Page 75 of Villa of Secrets

‘No, it’s a safety grip. It won’t go off unless you’re holding it to fire.’ He returned the gun to the bag and slung the strap over my head and shoulder. ‘I’ll see you when you can handle your weapon. Stay safe.’

I nodded and stepped towards him. He glanced at Irini and turned away.

‘Take care, Giovanni!’ I called, wanting one of his kisses. He waved without looking back.

While we continued to Seven Springs, I thoughts about the pistol that lay across my chest, would I have the courage to use it? I loved being up on the horse. The world took on a new perspective. I was in command of my surroundings, rather than belittled by them.

Irini spotted a carob tree. We stopped and tested the long, leathery pods. They were ripe, dark brown, and slightly sticky inside. We feasted on them, enjoying the crunchy husks and the sweet, chocolatey flavour. Satisfied, we went on, looking out for a water spring. Irini rode the mule for a while, allowing me to test my riding skills.

Zeus was docile enough until a huge black cyclops bee started buzzing around his ears. I should have shooed it away instead of watching. It appeared too fat to fly and whirred its beautiful iridescent wings noisily. The horse, startled, skipped sideways. Instantly afraid of falling off, I clung on with my knees and hands. I guess Zeus understood the signal to trot on and petrified me by doing so. I leaned forward and gripped the edge of the saddle, but the more I hung on, the faster the horse ran down the lane.

‘Stop squeezing his belly and pull hard on the reins!’ Irini shouted, cantering up behind me.

Just as we came to a halt, there was a great clatter and I realised the crate had worked free of the ropes and crashed to the ground, startling both animals. Eventually, I managed to dismount. Almost speechless, my knees wobbling and shaking, I cursed the horse.

Irini, hysterical with laughter, fell to the floor and slapped the earth.

‘That was the scariest thing, him running off like that.’ I rubbed my crotch, which was incredibly sore from the saddle. ‘My bits are bruised to hell. My legs have turned into a wishbone. And I swear I’ll never walk normally again.’ I would have gone through it all over again just to enjoy the sound of her laughter. I fell to my knees and said, ‘I do love you, Irini. You know that, don’t you?’

‘I love you too. I’m going to miss you so much that I might have to kiss your boyfriend while you’re away.’ She beamed at me, her eyes sparkling as they so often did when we were alone together.

I sighed. ‘I wish you were a boy, then we could get married and have babies and live happily ever after.’

She laughed again and got to her feet. ‘But that’ll never happen, will it?’ After a beat she continued, ‘Sometimes I want that too . . . Now let’s tie that crate onto the mule and get a move on, or I’ll end up getting lost in the dark.’

My spirits lifted. When Irini was happy so was I. I tied Zeus’s reins to a tree and we backtracked a short way. ‘I hope it’s not damaged,’ I said.

The crate’s lid had broken off and what appeared to be another box had slipped halfway out. My first thought was a wireless, like the one we had at home before the Germans confiscated it. Irini found a hefty stone to knock the top back on, and we secured it to the mule once again.

We arrived at Seven Springs and tied Zeus and the mule in the deciduous woods. The area was deserted, silent apart from a breeze soughing through the treetops, and extraordinarily loud birdsong. I glanced around for the culprit. A small grey ball of feathers with brilliant red eyes perched on a bush watching us. It repeatedly flicked its wings as if to say ‘Go away! ‘ while it trilled an amazing song.

‘Sardinian warbler,’ Irini said. ‘Pretty, hey? Little bird with a big voice. Just like you.’ Her glance met mine and we laughed. A flash of emerald darted across the water. ‘And there’s a kingfisher looking for minnows.’

‘You know a lot about birds.’

‘It’s my dad.’ Her smile fell and she stared at the ground. ‘He’s mad about wildlife. I believe he can name every bird on the island.’ She paused for a beat. ‘Oh, Dora, I hope . . .’

Her sadness was contagious and my mood plummeted too. ‘They’ll be hanging on, Irini, knowing we’re trying to help them. Come on, let’s find this tunnel.’

We walked around the lake until we found the aqueduct, which was less than the height of a man and hardly wider than me. I stared nervously at the pitch-dark tunnel. Ankle-deep water ran from the passageway into the lake. The thought of going a hundred metres down that sinister place by myself gave me the creeps.

‘Will you be all right?’ Irini asked.

‘ ’Course. It’s only a tunnel, isn’t it?’ A peacock made its plaintive, mocking, cry. The sound drifted, ghostly, through the trees like a warning. ‘Now, let’s bury the box,’ I said.

We hid the crate under an earthy bank and knocked soil down until it was covered. ‘We’d better remember the spot. Imagine if we do such a good job we can’t find it later.’ I said.

A purple heron flew from a branch and stood, still as a lamp post in the middle of the shallow lake. The water, flat as glass, mirrored the bird, the brilliant blue sky, and the tall trees that surrounded us.

I gazed at the peace and beauty of Seven Springs and decided I’d bring my family here when they returned, when the war was over. But my heart leapt when the silence was broken by the unmistakeable sound of an army jeep.

‘Quick, hide!’ I said. ‘In the woods!’

We scrambled up the bank, dived into the undergrowth, and crouched behind a juniper bush. The vehicle stopped on the road over the tunnel. Two German soldiers went to the tailgate and dragged out a reluctant passenger who was bound and gagged.

The Germans threw their prisoner down the bank and followed on a steep footpath that ran alongside the tunnel. I got a clear look at their terrified captive.

Giovanni! Oh, God help him!