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They ran, Gina’s hand in Marco’s as he led the way, his tall, muscular frame carving a path through the crowds. They were laughing and giddy, like mischievous children, as they clattered down the stone steps in front of the opera house.

Outside in the piazza, the cold, damp air swirling around them, it was as though the spell had been broken. Their hands fell apart and self-consciousness crept in.

‘Poor Lucia,’ Gina said, in a rare moment of sympathy for the diva.

‘I’m sure she won’t be short of admirers.’

‘She seemed keen to have your attention,’ Gina teased.

‘She’s … hard to resist, but it is possible,’ Marco remarked. ‘If one tries hard enough.’

It had been raining while they were watching the performance, and water was still dripping from awnings and balconies. Gina sometimes thought that Venice was at its most spectacular after a rainfall, with the ancient buildings reflected in the puddles, and the pink light from the ornate lampposts shining on the flagstones. The clouds above were thick, obscuring the moon and threatening another shower.

‘Well, I’d better be heading back,’ Gina said, surprised to find that she felt reluctant.

‘To the hotel?’

Gina shook her head. ‘I’m going home. I live in Dorsoduro, near the university.’

‘I’ll walk with you.’

‘You don’t have to …’

‘It’s no problem. I’m in San Polo, so not far.’

‘OK … thank you.’

‘You can never be too careful,’ Marco said seriously. ‘Especially during Carnevale. There are all kinds of strange characters around.’

Gina thought back to the other night, and the uncomfortable encounter she’d had with the three costumed men. Then the mysterious hero had swooped in to save her, and the two of them had shared a magical evening. Gina couldn’t stop thinking about him, and she’d started to have the craziest idea … He’d been around Marco’s height and build, though it was difficult to tell with the costume, but no, that couldn’t be the case, the man she’d met at the carnival had blue eyes and Marco’s were brown, she was sure of it …

‘Did you go out for the opening night of Carnival?’ Gina asked as they walked through the quaint streets surrounding La Fenice, unsure what she wanted the answer to be.

‘Yes,’ Marco nodded, and Gina felt a jolt of adrenaline. ‘I went to the Enterprise Guild Ball.’

‘Oh,’ Gina replied, her excitement fading. Of course it hadn’t been him, however much she might have been secretly hoping it was. ‘Did you have a good time?’

‘Fine upstanding Venetians that they are, the Guild aren’t the most wildly exciting companions to have for Carnevale. I just wanted to go home to Daniela. Although afterwards I—’

He broke off as there was a flash of lightning followed by a deafening roll of thunder, and then the heavens opened. There were cries of alarm from party-goers in their elaborate costumes, and the streets emptied quickly as people ran for cover.

‘In here,’ Marco called, as Gina hastily followed him out of the rain and into a nearby bacaro. Inside it was dark and smoky, with round wooden tables and cosy velvet chairs, the interior dimly lit by candles. The place was packed, but Marco found one of the last remaining tables and the two of them squeezed into the cramped space, pressed closely beside one another. Their bodies were touching as they shrugged off their jackets, shaking the rain from their hair.

‘Let’s get a drink while the rain passes?’ Marco suggested. ‘Hopefully it’s just a shower.’

‘Sure,’ Gina agreed, as the waiter approached their table and the two of them ordered Spritzes, a traditional Venetian cocktail made with bitters and Prosecco, topped up with soda water.

‘So,’ Gina began, at the same time as Marco said, ‘Well.’

They both burst into laughter.

‘You go ahead,’ Marco said chivalrously.

‘I was going to ask how the movie’s coming along,’ Gina smiled.

‘It’s going to be pretty spectacular, from what I can tell.’

‘I wouldn’t expect anything less from Brad Redford.’