Brad broke off from drying his hair and looked up.
‘I’ve checked your schedule, and it looks as though you won’t be able to meet Lexi in Paris. You’ll be needed for a meeting. The money men are flying in to meet you to go over the budgets – they’re concerned at the overspend. I’ve tried to move things around, but the times just won’t work.’
Brad let out a sigh and shrugged lightly, looking downcast. ‘It happens. Comes with the territory when you’re married to one of the most famous women in the world. It’s not your fault.’
Issy shot him a look of sympathy. ‘I can reach out to her PA, see if we can arrange something for Prague?’
‘Thanks, Issy,’ Brad said appreciatively.
‘No problem.’
‘So, where are we going after dinner?’ Instantly, Brad was back to his old self, upbeat and charming.
Issy panicked momentarily. ‘Nowhere. Don’t you want to rest and prepare for tomorrow?’
Brad laughed, a cheeky twinkle in those bright blue eyes. ‘You know what I always say – I’ll sleep when I’m dead.’ He strode across the room towards her, placing a hand on the small of her back and steering her towards the long casement windows. The gesture was entirely innocent, but Issy’s skin tingled beneath his touch. He was barely inches away from her and naked apart from a towel, his skin smelling clean and fresh from the shower.
‘What do you see out there?’ Brad asked, sweeping his hand to indicate the view.
Issy frowned, looking outside at the city across the water, at the boats gliding along the Grand Canal, and the white domed church of Santa Maria della Salute, looking impossibly romantic at night as its lights reflected off the water.
‘Venice?’ she tried, sounding confused.
‘Exactly! We’re in Venice, and it’s Carnevale!’ Brad affected a flamboyant Italian accent. ‘Find us both a mask, Iz. It’s party time!’
Chapter 4
The White Palace boat docked alongside the stunning façade of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, moments away from St Mark’s Square. It was already extremely crowded, with passengers disembarking from scores of boats, as water taxis pulled in and hundreds of people swarmed towards the piazza. Gina had allocated local guides for any guests who wanted to explore and be escorted through the surrounding streets, while she and Vittoria would keep their eyes on the rest and make sure no one got lost.
Gina was the last to step off the boat and into the throng, reminding Leo to be back at midnight. Already the excitement in the air was tangible, every sense stimulated by the sights and sounds and the crush of Carnival-goers. The costumes were extraordinary – enormous ballgowns in ruby red and dazzling turquoise and vibrant fuchsia, decorated with sequins and pearls and feathers, accessorized with tulle ruffs and lace gloves and the most elaborate masks. There were a handful of tourists in puffer jackets and jeans, wrapped up warmly against the cold, but they were the ones who looked out of place amidst the revellers in their finery.
Olivia and Max had spared no expense on their costumes, both of them dressed as Renaissance-period Venetian aristocrats. Olivia positively glittered, like one of her diamonds, as she chattered to the other guests.
‘No matter how many times I’m at the Carnival, I can never get over how spectacular it is,’ Gina commented, raising her voice to be heard. Behind her mask, the sound didn’t carry so well over the noise of the revellers.
‘Everyone makes such an effort, it’s wonderful,’ Vittoria agreed, as a man passed them wearing a black and silver celestial-themed outfit, with a moon-shaped mask and a floor-length cape covered in stars.
‘Although it’s a little strange too. Anyone could be hiding behind the mask.’
‘That’s what makes it exciting.’ Vittoria herself wore a stunning dress in a rich shade of purple, her Columbina mask in matching colours and decorated with ostrich feathers. ‘That was the point of the original Carnival – Venetians could do whatever they wanted, with whoever they wanted. They got up to all kinds of naughty things. Venice was the pleasure capital of Europe. It was the Las Vegas of its day,’ she grinned.
‘There is always a little bit of madness in the air …’ Gina said, feeling uncertain. The mask cut off her peripheral vision, leaving her feeling strangely vulnerable.
‘There could be someone famous and you’d never even know,’ Vittoria giggled. ‘Maybe La Leonessa. Or even Brad Redford!’
Gina smiled tightly behind her mask. There was no doubt that the costumes made for a unique spectacle, but tonight she felt torn. To Gina there was something rather sinister about the frozen expressions and the anonymity, which gave the whole night a fizz of danger which was usually very exciting. Tonight she felt on guard, perhaps because of Vittoria’s mention of La Leonessa …
They walked further into St Mark’s Square and Gina couldn’t help marvelling as she always did at the incredible sight of Piazza San Marco, with its arched walkways and stunning rococo architecture. The vast open space was thronged with Carnival-goers, and the atmosphere crackled with energy.
‘Look at that!’ Vittoria gasped, as a procession wound its way in front of them, with stilt walkers and fire breathers and acrobats dressed as Harlequins, followed by a band of street musicians playing an up-tempo tune.
Gina watched in amazement as a nearby group burst into a spontaneous dance, unable to believe that this was her life now. As Vittoria had pointed out, no one could see Gina, and no one knew who she was. She could disguise her true self – though in many ways she felt as though she’d been doing that for years.
The procession came to an end and the lively group stopped dancing. Gina turned to Vittoria and realized she wasn’t beside her, and had lost the group of her hotel guests. She spun around in a circle, her eyes searching the crowd, but there were costumed bodies and masked faces everywhere she turned: Pantalone, Pulcinella, Il Capitano, but no Colombina. What had Vittoria been wearing? Gina tried to recall. Blue, wasn’t it? Or red? She found she couldn’t remember.
Gina tried to stand still, to take a moment to calm down and use her eyes, but she was jostled by the crowd and it was impossible not to be swept along in the sea of people. Eventually, Gina realized that it was futile to go against the flow, and her only option was to let herself be carried with the tide. What was the matter with her this evening? She reassured herself that all would be well without her – Vittoria was responsible and experienced, and Leo would return with the boat in a few hours’ time. As long as Gina was back by then, why not enjoy herself in the meantime? It was the closest she’d come to a night off in months.
Gina’s life was so consumed by the White Palace that she rarely had the opportunity to explore the city she loved. She let herself drift along, slowly finding herself at the outer edges of the square, where she finally emerged into the warren of streets surrounding the main piazza. There were so many people that it was disorienting, even for a local. Everything looked different in the moonlight, and Gina struggled to get her bearings outside souvenir shops that sold cheap Carnival attire, passing jewellers and sweet shops and bars that were heaving with revellers enjoying spritzes and cicchetti. She slowed as she reached a small stone bridge that was causing a bottleneck, admiring the way the white moon, shining high above, reflected off the water, her heeled shoes echoing off the stone as she crossed over.
On the other side of the bridge it was quieter, the tourists fanning out into the surrounding streets. Gina exhaled slowly, enjoying the unexpected calm, as she passed through a sotoportego and found herself alone. She could hear the drip of water, and jumped in fright as a bird took off nearby, the flap of its wings echoing along the brick passageway. Gina almost laughed at her own skittishness, before realizing that the alley was a dead end, finishing in a short flight of steps that led directly into the canal. Suddenly the sound of revels in the distance seemed a long way away.
She heard men’s voices approaching – two or three, laughing and joking. She turned to go, to get away before they found her, but the twisting passages had created an auditory illusion, and the men were much closer than she thought. The next moment they were in front of her, three of them. She tried to move out of their way, but it was impossible in the narrow alleyway, and one of them collided with her. Gina thought it was deliberate, but she couldn’t be certain.
Silently, the first one held up his hands. He was tall and broad, dressed all in black as il dottore, with the sinister, beak-like mask that brought to mind a black raven hiding his face.
Gina felt a pang of fear as the black beads of his eyes looked at her coldly. She went to move past him, but a second man was blocking her path.
‘Spostatevi, signori, per favore,’ Gina said firmly, trying to disguise her trembling voice as she asked them to move. Who were these blockheads who wouldn’t move out of her way? She was angry too, but it was underpinned by fear that she had found herself in this position.
‘What’s the matter? No need to be rude,’ the figure dressed as il dottore told her, and she could smell alcohol on his breath.
‘We’re just being friendly,’ said the other. ‘Why don’t you try being friendly too?’
‘Yes, let’s have a dance!’ the third one said, who was also wearing a bird mask in the shape of an eagle, roughly pulling Gina towards him. She had to fight an urge to cry out as he put his arm firmly around her waist and spun her around drunkenly.
His friends laughed coarsely and one of them began singing ‘O Solo Mio’ loudly.
The others sang along clumsily, and the man was joined in his rough dance by another, their beak masks blending into one as Gina was thrust dizzyingly around, almost losing her balance.
