her breath, as she invariably did when Teri referred to that fearful distortion of a once handsome face; a face such as the boy's would be when he reached manhood. The Falcone face, with the ferocious splendour of a Roman nose, and 'an eye like Mars to threaten and command', and a mouth in which strength mingled with a certain sensuality.
'Physical pain can be borne, bràvo. See down on the lake that boat with the scarlet sails? That belongs to me and one afternoon we will go sailing, eh? All the way round the island, which is a fairly large one.'
Teri caught his breath in delight. 'Cally, I'm going sailing!' he called out, leaning far out over the lake in the crook of a steel-like arm. 'I'm so glad we came here, Cally, and I don't want to ever go away again.'
'The call of the blood,' drawled Gena as she came along the terrazza, clad in a red shirt and a pair of ivory-coloured breeches. 'I'll have a cup of coffee, and then I'm off for a gallop. Can I take Domino, Rudi? I know she was out of temper with me the other day, but only because a snake crossed our path. She'll be fine today and won't attempt to break my precious neck.'
'Be less reckless, Gena,' her brother said, with just the faintest edge of steel to his voice. 'It isn't always necks that snap, it's backbones, and you would find it intolerable to be helpless and dependent upon the patience of other people.'
'Don't!' She gave a mock shudder and winked at Teri over the rim of her coffee cup. 'I see, caro, that you're keeping high and mighty company. My dear Rudi, I do believe the boy is more like you than Vince himself.'
'Then you must have X-ray eyes, my dear sister.' The baróne spoke with sudden curtness and swung Teri to the ground. 'Run along with Flavia and get to know your new home, for you are now the young signorino and what is ours is yours.'
Words that were music to Carol's ears, for she knew they were sincere and would not be repudiated by Rudolph Falcone, no matter what he found out about her. Her position was vulnerable and he was capable of hurting her very badly, but Teri was secure and that was the most important thing of all. Secure as a Falcone despite the illegitimacy of his birth, because the baróne said so and his word was law on the isola.
'You will come with me, madam.' He reached down and drew Carol to her feet, clasping her elbow with firm fingers. She obeyed him because she had no option, and she heard Gena give a low laugh.
'You, sister,' he said, 'will take care of your own neck and that of the mare's. Understood?'
'Si, signore.' She swept him a slight bow. 'If I see Saul Stern, may I ask him to dine tonight, so he can meet our fair visitor? I say, look at her hair in the sun! Blonde as Lucrezia, isn't she?'
Even as Gena said this, she bit her lip. It might at times slip her mind that a blonde had disfigured her brother, but it could never fade from his mind, and his fingers seemed to dig into Carol's arm as he led her along the terrazza and down a flight of stone steps, across a garden court surrounded by flowers and shrubs, and with a walled lily pool at its centre. There was a spiral of stairs at the end of the court, with a scrolled railing ' leading up to a medieval-looking tower whose narrow windows must have looked far out along the lake.
'It's all right,' the baróne drawled, when Carol pulled back slightly from the stairs. 'I'm taking you to my drawing-room, not to my private torture chamber. I want to talk to you, and everyone has instructions not to disturb me in this part of the house. This is the oldest wing, the scala del falconiere where an ancestor of mine kept his hunting birds. Come, it has a fine view, and one can imagine him letting the falcons fly out after the pigeons.'
'How cruel,' she said, but she preceded him up the stairs and was acutely aware of him following on behind, those falcon eyes of his on her legs. The stairs led straight to a thick arched door, and
'Physical pain can be borne, bràvo. See down on the lake that boat with the scarlet sails? That belongs to me and one afternoon we will go sailing, eh? All the way round the island, which is a fairly large one.'
Teri caught his breath in delight. 'Cally, I'm going sailing!' he called out, leaning far out over the lake in the crook of a steel-like arm. 'I'm so glad we came here, Cally, and I don't want to ever go away again.'
'The call of the blood,' drawled Gena as she came along the terrazza, clad in a red shirt and a pair of ivory-coloured breeches. 'I'll have a cup of coffee, and then I'm off for a gallop. Can I take Domino, Rudi? I know she was out of temper with me the other day, but only because a snake crossed our path. She'll be fine today and won't attempt to break my precious neck.'
'Be less reckless, Gena,' her brother said, with just the faintest edge of steel to his voice. 'It isn't always necks that snap, it's backbones, and you would find it intolerable to be helpless and dependent upon the patience of other people.'
'Don't!' She gave a mock shudder and winked at Teri over the rim of her coffee cup. 'I see, caro, that you're keeping high and mighty company. My dear Rudi, I do believe the boy is more like you than Vince himself.'
'Then you must have X-ray eyes, my dear sister.' The baróne spoke with sudden curtness and swung Teri to the ground. 'Run along with Flavia and get to know your new home, for you are now the young signorino and what is ours is yours.'
Words that were music to Carol's ears, for she knew they were sincere and would not be repudiated by Rudolph Falcone, no matter what he found out about her. Her position was vulnerable and he was capable of hurting her very badly, but Teri was secure and that was the most important thing of all. Secure as a Falcone despite the illegitimacy of his birth, because the baróne said so and his word was law on the isola.
'You will come with me, madam.' He reached down and drew Carol to her feet, clasping her elbow with firm fingers. She obeyed him because she had no option, and she heard Gena give a low laugh.
'You, sister,' he said, 'will take care of your own neck and that of the mare's. Understood?'
'Si, signore.' She swept him a slight bow. 'If I see Saul Stern, may I ask him to dine tonight, so he can meet our fair visitor? I say, look at her hair in the sun! Blonde as Lucrezia, isn't she?'
Even as Gena said this, she bit her lip. It might at times slip her mind that a blonde had disfigured her brother, but it could never fade from his mind, and his fingers seemed to dig into Carol's arm as he led her along the terrazza and down a flight of stone steps, across a garden court surrounded by flowers and shrubs, and with a walled lily pool at its centre. There was a spiral of stairs at the end of the court, with a scrolled railing ' leading up to a medieval-looking tower whose narrow windows must have looked far out along the lake.
'It's all right,' the baróne drawled, when Carol pulled back slightly from the stairs. 'I'm taking you to my drawing-room, not to my private torture chamber. I want to talk to you, and everyone has instructions not to disturb me in this part of the house. This is the oldest wing, the scala del falconiere where an ancestor of mine kept his hunting birds. Come, it has a fine view, and one can imagine him letting the falcons fly out after the pigeons.'
'How cruel,' she said, but she preceded him up the stairs and was acutely aware of him following on behind, those falcon eyes of his on her legs. The stairs led straight to a thick arched door, and
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