Taken aback, she nodded. ‘Santo’s great,’ she said warmly, ‘and I’m sure they’ll be very happy together.’
‘This is good. I would not like my old friend to go grey before his time, eh, Vittorio?’ Domenico gave a belly laugh. Then, turning to Cherry again, he added, ‘He has been the best brother a sister could have, but now he needs to find a good woman and have plenty of bambini to keep him busy, eh? What do you say, Cherry?’
‘She says she does not think my private life is any of your concern,’ Vittorio interrupted, but without heat. ‘You look after Maria and your own bambini and leave me to sort out my own life.’
Domenico grinned, clearly not offended. ‘Talking of which, there will be a new arrival just after Christmas,’ he said contentedly. ‘Or an early Christmas present, perhaps.’
‘Another?’ Vittorio stood up and hugged his friend before saying to Cherry as he sat down again, ‘This will be bambino number seven. I am surprised Maria has not insisted on separate bedrooms before this.’
‘It is Maria who has set her heart on a girl,’ Domenico protested. ‘She has had the name chosen for the last three pregnancies. Crista Maria, and she will be beautiful.’
‘You have six boys?’ Cherry stared at Domenico in amazement.
‘Si.’ Domenico couldn’t hide his pride. He was clearly an out-and-out family man. ‘You like children, Cherry?’
Somewhat bemused, she nodded, sipping her champagne.
‘Then Vittorio must bring you to meet them on
e day soon, si? Maria, she will be pleased to show her bambini to you.’
Cherry smiled and nodded, but again said nothing. She was beginning to wonder if Vittorio’s friend had got the wrong idea about her staying at the Carella villa and her relationship with its charismatic owner.
After a few more words Domenico disappeared, and Vittorio leaned forward and touched her hand. ‘He does not mean anything. He is the good friend, that is all,’ he said softly. ‘Do not be concerned, Cherry.’
She wasn’t exactly concerned. In fact she had been wishing that things were different—that this was a real date, that she was a nice Italian girl, the sort of woman Vittorio was eventually bound to marry, being so fiercely Latin. She forced a smile. ‘I think your friend is charming,’ she said with patent sincerity. ‘He clearly thinks the world of you.’
Vittorio smiled back. ‘We have been through some good and bad times together,’ he agreed quietly. ‘Domenico lost his parents and brother when he was a small child and came here from San Severo to live with his grandparents. But he spent most of his time with my family when we became friends. He is more than a friend, he is like a brother, and the three of us—Domenico, another friend, Lorenzo, and myself—were inseparable. It is good to have such friends, I think.’
Lorenzo. That was the man who had married Vittorio’s fiancée, wasn’t it? The thought was barely there when Vittorio’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at a point over her shoulder and swore very softly under his breath.
Before Cherry could even turn her head she was aware of a blast of heavy sickly perfume as a woman came up behind her and paused at their table. ‘Vittorio…’
The woman was beautiful, dark and glossy, and very Italian. Her cocktail dress in vivid peacock-blue fitted every curve and dip of her fabulous body, and the plunging neckline was so daring it made Cherry wonder what on earth she’d been worrying about earlier. She watched as Vittorio rose to his feet, at which point the woman literally draped herself all over him, and then became aware of the tall, good-looking man who was with her.
Vittorio disentangled himself with polite firmness, kissed the woman coolly on both cheeks and then reached out and took the man’s hand with genuine warmth. ‘Lorenzo, how are you? May I introduce my guest? This is Cherry—she is staying at the villa for a while. Cherry, this is my good friend Lorenzo Giordano, and his wife, Caterina.’
She had known. Even before he had said the name she had known it was her. Cherry pulled herself together and somehow managed to smile naturally and speak calmly. ‘How do you do?’ she said, purposely looking first at Caterina, who was staring at her with hostile amber-brown eyes. When the other woman merely inclined her head, Cherry showed no reaction, turning to Lorenzo and adding, ‘So you are the third of the three musketeers? Vittorio has told me about you and Domenico and himself.’
Lorenzo smiled, showing even white teeth, and then took her hand and raised it to his lips in a gesture of respect. ‘It is very good to meet you,’ he said, as though he meant it. ‘Vittorio mentioned you were staying with him while you are in our beautiful country. I am sure Sophia appreciates a female friend to help her with all the preparations for her wedding.’
So Vittorio was still close enough to his friend to have spoken to him about Sophia’s wedding and her part in it. Had he explained the full story? But that didn’t matter.
Cherry smiled back at Lorenzo, liking him as much as she disliked his wife. ‘I’m having a wonderful time,’ she said warmly. ‘Sophia and I are spending Vittorio’s money as though it’s water and he never objects.’
‘You are staying at Casa Carella?’ It was clearly news to Caterina. Unwelcome news. ‘You did not tell me this,’ she said to her husband, her voice clipped.
Lorenzo shrugged. ‘It must have slipped my mind,’ he said flatly, his countenance changing as he looked at his wife.
Silence reigned for an infinitesimal moment—an awkward moment, full of things unsaid.
She still loves Vittorio and Lorenzo knows it. Cherry felt as though a bucket of cold water had just been poured over her head, but she had no time to dwell on the revelation because Vittorio was saying cordially, but in a manner which made it clear the conversation was at an end, ‘Enjoy your evening,’ as he resumed his seat without glancing at Caterina again. ‘I will speak to you tomorrow about the new contract,’ he added to Lorenzo, again with a warm smile.
His friend nodded, taking Caterina’s arm and virtually pushing her forward when she would have remained at their side. As the couple walked to a table on the other side of the dance floor, Vittorio said quietly, ‘Lorenzo has an export business and he and I work together on occasion.’
Cherry didn’t know what to say. Ridiculously she felt like crying. Caterina was everything she wasn’t—beautiful, elegant, sophisticated and quite stunning—totally the sort of woman she would expect Vittorio to be with, in fact. And it had been Caterina who’d left him when he wouldn’t send Sophia off to be cared for by relatives—did he still love her deep down? It was possible. More than possible. Was Caterina the real reason he hadn’t settled down with someone else?
Drawing on every scrap of her will-power, she managed a smile. ‘He seems nice.’ It was weak but it would have to do.