The coffee had long gone cold by the time the discussion wrapped up.
Eraldo tied the cords that closed his leather-bound notebook. ‘So, everything is decided.’
‘The deposit?’ Cate was reaching for her bag.
‘Ah, no, not for friends. Besides, I am so happy with our proposal if you do not purchase the finished watch, I may be tempted to keep it for myself. Except – oh, I quite forgot – the engraving on the back: have you decided what you would like? Your husband’s birthday or the date you were married, perhaps?’
‘Yes, I have decided. The day I first set eyes on Phil; that will make him smile.’
‘How romantic.’ Eraldo re-opened his notebook. ‘Write it here for me so there can be no mistake.’
Cate added a date in her neat hand.
‘That can’t be right, that’s…’ Natalie began.
‘When we were on the school trip,’ Cate cut in. ‘At the Accademia gallery.’
‘But… I don’t remember you meeting anyone there.’ A horrible suspicion was beginning to form.
‘I didn’t meet Phil exactly. We didn’t actually speak… Oh, I know it sounds crazy but when I saw him, I just knew…’ A big smile lit up Cate’s face. ‘I just felt that this was the boy I was going to marry. I was buzzing; I couldn’t wait to tell you. I sneaked looks at him whenever I could but I couldn’t make it too obvious; I didn’t want Julie Paine to notice and make everyone laugh at me, so I tried to concentrate on the paintings but then I turned around and he was gone, separated from the rest of his group. I sneaked off to try and find him.’
Natalie knew what was coming. But she was wrong; she had to be.
‘I found him soon enough, talking to you. I know how childish this sounds but I was so upset. That’s why I flounced off. I hated you that day; I was so jealous of you. I couldn’t bear to talk to you in case you told me that you liked him or he liked you. And when Julie started being snide, it was so easy to gang up on you. Pathetic, wasn’t I! When I found out that the boys’ school were going to be at the same party as us, I couldn’t wait but I was far too cowardly to go up and talk to any of those boys with all Julie’s mates looking. When we met four years later at Durham, it’s no wonder he couldn’t remember me!’
‘And yet, here you are, married. A beautiful story,’ Eraldo said.
‘So, Phil was one of those boys from that posh school?’ Natalie tried to keep her voice steady. Deep down, she’d known the moment she’d zoomed in on the photo of Cate and Phil’s son holding his sporting trophy.
‘Yes, they seemed such an arrogant bunch but I could tell straight away that Phil was different from the others. There was something about him; he looked more approachable, less sure of himself, perhaps because he was a scholarship boy. And he was wearing these really cool trainers,’ Cate blathered on.
‘With bright-yellow laces.’ Natalie had to check, had to be sure.
‘How on earth do you remember that? He really must have made an impression. Perhaps I was right to be jealous of you!’ Cate laughed.
‘It’s just one of those odd things that sticks in your mind,’ Natalie said. Like the swish of a cape, a mask pressed up against a face, the stench of raw fear. She felt the bile rise in her throat. Cate was married to the boy in the alley, but this time, Natalie couldn’t run. In a few hours, Phil would be arriving at the palazzo.
27
‘We could have stayed longer; I didn’t want to tear you away from Eraldo,’ Cate said.
‘I didn’t want us to be late; you booked timed tickets.’ Natalie tried not to look at Cate as they strolled along thefondamenta.
‘I’m glad we’re squeezing in Peggy Guggenheim’s collection before Phil arrives; modern art isn’t really his thing. He always says he’d rather look at a thousand Madonnas than some faceless woman or surrealist nightmare!’ Cate laughed.
‘Luxe Life Swap’s viewers aren’t keen on anything later than the nineteenth century, at least that’s what the focus groups tell us.’ As long as Natalie fixed her mind on her job, she’d be okay. She’d been handed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She couldn’t let Cate’s revelations about Phil derail her even though the thought of meeting him made her stomach heave. In less than a fortnight, she’d be back home. And she’d never have to see Venice or Cate ever again.
‘That must be the entrance to the gallery down there: where there’s a bit of a queue. I know this is going to be amazing… Are you okay, Natalie? You seem a bit quiet.’
‘I’m fine.’
‘I can’t wait to see the Kandinsky and Picasso, and of course there’s lots of Jackson Pollock too. I read that Peggy was collecting a painting a day at one point. Can you imagine!’ Cate walked on briskly, obviously energised by the thought of immersing herself in paint-dripped canvases and depictions of two-headed women.
Cate showed the ticket codes to a woman at the entrance. ‘I’d like to go round the sculpture garden first, if that’s okay with you.’
‘Sure.’ Natalie followed, thankful they would be out in the fresh air. Somehow, it felt easier to cope outdoors than cooped up inside with her erstwhile friend, who was already exclaiming over a red, metal sculpture.
‘Oh, isn’t it fun doing things together! I almost wish we had another day before Phil arrives even though I miss him so badly. I know he’s going to love the palazzo; it’s like something out of a fairy tale. Phil will just adore the Red Room, and the ancestors’ portraits on the landing will blow him away.’
