something you can’t say about teaching.’
Elena smiled. He was right there. Teaching was as far away from calm as Venice was from London.
‘ Anyway, the pasta was great. I haven’t been cooked for in a long time,’ he said, and Elena immediately felt like the worst fiancée in the world.
Rosanna, suitably flattered, smiled at him and blushed as she cleared the table.
‘ I’ll do those,’ Mark said. ‘It the least she can do.’
‘ No, no. I wouldn’t hear of it,’ Rosanna said. ‘Why don’t you make yourself at home?’
Mark nodded. ‘Well, I wouldn’t mind a shower.’
Elena’s mouth fell open at the shocking symmetry of the day and Rosanna caught her eye briefly but, this time, it was merriment twinkling there eyes rather than devilry.
‘ I’m not sure we have any clean towels left,’ she said. ‘I don’t know how we get through so many.’
‘ I’m sure we can find one,’ Elena quickly interrupted, knowing that Rosanna was enjoying her discomfort immensely. ‘I’ll go and have a look.’
Mark followed her through to the bathroom and gave a long, low whistle.
‘ I know. Imagine having a place like this.’
‘ I’m imagining,’ Mark whispered, squeezing her to him and kissing her neck.
‘ Mark! My sister’s in the next room!’
‘ She could join us if she wants to.’
Elena glared at him. ‘I hope you’re teasing!’
‘ She’s very cute,’ he continued.
‘ Cute? Cute is not a word I’d ever think of to describe Rosanna,’ she said, thinking of her sister’s scolding tongue and her tempestuous temper.
‘ That’s because she’s your sister.’
‘ Are you going to have this shower or not?’
He raised his hands in defeat and began to get undressed.
‘ It’s late,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’
They kissed goodnight and she left him to it.
Walking back through to the living room, Elena sat down next to Rosanna on the sofa. Rosanna looked up from her magazine and Elena was ready to receive a tirade on the appalling day she’d put her through but Rosanna surprised her.
‘ Did you see Reuben off okay?’
She nodded. ‘He’s in the Danieli.’
‘ Porca Madonna ! Can he afford it?’
‘ I think so.’
There was a moment’s silence.
‘ He seemed nice,’ Rosanna confessed.
‘ He is.’
‘ And this Mark - he seems nice too.’
‘ Well, you didn’t think one of them a monster and the other being a prince, did you?’ Elena groaned. ‘Now do you see how difficult it is? It’s not as easy as eeny, meeny, miny mo! They’re both wonderful - in different ways.’
Rosanna nodded. ‘But you’re still only one person. You can’t split yourself in two. I mean, how have you been coping with two fiancés?’
Elena stifled a giggle. ‘It’s not been easy,’ she said, thinking of dear Prof and what Rosanna would say if she knew she was juggling three.
‘ And now you’ve got me involved,’ Rosanna said. ‘I’ve never known a day like today.’
‘ I’m sorry,’ Elena said because, believe it or not, she was. ‘It won’t happen again,’ she added.
Rosanna stared at her. ‘It had better bloody not!’
And then they both burst out laughing.
Chapter 17
Prof’s tiramisu tasted bland and bitter after he got cut off from Elena and he couldn’t concentrate on the next student’s essay. All he kept thinking about was Elena in Venice. It had been echoey and there’d been some street noise and he had an awful image of her wandering around the dark alleys of the city on her own. What was she doing out on her own? There was no excuse - he should have been there with her. She’d even told him that she’d wished he was there. So what was he doing eating alone in Reggie’s ?
He took one last spoonful of tiramisu, collected his essays together and asked for the bill. Leaving the restaurant, he remembered how cold it was and cursed having taken neither car nor coat. A brisk walk and thoughts of Elena would have to do
Elena smiled. He was right there. Teaching was as far away from calm as Venice was from London.
‘ Anyway, the pasta was great. I haven’t been cooked for in a long time,’ he said, and Elena immediately felt like the worst fiancée in the world.
Rosanna, suitably flattered, smiled at him and blushed as she cleared the table.
‘ I’ll do those,’ Mark said. ‘It the least she can do.’
‘ No, no. I wouldn’t hear of it,’ Rosanna said. ‘Why don’t you make yourself at home?’
Mark nodded. ‘Well, I wouldn’t mind a shower.’
Elena’s mouth fell open at the shocking symmetry of the day and Rosanna caught her eye briefly but, this time, it was merriment twinkling there eyes rather than devilry.
‘ I’m not sure we have any clean towels left,’ she said. ‘I don’t know how we get through so many.’
‘ I’m sure we can find one,’ Elena quickly interrupted, knowing that Rosanna was enjoying her discomfort immensely. ‘I’ll go and have a look.’
Mark followed her through to the bathroom and gave a long, low whistle.
‘ I know. Imagine having a place like this.’
‘ I’m imagining,’ Mark whispered, squeezing her to him and kissing her neck.
‘ Mark! My sister’s in the next room!’
‘ She could join us if she wants to.’
Elena glared at him. ‘I hope you’re teasing!’
‘ She’s very cute,’ he continued.
‘ Cute? Cute is not a word I’d ever think of to describe Rosanna,’ she said, thinking of her sister’s scolding tongue and her tempestuous temper.
‘ That’s because she’s your sister.’
‘ Are you going to have this shower or not?’
He raised his hands in defeat and began to get undressed.
‘ It’s late,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’
They kissed goodnight and she left him to it.
Walking back through to the living room, Elena sat down next to Rosanna on the sofa. Rosanna looked up from her magazine and Elena was ready to receive a tirade on the appalling day she’d put her through but Rosanna surprised her.
‘ Did you see Reuben off okay?’
She nodded. ‘He’s in the Danieli.’
‘ Porca Madonna ! Can he afford it?’
‘ I think so.’
There was a moment’s silence.
‘ He seemed nice,’ Rosanna confessed.
‘ He is.’
‘ And this Mark - he seems nice too.’
‘ Well, you didn’t think one of them a monster and the other being a prince, did you?’ Elena groaned. ‘Now do you see how difficult it is? It’s not as easy as eeny, meeny, miny mo! They’re both wonderful - in different ways.’
Rosanna nodded. ‘But you’re still only one person. You can’t split yourself in two. I mean, how have you been coping with two fiancés?’
Elena stifled a giggle. ‘It’s not been easy,’ she said, thinking of dear Prof and what Rosanna would say if she knew she was juggling three.
‘ And now you’ve got me involved,’ Rosanna said. ‘I’ve never known a day like today.’
‘ I’m sorry,’ Elena said because, believe it or not, she was. ‘It won’t happen again,’ she added.
Rosanna stared at her. ‘It had better bloody not!’
And then they both burst out laughing.
Chapter 17
Prof’s tiramisu tasted bland and bitter after he got cut off from Elena and he couldn’t concentrate on the next student’s essay. All he kept thinking about was Elena in Venice. It had been echoey and there’d been some street noise and he had an awful image of her wandering around the dark alleys of the city on her own. What was she doing out on her own? There was no excuse - he should have been there with her. She’d even told him that she’d wished he was there. So what was he doing eating alone in Reggie’s ?
He took one last spoonful of tiramisu, collected his essays together and asked for the bill. Leaving the restaurant, he remembered how cold it was and cursed having taken neither car nor coat. A brisk walk and thoughts of Elena would have to do
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