She smiled but beneath the banter Riva detected something in his eyes she couldn’t name. He must miss his wife, she thought, as the butler arrived bearing drinks. Or maybe she was just imagining things.
‘Do you have other relatives who live here?’ she asked Bobby as she sipped her drink.
He shook his head. ‘Mother visits occasionally.’
Addison pulled a face. ‘My little sister Agatha does not enjoy the dust.’
‘Nor does she approve,’ Bobby said, exchanging a look with his uncle and then bursting into laughter.
‘My nephew is correct. My sister doesn’t approve that I work. Especially after she married Bobby’s father and became part of the British landed gentry.’
Bobby lowered his eyes. ‘My father was never a snob.’
‘Indeed, he was not. You must miss him terribly. I know I do.’
‘Yes,’ Bobby said. ‘But the snobbery, it was always mother. Still is.’
‘That’s my sister, I’m afraid. But come, we are boring our young visitor.’
Riva had been glancing around at the pots of plants and felt herself blushing. ‘No, not at all,’ she said.
‘Tell me all about you,’ Addison continued.
She glanced nervously at Bobby, who laughed. ‘You can be honest. I’ve already shared your dark secret.’
She blushed again, feeling the warmth rising up her neck and into her cheeks. But she told Addison about her job in Paris, though not about the manner of her leaving, about seeing the advert and how, itching to broaden her horizons, she’d set out for Malta.
‘I admire your courage my dear. And have you made many friends?’
‘Well, there’s Bobby and Lottie, of course, and one of the girls I work with.’
‘You must come here more often. Malta is not just full of stuffed shirt Britishers.’
‘My uncle throws fabulous parties. People come from all over Malta and Gozo, and from all over the world too. Artists, writers, actresses and so on. You’ll love it.’
His uncle raised one eyebrow. ‘I used to. Not so much these days. Ah, there’s the bell. Lunch is served, milady.’
Riva laughed and followed the butler to the loveliest dining room, also in fresh air with views over the countryside but this time with pillars supporting a glass roof. A cut-glass bowl filled with large yellow daisies sat in the centre of a table laid with a brilliant white tablecloth. Bobby pulled out a chair for her, so she settled herself and took in the sandy terraces, trees and bushes that surrounded Mdina.
‘As you can see,’ Addison explained. ‘This palazzo is partly built into the fortifications.’
‘I’ve never been anywhere more lovely.’
‘I hope you’ll approve of the food too. We’ll have no figs until later in the year, but you must try them then, even if Bobby isn’t over here at the time. He’ll be training to be a pilot soon.’
She hadn’t thought about Bobby leaving and her spirits dipped momentarily. She felt a sudden premonition of something she was unable to identify, and she shivered despite the heat. What nonsense, she scolded. Everything was going to be fine. Everythingwasfine.
They ate a zucchini risotto to start with, followed by lamb and then a delicious Grand Marnier and orange soufflé. The time passed quickly with Addison and Bobby teasing each other, always including her if she didn’t understand, and before she knew it, they were getting up to leave. Addison kissed her on the cheeks, and she told him she’d had a wonderful time.
‘Come again soon,’ he said and handed her a gold embossed card, his blue eyes so intense she felt he could see right into her. ‘Should you ever need a break, do just drop by. I have plenty of guest rooms in this old place. Or let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.’
Then, at the door, he whispered in her ear. ‘He’s never brought a girl to meet me before. But I’m so pleased he did today.’
CHAPTER 19
The sun-filled images still transfixed Riva as they reeled through her mind in the days after her outing, but a week had passed during which she hadn’t heard from Bobby at all. And now she was beginning to doubt herself and doubt what had happened between them.
‘This won’t do,’ she muttered as she took down a cup from the cupboard above the sink and examined it for dirty rings. A coffee out on her little balcony with a slice of buttered toast had become part of her morning ritual, but with all these thoughts of Bobby and his uncle’s hidden palace she was feeling a bit forlorn.
