Chapter 43
The shop doorbell tinkled.
‘Buongiorno, Gino,’ Amy said. Her voice quavered as though she were as old as Fernanda.
Gino looked her up and down. ‘What are you doing here? Where’s Stella?’
‘She’s downstairs sorting out stock.’
‘You haven’t answered my first question.’
‘I’m helping out because Stella let me stay with her last night. But you don’t need to worry. You won’t see me again, I’m leaving on the afternoon bus.’
‘Not a moment too soon,’ Gino mumbled. He headed for the stairs. ‘Stella!’
‘Down here!’
He thudded down the stairs, displeasure written all over his face. ‘What do you think you’re doing? Didn’t you hear what happened? You’re putting a thief in charge of the till. Do you want Domenico to be robbed?’
Stella put a steadying hand on a shelving unit. ‘Amy’s no thief. There’s obviously been some misunderstanding. Fernanda must have got muddled up.’
‘My mother,’ Gino said slowly, ‘is in full command of all her faculties. She lost her coin necklace. The very next day, your little friend is wearing it. It’s a pretty open and shut case, don’t you think? Amy’s lucky Mamma didn’t go to the police.’
Stella took Domenico’s tray of costume jewellery from the shelf and rooted around amongst the gaudy contents. She handed him a slim golden chain.
‘The coin, was it strung on something like this?’
He ran it though his fingers. ‘The coin was originally on a leather thong but yes, Amy swapped it over for a chain like this one.’
‘That was the chain that I put on it. Amy didn’t steal that necklace. It was the broken one she brought in here several days ago.’
Gino’s brow crinkled. ‘That cannot be right. Violetta’s necklace only vanished yesterday. It makes no sense.’
‘Exactly.’ Stella folded her arms. ‘Or are you going to accuse me of handling stolen property?’
Gino rubbed his forehead. ‘So, you’re telling me that Amy and my mother own identical necklaces?’
Stella shrugged. ‘I admit it’s a strange coincidence.’
‘So, where’s Mamma’s necklace?’
‘That I cannot help you with. But perhaps you and Leo can help Fernanda to look for it instead of accusing some innocent girl.’
Stella returned the chain to the tray of costume jewellery and put it back on the shelf.
‘Stella, please don’t be angry.’
‘Really, Gino, I’m not.’ It was Violetta and the gang of German soldiers who deserved her wrath. Not the man she couldn’t help but love despite his family.
‘Good, because I came here with an invitation from Fernanda. To come to dinner this evening.’
Stella felt her jaw drop. ‘You’re joking! Really? How did you put her up to that?’
‘I didn’t. Something’s triggered a change in her. Maybe it’s all the talk about Pietro’s burial or Leo creating the memorial plaque. She’s taken down the portrait of Violetta.’
‘I never thought I’d see the day. That must have been hard.’
‘Yes. I’m proud of Mamma. She wants to make amends, Stella. Will you come tonight?’
She looked into his troubled eyes. ‘I will, Gino. Tell her I will. I just need to find someone to stay in with Domenico. I don’t want him to spend this evening on his own and have another accident.’
Gino’s eyes widened. ‘Oh, no, what’s happened? Is he okay?’
‘Just scorched his hand in the steam from a kettle.’
‘A kettle? Don’t tell me he’s swapped his coffee habit for a cup of tea.’
Stella laughed. ‘No, that’s less likely than Fernanda taking down her sister’s portrait.’
‘I’ll see you tonight then.’ Gino kissed her quickly.
‘I’ll come upstairs with you and see how Amy’s doing. I’ve finished down here.’
* * *
Amy unboxed another sandwich toaster, hoping Stella wouldn’t be downstairs too long. She could manage to exchange the odd word in Italian but her extremely limited vocabulary certainly didn’t stretch to ‘crimped edges’ or ‘toasting times’.
Stella and Gino’s voices drifted up from the basement.
She couldn’t understand what they were saying but she could tell from Stella’s tone of voice that they weren’t having a row, thank goodness.
Gino and Leo had treated Amy abominably but she didn’t want her presence to cause a rift between Stella and the man she was obviously in love with.
Footsteps clumped up the stairs. Stella’s head appeared first, Gino’s just behind.
‘All okay, Amy? Buongiorno, Signora Togliatti, come sta?’ Stella smoothly took over, opening the toaster’s lid and chatting away until the old lady left.
Amy busied herself with a display of cutlery, conscious of Gino’s eyes upon her. She felt, rather than saw, him come nearer.
‘Amy, I’m so sorry.’
Her hands stopped sifting the knives and forks, but she didn’t turn around.
‘I owe you an apology,’ he said.
Now she looked at him. His eyes were sincere but still she didn’t respond. She wasn’t going to make things easy for him.
‘It seems,’ he continued, ‘that the necklace Stella mended looks very like the one my mother lost. But that is no excuse. My family and I accused you of theft. We were terribly wrong.’
His phone rang.
‘Take it,’ Amy said. She retrieved a rogue teaspoon from amidst the forks.
Gino pulled out his mobile, frowning at the screen. ‘Mamma?’ His frown deepened as he listened. His mouth opened and closed in a vain attempt to interrupt Fernanda’s monologue. At last, he managed to speak. ‘Sì, certo! Ciao, Mamma!’
He stowed his phone. ‘I cannot believe this: Mamma has found her sister’s necklace.’
‘So there really are two of them,’ Stella said.
‘It seems so. Mamma is so embarrassed. Amy, she wants to apologise to you in person. She is on her way to Sant’ Agata’s. Would you meet her there? I hope and pray that you will be able to forgive her, forgive all of us.’
‘I will meet her but it will have to be during my lunchbreak.’
‘Go now,’ Stella said. ‘That cutlery display can wait.’
Amy hurried towards the church. Despite the upset of the day before, she was glad to have the chance to see Fernanda again. The old lady must be mortified to realise her mistake.
She turned the corner to the church. Outside, Fernanda was waiting. But she wasn’t the only one standing there. Fiddling with a button on his dust-covered overalls stood Leo. Her heart leapt.
‘Amy, I’m so sorry,’ Leo burst out before she had time to say a word. ‘I should never have accused you the way I did. Deep down I couldn’t believe you’d do something like that. But I told myself I was blinded by the way I feel about you. Can you ever forgive me?’
‘No, no, it was all my fault,’ Fernanda interrupted. ‘Maybe I have been a bad judge of character, defending my sister all my life. But I found nothing but goodness in you, Amy. That was what gave me such a shock. Now I feel so ashamed for doubting you.’
‘Come here!’ Amy said.
Fernanda stood as stiff as a church pillar but after a moment her body relaxed into Amy’s arms. Over Fernanda’s shoulder, Amy watched Leo’s face soften. His love for his grandmother brought an image of Grandpa Lance to her mind and all that she’d lost. She swallowed hard before she spoke.
‘Oh, Fernanda, of course I will forgive you, I’m just so glad you believe me. I was so hurt you’d think I could steal from you. But how could I expect you to deny the evidence? I was wearing the necklace you thought you had lost. Anyone would put two and two together.’
‘I can hardly believe there are two such similar necklaces,’ Leo said. ‘It is the strangest thing.’
‘I should have brought your necklace with me, Amy, but I left it in your room for you. I hope you will come back and stay. Tonight, Gino and Stella are coming for dinner and I’d like you two young people to be there.
But first perhaps I can treat you both to a coffee at the bar?
Unless you need to get back to work, Leo. ’
Leo grinned. ‘The plaque is finished.’
‘That’s fantastic!’ Amy hugged him.
‘Bravo!’ Fernanda clapped her hands. ‘Allora, let us have our coffee.’ She took Leo’s arm.
He turned to Amy. ‘I’m so relieved. I didn’t know if you would ever forgive me.’
‘I haven’t actually said that I have forgiven you,’ Amy said primly. ‘There’s still one condition.’
‘Anything.’
‘You treat me to one of those jammy gobeletti.’
‘I’ll buy you one every morning for the rest of your life.’
‘The rest of this week will do and we’re quits,’ Amy said, amused at his flushed cheeks.
‘Are you two going to stand there all morning smiling at each other or are we going to have this coffee?’ Fernanda said. Her voice was stern but her eyes twinkled.