“That’s because they’re artistes. No matter how much they want to be a success, they have to know you believe in their work. If you can do that, then they’ll agree to meet you for the signing of the contract wherever you say.”
“You mean they won’t be coming to Genoa?”
“No. We’ll tell you more this afternoon. But there is one stipulation we must make before things go any further.”
“What is that?”
“Our cousins must never know we approached you. Our names must never be mentioned or come up in future conversations. The entire project will fail and you will lose the business you already have with them if they even get a hint anyone else is involved. Capisce?”
After a long silence, “Capisce.”
Piper turned to a fresh page on her drawing pad and began sketching. “How much time before we have to meet with Signore Tozetti at the hotel?”
Olivia had been looking up at the incredible wood-carved ceiling of the world famous Alhambra. Now they’d come out to the reflecting pool in the garden. “We’ve got about a half hour until dinner. It’s already seven.”
“Three days in Spain haven’t given me very long to work up a decent presentation. My hand has a cramp.”
“He said he didn’t expect a finished product. All he wants are samples he can show the man who’s willing to print our calendars here in Spain. If they prove to be as outstanding as the drawings you did of Monaco and Parma, then we’ll have another outlet.”
“I wish I could flesh them out more, but there isn’t time.”
Moving closer, Olivia looked over Piper’s shoulder. “In my opinion, this grouping is the best you’ve ever done.”
“You say that every time I start a new sketch.”
“That’s because you’re a genius.”
“No. It’s because I’m seeing everything live rather than having to depend on photographs.”
“Even so, Luigio and Violetta have always been products of your imagination and you’ve captured a new look for both of them.”
“I have?”
“Yes. The one of him as a toreador, trailing his cape around Seville’s corrida in front of Violetta is priceless. He has a proud, autocratic bearing about him that makes my heart race.”
“You think?”
“Absolutely. Violetta’s different, too. She has a crueler smile while they’re dancing the flamenco in those fabulous outfits. And I love the seductive angle of his hat.
“Honestly Piper, you’ve caught the atmosphere of that cave we visited last night so perfectly, I can almost hear their heels clicking on the wooden floor. There’s a sensual appeal that leaps out from the page.”
“Thanks.”
“I mean it. I also love that other drawing of him standing on the turreted rampart of the Alcazar in Segovia, staring up at Violetta who’s leaning out one of the windows. They’re the most romantic-looking pair I’ve ever seen. You can feel that tragic quality about him that melts my heart. As if he’d been pierced to the quick by love, but she’s still holding out.”
Piper kept her face averted. Though Luigio was the male pigeon, Olivia knew her sister identified with his feelings.
So did Olivia…
“Mother and Daddy would be so proud to know your drawings are going to be famous all over Europe.”
“We don’t know that yet,” Piper muttered, “so let’s not count our chickens.”
“Signore Tozetti wouldn’t have paid us an advance to come here if he didn’t believe he was going to make a bundle off you pretty soon. When he sees what you’ve done in just three days, he’ll be sending you everywhere…France—Switzerland—”
Piper lifted her head. “What do you mean me? This was Greer’s brainchild, and if you hadn’t done all the East Coast marketing in the first place, we wouldn’t have a calendar business period. We’re in this together!
“Let’s just be thankful Greer had the foresight to suggest we try to market our idea when we first arrived in Genoa. You and I may not have succeeded in getting a proposal out of a Riviera playboy, but we could end up making a very nice living for ourselves by the time we’re thirty.”