Chapter 20 #2
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he was struggling to find the right words.
She almost begged him to speak in Italian if that was easier.
Who wouldn’t want to be told someone was falling in love with them in that beautiful language, if that was what he was going to say?
She hoped it was with every fibre of her body.
His eyes pinned hers. He’d found the right words and was about to say them when a voice she instantly recognised cut through the blood thumping in her ears.
‘I told you you’d look beautiful in that dress! Emilio, doesn’t she look absolutely stunning!’
Marco suddenly moved away from her, and Beth turned, confused. It was a moment before she could speak, her eyes drifting to Marco, her brain struggling to regain its equilibrium. ‘Cesca?’
What was she doing here?
Beneath a plain white half-mask decorated with black diamonds on the cheeks, Cesca grinned. ‘Surprise!’
‘What are you doing here?’ Icy air flooded the gap where Marco had been, and she could feel the void as though an iceberg had replaced him.
Emilio appeared at Cesca’s side, smiling. They were in matching colours. His dark, navy suit virtually the same shade as Cesca’s midnight satin dress.
‘Emilio invited me.’ Cesca glanced at her brother as she replied, and Beth suddenly felt the heavy weight of Cesca’s secret as though it were pressing down on her chest. ‘He was invited as our local sports hero.’
‘You didn’t say anything,’ Marco replied, coolly, removing his mask. With the moment well and truly gone, Beth removed her own mask as Cesca’s face hardened.
‘He wasn’t sure if he’d be here,’ she replied before Emilio had a chance.
‘Shall we go and get some drinks?’ Emilio said, trying to gently move Cesca away, but there seemed to be some kind of showdown between brother and sister that Beth and Emilio could do nothing about.
When Marco didn’t move, but his ice-cold gaze flicked between Emilio and Cesca, zeroing in on Emilio’s hand wrapped around her waist, Beth tugged at him gently.
‘Marco, let’s get a drink. People are starting to stare.’
At this he came to, and they all moved to the side of the room, grabbed drinks from a passing waiter and pretended to smile at passers-by. Cesca moved to Beth, her good humour returning instantly.
‘You look absolutely beautiful.’
‘So do you. But why didn’t you tell me you might be here?’
Cesca angled them away from her brother and Emilio, who were having their own tense conversation in Italian. Beth couldn’t hear their words completely but could make out Marco hissing, ‘Yes, but why ask my sister? You have hundreds of women you could invite.’
‘Emilio honestly didn’t know if he’d be here, so he didn’t want to get my hopes up.’
Behind them, Emilio said something, his voice soft and placating, but Marco wasn’t impressed and again hissed, ‘You’re leading her on, Emilio, and I won’t have it.’
Cesca turned around and Beth’s stomach dropped. ‘Marco, stop it—’
This was it. This was Cesca’s perfect opportunity to explain what was going on between her and Emilio. For Marco to see how much they cared for each other and that his sister was grown up and able to make her own choices. Her breath stuck in her lungs as Cesca continued.
‘Emilio asked me because he’s only here for one night and he knows I won’t read anything into it.’
No! Beth thought and she glared at Cesca, imploring her to tell the truth not make things worse.
‘I don’t need your protection,’ Cesca whispered to her brother through clenched teeth. ‘There’s nothing going on between Emilio and me.’
Slowly, Beth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Now Cesca had made everything worse, and she cringed at the lies Cesca was piling on. It would be even worse now when the truth finally did come out.
‘Good,’ Marco muttered. He turned to Emilio. ‘Keep it that way.’
Emilio, not looking at his friend, left with Cesca. In the awkward silence, they sipped their drinks. She couldn’t believe that only moments before they’d been so close, so together. In a moment made just for them.
‘Did you know they were going to be here?’ Marco asked and Beth stiffened.
‘No. I was as shocked to see Cesca as you were.’
His voice softened a little, but hurt still cut through her. ‘She didn’t say anything at all about coming?’
‘Not to me.’
He searched the crowd for them, and when he didn’t spot them, turned back to her. ‘Do you think there’s something going on between them?’
Ice trickled down Beth’s spine. She’d kept Cesca’s secret, but now …
now she was going to have to lie directly to his face and she hated herself for it.
She wasn’t too fond of Cesca in that moment either.
So far, she’d been able to skirt around the issue as he’d never once asked her an open question about it. But now … ‘I—’
People had already started staring at them once this evening.
If she told him the truth he’d march over to his sister and make a scene that wouldn’t do either of them any good.
As much as it pained her to lie to him, tonight wasn’t the night, and this wasn’t the place to be honest. As she opened her mouth to speak, it was like a wall had been built between them.
A literal barrier that she wasn’t sure they could overcome.
His eyes bored into hers and she stumbled for a sentence that meant she wasn’t lying and didn’t drop Cesca in it. ‘I’m sure if there is, Cesca will tell you.’ She kept her eyes on her glass, unable to meet his gaze. She’d never felt so sick, or so deceitful.
His shoulders relaxed. ‘I’m sure you’re right.’
But though Beth tried, the magic of the night was ruined.
From then on, Marco was distracted and though Beth tried to move the conversation on and to return to the moment they were having right before Cesca turned up, there was no going back.
The evening was over as they didn’t dance and he didn’t kiss her again.
Instead he searched for his sister and Emilio, barely speaking to her.
Unable to take it any longer, with the clock nearing midnight, she said her goodbyes.
‘You want to leave?’ He seemed surprised and she almost laughed, grabbing her hand as she turned to walk away. ‘Shall I walk you home?’
Beth shook her head. ‘It’s fine. You should stay and find Cesca and Emilio.’
‘I’m sorry,’ he replied, scrunching the hair at the back of his head. ‘I’ve been looking out for them and not giving you my full attention.’
‘I’m not a puppy,’ Beth snapped, the hurt of the night finally getting to her. ‘I don’t need your attention. I just thought we were … you were going to say …’ She couldn’t finish. What if she were wrong and he hadn’t been about to say that at all? After all, they’d barely started seeing each other.
‘What?’ Had he forgotten where they’d been before Cesca arrived?
‘Nothing.’
‘Beth—’
Frustration, anger and a little bit of embarrassment at her own thoughts and feelings burned at her. ‘Your sister is old enough to run her own life, Marco. She can make her own choices for good or bad. She isn’t yours to control.’
‘I don’t want to control her,’ he snapped. ‘I just don’t want her to get hurt.’
‘That’s life I’m afraid, someone should have told you that by now.’
‘She’s my family and Emilio—’
‘Emilio might have grown up. Don’t you think you’ve changed over time?
People do. Maybe you should give him a chance.
’ He opened his mouth, just like he had earlier when he was about to say something important, but he didn’t speak and she couldn’t stand to be there anymore.
‘Goodnight, Marco. Please say goodbye to Cesca and Emilio for me.’
His mouth hung open as she strode away through the crowd and out into the cold night air.
It had begun to drizzle, and the chill rain prickled her skin sending goose bumps over her bare shoulders.
It cooled her anger and her hot cheeks though her temper remained high.
Even in the dark Venice was beautiful, the lagoon a pool of black surrounding the floating city, the buildings lit with orange lights that highlighted the age of the city, making her feel like she was in the Renaissance and not the twenty-first century.
Her beautiful mask was getting wet, and she almost turned her ankle on the uneven cobbles as she struggled home in heels that had suddenly started hurting.
The night was over, and she had a feeling that whatever had been starting between her and Marco – the special, growing connection between them – was over too.