English Rose for the Sicilian Doc

That was the truth of it. The choice had been agonising to make and it had shaped much of what Matteo had done since. Devoting himself to his work and his community, as if anything less would have devalued his reasons for being here and betrayed the children who had been hurt by his leaving.

It made a lot of things clear. Matteo’s attitude towards William, his attitude towards her. How he only ever seemed able to connect to each of them on a one-to-one basis, not as a family unit. And there was one inescapable fact, set in stone, carved into the land. If the only bits of security she had left, her house and her job, were in London, then all Matteo had left was here.

CHAPTER NINE

WHEN THEY WALKED down to the village, he seemed to know everyone. He introduced her to so many people that she forgot all their names, remembering only the warmth of their handshakes and the way that they all spoke to William.

They joined the crowd that clustered around the steps leading up to the entrance of a smart, new building. There was a call for silence, and a short plump man with a chain of office around his neck stepped up to the red ribbon that was strung across the doors.

Fans flapped back and forth like butterfly wings as they stood in the crowd, listening to his speech. The man obviously fancied himself as something of an orator, leaving dramatic pauses, while the audience shifted restlessly. Then a slim woman in her fifties, dressed entirely in red, marched up the steps.

‘That’s Isabella.’ Matteo leaned over to whisper to Rose. ‘I’ll give her thirty seconds to get the microphone away from him.’

Matteo had underestimated Isabella. She delivered what was clearly an extravagant compliment, followed by a thousand-watt smile that left the man unable to resist when she made a grab for the microphone. Within twenty seconds the crowd had shifted its collective attention to her with a murmur of approval.

Isabella beckoned to someone at the bottom of the steps, and a little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was propelled towards her. Isabella took her hand, and everyone started to clap. A few short words and the child was encouraged towards the ribbon and snipped through it, to a loud cheer.

Isabella flung the doors open wide, waving everyone inside with a smile. Then she ran down the steps, making straight for Matteo and kissing him determinedly on both cheeks.

‘This is Rose, and her son William.’ As soon as she had greeted Matteo Isabella’s bright, questioning gaze had moved to Rose, and Matteo introduced them in both Italian and English.

‘Ah. Rosa...’ Isabella’s handshake was unsurprisingly firm and she seemed to know exactly who Rose was. She bent to greet William, then began to talk volubly, and Matteo smiled.

‘She says that the hat suits you. And that if I’d made the speech, as she’d asked, there would have been no danger of anyone fainting from boredom.’ His gesture in reply said that it hadn’t been quite that bad.

Isabella rolled her eyes and Rose nodded, laughing.

‘He is...’ Isabella gestured, obviously groping for the word. ‘Troppo modesto.’

‘Modest.’ Matteo supplied the obvious translation. ‘No, I’m not. I just don’t like making speeches, particularly in the heat.’

Isabella’s retort was lost as she caught sight of an elderly woman who had ignored the ramp and was struggling to get up the steps. Flashing a last smile at Rose, she hurried to help her.

‘Wow. What a lady.’ Rose watched as Isabella danced effortlessly across the broken ground in her four-inch heels, taking the woman’s arm and chatting to her as they walked slowly up the steps together.

‘Yeah. Isabella’s achieved an enormous amount. She’s a force to be reckoned with. Would you like to come inside?’

Rose took Matteo’s arm. ‘I’d love to.’

Inside the clinic was simple but clean, large windows flooding the entrance space with light. There was a spacious waiting room on one side, which could clearly be used for community gatherings if necessary, with a row of consulting rooms leading off it.

On the other side of the building, were the more specialised facilities—a small X-ray room, which would render it unnecessary to go to the main hospital for suspected broken bones, a couple of rooms with beds, where patients could stay overnight, and another consulting room that, Matteo explained, could be used for minor procedures.

‘Fifty percent of the things that people usually need to go to the main hospital in Palermo for can be done here. They can hold regular clinics, pre-natal check-ups and so on, and they can deal with fractures, simple breaks and dislocations.’

Matteo was obviously proud of the clinic, wanting to show her everything, but when William began to fidget and pull at her hand, he guided them outside to where food and drink were being served. Matteo was borne away from her by the many people demanding his attention, while William attached himself to Nannu Alberto, sitting with him and the other men who were watching the proceedings from a group of chairs set up in the shade.

‘I think William’s had enough.’ Matteo had torn himself away from a group of women who seemed to be intent on making him eat as much as they could and was at her side again, extricating her from the group that had formed around her.

Rose glanced over to where her son was drooping into Nannu Alberto’s lap. ‘He’s getting used to taking a siesta.’

‘Why don’t you bring him back to the house and he can sleep for a while before the fireworks?’

‘There are fireworks?’ Rose had assumed that they’d be eating and then going home.

‘Of course there will be fireworks. Didn’t I say?’ He flashed her an innocent look, and went to collect William.

* * *