Page 88 of Never Tear Us Apart
‘All the brilliant men and women that ever lived, the very cleverest people that have been, the ones we call geniuses?’
David nods.
‘They have always chosen curiosity over destruction.Always.These names might not mean anything to you yet, but Da Vinci, Einstein, Caravaggio, Lovelace, Curie, Shakespeare, Brontë, Zammit – these are some of the few people who have lived who have been able to see our lives as humans on this planet existing in a huge and mysterious universe in a way that most of us can’t. They understand how precious and rare life is, how spectacular and magical human beings can be. And when it came to it, choosing to build weapons or go to war, they chose art and knowledge instead. Do you understand what I’m saying?’
‘Clever people are curious and kind.’ David nods. ‘Mummy is kind; Daddy was kind. I am kind to Eugenie. Mostly.’
‘You are,’ I tell him. ‘You are clever and so talented. So remember this: no matter what the rest of the world is doing, even when you have no choice but to stand up and fight wars that you didn’t start, you never have to let go of the things that make this world beautiful.’
‘I can add and spell and read. And draw really well,’ David tells me, ticking off his accomplishments finger by finger.
I smile, recognising that flash of my father’s self-confidence in him. ‘Right, let’s get you out of the bath, and I have something to give you.’
‘What is it?’ he asks. ‘Can I eat it?’
I dry David and Eugenie off with thin towels, then dress them in the clothes Sal has left folded on the table.
Reaching into my bag, I bring out the small metal Spitfire and hand it to David.
His eyes grow big and round, his mouth falling open in a large round ‘O’. ‘I can hold it?’ he asks.
‘You can keep it,’ I tell him. ‘It’s yours forever now.’
‘Maia!’ He flings his arms around my neck and kisses me on the cheek. ‘But is it stolen? Mummy won’t let me have things that are stolen. She says she has to draw the line somewhere.’
‘No,’ I reassure him. ‘Someone gave it to me, and now I’m giving it to you. And this is for your sister.’
Finding the small teddy bear, I hand it to the baby, who immediately stuffs its ears into her mouth. I return her rattle to the pram.
‘Can I play outside?’ David asks, excited.
‘Don’t go too far,’ I tell him.
‘I’ll watch them,’ Sal says from the doorway. He comes in and picks up Eugenie with a groan. The little girl takes hisglasses off at once. ‘You’d better clean up before you see the count. There’s fresh water on the stove.’
‘Thank you, Sal.’
‘Maia, what are you doing?’ Sal asks me, concerned. ‘Are you trying to catch him in a lie or worse?’
‘I don’t know,’ I tell him honestly. ‘You know he runs the black market, don’t you? And you still accepted his dinner invitation the other night?’
‘I do know, and to my shame I chose to look away,’ Sal says. ‘A lot of very frightening people are afraid of him, Maia. He would be a dangerous man to anger.’
‘I know that.’ I nod. ‘But I don’t have a reason to make him angry. Not yet, anyway.’
‘Then just take care,’ Sal says. ‘You have a very particular war to fight. Don’t take your eyes off the battle.’
Chapter Sixty-Four
Nicco waits for me on his roof terrace, where he sits at a blue-painted wrought-iron table drinking strong coffee from an espresso cup. He is wearing a pair of round-rimmed dark glasses, and he gazes out across the island like a king surveying his kingdom. Heat hazes the island, making its golden hues shimmer and dance against the bright sky and sparkling sea.
Relaxed, leaning back in his chair, Nicco lights a cigarette with a gold lighter. He inhales deeply and blows smoke into the air. He does not have the air you might expect from a man dealing in national secrets, as I’m fairly sure he’s doing, but then I have met people like him before, so immune to human emotion that they are almost another species. So often they are the leaders, the generals and the dictators, the psychopaths who see the rest of us as pieces in their personal game of chess.
‘You are late,’ he observes mildly, pouring me a cup of coffee.
From the rich, dark scent I imagine it came via the same channels as all of Elias’s stock. To drink it feels like a betrayal, but I do – it’s exactly what I need after this morning. My nervous system is still humming.
‘Sorry I couldn’t come early,’ I say. ‘One of the bombs crushed a house with a child inside. I helped get him out.’
