Island of Mermaids (25 page)

‘
Why? Anything special?
’

Carla smiled wickedly.
‘
Kent is leaving today for Naples and I thought you would want to say goodbye to him.
’

‘
No, I don
’
t think so.
’

‘
Really it is very noble of me to invite you,
’
Carla maintained,
‘
but I am in a generous mood. I am willing to share him with you today, but that does not mean in the future.
’
Althea was slightly puzzled by this more matter-of-fact attitude of Carla, but no doubt it was only a passing phase.

‘
Actually Kent and I have already said our goodbyes,
’
said Althea mildly. That was true, for certainly Kent had made no mistake about that, when he answered her
‘
goodnight
’
with his definite
‘
goodbye
’
.

‘
It is not really a farewell,
’
Carla explained,
‘
for Kent says he will come back to Capri for the carnival at the end of the season.
’

‘
Oh? When is that?
’

‘
At the end of September. Oh, it is always very gay then.
’

‘
Good. I
’
ll look forward to it,
’
replied Althea.

When Kent was ready to leave, Althea was not among those who wished him a pleasant journey, but she could not resist watching him go. From the shelter of the trees in the grounds of the hotel opposite the villa, she saw him being embraced by Carla
’
s relatives, then follow Carla into the taxi. Jealousy tore at Althea
’
s heart and she was .ashamed of its violence. What was the use of rending herself with jealousy when, even though she had not been entirely to blame, she was so damaged in Kent
’
s eyes?

Althea put in an appearance at dinner at the villa, but Carla had not returned. The aunts and cousins did not seem unduly worried, so perhaps they had known where Carla was going.

In fact the girl did not return until the following day when she informed Althea that she had enjoyed herself very much indeed.

‘
I went with Kent to this place where there is much old monuments and statues. Broken heads and pieces of angels and columns, things like that.
’

‘
Did Kent buy anything?
’

‘
Yes. He found the head of a small boy in red stone.
’

‘
Terra-cotta?
’

‘
That
’
s what he called it. Then also he found a beautiful wolf in some kind of dark blue stone or marble. This one had a foot broken and the people said they could mend it with a new foot, but Kent said he did not want it mended, but just as it was
!’

‘
Was it a really old or antique piece dug up from somewhere?
’
asked Althea.

Carla shrugged.
‘
I don
’
t know. Then he asked if they had any mermaids. They said no, but they could easily make him one if he wanted it.
’

‘
And did he order one?
’
Althea was interested by this reference to mermaids. He was evidently still attached to his operatic idea about the mermaids.

‘
Oh, Kent became quite angry and said he would not buy one that was made. It must be old, he said.
’

Althea smiled.
‘
Next time he goes there, the people will show him what looks like a very old mermaid dug up and it will probably be a modern fake.
’

‘
Kent has left his statues in this yard and next time he comes to Capri he says he will bring them with him,
’
continued Carla.
‘
After that we went to the airport and I waved to his plane.
’

There was quite a pause and Althea wondered if Carla were carefully choosing her words.

‘
After that,
’
she said at length,
‘
I went to a friend of Mamma
’
s. I had arranged to stay the night there, as it would be too late for me to return by steamer. And guess who came to dinner! Ermanno
!’

‘
Who is Ermanno?
’

‘
Althea
!’
came Carla
’
s shocked tones.
‘
You could not forget him. He was the most handsome young man out of all the wedding guests. He is a friend of one of my cousins.
’
She trilled a few notes of a song.
‘
I think he likes me very much.
’

‘
That
’
s nice. And you?
’

Carla
’
s face assumed a mischievous expression.
‘
That I do not tell anyone—yet,
’
she answered.
‘
One must wait and see—as you say in your country.
’

During the next few days there were frequent references to Ermanno on Carla
’
s part. Her remarks began
‘
Ermanno says ...
’
or
‘
Ermanno thinks ...
’
and Althea wondered if this was the start of a budding romance. Perhaps it was only Carla
’
s opportunist way of ensuring that she had an admirer during the autumn and winter months when Kent would be absent. Ermanno lived in Naples so there would be little difficulty about frequent meetings.

Althea hid a secret, if rather acid smile of appreciation of Carla
’
s sagacity in the matter of men friends.

The singing lessons would begin again in the autumn, they had been suspended during the months of July and August, so Carla would have many opportunities of seeing this new young man.

‘
I
’
ve forgotten to ask you,
’
Althea mentioned one day,
‘
but did you see Gregorio again, the man who persuaded you to sing in the restaurant?
’

Carla raised her eyes to heaven in a comic gesture.
‘
He scolded me very much. He said I was wasting my voice, ruining my career and throwing away much money and success and a famous name all because my mother had a
—
what was the word?
’

‘P
rejudice, in English?
’
prompted Althea.

‘
That is it. Prejudice. He said that in years of the future I would be sorry when I
was
a nobody married to another nobody and found that girls with voices not so good as mine were famous and in the films or on television.
’

‘
Well, perhaps you can be famous another way,
’
Althea consoled her.

When Lawrence and Emilia returned from their stay in Rome Althea was kept busy helping her father with the new shop. Papers and documents had to be signed, Dr. Fortini accompanied Lawrence on visits to various authorities and the shop premises were finally purchase
d. During the time that the Buckl
ands had been in Anacapri, several of the new shops had opened, one for toys and souvenirs, the one next to Brian
’
s had become a flower shop.

‘
But what will happen to them in the winter I
’
m not sure,
’
was Lawrence
’
s comment.
‘
When we do open, we
’
ll try to keep going all the year round. Even the natives must buy material sometimes.
’

Althea did not say the obvious,
‘
But not your kind of expensive silks and tweeds.
’
He knew enough of the snags himself.

The village of Capri became decorated for the carnival and
festa
almost overnight. It would last for two whole days and the intervening night, so Carla told Althea. Bands from Naples as well as the local band of Anacapri who were formidable rivals to Capri
’
s own local band. Processions and fireworks, free food at some of the cafes, everything imaginable. Carla was delighted at the prospect.

‘
I suppose Kent is coming again this season,
’
Lawrence asked Althea two days before the carnival.

‘
Carla said so.
’

‘
Good. I want to ask him about a few details for the shop. Then I think we can get on with everything during the
winter and open with a bang in the spring.
’

Opening with a bang was literally the initial part of the first day
’
s
festa.
Maroons and rockets shattered the early morning silence, church bells rang, taxis hooted quite unnecessarily.

Althea was finishing her breakfast in the company of her father and Emilia when Carla entered the room.
‘
Kent has arrived by the helicopter,
’
she announced.
‘
He has brought some friends with him to stay for a few days.
’

‘
Where are they going to sleep in his half-ruin house?
’
demanded Emilia.

‘
At the hotel opposite,
’
Carla answered. Althea wondered where the girl had acquired all this information, but was too cau
ti
ous to ask. Wait and she would be told.

As soon as breakfast was over, Carla suggested that they should all go out into the garden to watch the steamer come in to Marina Grande from Naples.

‘
Who is on board?
’
teased Lawrence.
‘
Your royal prince?
’

‘
The whole band of musicians from Naples and they play while they are on the ship,
’
she replied.

It was astonishingly true. From the far end of the garden the steamer could be seen entering the wide bay and faint sounds floated on the air and were borne upward to Anacapri. Bassoons and trumpets, drums and horns, a medley of notes, at this distance like fairy music on the air.

Then Althea saw Kent coming towards her and the others.
‘
I hope you don
’
t mind my coming in without ceremony,
’
he said to Emilia,
‘
but I
’
ve brought my friends to look at your superb view.
’

Althea wanted to turn and run, but the fact that he was accompanied by several girls and two men helped her to stand her ground.

‘
Of course.
’
Emilia gave him a charmingly gracious smile.
‘
Come and walk wherever you choose. We have just seen the steamer come with the band,
’
she told him.

‘
We shall all hear enough of bands by the time this
festa
is over,
’
he said with a touch of grimness.

He nodded politely to Althea, introduced his friends, who seemed to be two married couples and one unattached girl.
In the general conversation, Althea recovered her poise and was even able to smile and chat with the others.

Kent spoke of the pieces of statuary he had purchased a short time ago.
‘
They
’
re coming by steamer, so I must be there at the harbour when the cases arrive.
’

‘
I hear you
’
ve acquired a three-footed wolf,
’
Althea said lightly. Her father must not suspect that all was not completely cordial between her and Kent. He would probably be here only for a few days at most and she could keep up the pretence.

‘
The wolf is not so important as the boy. That
’
s a beautiful
little
head. He really is laughing.
’
To anyone else Kent
’
s voice would have sounded completely conversational, but Althea
’
s ears detected the coolness he no doubt intended.