‘I’ll come with you,’ Gina offered. ‘You can’t go by yourself, you’ll be mobbed.’
‘My bodyguard’s waiting at the back exit. You stay here and enjoy the rest of the evening,’ Brad grinned, raising his hand in a farewell gesture before turning to leave. Gina was surprised by his hasty exit and found herself wishing she’d gone with him, but now she’d missed her opportunity.
In Brad’s absence, Lucia turned her attention to Marco.
‘Signor DiMaggio, did you like what you saw?’ she asked, turning in a slow pirouette, inviting him to admire her.
‘You were a triumph,’ he smiled, though Gina noticed he kept the same polite but distant tone as he’d previously used with Lucia. Whether La Leonessa was aware of it or not, she didn’t appear to be taking no for an answer.
‘Marco – you don’t mind if I call you Marco, no? We are friends now. Tonight is my special night, and that means I get whatever I want. And I want you to take me for dinner.’
Marco laughed uncomfortably. ‘I’m sure there are far more exciting people to spend the evening with than me. Besides, I already have plans.’
Lucia narrowed her eyes, fury crossing her face. ‘Plans?’ she repeated, a look of disdain crossing her face.
‘Yes. With Gina.’
Lucia’s head whipped across, and she glared at Gina, as though seeing her properly for the first time. ‘I see.’ It was almost a snarl. Then Lucia’s voice became like honey once again. ‘It is a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know each other. Let me take you to my favourite trattoria,’ she offered enticingly.
‘I’m afraid not. Gina and I have urgent business to discuss; we’re on a tight schedule for filming.’
Lucia’s eyes were blazing as she looked from Marco to Gina, unable to believe that Marco had had the temerity to say no to her. Her lips clamped together in a tight line, and she seemed on the verge of an explosion, but then a young man carrying a large bouquet of flowers approached La Leonessa with an adoring look on his face. Lucia couldn’t resist the devoted follower, the source of her fury temporarily forgotten, and Marco leaned across to Gina.
‘Quick, let’s get out of here,’ he hissed. He grabbed Gina’s hand and pulled her along, the two of them rushing together past the security guards towards the exit, giggling and exhilarated.
Chapter 12
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.
