would disapprove, but since you and Simonetta have been able to persuade him to accept Luca as one of us, and to accept Tommaso as Simonetta’s boyfriend, I’ve been coming round to thinking that maybe Papà’s not so set in his ways after all. Do you really think I should speak to her?’
‘I most certainly do.’
During the excellent meal, Alice gradually managed to get Luca to start talking, and by the end he was sounding more like his normal self again. When the party broke up, she stood with him outside the restaurant while the others climbed into Achille’s car and set off back to the castle. As they disappeared from sight, she reached over and caught hold of his hand.
‘Feeling better?’
He turned towards her and she saw a smile on his face in the orange glow of the street light. ‘I’m fine, thanks. Having you beside me was a great help.’ And, to her delight, he leant down and kissed her softly on the lips. ‘Definitely a great help.’ Then, to her acute disappointment, he pointed across the road to where his car was parked. ‘I’m afraid I have to get back to Parma now. I’m desperately trying to get some plans drawn up for the City Council and there’s going to be a meeting tomorrow, so I’m afraid I’ll be burning the midnight oil.’
‘That’s a real shame. I was going to ask if you wanted coffee at my place.’
‘And I would have said yes like a shot. Anyway, can we still have dinner tomorrow?’ He stopped and corrected himself. ‘Sorry, tomorrow’s no good. I’ve got another appointment, but let’s make it Friday. I promise. Okay?’
‘I can’t wait.’ She kissed him in return and felt a thrill as he responded, but all too soon he stepped back and shot her a regretful glance.
