Page 16 of Never Tear Us Apart
I feel a rush of warmth for her.
‘There’s the other thing,’ Gort mutters.
‘The other thing, General?’ Christina asks him.
He gestures at me.
‘Ah, I see.’ Christina gives me an apologetic look. ‘You do look very well,’ she says. ‘Very well indeed, considering that food is so scarce.’
It’s just sinking in that by ‘well’ she means ‘fat’, when someone new arrives.
‘It runs in the family, you see.’
I turn around to see an older, rather short gentleman in a threadbare three-piece suit and round, wire-rimmed glasses. He is almost entirely bald except for a ring of neatly trimmed silver hair.
‘Hello, my dear.’ He addresses me directly. ‘I’ve been worried sick about you.’
Sensing I should not allow my shock to show on my face, I smile weakly.
‘Oh, my Professor Borgisyour Professor Borg. Well, how lovely.’ Then Christina catches herself as she remembers that my Professor Borg was a woman. But instead of mentioning that, she simply smiles, repeating, ‘Lovely.’
‘Of course – I am her cousin. You sent for me yourself, Miss Christina. Professor Borg at the university was summoned. Here I am.’
‘I didn’t put two and two together – silly me.’ Christina looks from me to the gentleman, clearly wondering what is going on. She’s not the only one.
‘Well, there are many Borgs on Malta, my dear. And, General, if I may,’ this other Professor Borg goes on, ‘you will see that I am still rather rotund, despite not having seen pasta in months. My mama always used to say to me, “Salvatore, you are as wide as you are tall.” A family trait, I suppose.’ He chuckles, patting his belly.
‘Well, there we are, then,’ Gort says, standing up abruptly. ‘Miss Ratcliffe, this woman is clearly this man’s cousin.We will need to see her papers, of course, Professor Borg, at the earliest convenience. Where do you live, sir?’
‘I used to live in Senglea, but now . . .’
‘Yes, now?’ Gort barks impatiently.
‘Well, I have a makeshift place in Valletta, General. The young lady is my responsibility. If her father were still alive, he would be cursing me for failing his daughter, and let me promise you, you never wanted to be on the wrong side of that formidable relation of mine.’ He shudders theatrically. ‘Why, I remember one occasion when . . .’
‘Right, well, that’s that matter closed,’ the general says, already halfway out of the office. ‘Take better care of the girl, Professor. She is clearly rather delicate of mind. Don’t let her wander off and get hysterical again.’
‘You have my word.’ Professor Borg bows slightly at the waist.
Christina ushers us out of the office, and we follow her in an awkward silence outside.
‘So, you are Cousin Kathryn, Sal?’ she asks the old gentleman, crossing her arms as she frowns at him.
‘Ah yes, Cathrinus, my formal name,’ he says without missing a beat. ‘Though I go by Salvatore. Sal more often, as you know, my dear.’
‘And what do you call her?’ Christina asks.
My eyes widen. There’s no way he can know my name.
‘Maia,’ he replies at once. ‘She was named for one of the stars in the Seven Sisters, you know.’
How did he know that?
‘I see . . .’ Christina seems unconvinced as she turns to me. ‘I like you, Maia, and I don’t think for one moment you are a spy. But I also know something fishy when I smell it. It would be better for you both to come clean so that I can stop worrying about you. But in the meantime, I’ll be keeping aneye on you and your charmingCousin Kathryn.’ She says the last two words in a mocking tone, making it clear she doesn’t believe us, but also isn’t going to argue. She pauses before adding, ‘Count on it, won’t you?’
‘Miss Christina,’ the professor implores her, ‘I swear to you that I am here to take care of Maia, and you have my word of honour that we pose no threat to Malta.’
‘I choose to give you the benefit of the doubt,’ she says. ‘For now.’
