Mills Et Boon Best Seller Romance HAWK IN A BLUE SKY Charlotte Lamb

1183 Charlotte Lamb HAWK IN A BLUE SKY Five years ago, when she was eighteen, Amanda had been frightened rather than fl attered by Cesare Druetso's proposal of marriage. She had been determined not to be yet another scalp on Cesare's belt or a slave to his masterful ways and she had categorically turned him down. But now she was back in his home in Tuscany, this time engaged to his younger, gentler brother Piero. But Cesare, it soon tur ned out, had no intention of accepting the situation. He refused to acknowledge Amanda as his brother's fiance, declaring that she was meant for him and for no o ne else and his whole family, indeed the whole town, appeared to be backing him up! Just what could Amanda do about it? Mills & Boon Best Seller Romance ISBN 0-263-74491-4 UK f NET +000.95 09 5 Singapore $4.25 Malaysia $4.25 Australia $2.50* New Zealand $2.95 *Recommended 9 780263 744910

Mills Et Boon Best Seller Romance A chance to read and collect some of the best-loved novels from Mills & Boonthe w orld's largest publisher of romantic fiction. Every month, six titles by favouri te Mills & Boon authors will be re-published in the Best Seller Romance series. A list of other titles in the Best Seller Romance series can be found at the end of this book.

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the Author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the Same name or name s. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to th e Author, and all the incidents are pure invention. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in a n information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated wi thout the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other t han that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. First published 1977 Austr alian copyright 1983 Philippine copyright 1978 This edition 1983 Charlotte Lamb 1977 ISBN o 263 77491 4 A Set in Linotype Granjon 11 on 13 pt. 02I 183 Made and printed in Great Britain by Richard Clay (The Chaucer Press) Ltd, i Bungay, Suffolk

CHAPTER ONE was riding a silver horse when she caught sight of a familiar face a mong the crowd thronging the Bank Holiday fair on Hampstead Heath. For a dizzy s econd she felt almost as if the merry-goround had whirled her back through time. The blaring music played on, the bright lights flashed, the horses went up and down, round and round. Amanda clung to the gaily painted, twisting pole which he ld her horse and thought about Cesare Druetso, the autocratic master of San Vole nco, the medieval walled city from which she had fled five years ago. Was it pos sible that here, among this noisily democratic London crowd, she was face to fac e with Cesare's brother Piero? The music slowed. The merry-go-round slid to a st op. Five years were erased as Piero leapt to her side to help her to dismount, h is dark eyes full of laughing warmth. `I couldn't believe my eyes!' he greeted h er. 'Of all the people in London you were the one I most wanted to see, and ther e you were, suddenly! It is incredible!' Amanda could only murmur faintly, 'Pier o ... is it really you?' He kissed her hand with Latin gallantry. 'It is certain ly me, and I am enchanted to see you again ...' `Goodness, you've grown up,' sai d Amanda, grinning. AMANDA BRYCE 5

6 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `You were a hobbledehoy when I last saw you, but you've som ehow managed to acquire the Druetso charm in the meantime, I see.' `Hobbledehoy ?' Piero's excellent English was not quite perfect, she saw, as he frowned enqui ringly. 'It sounds revolting. Is it?' Then, seeing how she laughed, 'Yes, I see it is ! And as for charm, I seem to remember you were proof against our family c harm?' He flipped a thin dark brow upwards, looking amused. She felt her cheeks flush and eyed him reproachfully. 'I don't think we should talk about that.' `Wh y not? Everyone knew, even the hobbledehoy ... that is the word?' He was teasing her, enjoying himself. She remembered very well what a tease Piero had always b een, a gay, good-humoured boy with eyes that twinkled and a mouth which smiled a ll the time. 'Imagine you turning Cesare down ! The city buzzed with it for mont hs ! All the girls green with envy, thinking you mad ... not one of them would h ave missed the chance to marry my brother.' `What are you doing in England?' She was determined not to discuss the matter. 'Have you been here long? When do you go back ?' He grimaced. 'O.K. I'm over here to learn the English end of the win e trade. I arrived last month and I go back in two months' time.' He stopped at a shooting gallery. `Shall I win you a fluffy pink rabbit?' He beckoned to the a ttendant, selected a rifle and took aim. He was, she saw, a good shot. A few mom ents later they strolled away with a pink rabbit.

7 She eyed it with amusement. 'I'll always treasure itit will remind me of you.' `H mm ...' He gave her a thoughtful look. 'I've an idea I am going to have troub le with you. You use worsts like concealed weapons.' She laughed. A sidelong gla nce reminded her of his dark Druetso looks, the clear olive skin, black curly ha ir and handsome features. As a boy she recalled him being extremely attractivehe had grown into a young man who captured all feminine eyes. He still bore the sof tness of youth about him, a faintly tender look about the mouth, an almost femin ine delicacy. Remembering his brother, she guessed 'this would wear away with ti me. Cesare had been tougher, more angular in feature, a very masculine man. Pier o sobered. 'I was very sorry to hear about your father. We all were. We hoped yo u would come home after the funeralmy mother had your room ready.' Gently, she sa id, 'England is my home now. It has been for tke last five years.' Tut you are s till half Italian,' he reminded her. 'You lived at Volenco for your first eighte en years. Doesn't that give us more of a claim than England?' He sounded hurt. S he smiled at him soothingly. 'I haven't forgotten Volenco, but I have made a lif e for myself here. I work in a large importer's office, translating Italian into English, and back again. I've a nice flat, friends, hobbies. I like London. The re is always so much to do here.' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

8 ` HAWK IN A BLUE SKY SO I have discovered,' he nodded. 'Will you come out with me now and then?' She thanked him gravely. They stood together, in the anonymous shelter of the crowd, the lights flashing gaily around them, music soaring up into the London sky. Be yond the bright circle of the fair the Heath fell away, shadowy and mysterious, a natural oasis in London's vast sprawl. 'How odd that we should meet here!' She was astonished by the vagaries of fate. `I rang you a couple of times,' Piero s aid. 'You were never in and I didn't leave my name because I wanted to surprise you.' `I would have rung you back if you had,' she pointed out. He shrugged, ver y Italian. 'It would have been less fun. And if you were very busy with someone ...' His dark eyes probed her face, curious and shrewd. 'If there had been a man , You might not have wished to complicate things.' Amanda gave him a long look. 'We grew up together ... we're almost brother and sister! Of course I wanted to see you, silly.' `Brother and sister?' Piero made a fierce grimace. 'No, never that, mia cara.' And the soft outline of youth seemed harder, more masculine as he frowned. `There are so many questions,' she said. 'So much I want to ask you. I hardly know where to begin.' `You do not begin with Cesare?' he asked softly. She flushed. 'How is Cesare?' She kept her tone light and cool.

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 9 `He is ... Cesare!' Piero laughed. 'He is, of course, unmarried still.' `Why of course?' She pretended bafflement. 'Why shouldn't he have married in five years? With all those girls pining for him?' `If he had married, Mamma would have writ ten to you,' Piero pointed out calmly. 'She writes regularly, doesn't she? We se e her letters going off to England every week, and letters coming back ... rathe r thin little envelopes compared to hers, but replies of a sort.' She flushed. ' I have so little to tell her. My life ...' She looked around her, half wildly. ' What can I tell her? What would she understand of London? She has never left Vol enco in her life.' Piero sighed. 'True.' He smiled at her, his dark eyes alight. 'But I shall have something to tell her in my next letter! Something to please her. She has always been so fond of you, Amanda mia `I'm very fond of her, too,' Amanda said eagerly. `But not of Cesare?' She was irritated. 'I wish you would stop harping on about your brother!' She was aware that her face was very pink, and that made her even crosser. Even at this distance, it seemed, Cesare could d ominate the lives of those near and dear to him, and even the lives of those who detested him, as she did. `Why did you refuse him?' Piero persisted, untroubled by her little tantrum. Before she could stop herself she had retorted with the truth, 'I didn't want to marry a dictator!'

10 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY Piero looked astonished, amused, curious. 'A dictator ?' He repeated the word as though it pleased him, savouring it. `Cesare is an autocrat, the ruler of a tin y kingdom. His wife would be nothing but a slave.' Some expression in Piero's da rk eyes made her pause, a little anxious now. She was, after all, talking about his brother, and the Druetso family were so close. What affected one, affected a ll. They were always concerned for each other, involved with each other. That ha d been another reason for her father's decision to leave the city. James Bryce h ad visited San Volenco after the war, met and fallen in love with the Conte's se cond cousin, a slight, fragile girl with black eyes and a sweet smile. They had married, and to please his wife James had settled in the city. He had run an ant ique shop. Their only child, Amanda, had been born and brought up there. Lucia B ryce had been entirely devoted to her daughter, but it had been her dearest wish to see Amanda married to the young Conte, Cesare. Cesare's mother, the Contessa Maria, had been Lucia's best friend since their schooldays together. On Amanda' s eighteenth birthday Contessa Maria had given a great party for her, in the cas tle hall, and afterwards Cesare had taken her to walk in the shadowy walled gard en, where tubs of scarlet flowers made the air fragrant. Cesare had made a forma l proposal, his dark face shuttered. Amanda, pale and stammering, had uneasily r efused him. For a second he had stood quite still, then, looking up swiftly, she had seen his face unmasked,

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY II the habitual calmness he showed the world dissolved. Rage, black and terrible, f lared out at her. She had backed away, trembling. She had not for a moment suspe cted thisit terrified her. When they returned to the hall, everyone looked at the m, and now she saw quite clearly that they all expected him to announce their en gagement. The family had viewed it as a settled thing. No wonder poor Cesare had been furiousa public humiliation for him must have been galling, indeed. Her mot her's pain had been the worst to bear, particularly as, unknown to her, Lucia ha d been seriously ill then, and was to die shortly afterwards. Amanda had felt si ck with guilt after her mother's death, bitterly aware that she might have made her happy if she had accepted Cesare. If only he had been different! All her lif e she had been subject to Cesare's authority. He had been ten years her senior, a thin dark boy who seemed grown up when she was still a child and who settled n aturally into his father's place on the old Conte's death. Amanda had, quite sim ply, been afraid of Cesarean arrogant, ruthless man so much older than herself wa s not her idea of a romantic partner. I was far too young, she thought now. Why had they all planned such an unsuitable match, anyway? Why had Cesare agreed to it? she suddenly wondered. He was not the man to do anything unless he wished to do it, yet he had proposed obediently at his mother's suggestion ! Presumably h e had decided she would make a suitable bride, and had cared very little whether they

12 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY could be happy. She could not imagine Cesare under the spell of emotion, blindly in love or weak at the knees, as she had been since once or twice. Love had com e to her briefly, violently. A tennis coach with sandy hair and strong, brown wr ists ... a boy in Scotland last year, with heathery eyes and a delicious accent which thickened when he spoke shyly of love. Each had been mere episodes in her life, and she had known even in her brief delirium that it was not to last, but it had, in an odd sort of way, taught her much about love. She suspected that Ce sare had never even learnt that little. One had to abandon oneself, surrender, b ecome weak. Cesare would never submit to that. Piero was staring at her. 'What a re you thinking about?' She laughed. 'Nothing! It will be nice to talk to someon e from Volenco again, that's all.' She shared her three-roomed flat with two gir l friends. They were capable, friendly, sympathetic girls, and Piero bowled them over. They could not take their eyes from his fine olive features, his beautifu l mouth and dark eyes. He showed them his charm, his attentive courtesy. They si ghed for vanished days of female subjection, then went off to do complicated, hi ghly paid jobs, banishing Piero and his old-world attitudes from their minds. Th ey knew their own world, and delightful as he was, Piero would not fit into it. He was a visitor from another time. Several times a week after that Piero and Am anda

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 13 met, dined and danced, went to the theatre or concerts, walked in Kew Gardens or cruised up the River Thames. They saw most of London's sights together, did all the `tourist' things which are so pleasurable despite the sophisticated jokes a bout them. It was Sue who asked her, 'Are you falling for him, Mandy ?' And Aman da had looked startled, taken aback. `What? How ludicrous !' Sue had eyed her wr yly. 'Sure?' Then Piero, as they danced in a quiet club, held her closer and sai d with sudden huskiness, 'Amanda ? Cara?' She felt her knees suddenly weaken, re cognised a familiar sense of subjection, a loss of identity. Surely not, she tol d herself fiercely. She had- grown out of these adolescent crushes, these sudden attacks of love. Like the measles they were part of her youth. She was a grownup now. At the flat, deserted by her friends this evening, Piero kissed her, and the world spun like the merry-go-round at the fair. Amanda clung, her arms arou nd his neck, while he whispered in Italian, the familiar words newminted for thi s new love. 'Cara, cara . . . you're so beautiful, tanto bella . . . I think I'm falling in love.' At the back of her dizzy head a little voice said, 'No ... no !' But Amanda barely heard, did not comprehend. She was too busy coping with a r ush of emotion. Some weeks later they spent a Saturday at Kenwood House, in Hamp stead, strolling in the landscaped gardens by the lake, viewing the paintings in the elegant

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 4 eighteenth-century rooms, talking as they sunbathed on the lawns. They ate salad for lunch in the whitewashed coach-house, turned into a re staurant in these touristconscious days. Their table stood beside a well-preserv ed Victorian family coach, painted black and red. Amanda saw Piero's face reflec ted in the polished wood. `Will you marry me?' he asked abruptly, leaning forwar d, his dark eyes intent. 'Come home, cara, home to Volenco, as my wife.' There w as a trance-like silence as she let the words sink into her brain. She had half anticipated them, yet she was still dumbfounded that he had actually said them. She looked at him nervously. 'Piero ... it's so difficult ...' `Cesare?' He look ed back gently. 'I know, but after five years it is unlikely he will mind at all . Everyone will be happy to have you back. Especially Mamma ... I have hinted in my letters, and I think she guesses. I am sure they will accept it.' There was no need for him to ask if she loved him, or to tell her how he felt. They knew a ll that already. Love had galloped through their lives bearing all before it. Al l that was left to them was this final decision. She looked at him weakly, desir ing to consent. He was so lovable, so warm, so gentle, so good to look at. There was no reason why she should hesitate. Was there? Yet she did hesitate, biting her lip, torn this way and that. Piero smiled at her, taking her hand, and her h eart 1

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 55 plunged with delight and love. `Say yes,' he pleaded softly. She heard her lips move, her tongue breathe the one word he wished to hear. His face lit up, he rai sed her hand to his lips and kissed it reverently. That night, in her bed, she a woke from a deep but troubled sleep, the word No springing from her shaking lips . She was damp with perspiration, shivering with fear. Cesare's dark face loomed in her mind, rage radiating from it. `What have I done?' she asked herself weak ly. They flew to Milan. Amanda was surprised to realise, as she looked down at E ngland's green fields, how little she regretted what she left behind. Despite wh at she had said to Piero, despite all she had told herself, she had never put do wn roots in England. The important, formative years had been spent elsewhere. Sh e had secretly been an exile during these five years, an exile from the warm, su n-kissed plain of San Volenco. Now she was returning, and her heart was light. S he pushed away the night-time fears which her engagement had brought her. Why, a s Piero said, should anyone be angry if she married him? Five years was long eno ugh to wipe out all old debts. They hired a car in Milan and set out to drive th e rest of the way to Volenco. According to the family legend, Volenco had been a knight during the first crusade who had returned to Italy

16 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY , unharmed, and on his journey home had seen a silvery stag leaping across the bro ad plain beyond a river. He had hunted it through the bright waters, across the plain and up the steep rocky fastness of a mountain, where it turned at last, it s antlers forming a cross, before disappearing from his dazzled sight. Volenco h ad founded a monastery on the spot, convinced that he had seen a vision of Chris t. Over the years a settlement had grown up around the monastery walls. During t he dangerous era of the early Middle Ages the Druetso family had somehow arrived , built their castle and surrounded both castle, town and monastery with battlem ented walls which encircled the whole mountain. The monastery church, with its s ilver cross surmounting the ancient bell tower, still stood at the very summit, visible from miles away across the green plain. The Druetso had been driven out, during the Renaissance, to, return again and re-take their old fortress in a bl oody battle. One of the family had almost become Pope, only to die of a heart at tack at a crucial moment. They had been soldiers, bankers, merchants, artists. N ow they made their living in a timeless fashion from the soilwith vines and horse s. Dark portraits of them hung on the walls of the shadowy gallery above the hal lportraits which stretched back to the fifteenth century. The most famous was of Beatrice, a Botticelli, it was believed, although art historians disputed it. Be atrice di Druetso, a delicate ethereal girl with silvery fine, wayward hair and great pale blue eyes, a fine lustrous skin and a wistfully remote

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY expression, was the subject of one of the city's most popular legends. Amanda, a s a girl, had been told often that she resembled the portrait. She had spent hou rs staring at it, unable to believe she shared the fragile beauty of the subject . As they drew nearer, Amanda was increasingly excited. Her mind opened to a rus hing sense of the past. Memories possessed her, things she thought she had forgo tten. Fifteen miles away their car broke down. It was a sleepy, hot afternoon, a nd the nearest garage was closed for siesta. By the time the mechanic had been a roused, persuaded to look at their car and seen what was wrong, the dusk was fas t falling around them. They went and sat on an old stone bridge, sipping fragran t local wine and sharing a pizza, savoury with anchovy, black olives and tomatoe s. The mechanic sang in his tumbledown garage, clinking and clanking about in th e entrails of the car. Children and dogs sidled up to inspect them, then ran awa y in mock alarm when they turned to grin. `I'm so happy,' Amanda said suddenly. 'Darling, I'm afraid. What is waiting for us at Volenco? I've got ... a premonit ion ...' Piero smoothed her cheek with a finger. `Mm ... like a peach, your skin . Silly, silly cara. Afraid of what? Of those who love you? Mamma, Aunt Teresa, Giulio ...' `Cesare,' she whispered huskily, her breath catching. Piero's face d arkened suddenly, in an uncharacteristic rage which reminded her of his brother. 'Cesare! Cesare!

18 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY Always Cesare ! I begin to wonder how you really feel about that brother of mine !' Amanda went white, then red. 'Piero ! You're mad! You know I hate him. He fri ghtens me.' Piero's rage had already evaporated. He was too nice to be angry for long. He sighed and slid an arm around her waist. 'I know. I'm sorry. But don't worry. It will work out ' When they arrived at the foot of the mountain road th ey could see that the city gates were locked, as they always were by ten o'clock . Against the dark sky the silver cross on the church gleamed brightly. The air was humid, heavy. Cars were not permitted inside San Volencothe narrow, winding s treets were too steep. They parked the car in the public car park, beneath a mak eshift roof supported by wooden pillars, the nearest approach to a garage the ci ty possessed. There were a dozen other vehicles parked there, among them a sleek silver Rolls, a vintage car which Amanda recognised as the possession of Cesare . Trust him to own something as exquisite and special as that she thought crossl y. They walked slowly up the rough track leading towards the city gate. Suddenly the weather broke. Thunder crashed overhead, the osiers in the river bed tossed and rustled in the wind. Then the clouds poured down rain, filling the dry rive r bed with the rushing of water. Silver lightning split the darkness. `Mother of God,' Piero shouted above the appalling din. 'What a welcome, my darling!' They ran, panting, slipping, their feet unable to hold

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 19 on the rain-wet rock. Soaked, her thin cotton , dress shrinking to her body, Ama nda dived against the wall for some sort of protection while Piero furiously pul led the bell rope. The bell clanged noisily. She looked at Piero and laughed, su ddenly, half hysterical. 'You look so funny! Your shirt is saturated.' The wicke t gate opened. She turned, then her heart leapt into her throat. 'Cesare ...' Da rk-visaged, unsmiling, a tall man in a white shirt open at the throat, his black hair slicked to his skull by rain, looking as menacing as some Renaissance prin ce confronting an enemy, Cesare let his narrow eyes survey her. She was wide-eye d, defiant, her fragility emphasised by her pallor and wind-tossed wet hair. `Sh e is soaked to the skin,' Piero protested, putting a quick, possessive arm aroun d her. The two men faced each other, and Amanda felt the confrontation as someth ing physical. Piero's hand was clenched into a fist. She felt his arm tensing ag ainst her. Then Cesare turned and silently led them into the city. They walked u p the winding street to the castle. Faces peered out from windows above them, fu rtive and curious. Everyone knew they had arrived. Amanda felt the shuttered, in bred atmosphere of the old city closing around her once again. Now she remembere d just how it felt, just what had always frightened her so much. In five years o f England the impression had worn thin, but now it all came alive againthe menace of brooding possessiveness, the magic circle of the family. She was trap.

20 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY ped in the web again, snared by the honey-sweet secretions love had used. She sh ivered, and Cesare looked briefly down at her. `Cold?' His voice sounded oddly f amiliar. Why did she remember those husky accents so well? Piero was frightened, she suspected. He had not bargained for Cesare's silence, his coldness, his ang er. She looked up and saw the great wooden door of the hall open for them. A can dle gleamed. She looked at Cesare. He felt her glance on him and turned again. ' The generator has just failed,' he said. She laughed. 'Of course. It always does in storms.' It seemed almost a friendly act, a familiar and welcoming gesture. It reminded her of childhood games by candlelight in other storms, of her mother , comforting her with pancakes eaten picnic-style in bed, while beyond the windo ws the thunder cracked and the sky was riven by bright streaks of lightning. `Am anda! Cara! Little one ...' The Contessa hurried to the door, softly exclaiming her name again and again. Amanda threw herself, half sobbing, into the arms whic h were extended to her, and was held warmly against a bony shoulder. The Contess a's back was as straight, her widow's weeds as elegant and unchangeable as ever. She would wear black until the day she died. She had loved her husband passiona tely, and in her case the tradition of mourning was a true expression of grief. Now she whispered gently, lovingly as she stroked Amanda's wet head, 'You are ba ck at last where you

B . HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 21 belong. How could you stay away so long, cara? Here is your home, not England; t he home of the family, the home of the heart ...' `I've missed you so much,' Ama nda murmured, feeling the true depth of her affection for the Contessa Maria onl y now that she saw her again. Cesare watched expressionlessly. Piero was kissing Aunt Teresa, assuring her that he had brought presents for the whole family. Wh en the Contessa released her, Aunt Teresa bustled forward to embrace Amanda. Sho rt, stout, with iron-grey hair which she wore in an ageless style, plaited acros s her head in a coronet, Aunt Teresa hugged Amanda warmly. ut you are wet throug h ! You must change ! You will catch pneumonia if you stand about in these cloth es.' Practical as ever, Aunt Teresa urged her towards the stairs. They climbed u pwards into darkest shadow, curving at the top into a great gallery. Carrying a silver branched candelabrum of great age and beauty, Aunt Teresa led her up the stairs. The candlelight gradually ate the darkness, revealing fading tapestries, hung on the great stone walls, which billowed outward in the wind. Amanda gazed at them as she passed. They were as familiar to her as the faces of the family. There were the saints Agnes, Elizabeth and Veronica, their dim features softly visible among the shadows which had once been bright colours. The trees and leav es which had been green long ago were now a dusty sage. The flowers had softened and turned yellow. Here and there some member of the Druetso family had darned great rents in them..

22 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY They were still, for all their decay, exquisitely beautiful. Amanda realised sud denly that Cesare had accompanied them. He was a step or two behind, his dark fa ce implacable. She glanced back at him nervously. Aunt Teresa paused before a do or, opened it fumblingly, and Amanda gave a start as she realised which room she had been given. `The Beatrice chamber!' she exclaimed. She had always slept in one of the smaller rooms when she stayed here. Aunt Teresa looked nervously at C esare. His grey eyes were watching Amanda. They gleamed with sardonic mockery. S he saw it had been his decision to put her in this room, and she guessed why. Be atrice, the girl in the Botticelli painting, had been betrothed to a Renaissance Druetso, an earlier Conte of San Volenco, and had fallen in love before their m arriage with one of his own knights. Legend was ambiguous from that point onone v ersion of the story said that she married the Conte all the same, deserting her lover, and bore him three sons and a daughter. Another version, more popular and more dramatic, said that she leapt to her death from the balcony of this very c hamber, down to the cruel valley below. Amanda met Cesare's menacing look bravel y. If he meant her to feel threatened he was wasting his time. Melodramatic lege nds did not impress her. `You must have a bath and go to bed,' commanded Aunt Te resa. She lit a candle which stood ready on the bedside table, smiled at Amanda and left her.

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 23 Amanda found the small cupboard which had been turned into a bathroom during her time here, bathed and slid into one of her London nightie s, a pale pink fantasy sewn with white rosebuds, sheer and fragile like a pink c loud. Aunt Teresa eyed it reverently when she returned bearing a tray. `Ah, bell issima! But is it warm enough? You forget, Amanda, how cold it is between these stone walls of ours at night?' Amanda dived into her bed and smiled cheerfully a t her. 'I'm as warm as toast!' `Ah, what it is to have young blood,' sighed Aunt Teresa. She laid the tray on Amanda's knees. 'Soup. Hot rolls. Some nice spaghe tti and coffee ... now, eat it all, or you will get thinner and waste away befor e our eyes. So slim you arebut pretty! Prettier than a flower. How happy it would make your dear mother to see you like this and here again where you belong ...' Aunt Teresa had never married, had no children to spoil and dote upon, and so h er life had been devoted to the adoration of her nephews and nieces. She had a b ottomless well of love to give them. In return, she was perhaps the most loved m ember of the Druetso family. Italian family life retaining so much of the cohesi ve quality of family life in the past, an unmarried woman need not feel wastedshe was constantly needed, constantly valued for her contribution to the family. Wh en Amanda had eaten her meal, Aunt Teresa took the tray away, kissing her goodni ght. 'Now, do not read

24 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY for too long! You have had a long journey. You need sleep.' Amanda read for a wh ile, then obediently blew out her candle. A few moments later she heard the rain stop. She went out on to the balcony which ran outside her window to stare out over the dark valley. The sky was still piled high with dark storm clouds. The m oon came out feebly, shedding a pallid light. Another balcony ran beneath her ow n. Suddenly a match scraped. She smelt sulphur, saw the brief flare of the flame . Unbearably curious, she peered over the rail to see who had the room beneath. She had forgotten the dispensation of rooms in the intervening years. Cesare's f ace looked up at her. He was leaning on the rail of his balcony, his cigarette i n his hand, a wisp of smoke curling up towards her. At this angle he had a compr essed strength of body, his features even more darkly implacable. They regarded each other in silence. She wondered if he could hear the beating of her heartit s eemed to her to be beating like a drum. Then softly, chillingly, he said, 'Be ca reful, Amanda. Remember the fate of Beatrice ...' He looked down, then up again, his lip curling. 'It is a long way down to the valley.'

CHAPTER TWO had expected to sleep lightly, troubled on this first night back in San Volenco, but in fact her sleep was deep and dream-filled, and at dawn she wa s startled to be shaken awake by a gentle tapping on her bedroom door. Yawning, she sat up. `Mmm?' She stared in disbelief at her bedside clock. Who could be wa king her at such an hour? `Come in,' she called, expecting to see Aunt Teresa wi th a cup of hot coffee. The door was pushed slowly open and Cesare leaned in the door frame. The heavylidded eyes scrutinised her. Coming awake fast, she demand ed, 'What is it? What do you want?' For a moment he continued to regard her in m ocking silence, surveying at his leisure her tumbled fair hair, her naked should ers, the floating wisps of pink nylon which made such a vain attempt to clothe h er. Her cheeks grew hot. She dived back under the bedclothes, pulling the sheet closer to her throat. He laughed curtly. 'Have you forg otten I ride at first li ght? I've had Vesta saddled. I thought you might want to come along as you alway s used to do ...' `Vesta!' She had been given Volenco Vesta on her sixteenth bir thday, and from the first there had been a deep affection between them. The pale , dappled grey AMANDA 25

26 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY mare had a gentle, but teasing nature. She enjoyed playing tricks on her young o wner, but was always easily recalled to more serious business. Amanda had adored her. `Who has ridden her since I went away?' she asked now, hoping that it had been someone who understood Vesta's complex nature. It would be tragic if the ma re's soft mouth had been ruined by the jabbing of an unsympathetic rider. `Tina takes her out every morning,' Cesare told her. He turned on his heel, his lean b rown hand flicking a tan leather crop against his breeches. 'I'll be in the stab le yard. I'll wait for five minutes.' Amanda shot out of bed, forgetting her hal f-clothed state, and ran after him. Tut what shall I wear? Jeans?' He turned and let his cool eyes drift over her again. `Your jodhpurs are in the chest,' he sa id shortly. She was astonished. 'My old jodhpurs? They won't still fit me, Cesar e!' `Nonsense,' he said. 'From the look of you I'd say you haven't gained an inc h in any direction. You were always a skinny, underfed brat':', He left the room and she opened the old-fashioned chest which occupied one corner of the bedroom . The jodhpurs were there, as he had said, neatly folded in tissue paper and sme lling faintly of lavender. To her amusement they fitted her perfectly. She found a white cotton polo-neck shirt, pushed it down into the waistband of the jodhpu rs and regarded herself in a fulllength, faintly spotted mirror which hung on th e wall

27 facing the window. Suddenly she almost felt she was that eighteen-year-old gi rl who had last ridden Volenco Vesta over the plains below the walled city. Givi ng her hair a last pat, she ran down into the stable yard, taking the back stair case by instinct, two steps at a time, just as she had always done. They were an cient, creaking wooden stairs, hollowed in the centre by the feet of generations . They led to the kitchens and thence to the stable. The servants, of course, we re already at work. Antonia was deftly rolling bread dough into torpedo-shaped r olls. Sandro was getting meat out of the freezernew since her time, Amanda noted. These little changes struck her all the more vividly because so many things had stayed the same. Giovetta was muttering as she prepared the breakfast, her gnar led hands deft and fast. She looked round and beamed. B uon giorno, Amanda! So t here you are.' Then she winked. 'He is waiting for you. Hurry. You know how it i s with him if he is kept waiting! Ah, the tiger in him roars then!' Amanda pause d to kiss her withered cheek, smiled at Sandro and Antonia and fled onwards. He was smoking a cigarette, staring away from her, his expression brooding. She sto od watching him nervously. It was vital that Cesare should accept her marriage t o his brother. Without his willing consent the family would be split into two. S he could not contemplate being the cause of such division in the family. Somehow she had to persuade him to accept the marriage. HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

28 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY He thrned and saw her. Something flared in the grey eyes. He dropped his cigaret te and trod on it ruthlessly. , `Come along, then!' His voice was sharp. They ro de out under the stone arch surmounted by a stone stag caught in flight, with fr ont feet poised. Following the winding road to the city gates they passed early risers who surreptitiously gazed at them, filled with intense interest but court eous enough to pretend otherwise. The gates were open to admit the morning suppl y of food from the plain; fruit, milk, eggs and vegetables sent from the flat fi elds which the river kept so well watered during the rainy season. During the he ight of the summer the river bed dried up, but centuries of irrigation had made the plains fertile. Today, after last night's rain, the banks were standing abov e muddy yellow water. In the last years of the nineteenth century Cesare's great -grandfather had imported some English horses, six mares and a stallion, from wh ich he had bred the famous Volenco strain which now sold for high prices, some o f the horses even going back to England. Cesare bred them for speed and stamina, showing them at the increasingly popular Italian horse trials and shows. His dr eam, Amanda knew, was to take his horses to England some day and win the world-f amous cups offered to international show-jumpers. Already the stables were paper ed with rosettes, and his offices held rows of silver cups and medals. Today he was riding Volenco Viva, a tall black stallion with a thick, flowing mane and a rolling, arrogant eye

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 29 which amused her by bearing a faint resemblance to Cesare's own expression. She had grown up with these horses. She knew their pedigrees as well as he did, and had ridden with him from childhood. Her natural good seat and fearlessness had c ommanded his approval. Piero had disgraced himself at the age of six by crying a nd refusing to ride after a fall, but Amanda, although a baby of five when she h ad her first fall, had seemed unshaken by it. Looking back, she put this down to a lack of imagination rather than real courage. It had never entered her head t hat she might be seriously hurt when she took a fence. She had just followed dog gedly in Cesare's wake, taking every fence that came, allowing her pony to use i ts own good sense if it wished to refuse anything it considered too high. She kn ew that her parents had often been anxious about her reckless riding, but Cesare had encouraged her, delighting in her skill and daring. When he gave her Volenc o Vesta even the Contessa had been startled, since the mare was worth a fortune, being one of their best bred mares, but of course no one at San Volenco challen ged a decision by the Conte. Patting Vesta's sleek grey neck now, she said, 'Tin a must be good with the horses. Vesta is as sensitive to touch as she ever used to be!' `Tina's a good horsewoman,' he replied. She shot him a teasing look, rem embering Tina faintly, a peach-skinned creature three years her junior, with sil ky black hair and dark eyes, very much the Latin

30 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY beauty. Was Cesare interested in her? Amanda wondered. `Tina's very pretty, isn' t she ?' she asked. He swivelled a cold grey eye. 'Very.' Vesta began edging mis chievously towards Viva, her tail flirting to and fro, making a snorting sound o ddly reminiscent of laughter. Viva turned and showed his great teeth in a fright ening gesture, and Vesta quickly dropped back and pretended meekness. Amanda lau ghed. Cesare glanced at her enquiringly. `Vesta is still the same naughty, teasi ng creature she always was !' she explained. `She's a typical female,' said Cesa re, his eyes charged with dry amusement*. The vineyards lay on their right now, the sun-dried pastures on their left. The horses were eager to stretch their leg s in a gallop. Vesta strained at her bit, champing loudly. `Let 'em go,' Cesare said suddenly. Amanda dropped her hands and Vesta shot away in Viva's wake, her dainty neck arched, her mane flying out in the wind of her own motion. The brigh tening sky was filled with an apricot light, filtered through palest misty gauze . Slowly blue was drifting across from the east and the apricot was fading. On t he distant horizon lay the mountains, purple and mauve, mist-wreathed. They gave a meaning to the landscape which might otherwise have been dull. San Volenco la y behind them. When they turned they

31 saw it rising from the plain like a backcloth to aii early Renaissance painti ng, a layered wedding-cake with the church as its crest. The battlemented walls, the vista of roofs on many levels, the pastels of the walls of some houses, the Gothic architecture of the castle, all made of the city something strangely bea utiful, a remnant of another time. The houses tumbled down the mountainside in s o haphazard a fashion that the eye was constantly surprised and enchanted, yet d espite the wild variety of the place it had a unity born of time rather than sty le. Each age had added something without destroying what had been before, so tha t it had become welded into a whole. Cesare reined in and sat back, waiting for her. His shirt lay open against his brown throat. His dark hair was whipped by t he wind into attractive disarray. `That was good,' he said with satisfaction. Hi s eye approved her style as she joined him, riding easily, in perfect communion with her mare. 'You haven't lost your touch, I see. Ridden much in London?' `I d id some pony-trekking in Scotland last year,' she said. Tun ?' he asked. Amanda remembered the young man who had been her constant companion among the heather, and a reminiscent smile curved her lips. 'Great fun,' she said. Cesare's brows q uirked upwards. He looked hard at her. see," he drawled, his eyes coolly unreada ble. She was beginning to think that there was rather more to Cesare than she ha d realised at the tender age of HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

32 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY eighteen. He had a way of saying things she found disconcerting, although she co uld not quite put her finger on what exactly it was she found so alarming. Was i t only that she found his mind baffling, always guarded, and that we tend to fea r the unknown, preferring the devil we know to anything we do not understand? Or did her instinct warn her to beware of the autocratic master of San Volenco? Th ey rode back towards the city. Amanda was beginning to tire, although this had b een an idyllic start to the day. There had been a tremendous sense of freedom wh en they were flying across the plain towards the blue haze of the mountains. She remembered many mornings when they had come back like this, silent and content. They passed black-garbed women who raised sunwarmed faces to greet her. She smi led at them, remembered names, asked a few questions about families she had half -forgotten but which came hurrying back into her mind at the sight of these face s. Cesare listened tolerantly as she was informed of the names of new bambini, t he weddings performed, the deaths suffered. As they rode on she said, 'How much has happened in five years!' 'You have an excellent memory,' he said, and manage d to sound as if congratulating himself rather than her. `They don't change,' sh e said. He nodded. 'Comforting, isn't it?' She looked startled. It was true, but again, how startling to have him say just what was in her own mind. He

33 seemed to walk in and out of her thoughts as casually as he walked through th e city. She found it disconcerting to have him so at home. `Time has made little impact in San Volenco,' she said. `Except that your mother does look older than I remember.' He nodded. 'Your mother's death probably has more to do with that than the passage of time.' `They were very close, weren't they?' `Like sisters,' he agreed. When they got back to the stables a girl was cleaning tack in the ta ckroom. She came out, a brass bit in her hand, her full 'lower lip pouting. `Why is she riding my mare?' she demanded of Cesare. Amanda swung down from Vesta's back, leaving Cesare to deal with the situation. She had recognised Tina at once , of course. The girl was five years older, but still at the peak of her ripe be auty. She was wearing very tight blue jeans, her curvaceous figure excitingly em phasised by a lemon silk top which left nothing to the imagination. Her olive-sk inned face had a sulky sensuality. She was Antonia's daughter and had always liv ed in the castle, brought up with the Contessa's children but never a member of the family, of course. As a girl she had been difficult and rebellious. Her earl ier beauty had ripened, the golden bloom of sixteen departing as she matured. `V esta is Amanda's mare,' Cesare told her curtly. 'You know that.' He flung her hi s reins and swung down. HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

`Five years away, but she still owns her?' Tina asked sullenly. `She is Amanda's ,' Cesare repeated with a shrug. `Take a look at Viva's right rear hock. A touch of his old trouble, I'm afraid.' Amanda was horrified by this autocratic behavi our. She gave Tina a worried, apologetic smile and turned to speak to Cesare, bu t he was already stalking into the castle. He turned and snapped his fingers at her. 'Come along!' The tone was peremptory. Seething, she ran after him. This wa s how she remembered himdictatorial, domineering, a domestic tyrant! It was natur al that Tina should resent Amanda's resumption of ownership of Vesta. For five y ears she had no doubt ridden the mare and regarded her as her own. Now the mare was suddenly taken away from her, and Tina expected to put up with a fait accomp li. When she caught up with Cesare's dark, striding figure she demanded hotly, ' Did you have to be so beastly to Tina?' `Tina is my stable girl. She should have learnt by now to hold her tongue and do as she is bid,' he snapped. `I don't bl ame her for being upset,' Amanda began again. `You know nothing about it,' he sa id. 'Be quiet.' She gasped in outrage. How dared he speak to her like that? He w as ahead of her again, walking with that graceful lope, like some wild animal st alking through a dark jungle, his black head held high, tilting as he 34 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

35 glanced upward. The Counts of Volenco had all been cast in the same mould. Th e gloomy portraits hanging in the gallery made that plain. Broad-shouldered, lea n, with hard, fit bodies, they had dominated their landscape as they did the pai ntings. They hung in a row; the same dark, arrogant, handsome features looking o ut of one canvas after another, lips lifted in a sneer, eyes insolently sure of themselves; predatory, commanding, confident. He paused and she opened her mouth to begin the argument again, but he spoke first. `You must be hungry. Wash your hands and we'll go to breakfast.' His suggestion was perfectly reasonable, but why did he have to deliver it in that commanding voice, sure that obedience must follow? It made one long to disobey, however foolishly. Even the meekest soul, thought Amanda, must long to rebel. Breakfast was served as it had always been i n a small, bright room overlooking a garden. Pots of geraniums stood along the w indowsill, their scarlet flowers brilliant above the terracotta clay. The sun st reamed in past and over them, filling the bright air with golden dust. The walls were painted white. The floorboards had the shining patina of great age. The fa mily were seated around a long, highly polished refectory table. A pot of basil stood in the centre, the traditional method of keeping away flies. A yellow enam elled bowl of fruit was reflected in the table surface. They came in together, C esare slightly behind Amanda, and the family looked round at them. HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

36 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY Contessa Maria lifted her smooth cheek for a morning kiss, her face filled with content. Amanda felt a qualm as she saw that look. `You have enjoyed your ride?' Amanda rested her cheek on top of the dark head. 'It was marvellous! I'd forgot ten how good it felt to get up early in the morning and go for a ride. The air s mells sweeter and the world seems much more beautiful. Now I'm starvingI could ea t a horse!' `A horse?' Contessa Maria looked startled, then laughed. 'Oh, the En glish joke! So long since we heard them! Sit, my love. The rolls are still warm, and Giovetta has sent up your favourite cherry jam, her best ever. This year yo u will be here again to help her make it, that will make her very happy. Every y ear she has sighed over your absence when she made the cherry jam. It reminded h er of you.' Piero rose and drew out a chair, but Cesare, ignoring him, firmly se ated Amanda beside himself. Piero flushed dark red, and everyone else stared at their plates. Amanda was dumb with confused embarrassment. She gave Piero an anx ious, placatory smile, pleading with him to understand why she did not quarrel w ith his brother. Cesare offered her the basket of rolls, wrapped in their white damask napkin. She took one, her gaze reproachful. He returned her look blandly. 'Jam? Butter?' She accepted both and began to eat. Cesare poured her co fee, th ick and fragrant, from the huge silver pot stand-

37 ing in the middle of the table. A family heirloom, it was battered, polished lovingly until the fine engraving was almost invisible, and in daily use. Nothin g here was just for show. The family resumed their own meal. Piero stirred his c offee and drank it, watching his brother over the rim of his cup. Two spots of r ed burnt in the centres of his cheeks. Suddenly he said, 'Amanda and I would lik e to be married this summer.' A silence followed the throwing down of this gaunt let. Cesare bit into a roll. He stirred his coffee too, his eyes fixed on his sp oon. Everyone sat like statues waiting for him to react, watching which way the cat would jump. `Piero is in no position to get married,' he said at last, in a calm voice addressed pointedly to Amanda. 'He has not yet established himself, I 'm afraid.' Amanda looked at Piero. He was staring fixedly at his brother, his e yes narrowed. He stuttered when he replied, his control over his temper slipping badly, `II'm the best p-p-person to judge that, I think. If I want to get mmarri ed, I will, and no one can stop m-m-me.' Cesare laughed. The sound was like a wh ip flicked across Piero's face. It made him turn white and shake. The contempt w as unbearable. After a moment he stood up, his chair grating across the floor. C esare lifted his grey eyes, then, and looked coolly at his brother. 'Sit down.' Piero stood his ground. 'You can't give me orders in HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

38 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY that tone of voice, Cesare. I am a grown man now. Amanda loves me and she is goi ng to be my wife.' There was another silence, charged with electricity. Contessa Maria looked from one to the other of her sons in pain, biting her lip. Cesare stared at Piero. 'Is this a place for such a discussion?' `Things must be settle d,' Piero insisted. He was looking calmer now. He had lost the stutter and looke d less vulnerable to Cesare's biting scorn. `Well, well, well,' drawled the elde r brother. 'So this is what it takes to turn the young calf into a bull?' He sou nded amused. His grey eyes measured Piero and received a challenge in return. Th e tension around the table noticeably lessened. The Contessa released her held b reath in a sigh. `Sit down, Piero. You can't shout at me like this at my own bre akfast table,' said Cesare lightly. Reluctantly, Piero sat. Amanda lifted the si lver pot, wincing at its unremembered weight, and poured him another cup of coff ee, pushing it towards him with a smile which soothed. Cesare watched this by-pl ay with a little smile of his own. Catching it, she was not sure she liked it. ` I have to get down to the vineyard to see Sponelli,' Cesare said, finishing his own coffee with a gulp. 'Ciao, Mamma ... better start thinking about wedding clo thes, eh ? That will give you something to be cheerful about!' He had backed dow n ! Amanda stared at the closed door. Cesare had actually permitted Piero to cha llenge

39 him and had left the field to his brother ! It was so unbelievable that she l ooked round the table to see if she had imagined it. She saw a dazed expression on everyone's face. Even Piero looked warily incredulous. It was the first time, she suspected, that he had ever won an argument with his brotherCesare was not i nclined to permit opposition to his will. His autocratic nature forbade it. He w as accustomed to commanding and receiving obedience. Contessa Maria was looking sad, and Amanda noticed it with regret. She felt guilty. After all, she had alre ady been responsible for inflicting a hurt upon the Contessa when she refused Ce sare. Now she had compounded her injury by getting engaged to Piero. Her guilt w as all the more powerful because the relationship between them had always been s o close. There is an affection which bypasses blood ties. Because of the love th e Contessa had felt towards Amanda's mother, Amanda had always regarded the Cont essa as a second mother. She gently laid her hand over the Contessa's fingers. ' I am sorry that my return has caused trouble.' `Not your return, dear child. We are all happy to see you back in San Volenco.' `It is our engagement,' Piero sai d. The Contessa flinched from the brutal statement. She sighed, her thin shoulde rs lifted in a Latin gesture of regret. Amanda smiled at her. `Cesare will come round,' she comforted. The Contessa looked doubtful. 'It is his pride, the pride of the Druetso. It is unbending.' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

40 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `After five years surely he can't still resent my refusal !' Amanda murmured. `F ive years or fifty years! Time is meaningless in such a case,' said the Contessa . Piero and I ...' began Amanda. `Must be patient,' the Contessa finished for he r. Castle and city were knit into one unit by the family most of the people of Sa n Volenco were, however remotely, connected by marriage. Much inbreeding had gon e on here in past centuries. It was only recently that outsiders had been accept ed. The spread of air travel, the arrival of tourism and the change in living co nditions generally had begun to alter the concept of life as the people saw it, nevertheless they had managed so far to hang on to their closed-ranks attitudes. The motto of the city was carved in stone above the ancient gates. As a child A manda had often gazed up at the Latin words and marvelled at them. Cesare had tr anslated them for her in his deeply serious voice. 'In life, fidelity. In death, fidelity.' Then he had asked her, `Can you understand what that means, Amanda?' She had frowned, reaching for the concept, as serious as himself for all her yo uth. 'I think so, Cesare. We must be faithful in life or death?' He had searched her smooth-skinned little face with those cold grey eyes of his, then nodded wi th satisfaction. So that as Amanda walked through the narrow, winding streets th at afternoon, with Piero, she was not surprised by the reserve she met with, the holding back which

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 41 she recognised where a stranger might have been fooled by their affectionate smi les Their disapproval was so subtly expressed. The smiles never quite reached th ose dark, watchful eyes, and their greetings were ambiguous, shaded from courtes y to downright disapproval. The people felt that Amanda was betraying the Conte. They knew, as did everyone in the city, that Cesare had once asked her to marry him. They knew the long-cherished dreams of the Contessa and Amanda's mother. I n the eyes of the city Amanda was betrothed to Cesare and therefore could never belong to his brother Piero. How could she, in these circumstances, fail to feel extremely uncomfortable? She could not even protest that her refusal of Cesare ended the matter, for she knew very well that these people knew their Conte bett er. He had never brooked opposition to his will in the past. Why should he permi t a chit of a girl to defy him now? When they returned" to the castle Piero led her into the walled garden which lay within the building, a small enclosure buil t into an angle of the crenellated wall looking out over the valley. A few box t rees made a pleasant shade in which the women of the household often came to sit with their sewing. Long stone troughs contained geraniums, pansies and carnatio ns, petunias and other gaily coloured flowers. Creepers insinuated themselves al ong the walls, softening the starkness of the stone and encouraging birds to per ch and sing among their leaves. Piero pulled her close. 'It seems like a hundred years since we were alone.' `Piero, did you get the feeling that we're unpopula r out

42 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY there?' Amanda tried to laugh, but it was difficult. `There were icy fingers run ning up and down my spine everywhere we walked. If looks were daggers I would li e out there on the cobblestones as cold as charity.' Her colloquial English had evaded him.. He frowned down at her. 'What do you mean? I do not understand.' Sh e reverted to Italian. 'They hate me. `I should have married you in England,' he said shakily, without denying her accusation. `We couldn't!' Amanda's emancipat ion in England had not gone so far as to allow her to consider such an affront t o the family. She looked up at him sombrely. `They would never have forgiven tha t.' Piero looked desperate. 'What are we going to do, cara mia? Cesare's face wh en we arrived! I never suspected.' He caught back his breath, then released it w ith a shrug. `Had he struck me he could not have astonished me more! I thought h e had forgotten you, that he had only proposed out of family duty and perhaps ev en been relieved when you turned him down. He has barely mentioned your name *si nce you left.' He looked down, his narrowed eyes probing hers. 'Amanda, tell me the truth now. Does Cesare love you?' `No, no!' She recoiled, going first scarle t, then white, her breath suddenly hurting in her lungs. 'Of course not! You wer e right to call it a matter of family. duty. You know our mothers always wished it, talked of it as something- expected. It came as a bolt out of the blue to me . I was too young to listen to them, but afterwards I realised they had always p lanned it.'

43 `Then why is he so angry ?' Piero asked unanswerably. `Perhaps it is as your mother saidpride, Druetso pride. Cesare was always an arrogant, unbending brute. I wounded his pride when I refused him, now I've reopened the injury by coming b ack engaged to you.' `It is strange that you never loved him,' Piero said though tfully. 'Half the girls in the city fell for Cesare at one time or another.' `I suppose I saw him as a tyrannical older brother,' sheshrugged. 'I was half Engli sh, remember. I didn't want to marry without love. I needed my independence.' Pi ero caught her closer, kissing her with a hungry desperation. 'You shall not mar ry without love, I promise you. Cesare shall not separate us. The city shall not come between us.' Amanda clung to him, feeling his warmth enclosing her as the ancient, sun-kissed walls enclosed the garden. Suddenly a crash exploded beside them. They leapt apart, too badly shaken to realise what had happened for a mome nt. When they saw and heard normally again Amanda's brain flinched at the realis ation of what had happened. A shattered terracotta flowerpot lay beside them on the path. Earth and leaves, a mangled red flower like a splash of blood, lay sca ttered in a semi-circle. Her widening eyes slowly rose. Along the balcony of Ces are's room stood a row of terracotta flowerpots. There was a glaring gap in thei r ranks. Did it fall or was it pushed?' she asked on a stifled, half-hysterical giggle. `God, he might have killed us !' Piero was very pale. HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 44 Amanda could not stop laughing. 'Apparently Cesare is even angrier than we had begun to suspect,' she said. Then she shuddered, covering h er face with her hands in a wave of icy misery. 'Oh, Piero! What are we to do?'

CHAPTER THREE Two days later, Piero returned to work in the family wine business . There was no question of a holiday for him, Cesare made that clear, and Piero explained to Amanda that he thought it best not to argue with his brother on the point. `We will still see plenty of each other in the evening and at weekends,' he assured her. `What shall I do during the day, though? I must have something to occupy me or I shall go mad. I'm not accustomed to idleness.' `You're on holi day!' `I'm no tourist,' she pointed out. `Help my mother, then,' Piero suggested , his mind only partly on their conversation; he was tracing the line from templ e to throat, his lips silkily caressing as he brushed them along cheek, ear, thr oat. She laughed, but pushed him away. 'No, listen to me! Seriously, Piero, I mu st do something! You've no conception how boring it can be to be at a loose end. ' Tut, cara, there is so much to do in the house. The women work from dawn to du sk. There will be something for you to do.' Amanda bit her lip. She did not quit e like the way he equated women with housework. Still, she was quite 45

46 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY ready to help in the house, if help was needed, so she dropped the subject. `Whe re will we live when we are married?' she asked casually. It had occurred to her that they might live in one of the town houses, the sort which tumbled down the narrow alleys towards the walls, their roofs crooked and weathered with time, p ainted pink or white, their small windows brightened by a window-box of geranium s. It would be fun, like living in a dolls' house. Piero shrugged. 'Why, here, o f course.' `In the castle?' She looked at him incredulously. 'Oh, no, Piero!' `B ut of course in the castlewhere else?' `I want a home of my own,' she protested. `But this is my home, and when we have the babies my mother will be always at ha nd to help you with them. How happy that will make her ! You know how she loves you, and how she will adore our children when they arrive !' His dark eyes refle cted a bewildered hurt. `Why do you look so cross? I thought you loved Mamma ' ` Of course I do ! I always have ! And it will be wonderful to have her to help an d advise me!' She looked anxiously at him 'But still, Piero, I think we should h ave our own home. Independence, privacy, the chance to make your own decisionsa h ome of your own gives you all those. Don't you see? We are always surrounded by people here in the castle. There are eyes and ears in the very walls. I feel as if I'm in a goldfish bowl. We're never really alone.' She clutched at him, layin g her head on his

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 47 shoulder, and whispered, 'Piero, it frightens me ...' `Frightens you? What does, darling?' Piero looked quite bewildered. `Don't you see? Haven't you noticed? N o one here takes our engagement seriously. They shrug it off, ignore its very ex istence. I think they're waiting for us to ... oh, I'm not sure how to put it, h ow to describe it ... they're waiting for us to come to our senses, I suppose!' Piero's face darkened. 'Yes,' he admitted heavily, 'I've felt that, too. But the y will come round!' `No,' she cried. 'They treat us with kindly tolerance, as if we're lunatics. They're sure it will never happen !' `Then we must show them ho w wrong they are!' She moved away, shivering. 'It's Cesare! They've taken their cue from him. He takes this attitude, so they all follow suit. They believe ...' Her voice cut off, she went white. Piero stared down at her. 'What do they beli eve?' Then, intuitively catching her meaning, he caught her back against him, ho lding her with hungry determination. 'Don't look like that. He shan't have you. You're mine now.' Then, on a fierce note, 'I would kill you first!' She laughed. 'I'm not sure I find that such a comforting prospect, but I love you, Piero ... ' They kissed lingeringly, leaning together like children looking for comfort. A manda wandered along to the kitchen later, to beg for a chance to be useful. Gio vetta was making a great pan full

VP.T..1.11111 48 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY of risotto, her face intent upon her task. `Can I do anything?' Amanda asked her . 'I'm at a loose end. I'd love to do a useful job of work.' `No, no,' clicked G iovetta reprovingly. 'Enjoy yourself while you're young. Sunbathe in the garden, go for a walk, listen to the transistor, eh? Life's too short.' Then she gave a sharp glance at Sandro who, his feet propped up on the table, was snoring benea th a large red handkerchief. 'Eh, lazy good-for-nothing, do some work for a chan ge ! Wake up ... basta! Get on with your job, you ...' Amanda wandered out disco nsolately. She went in search of her aunt and found her in the bedrooms, checkin g a laundry list. 'Help me? Do I look as if I need help? You're on holiday, chil d. Go for a walk in the town. Look up old friends. Go for a ride ... Cesare will find you a mount!' `I rode this morning,' Amanda said. The Contessa looked at h er sharply. 'Of course, with Cesare ! Well, amuse yourself, my dear.' `I'm bored ,' Amanda sighed. `Ah, the modern disease !' The Contessa disapproved of her. 'W hen I was young we were never bored. We were either working so hard we had no ti me to be so, or we were enjoying ourselves.' `I want to work hard,' Amanda point ed out. 'Piero has gone back to work and Giovetta won't have me in the kitchen(D o let me help you, Contessa?' The Contessa considered her. 'I know! You can take a parcel down to Giulio for me.'

49 Giulio had bought the antique shop when Amanda's father sold it. He had total ly changed the business in the years since he took over. He had cut down on the number of genuine antiques he sold, and now specialised in reproductions, withou t bothering to distinguish too clearly between what was genuine and what was a m odern copy. Amanda had seen several items in his window which she had recognised as reproductions, which were not labelled as such, but which were priced far be yond their true value. She suspected that Giulio had never stepped beyond the le gal line. No doubt, if pressed, he would admit that an object was a copy, but ma ny customers probably bought without enquiring as to authenticity. They were qui te as happy with fakes so long as the brutal truth was not pushed down their thr oats. The shop was housed in a medieval house of great charm, the ground floor h aving been turned into a baywindowed display room, so elegantly laid out now tha t customers could wander through the shop and get the impression that they were actually in a private home, although the objects were all for sale. No prices we re displayed inside the shop. Only the objects actually seen in the window were pricedand these were generally the cheaper items. Amanda paused to gaze through t he window. A polished spinning wheel, a copper vase and a small octagonal table were the only objects on display today. They were all reproductions and all high ly priced in the circumstances, but she had to admit that they looked very attra ctive. Giulio had a gift for such displays. HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

50 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY Giulio came from the back of the shop to greet her with every sign of delight, y et somehow she sensed that her arrival was inopportune. Even as he kissed her ha nd with Italianate gallantry he flickered a nervous glance towards the narrow st airs which wound upwards from one side of the room. Amanda was sure she heard so meone moving about up there. As with most of the people in the city, Giulio had vague family connections with the castle. Amanda had known him all her life. His family ran the biggest hotel in the city. A slim, olive-skinned young man, he h ad greenish eyes, rare in the family, and the usual dark hair. `The Contess sent me to deliver this parcel,' Amanda said, handing him her burden. `Ah! At last! She has promised to let me sell this for so long that I was beginning to believe she would never part from it!' He carefully unwrapped a large glass bowl which Amanda recognised with dismay as one of the family heirlooms. Were the Druetso f amily so much in need of money that they had to sell their treasured possessions ? Giulio set it on a long refectory table, fussed over it, moving it here and th ere, until he was satisfied. 'There ... that looks great, eh?' `Giulio, why is t he Contessa selling it?' Amanda asked tentatively. He shrugged. 'It was part of her dowry. It is hers, not the property of the Conte. If she wishes to sell, tha t is her affair.' Suddenly feet clattered down the wooden stairs and

51 Tina appeared. For once she was not wearing her-jeans, but a rather stunning gypsy-style dress made of vivid yellow silk, with a tight waist and a low, curve d neckline which left most of her sun-gilded bosom exposed. She looked sensually inviting. From the fullness and gloss of her moist lips Amanda suspected she ha d recently been very thoroughly kissed, and she glanced curiously at Giulio. He was frowning, his cheeks rather red. `Ah, Tina,' he stammered. `K-kind of you to do my housework for me ...' Tina had stopped dead at the sight of Amanda. She i gnored Giulio but burst out suddenly, 'What are you doing here? Spying on me? We ll, miss, two can play at that game! I would have thought you had enough trouble without asking for more!' `Be quiet, Tina,' Giulio said hurriedly. She ignored him, jerking her pretty shoulder away in a gesture that made him scowl. 'Do you know, English girl, what we did with spies not so long ago? We poured boiling oi l into their ears and down their treacherous throats to teach them a lesson !' A manda could not help itshe burst out laughing. The threat was so absurdly melodra matic. Tina looked furious. She loathed being laughed at. Putting her hands on h er slender hips in a virago manner, she scornfully flicked her eye over Amanda. 'I don't know what they see in you, the Druetso men ! You're not even particular ly pretty!' Giulio grabbed her by the arm, her flesh showing HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

52 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY white where his grip held. 'Stop it, do you hear? Are you mad to talk to her lik e this?' `I'm not afraid to speak my mind!' `She will be the Conte's sister-in-l aw, stupid girl !' `I do not forget what the Conte said when Piero wrote to tell him that he wished to marry her ! To his own mother the Conte said itnever while there is breath in my body, he said. I would sooner see my brother dead at my f eet.' Tina's eyes flashed at Amanda as she repeated the words. 'This English gir l will never marry Piero. The Conte has said it.' Amanda turned on her heel and walked out, refusing to listen as Giulio pursued her, babbling apologies. Tears stung at the back of her eyes. Even if she discounted some of what Tina had said as pure malice, she knew that the grain of truth which was left was disastrous. Cesare was popular. No wonder the people watched her and Piero with wary disbel ief. They all knew from the gossip that Cesare was against the marriage, that he had sworn never to permit it. Without being aware of her surroundings she retur ned to the castle, meeting no one on her way, and slipped into the little walled garden, sitting down on a stone bench beneath the droop of dusty ivy, hearing t he birds sing and watching the shadow of wings on the pavement. Her eyes felt he avy. The sunlight lay warmly on her face. She had a sudden longing to be back in England, safe from this tangled web in which she was trapped. Somehow she had t o persuade Cesare to change his mind. She knew it would not be easy; he was prou d and

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 53 unyielding. But there must be a way. Later, crossing the g reat hall, she met Cesare himself, and almost laughed aloud at her own wild imag ination. She had been sitting in the garden racking her brains to think of a way of coaxing Cesare to relent and here he was in the fleshso little the ogre she h ad begun to think him in her private nightmares that she was almost weak with re lief. He was grubby, untidy, his dark hair falling in a tumbled mass over a face smeared with earth and green stains from the vines he had been tending. He pass ed her with a silent nod, his expression abstracted, but on an impulse she stopp ed him, her hand touching his elbow. 'Cesare, could I have a word with you?' He looked surprised, as if he had hardly noticed who it was. 'What, now? I must was h ...' And he extended his hands for her to see the stains on them. 'Is it urgen t?' `Not urgent, but if you have any spare time ...' She sounded sweetly submiss ive. He gave her a suspicious look. `H mm ... In my office in ten minutes, then. ' Amanda watched his departing back with triumph. She had just had an idea. Befo re she left for England she had done some translation work down at the vineyard offices. If Cesare allowed her to do so again, she would be working with Piero a ll day. He had an office in the angle of one of the towers. He spent part of eve ry day there, doing the estate work, making telephone calls and writing letters to all parts of

54 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY the world. Several times a week one of the local women came in to do some secret arial work for him. The office was bright, stark, modern. The sun filtered in th rough a venetian blind and made golden patterns on the polished floor. The only furniture was a desk and chair, a metal filing cabinet and a few bookshelves. Am anda ran a hand along the books. Accountancy. Wine making. Horses. They were all practical works, books of reference rather than books which revealed the person ality of the owner. She sat down in the revolving chair behind the desk and spun it with her feet, revolving cheerfully. `What a child you are,' said his voice at the door. She laughed at him over her shoulder and a queer feeling of deja vu came over her which she later traced to the memory of seeing Piero as she rode the merry-goround on Hampstead Heath. Inverted like this, their faces were oddly similar, and she was aware of the same curious, troubling sensation of pleasure in the sight of him. He came across the room softly and put a hand on the chair to halt its progress, standing over her in a manner which made her hackles rise . `Out of there!' `The master's chair?' she retorted, teasing him. `Yes,' he ret urned blankly. She took her time in moving, but he did not give her the satisfac tion of rising to her coat-trailing. He took the seat she had abdicated, watchin g her as she crossly sat down on the window-sill. Deep-silled, in a wide stone

55 bay, the window looked out upon the sunlit city. Amanda could see the stalls in the market place, hear the cries of the vendors as they hailed passing touris ts. Cesare leant his elbows on the desk, his head lowered between his hands, and stared at her expressionlessly. `So?' `I want a job,' she said. His brows jerke d together. For a moment he did not speak. The grey eyes surveyed her thoughtful ly. She wondered what he was thinking, and knew she would never be able to guess . Unknowable, immovable Cesare! An alien continent, distant and incredible, for ever locked against her probing mind. At last he said slowly, 'You want a job? S o being Piero's wife is not enough for you?' `I'm not his wife yet.' His mouth c urled in an infuriating smile. 'True,' he murmured, and she did not like the way he said it. `Although of course I soon shall be,' she added forcefully, in case he mistook her meaning. `No need to shout,' he replied in maddening unconcern. 'Or glare defiance.' She went pink and looked at him with dislike. He had used a n old trick, allowing her own attack to defeat her. She felt foolish. `Well,' he demanded lazily, 'what sort of job?' `I thought you might need some translation done,' she said quickly. 'I did that before, remember.' `I remember,' he said. 'Rightreport to me at nine o'clock tomorrow.' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

56 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `At the vineyard?' she asked eagerly. `Here,' he said. `Oh, but I thought ...' S he was aghast. She had always worked in the office down at the vineyard itself. The vineyard and the stables were separate business ventures. The work Cesare di d up here in the castle was much wider, more connected with San Volenco itself t han with the day-to-day running of his two businesses. 'I have a translator alre ady,' he said abruptly. 'But as it happens I'm organising a pageant to celebrate the Beatrice portrait. It is five hundred years oldwe have only just realised ho w old it is. We were so used to it here. But an art expert who came here some we eks ago pointed out to me how valuable it is and it occurred to me that we shoul d do something to celebrate it. I shall need more help, so your offer is timely. ' Amanda opened her mouth to protest. Her idea had been to spend each day near P iero, and the thought of spending them, instead, so close to Cesare was a terrif ying one. Yet how could she refuse? He had been helpful, he had responded practi cally to her demand for work. How could she now refuse to do as he asked? Before she had sorted out her chaotic thoughts the telephone rang. Cesare picked it up and answered, then his voice dropped intimately. `Ah, cara! It is you. I hoped you would ring.' He covered the receiver with one hand and glanced at Amanda coo lly. 'That was all you wanted? Then I'll see you at nine tomorrow.' She was dism issed courteously. Flushed and feeling like a schoolgirl leaving the headmaster' s study, she left

57 the room. Behind her his voice spoke in mellifluous Italian, charm in every s yllable. Who was on the receiving end of the honeyed talk? she wondered. Before dinner that evening she had a chance to talk to Piero alone. He came hurrying to meet her, freshly showered, fragrant with after shave, his dark eyes eager. 'Ca ra mia, I've been looking forward to this all day ...' He reached for her and sh e melted into his arms. As he drew back from the long kiss, he sighed. 'Was it w orth waiting for?' `What do you think, Piero?' She hugged him. 'It has been a ve ry long day, though.' Tor me, too, angel! My mind was not on my work. Half a doz en times Cesare roared at me like a lion.' Cesare ... The name dampened her spir its. She drew a deep breath. 'Piero, did you know Cesare is organising some sort of celebration for the five hundredth year since the Beatrice was painted?' Pie ro looked bored. 'There has been talk of it.' `He ... he wants me to help him or ganise it,' she said nervously. 'I'm not sure what sort of work it will be. Tran slating letters of one kind or another, I suppose.' A frown darkened the boyish face. 'What? Did he ask you to do this? He can pay someone ! My wife-to-be is no t his servant!' Uurriedly she explained. 'No, you see, I asked him if I could wo rk down at the vineyard, to be near you, you understand. I meant I would do some translating down there. We could see each other more often, then.' Piero kissed her. 'Little foolish girl ...' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

58 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `Unfortunately Cesare misunderstood. He ... offered me this other job, at the ca stle, working for him.' Her voice faltered. 'I didn't like to refuseI was afraid I would offend him. I would hate to cause trouble in the family.' Piero gazed th oughtfully at her. 'I see what you mean, of course, and you are quite right. If you help Cesare with this project of his it may soften him. He will be grateful. He will forget his anger.' He became suddenly enthusiastic, his dark eyes danci ng. 'Yes, yes, I am sure it will alter his attitudes. Cesare loves the Beatrice portrait more than anything else the family owns. That is why he is organising t his pageant of celebration. Nothing else could touch him as this will do.' The f amily heard the news at dinner. The Contessa looked sharply at her eldest son, f rowned, but was silent for a moment. Aunt Teresa was cheerfully delighted. She w ould welcome anything she took to be a sign of Cesare's relenting towards Piero and Amanda. After a while the Contessa said quietly, 'It will be good for Amanda to be busy, perhaps.' But her eyes were anxious as they rested on Cesare. Tina was not at dinner with the family, but Amanda passed her that evening on the sta irs, and the girl gave her an insolent look. 'So you are to be alone with the Co nte all day, eh? Going to London has taught you a few tricks.' Amanda ignored he r. She was learning how to deal with the other girl's spite. Rising to the bait was fatal; it was best to ignore her darts.

59 Aunt Teresa, however, was more vulnerable. Somehow or other Tina managed to a rouse the older woman's anxiety. Next morning she followed Amanda upstairs to th e office, gently murmuring, 'I have been thinking ... perhaps unwise for you ... Tina says such things ... not that anyone would believe them! But your poor mot her ! Ah, what would she say, how would she advise you? Do you really think you should do this, dearest child? Not that Cesare ... no, he would not, I am sure ! Head of the family betray the trust in him? I said to that bad girl, no, Tina . ..' At the door of Cesare's office Amanda turned and took Aunt Teresa's face in her two hands, kissing her firmly on her small nose, the nose which looked so od dly comic in the centre of that sun-baked old face. 'Darling Aunt, stop clucking like an old hen ! Cesare is not an ogre, and I am not Snow White ...' Aunt Tere sa looked baffled. 'Eh?' Cesare flung open the door. 'What is going on?' Aunt Te resa squawked, unhappily, and fled. Cesare grinned wickedly at Amanda. 'You have confused her, with your ogres and Snow Whites ...' `You were eavesdropping!' `T his is my office, remember! How could I help overhearing that very audible conve rsation?' She flushed and went into the room. A small table and chair had appear ed in it since her last visit. On the table lay a pile of letters. 'These are al l to be answered. You type, don't you?' `Of course,' she nodded. 'But first ... Cesare ...' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

6o HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `Yes?' His voice was bland. `I think that the fact that I'm working for you may cause some gossip,' she began unhappily. `No!' There was a distinct twinkle in t he grey eyes. She ground her teeth together. He was making fun of her. 'I got th at impression from Aunt Teresa just now ...' `So I heard,' he murmured, tongue i n cheek. `And from ... others,' she added frostily. `Others?' He raised a polite brow. She flushed. She would not mention Tina. 'Yes,' she said hastily passing on, 'others, and I thought perhaps we ought to forget about it. I mean, of cours e I would have liked to do the work, but in the circumstances ...' `What circums tances?' `Why, the gossip,' she mumbled, taken aback. 'We don't want to cause go ssip, do we?' `People will gossip whatever we do,' he shrugged. 'I've always fou nd the best policy is to ignore other people and just carry on doing what I want to do, regardless.' `Oh!' She was dumbfounded. It cut the ground from tinder he r feet. She thought rapidly, then said, 'Oh, well, perhaps it would be a good id ea if you made it clear that I'm working for you because you approve of my marri age to Piero ...' `But I don't,' he said softly. She went white, then red. `I do n't approve at all,' he added. 'And I never will.' `Why can't you just pretend t o them all?' she begged.

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `Why should I? You would make Piero a disastrous wife.' Her mouth dropped open i ncredulously. 'What?' Cesare laughed, leaning back in his chair, his hands in hi s pockets. 'If you could see your face! I wish I had a camera!' `What do you mea n?' she demanded angrily. `I thought I'd made myself tolerably clear. Your Itali an is usually so fluent, too.' He sounded pleased with himself. Stamping her foo t in a childish fit of rage, she demanded again, 'Why would I make a disastrous wife? I love Piero and he loves me.' `Piero would be putty in your pretty little hands,' Cesare said coolly. 'He is far too pliable for a spirited creature like you. Inside a year you would be running the marriage and you would both be desp erately unhappy. Piero must be master in his own househe is an Italian, it is nec essary to his pride. It would be fatal for him to have a wife who was stronger t han himself.' `I love him. There would never be a question of dominance between us. We would be partners.' `How little you know yourself,' Cesare murmured. He s tood up and took two strides towards her. Amanda began to back instinctively, bu t he had seized her wrist in a firm grip. He looked down at her with lazy amusem ent. 'Steel to the core, Amanda. You neither bend nor break, do you?' `Let me go !' `Suppose I will not let you go?'

62 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY Her breath caught and she looked at him furiously. `You would force me to be und ignified,' she told him. He laughed, throwing back his head in rich amusement. S he kicked him hard on the ankle and he stopped laughing. `Vixen!' He released he r, hopping on one foot. Amanda moved to the far side of the room. 'If you come n ear me again I'll hit you with something!' He threw up his hands in a gesture of submission. Tax ! Get on with the letters. I'm going down to the stables.' When he had gone she sat down with a thump and stared at the door. 'This isn't going to work,' she told herself aloud. 'I don't trust that man.'

CHAPTER FOUR THE idea of the Beatrice pageant seemed to capture the imagination of many organisations. Amanda soon found herself swamped with work, answering le tters and telephone queries; ordering costumes, suitable accessories and the man y details which proved to be involved in a project of this sort. Tourists would fill the hotels and cafes of the city. Coachloads of day trippers could be expec ted, and further parking facilities had to be provided below the city walls. `Of course, we shall want someone to play Beatrice,' Cesare said, as the family wer e dining together one evening. Amanda was dreamily savouring the creamy sauce in which her veal had been served. She was slow to realise that everyone was stari ng at her, and even slower to realise why. Then a pink blush spread from her thr oat to her cheeks and up to her temples. 'No!' `You're perfect,' Piero breathed. 'You look like her even in modern dresswe have always said so! In Renaissance co stume you will be her double!' Aunt Teresa agreed with him. 'Who else could do i t? That hair, those eyesit would not be easy to find a girl in San Volenco to mat ch them! Our girls are usually so dark. Strange that Botticelli should always ha ve painted such fair girls ...' 63

o 64 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY -Lazily, Cesare said, 'You know his favourite model was the exquisite Simonetta, mistress of Giuliano de' Medici. She appears again and again in his canvases.' `But our Beatrice was the wife of the Conte,' nodded Aunt Teresa. 'She was not a low-born woman of that sort!' Piero laughed. 'Aunt, Simonetta was angelically b eautiful, and itis no mean thing to be the mistress of one of the Medici! They e xpected wit as well as beauty; intelligence, too.' Aunt Teresa shrugged, unimpre ssed. 'Still, it is strange that he should paint so many fair women.' `He favour ed their colouring,' agreed Cesare, staring coolly at Amanda. 'He was attracted by the combination of very blonde hair, almost silvery, and blue eyes. I think, myself, that he was influenced by the Hellenic revival. The Renaissance was brou ght into being by the admiration of our ancestors here in Italy for the classica l models f the ancient Greek and Roman world. Botticelli's work reflects that co ol Greek beauty; remote, almost abstract. When I was in Greece it was the qualit y of the cold, clear light that struck meobjects look much sharper and clearer th ere. That is the very feeling one gets from Botticelli.' Piero shifted restlessl y. He did not like the way in which his brother stared at Amanda. 'Myself, I thi nk Botticelli is a great romantic. His paintings are so beautiful !' Cesare grin ned at Amanda. 'We have given you time to reconsider, haven't we? Now, how can y ou refuse to

5 appear as the romantic and beautiful Beatrice, for Piero's sake?' `I should fe el a fool,' she disclaimed. 'Anyway, I thought there was some doubt as to who ac tually painted the picture?' The family exploded with indignant denial. The Cont essa said firmly, above their voices, 'Amanda, we have always said that it was b y Botticelli. Art historians may say what they chooseto us it is a fact.' Cesare laughed. `So there!' His mother reproved him with a look. 'Cesare, do not make f un of your mother.' `No, Mamma!' `But Aunt Maria, that costume,' Amanda proteste d. 'I could not wear it !' The Contessa looked at Cesare, her brow troubled. `Th e child is right. The costume is not suitableit is too revealing.' `All those gau zy draperies,' Amanda declared, grimacing. `Surely no more revealing than a biki ni,' Cesare shrugged. 'You have been known to wear one of those.' `Privately,' s he snapped. `On the beach? Not so very private.' Cesare was wearing that look ag ain, the sardonic amusement which maddened her. `Among many other girls, however , whereas if I am appearing as Beatrice the crowds will all be staring at me and I shall feel very public indeed.' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 6

66 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `She is right, Cesare,' nodded Aunt Teresa anxiously. `It is not seemly.' `Espec ially for one of the family,' said the Contessa with a little frown. `Why did Be atrice wear those clothes?' Aunt Teresa wondered aloud with a sigh. 'I thought t hey all wore the sort of clothes the Contessa Bianca is wearing in her portrait! ' Contessa Bianca was another Renaissance figure. Her portrait, in a bold yellow brocade gown, dominated the centre of the picture gallery. She was a typical Dr uetso with silky black hair, olive skin and great dark eyes. `Beatrice was dress ed up as an allegorical figure,' the Contessa informed her tolerantly. 'She is s upposed to be a nymph.' `Oh,' said Aunt Teresa blankly. `A nymph defying the wic ked advances of a centaur,' Cesare expounded, tongue in cheek. `I thought it was a horse,' said Aunt Teresa, openmouthed. They all laughed. Gently, Contessa Mar ia said, 'It is very dark in that corner. We must hang the portrait in a better light.' After dinner they all trooped up to the gallery to view the Beatrice. Th e picture had a typical Renaissance backgrounda wood in spring; the dark leaves i nterlaced against a clear sky, with a city in the distance on a hilltop, a city clearly recognisable as San Volenco. The girl was poised for flight, her pale dr aperies fluttering in a

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 67 breeze, her golden ringlets finely tossed around her delicate face. Cesare leane d against the wall, looking from one to the other of them; from Amanda back to t he portrait, then back to Amanda again. `You are Beatrice,' he murmured. Piero n odded eagerly. 'Yes, you are, cara. You cannot refuse to play the partit would be a tragedy. You were born to do this!' `At least the part doesn't include being thrown off the balcony to fall down to the valley floor,' Amanda said grudgingly . 'I suppose I ought to be grateful for that much.' `We will make the draperies as modest as possible,' Cesare assured her. `Thank you,' she said, a trifle tart ly, thinking that he bore a strange resemblance to the dark-visaged centaur from whom the girl was in flight. Two days later, Piero informed her that he was goi ng to have to travel to Florence to take part in a conference of wine growers. C esare was eager for the firm to take a place in the international market, hence Piero's original trip to England, to learn all he could about the London end of the business. `This conference may mean orders,' Piero told her. 'I have to go.' `I would love to see Florence again,' she said. 'While you are working I could sightsee. It will be marvellous to wander around the Uffizi, to see the Duomo ag ain, and

P HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 68 the Baptistery doors. Remember, it's five years since I sa w them all.' `I will ask Cesare,' Piero said doubtfully. 'I would love to take y ou, my darling, but you know how it is ... business conferences do not halt when it is five-thirty. They go on over dinner, even at breakfast each morning!' Ces are was more forthright. 'You'll need all your wits about you on this trip, Pier o. I can't have you distracted by the lovely Amanda. She can play the tourist in Florence some other time. There is plenty for her to do here while you are away .' Amanda was bitterly resentful when Piero reported this conversation to her. ` So, the Dictator of San Volenco says I shall not go,' she cried angrily. Cesare was a dark force at the back of everything that happened in the city; moving, ma nipulating, constantly in control of their lives. `We must try to propitiate him , remember,' Piero pleaded. 'While I am away, darling, be nice to Cesare. Don't argue with him all the time.' He wore a harassed expression. 'Oh, Piero!' she si ghed. `You bring out the worst in him,' he explained. 'Cesare is not the dictato r you think him. It is just that he has always been the head of the family, and he is used to making the decisions for all of us. When you cross him he is baffl ed. He only thinks for our good.' iero' she began shyly, trying to find words to convey her nervousness where Cesare was concerned. But

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 69 what could she say? She was not even sure, herself, what it was about Cesare tha t made her so anxious. Piero loved his brother. He would not believe evil of him . He clearly resented it if Cesare paid attention to Amanda, but he seemed to fe el few doubts as to the wisdom of leaving his fiancee in close relationship with a man who had once proposed to her, and still showed signs of resenting their o wn betrothal. He trusts Cesare, Amanda thought, looking at his handsome, boyish face as he kissed her. `Where will you stay in Florence?' she asked. `In the Via dei Pilastri with some old friends of mine,' Piero told her. `Oh, not in a hote l ?' `No, not in a hotel.' `Good friends of yours? Do I know them?' A slight flu sh rose in his cheeks. She was puzzled by it. No,' he faltered, 'I don't think y ou know them.' Cesare came into the room unexpectedly. He looked at Piero with a raised brow, searching his brother's flushed face curiously. 'Who does Amanda n ot know?' `The people Piero is going to stay with in Florence,' she told him. Ce sare looked sharply at Piero. 'Aren't you going to the Hotel Maggiore?' `No,' sa id Amanda, as Piero was slow to reply. 'He is staying in the Via dei Pilastri wi th some friends.' Piero was crimson. Cesare stared at him, his brows drawing tog ether in a black line. `I thought I made myself clear?' Cesare demanded. 'I .

70 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY told you to go to the Maggiore. You have gone behind my back, after all, have yo u? How dare you do this? I made it quite clear to you how things were to be in f uture ...' Amanda was dumb with amazement at Cesare's angry, domineering tone. S he looked at Piero incredulously, waiting for him to reply forcefully. Piero was pale now. He stared at his feet. 'I know what you said. You said it often enoug h.' `Then you will revert to the original arrangements,' Cesare commanded. You w ill go to the Hotel Maggiore.' Piero shrugged. 'Just as you say ...' When Cesare had gone, Amanda demanded angrily, `Why did you let him order you about like th at? You are no longer a child, never permitted to think for yourself. Why should n't you stay with friends? I suppose Cesare doesn't approve of them? He thinks t hey will be a bad influence on you? Oh, Piero, if you never stand up to him you' ll be a boy all your life ...' `Isn't it enough that I have my brother nagging m e all day without you joining in as well?' Piero shouted. `Leave me alone, Amand a. You don't know what you're talking about!' She was horrified when he had gone . He was right she had been nagging him. It was hard not to, though, when she saw how Cesare dominated him. For the first time she saw why Cesare had said that t hey would be illsuited. Piero was a plastic personality, easy-going, sweettemper ed. He hated quarrels, detested trouble of any

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 71 kind. Although he longed to prove to his family that he was an adult, he always sheered off from any contest which might actually prove his maturity. She covere d her face with her hands. How dare I criticise poor Piero? He is marrying a ter magant. I am marrying an angel. I should be grateful for his sweetness, not cond emn him for it. She apologised when they next met, kissing him lovingly. 'Forgiv e me, darling?' He returned her kiss eagerly. 'It was my fault. I was angry with Cesare and I shouted at you. You were rightI am weak. I will try to be stronger for your sake.' `You aren't weak, Piero,' she denied. 'You are so much younger t han Cesare that you've acquired a habit of obedience, that's all.' He laughed bi tterly. 'A habit of obedience ! Yes, that is it, Amanda!' `You should stand up t o him. Go to your friends ! Don't stay at the Maggiore. Don't let him choose you r friends for you. It's your life, not his ...' Her own views were coloured by a conviction that Cesare would attempt to put an end to their engagement with the same firmness which he had used in dictating Piero's friendships. If Piero aban doned old friends at Cesare's dictate, he might be as weak where she was concern ed. Piero gazed at her oddly, rather pale. 'You do not understand, my darling .. .' `I understand Cesare,' she nodded. 'You're a man now. If you really like thee people then refuse to give them up. Trust your own judgment. If you think Cesar e's

72 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY ' reason for disliking them is sound, of course, that's different. But it must be your decision.' `Yes,' Piero said slowly, 'you are right. It is my decision, not Cesare's ...' When it was time for him to leave the family assembled to see him off, but Cesare refused to give Amanda permission to walk down to the car park to see him drive away. 'Piero must be on his way quickly. I want no protracted g oodbyes.' `You big bully,' she said scornfully. Piero kissed her lightly, inhibi ted presumably by his brother's watchful presence, and was soon gone. Leaving th e Contessa and Aunt Teresa in the hall, Amanda bolted upstairs and leaned on the windowsill of the office tower, watching for Piero's car. After a while she saw it moving across the plain. She watched until it was just a cloud of dust. When she moved away from-the window Cesare was seated at his own desk, reading a lis t of horse shows which had come in that morning's post. He looked at her, levelbrowed. `Is parting such sweet sorrow still?' A cynical smile sounded in his voi ce. `Oh, shut up!' `You always sound defensive when you shout. Wish you were goi ng with him? Or relieved not to be?' `You put your own poisonous interpretations on most things,' she snapped. 'What do you think?' `I think you were feeling lo st and bewildered in England. You may be half English, but this is your real

73 home. You fought down that homesickness because your stubborn mind would not admit to it.' `Quite the little psychiatrist, aren't you?' she said with a sarca stic bite. `So that when you saw Piero again you clutched at him, as a drowning man clutches at a lifeline.' `What nonsense!' she said angrily. He swung reflect ively in his chair, his hands linked behind his tilted head, the mocking grey ey es watching her. `Like most women, you have a tendency to leap emotionally at th e first pretty thing that takes your fancy. In this case, Piero, my cherished br other. Only as an afterthought do you wonder if it is really something you needth e thing you should have chosen, the necessary thing.' She turned away, fighting down a sudden desire to burst into tears which baffled her. After a pause she ga sped, 'I love him!' `Do you?' he drawled. 'I wonder.' `What do you know of love? ' she demanded bitingly. He smiled lazily. suspect I know a great deal more than you! Tell me, Amanda, how many men have kissed you?' The question threw her. Sh e stared at him dumbly for a moment, then, pulling herself together, she said, ' I don't know! Quite a few, I suppose!' `Which means what? One or two? Half a doz en?' `I didn't make notches on my belt,' she declared crossly. HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

Was it ever serious?' He sounded quite dispassionate. `Once or twice.' Did you t ouch the depths, or reach the heights?' The question came sharply, like a dartin g thrust of a rapier. She shrugged, flushing. 'Don't we all at some time or anot her?' `It can be shattering, can't it?' He watched her cynically. 'Like being po leaxedyou go down, stars whirling round your head, and you don't know what's happ ened to you at first.' `Don't tell me you've ever felt like that, because I woul dn't believe you if you swore it on a stack of Bibles ten feet high. You're too cold-blooded to fall in love. You've never lost control, you've never lost your head. Piero and I are fools enough for thatwe're human beings. But you are the Co unt of San Volenco and you're above such human weaknesses.' She spat the words o ut breathlessly, glaring at him, her face very pink. He laughed. 'You really hav e a high opinion of me, don't you? I ought to feel insulted, but oddly enough I d on't ...' `Of course not. Your own opinion of you is so high!' `Sheathe those kitten claws now, my dear,' he said softly. 'Or I might retaliate!' `Fling me of f the balcony? Slap my face? Put me in the castle dungeons in chains?' She mocke d him angrily. `What will you do to me, my lord Dictator of San Volenco?' He cau ght her by the wrists, his fingers iron links around her fragile bones, and pull ed her towards him. 74 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

75 Too late Amanda tried to struggle away. His grip was unbreakable. His dark fa ce came down towards her like a hawk swooping from the sky on a white dove. She was first angry, then frightened, then, finally, touched into response as his ki ss burned along her lips, giving and demanding sheer physical pleasure. Her hand s were released, he slid his grip along her arms to her shoulders, then down her back to her waist, bending her backwards, his pressure irresistible. She flung up her hands and beat, unavailingly, upon the hard muscles of his chest. 'Don't fight me,' he whispered, his lips travelling slowly along her throat until they reached the small hollow, just above the curve of her breasts, where a pulse lea pt wildly, testifying to the confusion of her senses. `Let me go, Cesare,' she b egged. He laughed. 'Have you forgotten what the Counts of San Volenco have alway s been called? The hawks who never let go ... that is what they called us!' He l ooked down at her broodingly, his mouth curved in a cruel smile. 'How does it fe el to be the prey of a hawk, cara?' A half sob broke from her. 'Don't!' `What di d you say to me just now? That I never lost my head? That I was above human weak nesses?' He lowered his lips to her throat again, let them move slowly, with a b urning intensity, downwards until they rested between her breasts, pushing aside the lapels of her shirt to reveal her smooth white skin. 'I warned you I would retaliate if you provoked me too far. Women are never satisfied until they have provoked a man to the HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 76 point of madness, are they? Did you think I was a machine, bloodless, inhuman, that you came back here flaunting your betrothal to Piero, my own brother?' His voice was husky with emotion. Was it anger or pain? she won dered urgently. She tried to read the dark mask of his face, but it was still im possible for her, to decipher what lay behind his hawklike features. Tentatively , she said, 'But you only proposed to me to please your mother. It can't have hu rt you when I refused!' He raised his head reluctantly, as if he hated to look a t her. 'What do you know of me, Amanda? You talk blithely about what I feel or c annot feel, but what do you really know of me? You're a child, emotionally, unab le to recognise or understand any feelings deeper or more complicated than her o wn. You aren't old enough to marry anyone. You lack the maturity to comprehend a nother person in the total fullness of marriage.' `That isn't true,' she cried a ngrily. 'I've been in love before, I know what it feels like ... and I do love P iero !' `Do you?' he asked her savagely, his eyes on the trembling curve of her red mouth. 'I've seen you to_ gether, remember, and I have seen you kiss him.' H is eyes flashed bitter mockery at her. 'The sweet childlike kisses of adolescent s ! They may satisfy Piero, but they would not satisfy me!' `Of course not,' she flung back furiously, wounded by his sarcasm, her pride and self-respect stung. 'What would satisfy you, Cesare? Who could satisfy the Hawk of San Volenco?'

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 77 Not you, at any rate,' he said bitingly. 'This exquisite, fragile body of yours conceals a frightened child, unable to give or receive adu lt love. I pity Piero.' `Pity yourself if I tell him how you have behaved,' she said shakily. 'He'll kill you.' He smiled darkly. 'And will you tell him?' She b it her lip. 'Yes ... no! I don't know. I ought to tell him, warn him what sort o f man his wonderful brother really is ... he has no idea, does he? He respects y ou, looks up to you, and all the time you are capable of this sort of treachery! ' He looked at her with anger, his grey eyes almost black with the mounting rage he felt. 'If I have betrayed Piero it is because I feel no cause to be loyal to him Piero knew when he brought you back as his fiancee that it would be a deadl y insult to me, yet he went ahead and did just as he pleased. He knew I had chos en you as my Contessa 'I refused you five years ago!' she cried. His lip curled. 'What has that to do with it? Do you think I accepted your refusal as final? Yo u were still a child, only just eighteen. We were all waiting for you to return, as you would have done, sooner or later. We did not expect you to return as. Pi ero's future wife!' `We ... you say we ... you only proposed to me for your moth er's sake, as I said! It was always her dream that I would marry you, and you ke ep up the idea because you hate to be thwarted. It hurt your pride when I refuse d to fall in with your plans. I couldn't hurt your feelings because you don't ha ve any ...'

78 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `None that you are apparently able to comprehend,' Cesare agreed smoothly. He le t his eyes move slowly over her. Amanda shivered at the sensual hunger his glanc e suddenly revealed, and his glance lifted sharply to her face, probing her eyes . `So,' he murmured softly. 'Do you begin to understand me?' Her face was sudden ly burning, her eyes dropped nervously before his penetrating stare. Something i n the way he looked at her had shown her what she had never suspected before ... Cesare might not be in love with her, but he desired her. His glance had told h er that, reinforcing the revelation of his earlier kisses. She had thought at fi rst that he had only been angry with her, that his lovemaking had been designed to insult and enrage her rather than to satisfy a hunger in him. Now she knew in stinctively that Cesare wanted her, that she aroused the acquisitive instinct in that possessive spirit of his. The hawk, as he had said earlier, had scented hi s prey, and she shivered beneath the shadow of his wing. `I ... I will marry Pie ro,' she stammered, avoiding his eyes. 'Leave me alone, Cesare, or I'll be force d to tell him that ... that ...' He laughed. 'That I want you, and intend to hav e you?' She gasped at this outright statement of a fact she had only just recogn ised with embarrassed reluctance. `Oh!' She broke away from him and ran from the room, hearing his\ soft laughter pursuing her as she fled.

CHAPTER FIVE ALONE in her room, Amanda sat on the bed and stared at her pale ref lection in the mirror. Her eyes looked enormous. Her mouth was trembling visibly and a little pulse beat at the base of her slender white throat. Suddenly she r emembered what Tina had said in the antique shop about Cesare's attitude to Pier o's engagement. The words burned in her memory ... 'To his own mother the Conte said itnever while there is breath in my body ... this English girl will never ma rry Piero ...' She shivered, covering her face with her hands. Tina's angry decl aration now took on new and terrifying meaning. Cesare had not merely been speak ing out of proud rejection of her marriage. He had still desired her for himself . Beneath her cold fingers her skin glowed with sudden heat as her thoughts clar ified. Wave after wave of scarlet colour swept up her face, then she lowered her hands and looked deliberately at herself. What was it about her that affected C esare in this way? Why did he want her? `I don't want him!' she cried aloud to t he empty room, then bit her lip and looked round nervously, afraid of listeners outside. She felt like a small, hunted animal who suddenly becomes aware that th e fox is on its trail. Every nerve-end in her body quivered with alarm. Piero wa s away, and would be out of reach for a little 79

8o HAWK IN A BLUE SKY while. She dared not go to the Contessa for helpit would hu rt her feelings too much. Aunt Teresa was too gentle, too kindly to be of much u se, either. There's no one, Amanda thought helplessly. I have no refuge to which I can run, no sanctuary to shelter in here. Cesare can always find me. Then her chin lifted. I have myself, she thought proudly. I defeated him before, I can d efeat him again. What can he do to me, after all, if I make it clear that I want nothing to do with him? He took me by surprise before. Now I'm warned, so I sha ll protect myself from him. There are ways of building walls around oneself, the invisible walls of cold rejection which every man recognises. She stood up and began to brush her hair, then stiffened as she saw the shadowy bruises on her th roat where he had angrily kissed and held her. 'Barbarian she said aloud. Her fi ngers touched the blue marks lightly. She had a flashing picture of herself in h is strong brown hands, helpless as his mouth lingered at will on her lips, throa t, shoulders. Her anger and contempt flared up. How dare he treat her in such a way? It was despicable. He had even dared to imply that she had provoked him in some way, that his attack on her was justified by some action of her own ! His r easoning was typically twisted. After all, she had refused to marry him. She had given him no encouragement since her return to the city. How then could he say that she had provoked him? She washed her face in cool water, dried it slowly an d carefully, then applied fresh make-up with fingers that

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY trembled slightly. Then with a controlled expression she returned to Cesare's of fice, armed for battle. It was an anti-climax to find it empty. She stood in the room without moving for a moment, then let out a long sigh. For a second she wa s horrified by a suspicion that she was disappointed not to find him therethat sh e had been looking forward to a clash with him. Any faintest suspicion that she did not detest his very presence near her was enough to alarm her at the moment. She asked herself silently why she was so determined to hate him, and knew, in her most secret soul, that it was a determination born out of that crushed-down attraction towards Cesare which she had felt as she saw his mouth coming down to wards her own. Something hidden deep inside her had leapt into hot life, only to be beaten down once more by her mind. She stood beside the window, staring down over the plain, and remembered. Remembered many times when she had shrunk back from the naked power of Cesare's presence, the domination of his personality. Sh e would not be one of the moths drawn to that flame. She had seen too many other girls flutter away, singed. Even as a very young girl she had resisted the fata l attraction. The master of San Volenco was even more devastating to a very youn g girl, indeed. She had fled instinctively from him, as a dove flees the shadow of the hawk. But I do love Piero, she told herself fiercely. I love him, and I w ill marry himeven if Cesare has said that I will be the dominant partner ! I love Piero far too much to try

82 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY to dominate him Once he was away from Cesare's overpowering influence, surely Pi ero would grow stronger, become more assertive, both as a man and as a lover? Ce sare's bitter words about the kisses of adolescents had gone home, despite her a ngry denials to him at the time. It was true that Piero had never proved quite a s passionate and demanding as she might have wished, but she was sure that in ti me that would change. Piero was all she wanted out of life ... Cesare did not ap pear again that day. Amanda worked in the office as usual on the details of the organisation of the Beatrice pageant, but found it hard to concentrate on such m atters while her head was full of something very different. At every moment she expected Cesare to walk through the door. It was nerve-racking, and, she suspect ed, quite deliberate on his part. Cesare would be good at the game of cat-and-mo use. She dressed carefully for the evening meal, her pulses leaping as she went down to join the rest of the family. Her glance skimmed the room, found his dark profile and hurriedly flickered away, the colour rising in her cheeks. He was t alking lazily to Aunt Teresa, teasing her. `What part are you going to play in o ur pageant, then, Aunt? How about the Contessa Bianca?' `You are joking, Cesare, ' Aunt Teresa laughed, delighted. `Who is going to play Bianca, my son?' asked h is mother with a serious glance.

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 83 `Aunt Teresa,' Cesare insisted. Contessa Maria smiled indulgently. 'But really . .. who did you thinkmost suitable?' Cesare gave Amanda a quick, light look. 'I t hought ... Tina ...' There was mockery in the smile which accompanied the name. `Oh, yes,' said Aunt Teresa. 'She will look exactly right!' At that moment the g irl herself came into the room; Amanda almost suspected Tina of eavesdropping. T here was a strangely triumphant smile on the girl's beautiful, sulky face. Will you play the Contessa Bianca, Tina?' asked Cesare with a smile. `Do you think I can play a Countess of Volenco?' asked Tina, her dark eyes wide and innocent. 'A fter all, I am not one of the family, am I? My ancestors were peasants, not nobl emen !' Cesare gave her an amused, appreciative smile. 'You're a lovely, warm-bl ooded little creature, Tina. What does it matter who your ancestors were? You lo ok like Bianca. You'll play the part to perfection !' Tina smoothed down the tig ht-fitting black skirt she wore, her fingers deliberately emphasising the curved swell of her hips. Cesare's glance followed the movement. His lips twitched wit h amusement. `Well, if you want me,' Tina purred softly. What exactly did she me an by that? wondered Amanda cynically. Something told her that Tina was not only referring to the part in the pageant.

SKY Cesare looked at her directly. 'Have Tina measured right away. The costume f or Bianca must be a perfect fit.' `Will it be exactly the same as the painting?' asked Tina eagerly. Cesare nodded. 'Exactly the same! The colour will suit you perfectly.' He slid an arm around her waist and added, 'Come and take a look at the portrait now.' Amanda watched as he and Tina left the room. Contessa Maria w as frowning in some puzzlement. She stared after her son, then looked at Amanda. For a second or two it looked as if the Contessa was going to make some remark about Cesare's sudden interest in Tina, then she clearly decided against saying anything, for she closed her lips firmly and looked uneasily at the sky beyond t he window. Amanda knew perfectly well why Cesare was being so attentive to Tina suddenly. His expression had told her the reason. He was demonstrating to her th at other women found him irresistible ... as if she needed any further evidence ! She had always known about his women. It had only intensified her own determin ation never to fall under his spell. When Cesare and Tina returned, Tina had a f aint flush along her cheekbones and a feline smile of satisfaction on her red mo uth. She looked like a woman who has been kissed, and Amanda suspected that that was precisely what had happened up in the portrait gallery. Under the predatory eyes of the Druetso Counts their descendant had once more asserted his heredita ry right to 84 - HAWK IN A BLUE

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 85 take what he wanted ... Some of the costumes were being hired from a costumier i n Florence who specialised in this sort of thing, but others were being made to order here in San Volenco, where needlework of a fine sort was a favourite pasti me of the local women. Their skills were hereditary, passed on from generation t o generation, mother to daughter, and they had a fiercely competitive attitude t o the finished article. The most accomplished needlewoman in the city was Signor a Marella, a small, upright lady with greying dark hair and calm black eyes. Her hands moved softly, delicately, over the brocade she was using, like small brow n moths hovering above the material. Amanda found it fascinating to watch. `I my self will make your costume, Manda,' she was told firmly. `Thank you, signora,' she said, delighted. `It is to be exactly the same as the Beatrice portrait?' Si gnora Marella looked faintly disapproving. Amanda nodded, smiling. She knew the other woman would not like the ideathe women of San Volenco were still old-fashio ned in their attitudes to dress. Many of them still wore black every day in mour ning for some relative or another. Old habits died hard in these quiet houses. T he city walls which had once kept out invading armies now protected the people o f the city from the modern invasion of new ideas. Signora Marella clicked her, t ongue and shook her head. 'But the costume would show' ... she lowered her voice discreetly ... 'show the limbs .. '

86 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY The Conte insists it be identical,' Amanda sighed. Signora Marella gave her a br ief glance. `Ah, the Conte ... men! They never think ...' `It will be very embar rassing,' Amanda confided. She was not looking forward to appearing in public we aring such flimsy clothes. `We must see what we can do,' said the Signora. 'Let us look at the portrait again ...' They went up to the gallery and stood in fron t of the picture. The Signora shook her head once more over the fluttering drape ries. Tellissima, but ... too revealing ...' Through the wisps of gauze the fles h of Beatrice glowed with a pearly smoothness which was sensual and riveting, bu t Amanda could not imagine herself looking like that. She shivered, staring at t he dark wood behind the Beatrice, and the shadowy outline of the centaur, half h orse, half satyr, pursuing her out of the darkness. All the light in the picture seemed to be concentrated around the girl's slight figure. This chiaroscuro gav e the painting a somewhat ominous look, as if it symbolised the menace of darkne ss in pursuit of light. `I wonder if the pursuer is Beatrice's husband ?' she mu rmured to herself, not realising she spoke aloud. From behind her Cesare said so ftly, 'Of course it is.' She started violently, looking back at him with a haunt ed expression. `Oh ... Signora Marella watched them curiously. Like the rest

87 of the city she knew exactly how the land lay between them. `Cesare, Signora Marella agrees with me that the costume would not be decent ...' Amanda said hur riedly. `It will be exactly as Botticelli painted it,' Cesare said with a cold l ook. Signora Marella shrugged. 'Si, Signore . ..' She gave Amanda a look of wry resignation and slipped quietly away. Amanda moved to follow her, cheeks flushed with alarm, but Cesare caught her by the arm and forced her to remain. `Wait .. . I want a word with you!' 'I have a lot to do,' she protested. He lifted one da rk brow. 'Oh, indeed?' She looked down, her poise shattered. He knew perfectly w ell that she had already got the work finished for that day. They had been worki ng in the office together for several hours, and Cesare's quick, observant eyes must have noticed how little she had to do. Cesare released her arm and moved ba ck in front of the picture. 'Her flight did not take her far,' he murmured. She looked up. His eyes were fixed on the picture. She stared at his dark profile; t he unyielding hawk-like nose and chin, the hooded eyes, the strong, fierce mouth . Something beat hotly behind her eyes. She shivered, and he looked round at her . Their eyes met in an armed clash, then Cesare's smile HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 88 deepened. 'You have such a look of her,' he said softly. ` You always have had.' `And you look like him,' she flung angrily, regretting it too late, for at the accusation he looked so amused. `Is that so strange? He was my ancestor, another Hawk of Volenco `He lost his prey that time, then,' she sa id triumphantly. Cesare stared at her. 'What?' `Beatrice escaped him, even if it was only by dying,' she pointed out. `You forget, cara,' he said coolly, 'there are two versions of the legend. In one, it is true, she jumps to her death from the balcony of her roomyour room, otAmanda.' He smiled glitteringly at her. 'But in the her ...' He moved closer, his hand lifting her chin and forcing her to l ook into his dark face. 'In the other the Hawk took his prey and kept her. They had children who were our ancestors, yours and mine ... how else could you have inherited her pale silvery hair and that other-world look which Botticelli loved as much as her Druetso lover did?' Cesare's eyes moved caressingly over her hai r and face. His other hand gently slid over her head, stroking back the stray fr onds of hair from her pale temples. Huskily, she whispered, 'Cesare, please ... you mustn't,' but her voice was barely audible and she herself scarcely heard it above the thudding of her heart. `Do you remember when you were a little girl a nd I took you to see the motto above the city gates?'

89 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY She nodded. 'Yes.' If only, she thought drowningly, he wou ld stop moving his thumb along her cheekbones. She felt the passage of that thum b as if it left tracks of fire. Every touch made her shake, made her bones melt until she wondered how she managed to remain standing. `You remember the motto?' `Of course,' she said weakly. `In life, fidelity ... in death, fidelity,' he sa id deeply, his grey eyes fixed on her face. 'The Druetso family have always held by that motto, Amanda. What we have we hold, and we demand absolute fidelity in return.' His hands tightened on her shoulder, pulling her closer. 'I recognise no other claim on youI give you fair warning. Piero knew perfectly well how we in the city felt about your future. When he brought you back here it was a gesture of defiance to me. He flung down the gauntlet; I shall pick it up.' `What about me?' Amanda demanded, suddenly shaking off the dreamy trance in which his physi cal nearness had held her. 'Do I have no right to determine my own future ?' `Yo u?' Cesare laughed, his white teeth cruel. She went white with rage. 'How dare y ou laugh at me? You and Piero are not two dogs fighting over a bone. I'm a human being and I demand the right to choose my own husband ...' `There is no questio n of choice,' Cesare said calmly. She glared at him 'Oh, isn't there? That's wha t you think, my lord Count.' `It is what I know,' he said. 'Do you think I would

90 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY have chosen to fall in love with a frightened child who has no more idea of love than a rabbit?' His face grew fierce and dark as he stared down at her. 'You kn ew years ago that you wanted me, Amanda. You knew before I proposed to you ... y ou pretended to yourself that you hated me, but if you are honest with yourself your feelings were far more complicated and far more interesting! I'm too experi enced not to recognise the reality of a woman's reactions when I hold her, but y ou, Amanda, you are a nervous child terrified by the impact of passion inside yo urself, and you have denied how you felt about me even to yourself because your own feelings terrify you ...' She tried to laugh angrily. 'Are these the sort of fantasies you use to bolster your vanity, Cesare? You can't bear to accept that any woman might reject you, so you've told yourself I'm just too frightened to admit I really ...' Her voice broke of huskily on a gasp. 'It's sheer nonsense,' she went on quickly. She just could not bring herself to say the words which ha d been on the tip of her tongue. `Is it?' He looked down at her tauntingly. 'Let 's see, shall we?' `No!' she cried, pulling back from him. Panic engulfed her, t hrowing her brain into total confusion. Cesare's hands were too strong for her. He pulled her closer, like a helpless doll, against his body. His mouth moved do wnwards. Her wide eyes stared, hypnotised, at the strong curve of his lips as th ey approached, then a wave of sudden heat swept over her. She fought

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 91 .desperately to withstand it, but as his lips touched hers she felt her whole bo dy weaken, grow warmly limp, curve towards his. Her hands fluttered out, touched his chest and crept upwards to his throat. Cesare made a sound of triumph deep inside his chest and his hands moved to her waist, pulling her hard against him. Amanda sobbed defeat, her hands clinging at the back of his dark head, her body pliantly yielding to him as his hard lips wrung absolute response from her. She ceased to think, drowning in pleasure, her mind submerged beneath the tidal wav e of passion which swept them both away. When he drew back she clung to him stil l, eyes closed, her face lifted towards him. `You are beginning to learn, aren't you, my darling?' He had a note of triumph still in his thickened voice. Now de ny that you want me ...' She gave a heart-wrenching sigh and opened her eyes. Af ter a moment she said faintly, 'I'm a woman. Of course I'm not unaware of you .. .' His mouth lifted in mocking amusement. 'Do you want me to prove my point agai n, cara? How many times a day would you like me to show you how you feel about m e?' She flushed. 'All right,' she said bitterly. 'I ... I find you attractiveI ad mit it.' `Generous of you,' he said drily. `I've found plenty of other men attra ctive,' she said in a belligerent voice. Cesare's dark eyes narrowed. 'Let me wa rn you, my

92 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY girl, not to boast of such things to me! I can be a jealous lover ...' `You ... aren't my lover,' she denied huskily. `No?' He smiled, possessively, at her. `No ,' she insisted. 'And you never will be, Cesare. I still intend to marry Piero.' `Feeling as you do about me?' His glance was scathingly contemptuous as he spat out the words. 'Yes!' `You could not be so stupid,' he said. 'Do you really thi nk my brother wants a wife who is in love with me? He would have to be a masochi st to enjoy such a situation, and Piero is not a masochist, believe me.' `I'm no t in love with you,' she said patiently. `You have already admitted it,' he remi nded her. physically ... `No! I admitted that I find you attractive,' she stamme red. `Ah, yes,' he said. 'Physically attractive ... how many sorts of love do yo u think there are, cara? It is love you feel for me, believe me.' `I know one th ing about love,' she said. 'It cannot be confused with hate. Or with contempt. O r with dislike. And I feel all three of those for you.' She drew away and stood upright, facing him bravely. 'I'm not trying to insult you, Cesare. I'm forced t o be honest because you will not accept anything else. Very well : I've always d isliked you. You're arrogant, interfering, domineering; you were brought up by y our father to act like that. It isn't your fault, I suppose. The Hawk of San Vol enco is not supposed to be a perfect, gentle knight. You have a

93 family tradition of fierce tyranny behind you, and you grew up believing it i t to be the pattern you must follow. Look at him ...' gesturing at the Botticell i painting. `That's what you understand ... the centaur pursuing a frightened vi rgin ... Well, that isn't what I want. I want an ordinary happy marriage with a husband who will be my friend and partner, not my master.' He listened unsmiling ly, watching her. After a moment he said, 'You still do not know yourself.' `No, it's you who doesn't know me !' He shook his head. 'There is no mystery, no mag ic, in the marriage you just described. It is prosaic, dull ...' `It's happy and safe,' Amanda said crossly. `Ah, safe! Now there you are admitting something of the truth. You want a safe husband because you are frightened of anything more demanding. You haven't the courage to commit yourself to the stormy sea of love, so you opt to stay in the quiet security of harbour with some undemanding mouse of a husband.' She laughed suddenly. 'I wouldn't describe Piero as a mouse, wou ld you? He can be very passionate.' Cesare's face went black with rage. He caugh t her shoulders and shook her violently. 'Passionate, is he? My God, Amanda, you ask for trouble. How dare you say that to me? You will drive me to do something I will be sorry for later ...' She felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach. Cesare's jealousy gave her a sense of power she had never felt before. She look ed at him through her lowered lashes. He was certainly a handsome man, she thoug ht reluctHAWK IN A BLUE SKY

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 94 antly. There was a dark grandeur about him which was impre ssive, and the way he was looking at her now made her pulses race furiously. `Yo u forget,' she said sweetly, 'I'm engaged to Piero, you know, not to you ...' Th ey suddenly heard the click of heels approaching. Cesare straightened away from Amanda, smoothing out the angry look from his face. They turned and saw the Cont essa coming towards them, her face filled with apprehension. She looked at Cesar e closely. `My son, Piero just rang from Florence.' Cesare looked blank. 'Yes ?' `He is bringing guests back with him,' the Contessa said nervously. `What?' Ces are's brows jerked together. `To see the Beatrice pageant,' the Contessa said. ` Who are these guests?' demanded Cesare. His mother looked at him anxiously. 'The Americans,' she said gently. `H ah!' Cesare spat out an exclamation of pure rag e. Amanda was puzzled. 'What Americans are these, Aunt Maria?' she asked tentati vely. The Contessa glanced at her, then at Cesare. 'They are some friends of Pie ro's,' she said. `Not the friends in the Via dei Pilastri with whom he is stayin g at the moment?' asked Amanda curiously. The Contessa nodded. 'Indeed, those ar e the friends he is bringing back with him!'

95 `He dares to bring them here?' demanded Cesare. 'Is he mad to do such a thing ?' Tut why shouldn't he?' Amanda asked in bewilderment. `This is Piero's home,' the Contessa pointed out to Cesare in a gentle voice. `I will not have that man and his daughter in my house,' Cesare merely said fiercely. 'Again Piero defies me. The time is soon coming when he must learn once and for all who is master he re.' He turned on his heel and strode away angrily. Amanda looked at the Contess a. 'I don't understand. What is so wrong with these Americans?' The Contessa lau ghed. 'It is quite simple, my dear. Cesare hates this man because Mr MacDonald b ought the Mireze stables ...' Amanda's eyes widened. 'The Mireze stables? I reme mber Cesare always wanted to buy them! They had a famous breed of mares over the re, didn't they, which Cesare wanted to cross with the Volenco strain ?' The Con tessa nodded. 'It has been his ambition to do so for many years now. The Mireze horses are closer to the Arab strain than ours here ... ours have more bodily st rength, but the Mireze horses are faster, more graceful. Cesare has always dream ed of buying out the Mireze family. When Giorgio Mireze died, Cesare began negot iations with his daughter, Caterina. I don't know what went wrong, but suddenly she sold out to this American, Hector MacDonald. Cesare was bitterly angry, and he HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

96 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY has refused to have any dealings with Mr MacDonald ever since.' 'How typical,' s aid Amanda. 'Stubborn as a mule!' The Contessa laughed. 'Cesare can be very obst inate, it is true.' `And so Piero knows them well enough to stay in their house? ' Amanda asked. 'I mean, they're obviously not strangers to the family ?' `No,' the Contessa admitted. 'We all know them. Mr MacDonald came here a Year ago from Englandhe wanted to settle down over here in Europe.' `He must be wealthy,' said Amanda. `Very, of course! And generous. He pays good wages, so we have heard.' The Contessa smiled wryly. 'He has even lured away one of our stablemen to work for him at Mireze.' `That wasn't very nice of him.' `It was fair enough. The man came from Mireze in the first place. His family lived over there and he wanted to go back.' `Cesare didn't like it, though,' guessed Amanda. Not at all! He was furious. I think he was particularly angry because he had been friendly with th e MacDonalds in the first place, and he felt that they had betrayed him by buyin g Mireze.' Amanda shivered. 'Yes, he would feel that. He has such a powerful sen se of loyalties.' The Contessa's gaze was shrewd. 'It is a family tendency. The whole city probably feels the same.' Amanda met her eyes. 'I feel their disappro val every

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 97 time I walk through the streets.' The Contessa nodded. 'Th ey have a black-and-white attitude to such things !' `And you? How do you feel?' asked Amanda. The Contessa kissed her gently. 'I love you, my darling child. I am sure it will all work out for the best.' Amanda did not ask her what she mean t exactly. She preferred not to know. Instead, she said, 'Now I understand why C esare forbade Piero to stay in their house. But I do think he's being very tyran nical, all the same. I'm glad I advised Piero to do what he wanted to do and to take no notice of Cesare's opinions.' The Contessa eyed her thoughtfully. 'Oh, y ou advised Piero to stay with them after all, did you?' `Surely you, at least, a gree that Cesare had no right to order Piero about like that?' `Perhaps you do n ot see all the picture,' the Contessa said gently. 'Sometimes, my darling, Cesar e has reasons which are very good ones, but which he does not communicate to you . There is more to this business than a simple dislike of the MacDonalds.' `What else is there, then?' asked Amanda bluntly. The Contessa sighed. 'You must ask Piero,' she said.

CHAPTER SIX EVERY morning at sunrise Amanda and Cesare took their morning ride t ogether across the sun-baked plains of the valley below the city. Amanda took ca re to get up on time each morning, knowing that if she ever forgot, Cesare would not hesitate to stride into her room in search of her. Remembering that first m orning, when he had so suddenly arrived to wake her, she wished to avoid any rep eat performance, with herself only scantily clad in her brief nightdress, blushi ng like a teenager under Cesare's dark gaze. She was determined to avoid occasio ns that held suggestions of intimacy. She had thought long and deeply about her feelings, and come to the conclusion that the physical attraction he exerted did not make any difference to her views of him as a man. Cesare had medieval attit udes towards women. He did not see them as equals. They were either playthings o r chattels to him. He would make any modern, independent woman an intolerable hu sband. `I want to be free,' she told herself fiercely. 'I want to be my husband' s equal, his partner, not his slave ...' When they returned from their ride they had breakfast, then worked in the office each day on the plans for the Beatrice pageant. They were beginhing rehearsals for the pageant now. 98

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 99 The costumes were ready at last, and Cesare called a dress rehearsal one morning, the day before Piero was due to return home with his Ame rican guests. Tina was excited as she began to insert herself gingerly into the many petticoats which she would have to wear beneath the bold yellow costume whi ch was the replica triumphanly of Contessa Bianca's dress. Her black eyes snappe d as she looked at herself in the long mirror which had been brought down into t he breakfast room, They were going to parade in front of Cesare, his mother, Aun t Teresa and the servants who were all gathered together in the great hall to wa tch the fascinating procession. Swirling around the room, her skirts flying, Tin a crowed softly to herself. `Now I look like a Contessa!' Amanda was feeling ver y unhappy. She shivered in her drifting wisps of gauze, feeling naked and expose d. She hugged herself with her arms around her chest, crossed defensively over h er half-bared breasts, and decided she could not go out into the hall to be star ed at by ... by anyone. Tina came to a halt and looked at her, brows drawn. Her black eyes were narrowed in sudden temper. 'You look ridiculous,' she snapped. S ignora Marella clicked her tongue. 'Silence, girl ! How dare you say such things ?' She gently unwound Amanda's hands and made her stand less awkwardly. Telliss ima,' she murmured. `Tina's right. I look silly !'

100 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `You look very beautiful,' said the Signora firmly. `Come!' `I can't go out ther e ...' Tina laughed. 'She is a coward! She feels as silly as she looks, you see! ' The Signora urged them all into a line. There were half a dozen other women, a ll dressed in the rich costumes of past Druetso women, and they chattered excite dly as they began to move out into the hall. Amanda hung back nervously, her tee th chattering. `Come,' ordered the Signora. 'Lift your head ... do not walk like a sack ... relax ... remember, you are beautiful ...' Amanda began to walk, her head lifted as the Signora ordered. She was the last in the procession. As she glided along her gauzy draperies fluttered back to reveal the long line of her w hite thighs, her waist supple and slender, the pearly gleam of her breasts lifti ng clear of the thin material. She was wearing a coronet of spring flowers; pale st pink buds, green leaves, golden flowers. On her fine silvery fair hair the co ronet conferred a touch of magic. Even her nervousness improved her, giving her cheeks a delicate pallor which was enchanting. Cesare stood in the hall, partly in shadow, his black head thrown back arrogantly as he surveyed the women paradi ng in front of him. He looks like a slave-master inspecting the latest batch of slave girls, thought Amanda savagely. I detest him! He's a beast ... Then the gr ey eyes moved on to her, widened abruptly. She saw his nostrils flare, his lips part on a hungry sigh.

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY TOT Her own body shook with a sudden answering passion. They looked at each other in a silence which had the quality of musicemotion flowed between them in a silver stream. At last Amanda tore her eyes away from him in self-hating bitterness. He r whole nature seemed to be eternally tortured, split between love and hatred, b etween desire and contempt. She was weary of the struggle. She suddenly longed t o get away from the city, to escape back into the safe tedium of London's anonym ous streets. Everyone was waiting for Cesare to pronounce his verdict. After a l ong pause he said huskily, 'It is excellent. You agree, Mamma ?' `Yes,' the Cont essa said doubtfully. 'Oh, indeed, excellent, but ...' Her gaze went to Amanda. Signora Marella nodded. 'But the Beatrice costume is very revealing ...' she sai d with a triumphant smile. 'I thought it would be so ...' Cesare's eyes went to Amanda again with a narrowed gaze. 'Yes,' he said. 'I will compare it with the p ainting before I make a decision.' He smiled at the other women. `You are all pe rfect, though. Thank you. You can take your costumes off now.' Tina swished towa rds him, her eyes inviting. Standing close to him, her breasts full and rounded beneath the yellow brocade of the bodice, she asked, 'And my costume? Do I make a good Contessa Bianca?' Cesare smiled in appreciative amusement. 'You're ravish ing, Tina,' he said softly.

102 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY She gave him a fluttering look. 'Really? You are not just flattering me?' He lau ghed. 'You're a minx,' he retorted. 'Go on, change back into those everlasting j eans of yours. You look good whatever you wear, you know that all too well!' Tin a laughed back at him, flounced to the door and vanished. Signora Marella follow ed her. Amanda moved after them, but Cesare said coolly, `No, we must . compare you with the painting and decide whether the costume will do or not.' Reluctantly, she followed him u p to the gallery. They stood before the picture. His grey eyes moved from her to the picture, then back again. She felt the touch of his glance as if he held he r between those strong brown hands once more. `No,' he said, at last. 'Signora M arella has made the costume an exact replica, but I cannot bear the thought of o ther men seeing you in it ... It must be altered.' Amanda turned away, relieved by his decision. She had been dreading the very idea of appearing in public like this ... Cesare caught her back, catching her wrist in his iron grasp. `Don't g o,' he said huskily. 'Let me look at you again.' She could not bear his gaze. 'D on't,' she begged. 'You make me feel ... naked ...' His smile was triumphantly p ossessive. 'Do I?' He ran his glance down the curve of her body. 'Do you know wh at you look like when you walk in that? You are as near to nakedness as it is po ssible to be wearing clothes,

103 and reveals, so that one yet each movement both conceals is tantalised and e nchanted at one and the same time.' `I must go,' she said in despair. His nearne ss was making that shameful weakness creep over her again. She was determined no t to give in to the need for him, the desire to be held in his arms, to feel his mouth on hers. Cesare looked down at her searchingly. 'Very well,' he said. run away, little rabbit. Tell Signora Marella to make the dress far less revealing. ' He grimaced. 'I had not realised how much I would resent the thought of others seeing you half-naked. I was too eager to see you myself.' She flushed. 'Cesare ! Please ... leave me alone ... --Stop persecuting me!' He laughed mockingly. 'S top what? My dear girl, you want me as much as I want you, and one day you will come to me and admit as much. One day you'll give in and stop running away.' 'I won't,' she denied. 'I shall never submitnever! You might as well stop trying to force me to do so, Cesare. My mind is not as weak as my body, remember. My intel ligence tells me that we are not meant for each other.' She looked at him seriou sly, willing him to listen to her. 'You said so yourself, remember? You said I w as too spirited, too forceful ?' `I said you were too spirited for Piero,' he co rrected. 'Piero could not ride my horse, eitherit would run away' with him, or th row him! It is the same with women as with horses. They need the right master.' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

104 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `You will never be my master!' she flung furiously at him. Cesare smiled. 'We sh all see ...' Next morning they rode together as usual. Tina flirted with Cesare as she adjusted his stirrups, her thick dark lashes lowered one moment, raised t he next, her black eyes teasing and inviting him. `How do you expect me to work with my head filled with thoughts of the Pageant?' she demanded. 'I am too excit ed to pretend that all is normal. One moment I am just your stable girl, the nex t I am a Contessa `You look exquisite in both parts,' Cesare told her calmly. 'E ven in jeans, I admit, although I do not like to see women in such clothes.' Tin a glanced at Amanda. 'Or in jodhpurs?' Cesare gave Amanda a sidelong little smil e. 'On some women jodhpurs can be exciting.' Tina bit her lip jealously, tossed her black hair and turned away with a pout. `Now you've annoyed her,' Amanda sai d as they rode down through the sleeping city. Cesare grinned. 'She is too blata nt.' `Isn't that what men like? That flashy sexuality?' `You have feline instinc ts, do you?' Cesare looked amused. 'No, men do not necessarily like what you cal l flashy sexuality.' His dark glance drifted over her slight, boyish figure in a crisp white shirt and jodhpurs. 'Sometimes the very opposite can be more exciti ng. An ice maiden can always be melted.'

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 105 Amanda flicked her crop at Vesta's hindquarters, and the mare shot forward at a gallop. They rode at full canter over the fields where so me of the other Volenco horses grazed. Some of the mares lifted their heads as t hey heard the sound of hooves, and stared after them, nostrils flared with excit ement. Cesare rode level with Amanda, then drew away, leaving her behind easily. Viva's ears quivered, as if he read his master's mind, then he gave a deep-ches ted whinny, which Vesta answered softly, tossing her pretty head. linger Amanda smoothed her horse's neck, her hand on the silky mane. 'Silly creature,' she mur mured. `Ignore him!' Later, Cesare said to her, 'Are you looking forward to Pier o's return?' `Of course,' she said defiantly. `No doubt he'll want to know if yo u have missed him.' Cesare's voice was bland. `And I shall tell him I have,' she said. `Liar,' Cesare mocked. She glared at him 'It's true!' `You barely noticed he wasn't here,' Cesare drawled. She ignored him, her expression cold. They ret urned to the stables side by side, in total silence. Tina gave them a curious, p enetrating look as she took the reins. Amanda stalked past her without saying an ything, but Cesare paused to make some smiling comment before following Amanda's slight figure up to the castle. She was vanishing into the upper regions of the building as he paused in

1o6 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY the great hall to speak to his mother. `Cesare, I am worried,' began the Contess a gently. `About what, Mamma?' `About the situation ...' `Which situation?' `Ah, you know very well what I mean!' He smiled blandly. 'Do I?' `You and Amanda,' t he Contessa hinted. `Ah, Amanda!' His eyes flashed hungrily. 'That situation ... it is all under control, Mamma.' She gave him a long, anxious look. 'Under cont rol, Cesare? I do not think so. I think you lose control more and more often the se days. I have never seen you like this. Sometimes I have noticed a look almost of terror on the child's face, and I love Amanda dearly, my son. I do not like to see her so disturbed. She is so very young and gentle ...' `Do not worry abou t Amanda, Mamma,' he said haughtily. 'Amanda is my concern.' `Cesare, don't shut me out! What is happening between you? She is still betrothed to your brother. What will Piero think? What will he say when he realises?' `Piero must understan d that he had no right to come between Amanda and myself. You know very well why he did it!' Cesare spoke between clenched teeth, his face taut with anger. 'He was punishing me. He wanted to hurt me. He knew what he did.' The Contessa sighe d. 'Piero is weak and he believes he has a grievance against you, Cesare. He res ents your authority. He wished to prove something to you when he

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 107 brought Amanda back here as his fiancee!' `He wanted to drive me insane,' said C esare in a sudden dark rage, his eyes glittering, his mouth taut./ `And he might yet succeed, with Amanda's help.' He turned on his heel and strode up the stair s, and his mother watched him go helplessly, her face distracted. She wrung her hands and made a soft, keening sound, staring at nothing for a long while, her e yes bright with unshed tears. Piero arrived home later in the afternoon, just as Amanda was leaving the office with Cesare. Cesare paused at the door, listening , then went to the window, and Amanda followed him. Together they stared down at the car as it came closer, dustily travelling Over the plains. 'Piero,' Amanda sighed. Cesare's thick dark brows drew together. 'Your beloved,' he drawled in b itter mockery. Their eyes clashed. Hers fell first, before the fierce demand in his grey ones, and her colour mounted. She turned away, and he made no attempt t o stop her as she left the room to meet Piero in the great hall. The Contessa wa s already there, with Aunt Teresa, anxious expressions on both their faces as th ey greeted her. `You will meet Piero here? You will not go down to the gates to welcome him?' the Contessa asked her. `I'll wait with you,' said Amanda. She was not eager to see Piero again. She felt guilty and uneasy, almost as if he would read in her face what had happened during his absence.

108 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY When Piero did arrive he was not alone. An older man walked on one side of him, dwarfing him, the red crest of his head flaunted cheerfully above a tweed jacket of unmistakable Scottish design. On the other side of Piero walked a girl, almo st the same height as him, but with hair slightly paler in shade than her father 's, and a skin of translucent purity and whiteness. Amanda glanced at them polit ely while the Contessa moved forward to greet them. `Hector ! And Magdalen ... m y dears, how delightful to see you again ...' Her cheerfulness was slightly forc ed, but her welcoming smile was genuine, although anxiety underlay it. `I'm cert ainly glad to see you again, Maria,' said Hector MacDonald in his broad American accent. 'It's been too long. I was beginning to be afraid I would never visit a t Volenco again.' He grinned as he spoke, but his eyes were sober, and they glan ced around the hall as he spoke, searching for someone who was absent. 'Where's Cesare?' `He will be here in a moment,' the Contessa said. She kissed the other girl. 'Magdalen ! How charming you look. Cream suits you so well ...' It was tru e, thought Amanda. The American girl was wearing a cream linen suit cut on super bly simple lines. The colour toned down the flame of her hair and reflected the smoothness of her skin. As she kissed the Contessa on both cheeks she was lookin g at Amanda over the older woman's thin shoulders, and Amanda was

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY LO9 aware of a shadowy sadness in the other girl's pale green eyes. The Contessa tur ned to draw Amanda forward. 'And this is our dearest Amanda ...' Magdalen MacDon ald smiled slightly and held out a thin hand. 'How do you do? You're English, ar en't you?' `Half English,' corrected the Contessa quickly. 'She is a Druetso, to o.' `Of course,' said Magdalen on a dry note. 'How could I have forgotten? She's a Druetso.' Amanda's quick ears picked up the note of wry sarcasm, and she wond ered at it. For some reason Magdalen did not like her too well, she suspected. T hey had never met before. What reason could this girl have for not liking her? S he shook hands with Hector MacDonald, receiving an incredulous stare. 'Say, you remind me of ... hey! She's the image of that picture of yours, isn't she?' `The Botticelli? But of course,' said the Contessa. `She is playing the Beatrice in the Pageant,' said Piero, speaking for the first time. 'I told you, don't you re member?' He came forward to kiss Amanda briefly on the cheek. His eyes met hers only for a second or two. Was it her own guilty imagination, or did Piero look a ngry? `You told us she was playing Beatrice, but you didn't tell us to expect su ch a perfect resemblance,' said Hector jovially. 'It's quite unbelievable!'

I TO HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `She is a Druetso, after all,' said Magdalen sardonically. Piero gave her a quic k look. He was very pale. 'Even as a little girl Amanda was the image of the por trait,' he said. 'I remember Cesare used to make her stand beside it so that he could look at them both together.' Magdalen stared at Piero. 'Really !' Her voic e was still coldly sarcastic. `Cesare was obsessed with her,' said Piero. The Co ntessa looked at him in pale astonishment. `Magdalen, my dear,' she broke in hur riedly, 'you will want to see your room. Teresa will take you and your father up stairs. You must need to wash after that long journey.' Conversationally, leadin g them towards the stairs with gentle inexorability, she added, 'How was Florenc e? As charming and civilised as ever? You must tell us how the city is looking t hese days later. I never get there any moreI am too old.' `Oh, no, Contessa,' Mag dalen said softly. 'You are not too old. You are still awe-inspiring ...' `Thank you, my dear,' said the Contessa with a little sigh. 'I do my best.' When they had reached the top of the stairs Magdalen looked back at them. Amanda saw how h er eyes touched briefly on Piero's face, then moved away, and a sudden suspicion flashed into her mind. Piero said uneasily, 'Well, I had better go up and fresh en myself in my room, too, Amanda mia `We must talk,' she said. `Not now,' Piero murmured.

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY III `As soon as possible,' she said, her suspicions growing as she realised that he was not meeting her eyes. She left the hall, needing time alone in which to thin k, and slowly wandered down the narrow streets of the city, pausing here and the re to stare at the tiny windows, crammed with souvenirs and postcards, with offe rs of tea or egg and chips for the tourists. From time to time she exchanged a s mile or a greeting with one of the citizens. The air was warm and scented this e vening, filled with the fragrance of summer. Above the city soared a sky still d eeply blue, cloudless and bright. Outside Giulio's antique shop she bumped into Tina. The other girl gave her one of her sullen looks, then said spitefully, 'So Piero has brought his American girl back with him? You are not the only Druetso who can have two strings to their bow, are you?' Amanda looked back at her quie tly. 'You see a lot of Giulio, don't you?' Tina flushed. 'So what?' Amanda shrug ged. 'Nothing.' Tina glared at her and walked away. Amanda carried on down the h ill, her mind racing as she considered the implications behind Tina's words. Dis carding the obvious spite involved, there was still sufficient evidence to back up what Tina had said. It would not surprise Amanda if Piero had had some sort o f relationship with Magdalen MacDonald. It would explain her sarcasm towards his engagement. It would explain why Piero had been embarrassed. Pehaps, after all, he had not suspected

Amand and Cesare. He had been feeling guilty himself because of Magdalen. There had been that look between them as Magdalen stood at the top of the stairs. Even at a distance Amanda had seen the unhappiness and challenge in the other girl's eyes. Sighing, she turned and sauntered back up the city. She made her way to t he private garden and sat down on one of the seats, her eyes closed, breathing i n the flowery scents, listening to the evening chorus of the birds in the ivy. S omething light and fragrant trailed across her cheek, touching her mouth at the corner. She smiled, her eyes tight shut. `Is it you? I thought you would come to me hereit is our secret place, isn't it? Aren't you going to kiss me, darling?' As his shadow blotted out the evening sunshine from her face she knew, with that instinct which betrays the presence of the hawk to the quivering prey, but it w as too late. His mouth took hers by storm, angry, bitter, insulting. She struggl ed to escape him, her lips stinging and bruised by the fierce pressure, but he w ould not let her go until he had awoken the sleeping hunger in herself which she so despised and crushed down. Then, as she involuntarily began to kiss him back , the tears of shame and self-detestation springing to her eyes. Cesare at last released her. He looked down at her contemptuously. 'You should 112 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 113 be careful when you issue such invitations. What man could resist?' `I hate you ... damn you!' she sobbed. `If what you feel for me is hatred, then that is what I want,' he said silkily. She silently glared at him. There was dark colour in his cheeks and he was not smiling. She sensed a change in him, and wondered what it meant. `Sometimes, my little rabbit, I could pounce upon you and shake you u ntil you beg for mercy,' he said crisply. `Your ostrich attitude is beginning to annoy me. It is time you woke up.' `First I'm a rabbit, then an ostrich,' she s aid. 'Make up your mind.' `I think there is a little of the tigress buried in yo u somewhere, too,' he said softly. 'I would like to see it from time to time ... ' Amanda turned away and went back towards the house. 'You know I thought you we re Piero,' she said. 'It was not right to take advantage of my mistake.' He walk ed beside her. 'Did Piero ever kiss you until you were half mad with pleasure?' `I would not want him to,' she said angrily. Cesare laughed. 'Little liar. You w ant it, all right.' She tensed, her hands balling into fists. 'Don't call me a l iar again !' `Are you going to hit me?' Cesare was amused. He paused and looked down at her. Pointing at his chin, he said, 'Here ...' She was so angry that her control slipped. Her hand

I 14 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY flew up and struck him, hard, across the cheek. He blinked, surprised and taken off balance, then laughed harshly. A red mark glowed on his cheek where she had struck him. `One day we'll have a showdown, you and I,' he said softly. Amanda f led from him into the dark stone walls and found herself in her room without eve n knowing how she had reached it. She flung herself down on her bed and buried h er hot face in her pillow. Life was getting ever more complicated.

CHAPTER SEVEN DINNER that evening was a somewhat strained occasion. The Contessa did her best to keep up a bright, friendly conversation, but she had little hel p from the other members of the party around the long table. Even Hector MacDona ld was subdued, although he did exclaim pleasurably over the main course of the meal, a particularly delicious concoction of veal, mushrooms, cheese and tomato in a delicately creamy sauce. His daughter, however, was almost totally silent e xcept when she replied monosyllabically to something the Contessa said to her. P iero was silent, too. He looked pale, thought Amanda, staring at him. Was he as anxious as herself to seize the opportunity for a quiet talk? Their engagement w as beginning to be an embarrassment to .both of them, it seemed, but she suspect ed that Piero was not yet aware of her own altered feelings, and was nervous abo ut breaking to her the truth about his own true wishes. Whenever his glance met that of Magdalen, Amanda caught once more that shadowy unhappiness she had first seen when they arrived. It grew increasingly obvious that Magdalen' was in love with Piero. But Piero's feelings towards her were not so clear. At the head of the table Cesare sat, sardonic and watchful, saying little but seeing everything . Amanda tried to resist the temptation of looking at I 15

I16 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY him, but her eyes irresistibly flickered towards him every few moments. He was f ar too good-looking, she thought wistfully, and possessed the sort of animal mag netism one usually saw in some sleek black panther, padding stealth_ ily through lush undergrowth in the jungle, his eyes gleaming with menace. The image made h er giggle. She hurriedly stifled the sound, looking down at her plate. When she looked up, Cesare was staring at her, brows drawn. She could not help dimpling, remembering the black panther, and his frown darkened. She realised then that he thought she was making fun of him, and she looked away in haste. Magdalen asked her politely how it felt to be back in San Volenco after a long absence. `I fel t at home again within five minutes,' she admitted. `You are at home,' chided th e Contessa fondly. `And you will never leave us again,' added Aunt Teresa with a happy sigh. Cesare leaned back, watching her. Amanda could not help glancing at him again, despite her wish to keep her eyes resolutely elsewhere. There was a sardonic gleam in the grey eyes. `Aunt Teresa, you are offering Amanda a life se ntence,' he drawled. Aunt Teresa looked aghast. 'What do you mean? Manda loves u s all. She will be Piero's wife ...' Will she?' Cesare murmured drily. A peculia r, taut silence succeeded his question.

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 117 Amanda sat with burning cheeks, avoiding everyone's eyes. `What is that supposed to mean?' asked Piero abruptly. `What do you think?' Cesare retorted. `Cesare!' the Contessa murmured in distress. Aunt Teresa gave a little moan and rose from the table, plunging for the door. Hector MacDonald coughed loudly and looked ar ound the table in embarrassment. His daughter, however, was looking from Cesare to Piero with great interest, leaning forward to watch them both, her face even paler than usual. `Make yourself quite clear, please,' Piero said tersely. Cesar e laughed mockingly. 'My pompous little brother! Why are the young always so pom pous?' `I am not being pompous,' Piero said angrily. 'I merely want to know why you implied that Amanda would not be my wife?' `We have guests, remember,' Cesar e said lightly. 'This cannot be very pleasant for them. I suggest we postpone th e discussion until a more fitting occasion.' `You began it,' Piero pointed out f uriously. 'Did you expect me to ignore your remark?' `I expect you to have some common sense,' Cesare said. `Magdalen may require some coffee. You have not offe red to pour her a second cup ...' `Don't mind me,' said Magdalen. 'I'm fascinate d. Carry on with your frank discussions by all means.' Piero looked at her, his handsome young face very

118 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY pale, his eyes almost imploring. `Magdalen!' She gazed at him thoughtfully. Amanda, watching, thought she detected a sort of scorn in the other girl's large almond eyes. 'It's interesting to know that even a Druetso i s not automatically suitable as a bride !' There was sarcasm and bitterness in h er light voice. `Cesare did not mean that,' said Piero. `So you do know what I m eant,' murmured his brother drily. Piero glared at him. 'Oh, I know ! But I want you to have to say it out loud, dear brother ! I want to hear the high and migh ty master of San Volenco admit that I have managed to capture something he is de sperate to possess ...' Cesare thrust back his chair, his dark face almost white with rage. His eyes flashed with fury as he stared at his brother. The Contessa stood up, too, trembling slightly. She stepped between them and looked at Piero angrily. 'My son, that was unforgivable. How dare you speak of our dearest Aman da as if she was an object like a chair or a table ?' Piero had the grace to flu sh and look ashamed. 'I am sorry ...' `I should think so! But it is to Amanda th at you must say you are sorry, not to me!' Piero glanced briefly in Amanda's dir ection. 'I apologise, Amanda.' Hector MacDonald said uneasily, 'Hey, maybe it wo uld be better if we left you two alone for a while,

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY I19 Piero? You and your brother obviously have a problem, and my old mother always u sed to say that families should talk out their problems together and not let the m fester inside themselves.' `There is no problem,' Piero said flatly. `No?' Ces are asked him pointedly. The younger man looked back at him coldly. 'I don't see one, myself. I am going to marry Amanda, that is all ... `Then that seems to be that,' Magdalen said in a brittle, forced voice. Amanda was thrown into bewilde rment by Piero's flat statement. There was a triumphant, almost menacing air abo ut him as he rose and moved to leave the room. For the first time she really tho ught hard about Piero and his motive in asking her to marry him. She had believe d at first that he was genuinely in love with her, then she had begun to doubt h er own feelings towards him, after which she had begun to doubt his love for her , especially since she had seen him with Magdalen. For a short while she had bee n sure he would be glad to be released from his engagement so that he might, per haps, marry the beautiful American girl who quite obviously loved him. Now Amand a was thrown into confusion again. What was Piero really playing at? What were h is true feelings? She followed him hurriedly and caught at his sleeve. `Piero, w e must talk ...' He looked at her reluctantly. 'Oh, Amanda ... now?' `Now is as good a time as any,' she insisted. He shrugged. 'Very well. Where?'

120 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `Somewhere private, obviously,' she said. 'We must be alone without witnesses.' He sighed. 'I suppose so.' `There's been too much public discussion of our affai rs already, Piero,' she said bluntly. He flushed. 'I know. I'm sorryI lost my tem per.' `You should have been more discreet.' `If you had lived under Cesare's sha dow for so long you would have lost your patience, too,' he exclaimed. `No doubt I would,' she agreed, not without sympathy. Tut not in front of so many people. ' Piero groaned. 'All right, don't rub it in. I should have held my tongue. Wher e shall I see you?' `The walled garden ?' He nodded. 'In ten minutes.' She grima ced. 'And let's hope Cesare is too busy to go up to his room and hurl flowerpots at us from his balcony!' `There you are,' said Piero. 'He might have killed us! ' `I think he aimed to one side,' she said. `He has a shocking temper, all the s ame,' Piero said. Then he gave a little grin. 'And he was insane with jealousy, of course, seeing you in my arms...' Amanda felt the colour rush into her cheeks , and she turned away without answering. It was quite dark when she slipped into the walled garden and closed the door behind her. The air was still warm from t he heat of the sun, the fragrance of the flowers still hung heavily upon the sto ne walls, but the birds were all silent now, and as she stood in the dark-

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 121 ness, listening for Piero, the only sound she heard was the distant murmur of vo ices from down in the city, a sound rather akin to the far-off sound of the sea in a shell when it is held to the ear. A few stars were out, brightening the vel vety blackness of the sky like jewels pinned upon a piece of black velvet, and f rom behind a cloud a slow radiance spread across the night as the moon came up. Piero opened the door, closed it and stood there, getting used to the darkness a fter the electric light within. `I'm here,' she whispered. He joined her quietly . `Well, Piero?' she asked him. 'We have a lot to say to each other, I think.' H e sighed. 'I'm aware of the fact that I ought to apologise. Don't think I am not conscious of being a heel ...' `Why did you ask me to marry you?' she asked cur iously. He groaned. 'You get right to the point, don't you, cara?' `You were not in love with me,' she stated calmly. Piero shrugged. 'How can I ex plain? I wasn't ... and yet ... I was ...' `Oh, come on!' `Don't be angry, Amand a mia,' he pleaded. 'Look, let me tell you the story in my own way. You'll under stand better.' `Very well,' she agreed. `Go ahead.' `Well,' he said, urging her to sit down on the little

122 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY bench behind them, 'it all began, I suppose with Magdalen ...' `I knew she came into it somewhere!' `I suppose we were pretty transparent,' he sighed. `I wouldn 't say that,' Amanda said, affectionately. 'I do know you pretty well, Piero, an d Magdalen didn't bother to hide how she felt.' He was silent for a moment, then he said warmly, `You are a nice girl, Amanda. You know that? I do love you, bel ieve me, in a way ...' `Like a brother!' Amanda said sarcastically. He grimaced. 'I deserved that!' `Oh, get on with your story !' `The MacDonalds came here to look round the stables because they were interested in buying some bloodstock fr om us, and they became great friends with us all. I found Magdalen very attracti ve, and we dated for a while. I was on the point of asking her to marry me ... w ell, I'd hinted at the idea once or twice, and she was not discouraging, but you know how it is when you're young. I wasn't in a hurry to tie myself down then a nd there. But before I had actually popped the question her father dropped a bom bshell ...' `He bought the Mireze stables!' `Oh, you know ! Yes, that was it, an d Cesare swore eternal enmity towards the whole MacDonald clan. Well, I wasn't t oo pleased, myself. After all, it was a bit of a foul trick to playhe knew Cesare wanted Mireze. But I still intended to marry Magdaleneven though

123 Cesare made it clear he would be dead set against any such idea.' `So what w ent wrong?' `Well, first of all, Hector more or less insulted me.' Piero's voice grew fierce. 'He offered me a job at Mireze at a higher salary. I saw it as a b ribe and turned him down. Magdalen was annoyed with me. She had suggested it to him as a way out of the difficulty. She didn't want to come and live at Volenco, she said. She didn't like the feudal atmosphere.' `I know what she means!' `Wel l, we had a big row about it. I didn't see her for a while. Cesare had forbidden me to bring her to Volenco again, anyway, and to get me away from her he sent m e to England.' `Where you met me,' Amanda prompted. `Yes.' He sighed. `Be honest , Piero. What did you hope to achieve by dating me and asking me to marry you?' `I dated you because I was pleased to see you,' he protested. 'We could speak It alian together. You were a familiar face. I've always been fond of you.' `It was you who made the running, though, Piero ... You changed our brother-and-sister relationship deliberately!' `You're an attractive girl. Was that so strange?' `O h, Piero!' He took her hand in his and stroked it gently. 'I'm trying to be hone st, cara. It is true, you seeI found you very attractive. You're a beautiful girl .' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 4 `And Cesare had nothing to do with it?' she probed. `Who ca n say that their motives are easy to explain? I admit that I was partly motivate d by a desire to make love to the girl who had rejected my brother! I was fascin ated by the idea, to be absolutely honest. You were beautiful, and you were the only female I had ever met who had given my wonderful, all-powerful brother a go od kick in the teeth. How could I resist the temptation to see if I could win a battle he had publicly lost?' `It was unworthy of you,' she protested. `I'm huma n,' he said, a little sulkily, and Amanda realised how much of a little boy ther e was in his character. `And when you asked me to marry you? Did you sincerely m ean to go through with it?' `Of course I did,' he said, almost indignantly. 'b y then I was sure I was truly in love. You were exciting to make love to ...' `Be cause each time you kissed me you were getting your own back on Cesare?' she sai d sarcastically. `Don't undervalue yourself,' said Piero. 'Quite apart from my d esire to hurt Cesare, I was easily able to fancy you.' `Thanks,' she said. 'That certainly helps my ego!' Her voice had a bitter ring which made him shift uneas ily. `You weren't in love with me,' he said uncertainly. `Wasn't I?' Scorn fille d her voice. Piero tried to see her face in the darkness, but could only catch t he glitter of her uplifted eyes. 'Were you?' His voice had grown humble now. 12

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 125 `No,' she said tersely. 'As it happens, I wasn't, but you couldn't have known th at when you began your little game. You talk very prettily about finding me attr active, Piero, but the rock-bottom truth is that your motive was almost entirely one of revenge, a particularly spiteful revenge on your brother for having exer ted some sort of authority over you.' `Authority ?' Piero sounded furious. 'He i s what you said he was ... a tyrant! The Tyrant of San Volenco! He has always tr eated me as an inferior. It was Cesare who made the decisions, Cesare who laid d own the law, Cesare who ran things. I was the underling, the junior ... I had to learn to smile and be charming to him ... any sort of rebellion was fatal.' `Yo u mean you couldn't meet him on his own terms. He was too strong for you.' `He's an arrogant bastard ! He always has been!' `You should have asserted yourself e arlier instead of relying on this sort of spiteful trick to get your own back .. .' Piero jumped to his feet. 'Stop lecturing me! I've had enough of that from Ma gdalen.' `Ah, yes, Magdalen. We're back to her. How did you come to see her agai n?' `She heard that I was going to the Florence conference, and she rang me at t he vineyard one day, and invited me to stay with them in their Florence house. T hey live there part of the year and part of the year at Mireze.' `Didn't she kno w you were engaged?' asked Amanda, -somewhat surprised at this news.

I26 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `She knew,' Piero said grimly. 'She wanted to ask me why, and to hear about you from me myself ... She had only heard gossip of the usual sort from neighbours a nd friends. She knew you were a distant member of the family. She had heard abou t you long ago. But she had not expected an engagement between us.' `Naturally n ot,' said Amanda drily. He grimaced. 'Don't think I wasn't sick with myself. I w as ... and after I'd heard her voice again I felt worse. My feelings for her cam e alive again.' `Inconvenient,' Amanda commented. `Don't make fun of me! I was m iserable! I thought I ought to see her once more, explain how I had come to get engaged to you ... break off all relations with her family.' `And I talked you i nto going there!' `Yes. Cesare, of course, didn't tell you why he had forbidden me to see her again.' `Cesare had more scruples than you did, apparently,' Amand a said. 'He never hinted to me once that there had been anyone else in your life .' `Scruples? Do you expect me to believe Cesare was being scrupulous? It is far more likely that he was saving Magdalen as ammunition for later in his campaign .' `His campaign?' Amanda froze. Piero sat down beside her again and took her ha nd in his, rubbing her cold fingers. 'I've been honest with you, be the same wit h me. Cesare has not neglected his opportunity, has he? He has tried to get you to change your mind?'

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 127 `Why should you think so?' `Because he warned me before I left that he would do precisely that,' said Piero irritably. `Oh,' she breathed. 'He warned you, did h e?' 'Cesare is like that,' Piero said flatly. 'He is a bastard, as I said, but h e is a just bastard. He told me that he considered I'd had no right to steal you away from him. He has always thought of you as his property, you must know that .' `I didn't know,' Amanda said breathlessly. `I can't believe that! Why, even w hen you were a little girl he was fascinated by you and your likeness to the Bea trice portrait. He carried you everywhere with him. He hated to have you out of his sight. We all knew that when you were old enough he would marry you. He coul d never keep his eyes off you for a second. He was always running his fingers th rough your long hair, watching you, talking about you ... Cesare's great weaknes s, we all thought you ... his Achilles heel.' `You knew this and you never so mu ch as hinted at it to me when we met again in England?' `You had refused him,' P iero pointed out. 'You had stayed away for five years! I did not think you cared .' `But you knew Cesare still cared?' she accused. 'You wanted to bring me back here to San Volenco because you were sure it would be the thing most calculated to hurt him! I was the instrument of your revenge, wasn't I, Piero? You used me! ' `What if I did?' he demanded angrily. 'Because of Cesare my own love affair ha d been smashed to pieces!

128 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY Why shouldn't he be hurt in his turn? I don't mind admitting it. I wanted to see him wince. I couldn't wait to see his face. His jealousy was the sweetest balm I could have asked for ...' `Your own brother! How could you?' `Amanda, have you forgotten your advice to me only a short while ago? You told me then that Cesar e was a dictator and advised me to rebel against him. Now you turn on me accusin gly for doing just that!' `You didn't have to torture him!' Piero laughed bitter ly. 'Didn't I? What other course was open to me? Cesare has never listened to re ason. He has always treated me scornfullyI'm his kid brother, the idiot whose rol e in life has always been to do what Cesare tells me. He would never have taken me seriously. He is taking me seriously now, though. He started taking me seriou sly when I brought you home as my future wife.' Amanda stared up at his dark fac e, taken aback by what he had just told her. She knew how much truth there was i n itCesare had always been inclined to ride rough-shod over people, especially ov er Piero. She sighed. `I suppose I see your point. I only wish you hadn't used m e in your scheme ...' `I'm sorry, Amanda, I'm truly sorry. At the time I thought I loved you enough to be very happy with you. It wasn't just a plot. I genuinel y found you attractive from the start ...'

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 129 `Never mind me. I'm sorry for Magdalen. She will never be able to trust you.' `D o you think I don't know that?' There was real pain in his voice. 'She's already told me as much. I'm afraid Magdalen is angry and bitter about the whole thing. ' `I noticed,' said Amanda drily. 'Are you surprised?' `It has hardly been entir ely my fault,' he complained. Piero was very immature, Amanda realised, listenin g to him as he continued to talk about Magdalen. He was always looking for a sca pegoat for his own shortcomings, unable to admit that he might personally be to blame. His attitude was not uncommon, but he had not learned to disguise it. He was still quite childishly open about it, indeed. `When you tell her that we hav e broken off our engagement, it may improve things between you,' she said, cutti ng him short. `Is our engagement at an end?' Piero asked flatly. She was astound ed. Tut of course! How can you ask after what we have just been discussing?' Pie ro mumbled something, then said, 'I suppose you hate me, too, now? Like Magdalen , you blame me for this mess ...' `Who else can I blame?' she asked him, then la ughed abruptly. 'Well, myself, of course! I should have known. I think I did, fr om the start, but I stifled my misgivings for my own twisted reasons. We all hav e hidden motives, don't we, Piero? And how many of us really understand why we d o things? We think up such excellent excuses for ourselves, we rationalise what we know to be irra-

sky. tional, and we always prefer to blame someone else when we make a stupid mi stake.' Piero sounded puzzled. 'I'm sorry, Amanda. Will you forgive me one day?' He gave a little snort of cross amusement. 'One day soon, no doubt, you will be my sister-in-law.' `I shouldn't lay bets on it,' she said crisply. `Oh, I think I would,' Piero said cynically. `I shall not be marrying Cesare,' she insisted. `Amanda, cara! Cesare means to marry you, whatever you think ! I tell you, my d ear brother is insanely in love with you ... even I underestimated how he felt a bout you. He will not take no for an answer this time.' He'll have to!' `No,' Pi ero murmured. 'You forget that the hawk never gives up his prey. Once he has swo oped, there is no escape.' 130 HAWK IN A BLUE

CHAPTER EIGHT NEXT morning Signora Marella returned to show Amanda her altered c ostume. It was still delicately styled, flimsy and fluttering, but it had been c leverly remodelled to be less revealing. Amanda was far less embarrassed when sh e tried it on this time, and she warmly congratulated the Signora on her work. ` It is very well done, Signora! Thank you.' `And now you will not be afraid to ap pear in the procession, Manda?' The Signora was pleased with her appreciation. S he liked to feel that her work was well received. `I shall still be nervous, but at least I shall not be totally petrified,' Amanda admitted. The Signora smiled approvingly at her. 'You are naturally modest. That is as it should be ... not like that Tina, who is a shameless creature ...' `She sees a great deal of Giuli o,' Amanda murmured. `Perhaps she will marry him?' `Why should Giulio marry her? ' The Signora was scornful. 'A man does not buy the cake after he has had a slic e!' Amanda flushed, gasping. 'Oh!' Signora Marella gave her an indulgent glance. 'You are very naive, cara, if you did not realise how it is between them ... an d you have lived in London !' 131

132 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `London is not the sinful city you imagine, perhaps,' Amanda laughed. Signora Ma rella grinned. 'No, I think we have as much sin here in Volenco as anywhere else !' `What an admission !' drawled a voice from the door. Amanda's pulses quickene d as she turned. Cesare met her gaze coolly. He had changed his jodhpurs for a f ormal dark suit and crisp white tie, and looked devastatingly handsome. His eyes moved slowly over her. 'Yes,' he said, nodding. 'That looks much better. It may send up the temperatures of a few young men, but it won't actually start a riot !' Amanda slipped quickly behind the screen to change back into her ordinary clo thes. She heard Signora Marella talking to Cesare, then the door closed quietly. He had gone! With a sigh of relief she emerged from behind the screen, but it w as Signora Marella who had gone. Cesare remained behind, leaning against the win dow frame, his dark face inscrutable. She felt hot colour sting her cheeks. Thei r eyes clashed and hers fell. `We barely exchanged two words during our ride thi s morning,' Cesare drawled. 'Isn't it time you told me what you have decided to do?' `Do? About what?' She pretended confusion. His mouth tightened. 'You know p erfectly well what I'm talking about. What have you decided to do about this moc k engagement of yours? Have you given Piero his marching orders?'

33 `I refuse to discuss my private affairs with you,' she said coldly, moving to the door. Cesare moved swiftly, blocking her path. He was expressionless, yet s he sensed a dark emotion emanating from him, and shrank back, trembling. `How mu ch longer do you expect me to put up with this?' he asked her thickly. 'I'm not made of steel. After yesterday you must have a pretty good idea of Piero's motiv es. Why don't you put a stop to this idiocy once and for all?' She was about to answer when the door opened quietly behind his shoulder, and he was forced to mo ve out of the way. Magdalen MacDonald came into the room, looking enquiringly fr om one to the other of them. `Oh, I'm sorry ... am I interrupting something?' Th e words made Amanda blush. She shook her head hurriedly, trying to smile. 'Of co urse not! Come in ... this is the old medieval solar, you know. It was the priva te sitting-room of the Count and his wife in the days when everyone lived togeth er down in the great hall. It's rather cold in winterthese stone walls are damp. But the tapestries help to make it habitable.' Cesare politely excused himself a nd left. Amanda half collapsed against a chair with relief, then smiled brightly as her eye met that of Magdalen again. `He's really something, isn't he?' Magda len said. Amanda laughed, but did not reply. She did not know quite how to answe r that remark without betraying herself. `Has anyone ever shown you the tapestri es?' she asked, HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

1 instead, trying to make the conversation fall into more general categories. 'The y were specially made for this room during the seventeenth century. They're secu lar subjects, as you'll see ... in earlier centuries the artists and embroiderer s always used religious subjects, but during the Renaissance, of course, the sub ject -matter was broadened to include other things. It coincided with the religi ous wars between Catholic and Protestant. Until then the church had controlled a rt, but after that art was more free to choose its own material, and we get tape stries like this one, with these hunting scenes ...' `Very impressive,' Magdalen said drily. Tut couldn't we talk about Piero? Don't you think we should?' Amand a glanced at her uneasily. 'Well, no ... I don't, to be quite frank. I think you should talk to him yourself.' `I've tried, but he's avoiding me.' `This morning ?' `Just now,' Magdalen nodded. 'He saw me coming towards him in the garden and scooted like a frightened deer.' Amanda frowned. 'I wonder why ?' `You tell me,' Magdalen invited. `I don't know.' Amanda met her incredulous gaze and repeated. 'I don't knowhonestly ! I thought he would say something to you today.' Magdalen lifted her eyes to the tapestry beside her. It was silvery grey and sage green, the colours muted by time until they were barely distinguishable. The fleeing d eer were pale shadows. The hunters, in beautifully 34 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 135 drawn pursuit, were worn and faded, their tunics rusty with age and dust. `Why i s that bird hovering overhead like that?' Magdalen said. 'And why does he wear a ribbon round his neck?' Amanda looked at the tapestry reluctantly. She knew wha t she would see. Her skin chilled as she looked at it. `That's a hawk,' she said quietly. 'It's the emblem of the Counts of Volenco, and the ribbon round its ne ck carries a jewel, the famous seal of the Count, a huge ruby set in gold and en amel.' Magdalen studied the hawk thoughtfully. 'Cruel birds, hawks,' she observe d. 'Look at those talons !' Amanda looked away. 'I prefer not to look,' she said , trembling slightly. Magdalen sat down on a gold-painted, thin-legged little sa lon chair beside the window. 'You know, I got a new idea of what was going on he re from what Piero said last night at the table. I'd have to be pretty dumb not to know that you were more Cesare's girl than Piero's.' Amanda flushed hotly. 'P iero had no business to talk like that in front of visitors!' `We aren't just vi sitors,' Magdalen said crisply. 'I'll put my cards on the table. I love Piero, a nd I believe he loves me. The only stumbling block in our path is his family. Ce sare doesn't want anything to do with us for two reasons. One : my father got in first at Mireze. Two : we're Americans, and Cesare isn't too keen on Americans. Oh, he's polite ! But the hostility is there underneath all the time.'

136 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY think the hostility is mainly caused because of Mireze,' Amanda denied quickly. 'After all, you knew very well that Cesare wanted it!' `Of course we knew,' Magd alen said easily. 'But we didn't ever suspect Cesare would be angry!' `But surel y ?' Amanda stared at her. 'You must have guessed how he would feel! Anyone woul d be angry in those circumstances. You deliberately bought the place which Cesar e had always longed to own ! He would have to be a saint to forgive you!' Magdal en stared at her earnestly. 'But don't you see ... we bought Mireze for Piero!' Amanda was stunned. 'You ... did what?' `It was going to belong to a Druetso, an yway,' Magdalen explained. Dad was going to give it to Piero and me after we wer e married. He would have lived in Florence most of the time. It would have been Piero and me at Mireze.' `Oh!' Amanda breathed, understanding. `It was all meant to be a wonderful surprise,' Magdalen went on. 'We never dreamt Cesare would be so mad, or that Piero would behave like a craven idiot, and break off with me l ike that ... Everything went wrong. It was made pretty clear to us that only a D ruetso could own a place like Mireze. We were aliens, interlopers. We weren't we lcome around here any more.' `Good heavens,' Amanda said, in sympathy. 'It must have been a shock to you!' `It was hell,' Magdalen admitted huskily. `You love P iero?'

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 137 Magdalen shrugged. 'I did love him, yes.' `Did?' Amanda s tared at her shrewdly. Now you have doubts about it?' `Is that surprising after the way he's behaved? Letting his brother order him around like that, breaking o ff with me, going off to England, and then to crown it all, coming back with a f iancee!' `I don't blame you for having doubts,' Amanda agreed. `And it will do P iero good to have to work to win you back. He's far too self-indulgent.' Magdale n gazed at her thoughtfully. 'You don't love him, do you?' `No,' Amanda agreed. `It's Cesare for you?' Amanda turned away. 'There's no one for me,' she said abr uptly, biting her lip. The city began to fill up with tourists as the day of the Beatrice pageant appro ached. The few hotels were already fully booked. The city council were constantl y on the alert for signs of anyone attempting to camp out in the streetsnumbers o f hippies had to be turfed out of the city each evening when they tried to bed d own in a dark corner in scruffy sleeping bags. The weather remained warm and fin e, fortunately. A threatened storm moved away in another direction when the wind changed, and the day of the pageant dawned bright and clear. Amanda lifted her head, yawning, as her alarm clock went off with a shrill clatter. She did not fe el much like

138 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY getting up. They had gone to bed late last nightthere were so many last-minute ar rangements to make. The whole business had proved unbelievably complicated. She never wished to help to organise such a thing again; so many small details could go wrong. She was standing in the middle of her room, stretching, when the door opened and Cesare stood there. She straightened up hastily, blushing. 'Really, Cesare ! Why the hell don't you knock? It's embarrassing to have a man walking i n and out of one's room without knocking ... I might have been getting dressed!' He mockingly flicked a glance over her. 'You look very neat, but I'm afraid you won't be needing your jodhpurs. There will not be a ride this morning. I forgot to mention it last night. There will be too many coaches down on the roads ... too much traffic everywhere ... The horses will have to skip their exercise for today.' `They won't like that,' she smiled. `No.' He shrugged. 'It can't be help ed.' They had hardly been alone since Magdalen arrived. She had joined them on t heir morning rides each day. Amanda had been grateful for her companyit had avoid ed the opportunity of any intimate talk with Cesare. Fortunately he had been so busy with the pageant organisation that he had had little time to spare for anyt hing else. She stood now, waiting for him to leave, her head nervously lowered. The fine golden curls clung to her neck. One had fallen down into the V of her w hite shirt.

39 Cesare leant forward and gently lifted it out, and she started back, alarmed. `No need to scream,' he said sarcastically. 'I'm not intending rape. I'm too bu sy this morning.' `Well, thank goodness for that,' she said crossly. He laughed. Tut one of these days, Amanda ... one of these days ...' He was gone on the wor ds, the door closing quietly behind him. Amanda pressed her hands to her hot che eks and wished her pulses would not race so fast at the sight of him. The proces sion was to gather in the great hall before the moment for the doors to be flung open and their long winding line to pass out into the streets. This was due to take place precisely at eleven o'clock. At ten, therefore, Amanda was in her bed room again, after a light breakfast she had not wanted at all but which the Cont essa had insisted on forcing her to eat. Slowly, with trembling fingers, she put on her costume and then inspected herself in the mirror. 'I can't do it,' she m oaned to herself. 'I can't go out there in front of all those people like this . ..' Again she surveyed the fluttering wisps of gauze, the wreath of flowers on h er hair, the tiny gold sandals which made an audacious pretence of being useful. She remembered her meeting with Piero in London the silver fairground horse, the merry-go-round, the flashing lights and the bright tawdry of the fair. She had the same dizzy, incredulous feeling now. She was being whirled around in space a nd time, helpless to intervene HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 1

140 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY on her own behalf, feeling confused and weak as everything flashed past her eyes . Signora Marella bustled into the room, stopped to survey her with shrewd eyes. Tellissima,' she nodded. 'That is perfect! Now you look just like the Beatrice ! You will become famous ! Have you seen the city this morning? So many photogra phers ... journalists ... everywhere there are newspapermen ! Even the televisio n cameras have arrived.' Amanda felt faint. 'No !' Horror weakened her legs bene ath her. She covered her face with her hands. 'I can't do it ... I won't go out there ... cameras and photographers ... it's terrifying!' `It will be exciting! You'll see, you will love it once it starts ... your picture in all the newspape rs, seeing yourself on the television ...' `How ghastly !' Amanda moaned. 'I wou ld hate it, don't you understand that?' Signora Marella did not understand that at all. She envied Amanda her chance of fame. Bewildered, she said, `You have no t thought about it! The fuss they will make of you! You will be famous all over the world.' The door opened. Cesare came in, wearing a Renaissance costume that made Signora Marella gasp in surprise and admiration. He was magnificent in blac k and silver. His sleeves were full and ballooned to the wrist, tied at interval s all the way along, with silver ribbons. His fifteenth-century pleated tunic wa s black silk trimmed with silver, his stockings matched. On his head he wore a f eather-trimmed black velvet cap.

141 He gestured to Signora Marella to leave, and she quickly obeyed him. Cesare leaned against the closed door, staring across the room at Amanda. `You look ver y handsome,' she said shakily. 'I didn't know you were going to dress up, too.' `Don't you recognise me?' he asked lightly. She stared at him for a long moment, then hot colour burned in her cheeks as she realised that he was meant to resem ble Beatrice's husband, the Hawk of Volenco. There was a small portrait of him i n similar clothes, although it needed cleaning badly, and was not as compellingl y painted as the Botticelli portrait of his wife. Some more pedestrian painter h ad been brought in to do a painting of him later, perhaps. `Why not a centaur's costume?' she asked bitterly. Cesare looked amused. 'What a wasp-tongued little girl you can be at times! You must not sting me, though. I sting back.' `I'm sur e you do! Well, you can find someone else to play Beatrice! I can't do it.' Cesa re shot her a cool look. 'Why not?' `I'm terrified,' she cried, shaking. 'Can't you see? It must be as plain as the nose on your face that I'm in no condition t o go out into the streets and make a show of myself !' `Stage-fright,' he diagno sed calmly. 'Everyone else is feeling the same, don't worry.' Amanda was taken a back, and stared at him in disbelief. 'Everyone else is feeling the same? Do you mean that?' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

1 42 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `Of course I do. Do you imagine you have got the monopoly of last-minute nerves? I've just been into the main dressing-room and found it full of women in the la st stages of sheer unadulterated panic ... it was like walking into a hen-coop a fter they've sighted the fox ! I was instantly seized around the neck by two squ awking women and half strangled to death. I only escaped with my life because I had had the foresight to take a bottle of brandy with me. I left them all sippin g doubtfully at a glass.' She giggled, the picture swamping all other feelings. `I'm sure you're exaggerating wildly, but it is a relief to know I'm not the onl y one with nerves. Signora Marella `Ah, the Signora,' said Cesare thoughtfully. 'She was no doubt making you feel worse by dramatising the number of people wait ing outside to see you ?' `She did say there were squads of reporters and TV cam eras outside,' Amanda admitted, feeling rather foolish. Cesare laughed. 'And you believed her? My dear girl !' `Aren't there ?' asked Amanda doubtfully. `A few, perhapshardly squads! Look, cara, this is just a game, some fun we have ... it i s an amusement! Not a subtle form of torture!' He moved nearer, smiling down at her. He was broad and lithe in the magnificent costume. The black and silver sui ted him, gave him a sort of sombre grandeur which exactly matched his dark hair and cruelly handsome Renaissance face. Just so must his ancestor have looked to Beatrice as she fled him, looking

43 back with wide, panic-stricken eyes over her naked shoulder. She breathed a s igh of relief. 'Oh, well, I feel better now I know that.' `I am glad,' he said s oftly. His long brown hand came out to capture her chin, lift it so that her eye s met his in a silent glance. `You look enchanting,' he told her. She was sudden ly deeply, savagely aware of his nearness, and her body shook with the impact of a realisation which terrified her. She loved this man. She wanted him with a pa ssion as intense as that which she knew he felt for her. Yet her mind, cool and clear above the turmoil of her emotions, told her that it was mere folly to give in to her desire. Cesare would never make her happy. Surrender to him would be a surrender of all independence, all free will. She would become his chattel, th e possession of his pleasure. Amanda's pride would not permit her to sacrifice h er whole freedom in exchange for the delights of satisfied desire. `Thank you,' she told him coolly, moving backwards so that he had to release her. For a momen t he hesitated, and she tensed, waiting for the inevitable struggle between them , but Cesare seemed to think better of it. He shrugged, making a little grimace of the lips. `Now, you will not be nervous,' he said instead. 'You will enjoy yo urself. Good luck. Remember, you are very beautiful, cara. Every man in the crow d will admire you.' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 1

144 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY She flushed. The idea was still nerve-racking. She did not want to be admired Be ing in the public eye was unbearable. But she had to go through with it now. The re was no turning back; it was too late. With Cesare's dark presence at her side she made her way down to the hall to join the others. Cesare had only to glance at her to reassure her. She felt his strength like the walls of the old castle around her. He protected, uplifted her, wrapped her round with care and love. Ti na was watching her as she looked around the hall. Amanda met Tina's eyes nervou sly, feeling the other girl's hatred and anger as if it were a physical thing. S he knew instinctively that Tina resented the fact that Cesare stood beside her, protecting her. Tina coveted Cesare. Amanda knew that Tina did not love him. The re was no softness in the other girl's stare, only a blatant physical hunger whi ch she did nothing to disguise. Amanda shivered and turned away. She hated the t hought of them together ... Jealousy burnt inside her as she saw Cesare smile at Tina. Giulio was there, talking to the Contessa. He was looking at one of the o ld blood-red glass goblets which the Contessa cherished so reverently. Amanda fr owned, seeing Giulio stroke it lovingly. Surely the Contessa was not going to se ll her old Venetian glass? It was very valuable, and had been in the family for many years. Amanda wondered if Cesare was aware that his mother was selling thin gs. Was she doing it without his knowledge? And why was she having to sell thing s? Amanda had been back long enough to have discovered that, in the

145 main, the Volenco estates were doing very well. Of course, Cesare always com plained about not having enough money, but in fact it was clear that he was very comfortably off. The estate was making more money than it used toit was far more efficiently run and was growing more productive every year. She had no time to mention the Venetian glass to Cesare, however, for the time had come. The great Cathedral bell began to ring, high above them. Cesare smiled at her, and the pro cession shuffled hurriedly into a more precise line. They had rehearsed it so ma ny times, but now that the great day had arrived they all fell into a momentary state of panic. Voices babbled helplessly. People pushed and argued. The line wo bbled, then straightened out again. Cesare moved away from Amanda to take comman d. At the cool sound of his voice the disorder disappeared as rapidly as it had begun. Everyone grew calm. People smiled and fell into place. The doors were flu ng open and into the shadowy hall streamed the golden Italian sunshine. The head of the procession moved out, as arranged. First marched the city trumpeters, in traditional short velvet tunics, emblazoned with gold. They blew a fanfare, the n moved ahead. Behind them came the drummers, three boys from the city below, de ftly beating a tattoo upon their drums as they marched behind the trumpeters. Th eir livery matched that of the trumpeters, and bore the city arms emblazoned on their chests. HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

1 6 The flag-bearers came next, twirling the six flags of the city districts. Despit e the small size of San Volenco it had always been divided into districts. There were the four quarters; the east, the west, the south, the north. Then there we re the so-called New, or Gate, district and the Castle District. Each had always had its own device. The Gate and Castle devices were obvious. Then there were t he Eagle, the Stag, the Hound and the Fountain devices. They made colourful disp lays as they swung the flags to and fro above their heads. The bright silks flut tered gaily in the sunshine. The east district had chosen the Fountain device be cause it had once held the chief source of water, and it was proud of this disti nction even though today the water was piped into the city from a central reserv oir instead of coming from the ancient city springs. Behind the flags came the p rocession. The rich costumes and smiling faces attracted ripples of applause. Ti na preened herself delightedly as she received an outburst of excited clapping. Amanda, who was to bring up the rear, trembled violently as she waited to move o ut. Her nerves were almost on the point of collapse. Cesare moved to her side. H e took her cold, shaking fingers and pressed them gently. 'Don't be afraid, my d arling!' She tried to smile. 'I won't,' she promised faintly. Then the moment wa s upon her, and she forced her shaking limbs to move. The brilliance of the ligh t, the heat, the noise, dazzled and blinded her. She moved forward in a trance, her dazed eyes seeing nothing but the back of the girl in front. A slight breeze rustled the 4 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 147 flimsy draperies she wore. Her skin was delicately, translucently pale. Her gold en ringlets blew back from her face, exposing the fragility of her slender throa t, emphasising the fine bone structure, the matt smoothness of her skin. The cro wd stared, falling silent. Their cries and clapping gave way to an almost revere nt fascination. Many of them had seen the Botticelli painting she resembled so m uch. Cheap copies of it were, indeed, being sold in every souvenir shop in the c ity. It was hung up in every window. Even the crude methods of modern reproducti on could not blur or totally destroy the exquisite spirituality of the picture, and Amanda was the very living image of it. Unaware of all this, she walked with sleep-walking concentration behind the others, looking neither to left nor to r ight, uncaring that she was filling the crowd with awe, uncaring that she outsho ne every other person in the procession. All she wanted was to get to the end of this torture, to hide herself once more in the shadows of the castle, away from all these staring eyes. They made the arranged tour of the streets. Gradually t he crowd lost its awe of Amanda, and began to applaud her violently, calling out compliments and showering her with flower petals. Geranium petals of every colo ur clung to her dress and hair. She felt as if she walked in a rain of colour. T he strong scent of geranium clung to her insistently. At last, after what seemed eternity, they were back in

148 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY the castle. The light, the noise, the crowds vanished. The procession broke up a nd began to chatter excitedly. Amanda stood quite still, shivering. `You looked marvellous,' Magdalen said at her side. Then, in a worried voice, 'Say, are you all right?' Amanda hardly noticed her. She was trying not to fall forward into t he darkness which was awaiting her. Then she sighed and let go, and the darkness rushed up to greet her.

CHAPTER NINE-`STUPID little fool,' murmured Cesare's voice caressingly in her ea r as she slowly fought her way back to full consciousness. Amanda stirred, a fai nt moan on her lips. Her lids fluttered, but they were still too heavy to be lif ted. `I have sent for a doctor,' the Contessa said somewhere close at hand. 'He is coming ...' `No need,' said Cesare. 'She is waking up now.' Reluctantly, Aman da lifted those heavy lids. The light was dazzling. She screwed up her eyes, the n closed them again with another moan of protest. `There,' Cesare said. 'You see ? Nothing wrong with her that a quiet hour on her bed won't cure. Draw the curta ins. We'll leave her to sleep.' `I do not think she should be left alone,' the C ontessa protested gently. `Then I will stay with her,' Cesare said firmly. There was a little silence. Then the Contessa said, 'Perhaps it might be better if I stayed with her, Cesare.' `As you wish,' Cesare dismissed without argument. Aman da heard movements, the swish of the curtains being drawn, the trickle of water into a china bowl, then footsteps close beside her. A damp cloth was slowly draw n across her forehead. It was a pleasantly cooling sensation. She was grateful. A smile touched her lips. She 149

150 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY put up one limp hand to touch the fingers which were so gently soothing her, bel ieving it to be the Contessa, but as soon as she touched that strong hand she kn ew it had been Cesare, and her hand fell away hurriedly. `We should not have for ced her to walk in the procession,' said the Contessa anxiously. 'It was too muc h of an ordeal for her. She was always shy and withdrawing.' Cesare laughed. `Sh y? Amanda? You do not know her. Modest, yes, and proud. It was her pride which w as outraged today. She hated to be made a public show.' `We should not have aske d it of her !' `Well, it is over now, and it has been a great triumph. This year our tourist figures will be treble or quadruple what they usually are. The Beat rice Pageant will continue to have an effect for the rest of the season. The spe cial exhibition of Volenco Portraits will attract tourists for months. Ah, yes, I meant to ask you something the Venetian goblets, Mother. Shall we not place the m on exhibition with the other things ? They are famous, too. I would like them 63 be seen along with the Seal of the Count, the Renaissance silverware and the family jewellery.' Amanda opened her eyes, alarmed by Cesare's words: Her moveme nt, slight though it was, distracted him at this moment. He turned towards her, looking anxious. `Did I wake you, cara? I .am sorry. How do you feel ?' She half sat up. 'Better ...' The Contessa gave her a nervous, gentle smile. Amanda saw that she was looking worried, and she wondered again what was going on between t he Con-

151 tessa and Giulio. Now, at least, she knew for certain that Cesare was not in the secret. Whatever it was, the Contessa had not taken him into her confidence . `Would you like to rest for a while?' Cesare asked her. Amanda nodded. She gla nced at the Contessa. 'Stay with me,' she asked, putting out an appealing hand. Cesare smiled at them both. 'That is right. You both look pale. I think you both need a time of peace and relaxation. Stay in here during siesta.' When he had g one, the Contessa relaxed with a sigh. Amanda watched her, trying to think of a way of gaining her confidence without alarming her. She was convinced that somet hing was worrying the Contessa. There was definitely something on her mind But w hat? Tentatively, Amanda asked her, 'Do you like Giulio, Contessa?' Pink flooded the older woman's pale face. She looked at Amanda with wide eyes, blinking rapi dly in a nervous manner. 'Why do you ask?' She tried to laugh as she murmured th e words. `I don't trust him,' Amanda said, gently probing. The Contessa sighed. 'You are right ...' `Ah, dearest Aunt Maria, tell me what's going on,' Amanda be gged in soft Italian. 'I know very well that there's something wrong somewhere. I may be able to help you ...' `No, not you,' the Contessa denied sadly. Amanda was hurt. 'Not me? But I want to help, truly.' The Contessa gave a soft croon of affection, kissing her HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

152 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY warmly on the cheek. 'Thank you, mia cara. Do you think I don't know that? You k now how dear to me you areas dear as my sons! You are the daughter I never had. Y ou are the child of my dearest Lucia, and the last thing in the world I desire i s for you to be hurt.' Amanda frowned. 'Hurt? Why should I be hurt?' She looked at the Contessa sharply. 'Is there some secret involved in this? Is Giulio black mailing you?' The Contessa looked startled, biting her pale lip. She said absolu tely nothing, but Amanda's quick intuition had grown more concrete with every pa ssing second. She stared at the older woman as if she could read her thoughts. ` Tell me!' She demanded. 'I'm not a child. Whatever this secret is it must be bro ught out into the open. Don't you know that blackmailers never go away? Like lee ches they cling on, sucking blood from their victims, until there's nothing left . They're vicious, deadly creatures. I think blackmail is the worst crime in the book ...' The Contessa covered her face with her hands, collapsing suddenly in total disarray. She moaned something under her breath, but Amanda did not catch it. She pulled the Contessa into her arms and gently stroked her hair, murmuring comforting words to her. 'Never mind ... we'll sort it out ... something will b e done ...' The Contessa sat up, kissed her firmly. 'You are right,' she said. ' I have been a fool. I was so afraid that ...' She bit off the words and tried to smile, pathetically. 'I'm a silly old woman ...'

153 `You're not! You're a darling ! Never say such things about yourself again ! ' The Contessa kissed her gratefully. 'It is such a relief to talk to someone el se about it!' `Giulio is blackmailing you?' The Contessa nodded. 'He has been fo r the last two months.' `The last two months?' Amanda frowned. 'That must have b een around the time you heard of my engagement to Piero.' The Contessa's face ag ain betrayed her. She looked with sad despair at Amanda. `This secret concerns m yself or Piero, then?' Amanda watched her. She caught the very faint flicker of the pale, wrinkled lids. `Ah, Piero ... something to do with him?' The Contessa gazed wildly at her. 'Amanda, I love you, but must you go on like the Spanish In quisition?' The attempt at humour was brave but unconvincing. `Tell me, then,' A manda urged. 'You know you'll feel better !' The Contessa stared at her, still b iting her lips. 'But ... you don't understand ... how can I? It was for you that ...' She broke off the sentence with a choked sob. Amanda was too quick for her . Tor my sake you gave in to this blackmail? Ah, I see it all now. I'm the last person you want to share this secret with? But, dearest Aunt Maria ...' She half smiled, half groaned. 'You don't know. You don't realise. Piero and I ... are f inished.' She looked apologetically at the Contessa. 'It was folly from the begi nning. We wouldn't have suited.' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 54 The Contessa's eyes searched her face. 'Piero feels this, too?' `It was always Magdalen for him, I think you know that.' `Not always,' the Contessa said grimly. A flash of intuition visited Amanda again. She thought of the intimacy between Giulio and Tina, Tina's hostility towards her, certain cry ptic remarks the girl had made Slowly she said, 'Tina and Piero? Is that it?' Th e Contessa inclined her head. `So Giulio claims. He threatened to tell you about it, break up the engagement, if I did not let him sell some of my antiques.' `B ut they were priceless!' `Oh, he gave me a fair price for them;' the Contessa sa id wryly. 'Giulio is cleverhe kept within the law. He sold them in his shop, then he took a fifteen per cent fee from the sum he had earned. The rest he sent to me. It was all legal and above board, except ...' `Except that you didn't want t o sell Druetso heirlooms? It's still blackmail and I'm sure he could be prosecut ed.' `Giulio said he would deny my allegations. He said no court would believe m e. I had been paid well for the things. What complaint could I make `Oh, Aunt, w hy did you do it? Cesare is bound to find out, and he'll be so angry ! Why didn' t you go to him in the beginning, tell him all about Giulio's nasty little schem e? Cesare would have dealt with Giulio pretty promptly!' 'Cesare would have used the information in his own 1

155 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY way,' the Contessa said haltingly. `You mean there are mo re ways than one of being a blackmailer?' Amanda sighed. 'I know what you mean e xactly !' `I was afraid Cesare would put pressure on Piero to break his engageme nt. Cesare is as unscrupulous as Giulioin his own way.' `You can say that again!' The Contessa sighed. 'I will be honest, my darling. I did not think Piero was r ight for you, but I wanted you to find out for yourself, as you have done, witho ut outside influence. The older I get the more I realise that we only learn from our own experience, never from other people's.' Amanda had been thinking hard. 'I don't believe it, anyway,' she said suddenly. The Contessa was bewildered. 'D on't believe what, my dear?' 'I don't believe Piero ever had anything to do with Tina. I've seen them together, and there's no awareness between them. I don't b elieve Tina is interested in him, nor he in her. Cesare now ... that I would bel ieve! Tina is very aware of him.' The Contessa frowned. 'Giulio claimed he had p roof ... letters, photographs Piero promised to marry Tina.' `Have you asked Pie ro?' Amanda demanded. `No, of course not. I haven't mentioned it to him!' `Then don't you think you should?' The Contessa looked startled. Tut ...'

156 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `He has the right to know what's being said about him, especially since it has c ost you so dearly already!' `He will be furious!' `I should just hope so,' Amand a said firmly. The Contessa pressed her thin hands to her face. 'If it is all a lie I have sacrificed my treasures for nothing !' `When Cesare hears of it he'll throw Giulio and Tina out of the city for good, and just as well, too! They des erve horse-whipping for the suffering they've caused you!' `I've been a fool,' t he Contessa realised weakly. `You did what you did for love,' Amanda soothed her . `No one could blame you for that. You've been tricked by two clever rogues int o parting with some valuable objectsbut remember, dear Aunt, material possessions weigh lightly in the scale of human values. Cesare knows that.' The door opened on the words and he appeared. `What does Cesare know? Apart from the fact that you two bad girls have apparently not been resting, as ordered, but chattering l ike magpies together? I suppose that that is what women call a rest?' `It is wha t we find relaxing sometimes,' Amanda admitted with a dimpled grin. He flicked o ne of her ringlets. 'You admit it! That is something, I suppose !' The open door proved a magnet. Magdalen appeared framed in it, smiling at them, with Piero at her shoulder. `How are you both feeling now?' she asked them in a friendly fash ion. 'You certainly have more colour in your

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 157 cheeks, Amanda. I was terrified when you fainted like that. You looked like a gh ost.' `That is what she is,' said Piero. 'The ghost of Beatrice.' His joke was n ot well received. Cesare glared at him icily 'Is 'that a stab at me, by any chan ce?' Piero flushed. 'No, of course not. I merely meant ... oh, it was just a hum orous remark!' `Not funny,' Cesare commented. `Amanda must change now,' said the Contessa. 'Come, we will all leave her.' As she went, Amanda heard her say quie tly, 'Piero, I must speak to you ...' Magdalen followed them. Cesare stood, hold ing the door and looking at Amanda broodingly. 'You need some food inside you. H urry and change, then come down to eat.' She lay on the bed, waiting for him to go. His eyes ran over the slight, frail length of her body. She saw the dark fla me light in his gaze, and for a second her heart seemed to stop. Then Cesare had slammed himself out of the room, as if afraid of what he would do if he stayed a moment longer. She lay there, quivering, fighting down the weakness his look h ad produced in her. At last she stood up and went to change. She was dressed, we aring a simple white cotton dress, when the Contessa suddenly returned, her face pale. Amanda turned and looked at her questioningly.

158 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `What did Piero say?' `He was so angry, Manda mia ... he told me he had had a fl irtation with Tina several years ago, when he was only just out of his teens, bu t it had been a mild and brief affair of which he was not ashamed. The rest was lies ! He has gone now to see Tina ... he is beside himself with rage. I'm afrai d of what he will do to her, to Giulio. He swore terribly! He said I was half-wi tted to listen to them, that I should have told Cesare or told himself ... he bl ames me as much as them ...' `Was Cesare there when you told Piero?' `No, I thou ght it best to be discreet. We were alone.' Tut you have told Cesare now?' `No,' the Contessa admitted. 'Do you think I should?' Amanda moved to the door rapidl y. 'May I tell him? You've had enough shouting for one day ! Stay here and rest. I'll see that Cesare stops Piero from doing something drastic!' The Contessa sl umped on to the bed. Amanda left the room and went in search of Cesare. She foun d him in the tower office, talking on the telephone. He glanced at her quickly a s she entered the room, but went on with his business discussion. Amanda bent ov er and whispered in his ear, 'I must talk to you now.' Cesare looked irritated, but he ended his telephone conversation and looked at her. 'Well? What is so urg ent?' She told him crisply in a calm fashion. Cesare listened without interrupti ng, his brow gradually darkening to a heavy frown. When she had finished he swor e com-

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 159 prehensively, leapt up and strode to the door. She ran af ter him, clutching at his arm. `Cesare, don't lose your temper ...' `Don't what? ' He almost bared his teeth at her, his eyes black with rage. 'Woman, keep out o f this! Women have caused enough trouble as it is! Woolly thinking and clouded e motionalism! My God, there is going to be a reckoning for this! Giulio will thin k himself lucky if he escapes without being strangled ! How dare he ! Blackmail my mother! I'll kill him ...' She clung to him apprehensively. 'Please, don't do anything violent!' A devil seemed to be leaping mercilessly in the grey eyes. H e turned upon her a look that froze the blood in her veins. 'Don't talk to me of violence! I have been civilised and restrained for far too long. It is time the re was some violence!' With a twist of his arm he flung her off and stalked away . Amanda hesitated, wondering whether to follow him or to go back to the Contess a. But if she did rejoin the Contessa, what could she tell her which would comfo rt her? She would bear nothing but ill tidings to her aunt. She decided instead to hurry after Cesare in the hope of averting, somehow, the worst of the brewing storm. As she fled down the street after Cesare's striding figure she became aw are of stares and curious exclamations. Even in her modern dress she was now rec ognisable, she realised, with a sinking heart. How long would it take to live do wn that ghastly pageant?

16o HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `Hi, Beatrice ... hey, can I take a snap of you ?' A chee rful young American hailed her. She smiled sweetly at him, but pretended not to understand English. She scurried past him and dived down a dark alley which led directly to Giulio's shop. Ahead of her Cesare still strode, oblivious of the in terest their progress aroused in the citizens who knew them both. As they drew n earer to the antique shop Amanda heard muffled sounds which alarmed her. The clo ser she came the louder the sounds grew until she was certain what they were ... She was hearing angry shouting and the smashing of fragile objects! A small cro wd had gathered already outside Giulio's shop. They backed slightly as Cesare ap proached, scenting both danger to themselves and an escalation of the exciting v iolence. Cesare glared at them. 'Have you nothing better to do than gape there a ll day ?' he demanded ferociously. They uneasily moved back under his stare, lik e sheep under the eyes of a wolf, but as soon as Cesare had stalked into the sho p they scurried back to hear what happened. Amanda, arriving a moment later, squ eezed her way to the front of the crowd and vanished inside the shop, too. A whi sper ran round the crowd as they watched her. Giulio and Piero were in the back of the shop, out ofview of the crowd outside, although their voices were loud en ough to explain what was going on between

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 161 them. Broken glass and china lay scattered around the floor. Giulio was white an d tense, and Piero was looking more like Cesare than she had ever seen him look. His handsome face was tougher and more masculine. His eyes were chips of ice. ` You low-down, sneaking bastard!' he snarled at Giulio. 'I'm going to break your neck!' `That is my privilege, I think,' Cesare drawled, stepping forward. Piero shot him a look. Giulio began to wear a desperate air. One Druetso was bad enoug h; two of them was too much to swallow. Piero said tautly, 'Look, Cesare, keep o ut of this. It is my affair. This piece of flotsam used me as a lever to get the things out of Mamma ' `But she's my mother, too,' said Cesare. 'I have a right to join in, don't I?' `Can't you let me handle anything on my own? I'm capable o f sorting out Giulio, don't you worry ...' 'I am the defender of the family hono ur, not you,' Cesare said. 'You forget that!' `Forget it? Who could forget it? W ith that damned hawk everywhere we look ... on the seal, in the paintings, on th e walls, in the tapestries ... the whole of San Volenco is dominated by you and your damned symbol of authority! How could anyone forget you, Cesare?' They face d each other belligerently, looking oddly alike. Amanda watched as Giulio, takin g advantage of their absorption, began to creep away on tiptoe. Then she said ch eerfully, 'He's sneaking off, boys!' The two Druetso men swung as one and lunged for

162 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY him. Cesare caught him by the left arm, Piero by the right. Cesare grinned at hi s brother. `So what shall we do with this rat?' `Throw him and his girl-friend o ut of the city for good,' Piero nodded. `You can't do that,' Giulio protested fe ebly. 'This is my shop, my antiques ... my livelihood ...' `You can sell the sho p and the contents,' said Cesare. `You're welcome to the value of them. But you will get out of the city and not come backor I will personally bounce you all the way back to Florence.' `You can't do it,' Giulio screamed. 'Do you want to be p rosecuted for blackmail?' `There's no evidence against me,' Giulio said in sheer desperation, his eyes narrowed. 'I did nothing illegal!' `The publicity would k ill your business, though, wouldn't it, my dear Giulio?' said Cesare. Giulio was bitterly silent, and Cesare grinned. 'I give you three days to get out of the c ity. You can put your goods in the hands of Signor Carizzihe will handle the sale and see you get a fair price. There is no need for you ever to visit Volenco ag ain.' `What about the things that lout broke?' Giulio demanded, looking down wit h fury at the shattered pieces of glass and china. 'Some of them were exquisite, irreplaceable! I've lost a fortune with them alone ...' `Accidents will happen, ' Cesare said with a shrug. 'It was only to be expected if you insisted on fight ing with Piero!' `I fight with him! He fought with me! He burst in

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 163 here and smashed those things quite callously, like the barbarian he is! He shou ld be shot!' `Perhaps you can stick them together,' Piero said with a grin. Giul io stamped his foot like a child in a temper. Don't be absurd! You insult me! Th at would not give me back my lovely things ...' Nor can you give my mother back her lovely things,' said Cesare starkly. Giulio had the grace to look confused. 'That is different! She had the money for them ...' `Money? Is that all these th ings mean to you, you shark? My mother cares nothing for the money. To her those objects were priceless, and you made her sell them!' Cesare was angry again now , his eyes full of biting contempt. 'I ought to break your neck for what you did !' Suddenly Tina whirled into the shop, her face flushed and angry. 'What is goi ng on here? Giulio, what is all this?' She stared around the shop, taking in the broken fragments, the angry faces of the men, Amanda's silent, watchful presenc e. 'Giulio, what is happening here?' He looked at her sulkily. 'Ask them!' `The game is up,' Cesare said tersely. Piero looked at her contemptuously. 'You lying little cat! If I never see you in Volenco again it will be too soon ...' Tina u nderstood at onceher expression told them as much. She looked around the circle f rom face to face, her eyes defiant and hard. 'So! Someone talked too much.

164 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY The Contessa, eh? Sentimental old fool !' She stared at Amanda. 'To you, I suppo se? She was always soft about you! Well, don't expect me to go down on my knees and beg!' `Tina!' Giulio looked at her warningly. 'There must be some other way out,' he said in a pleading tone to Cesare. 'We belong here ! We are members of the family! Where will we go? What will we do?' `We'll make money,' Tina said vi olently, grabbing him by the arm and shaking him. 'Don't beg them for anything, Giulio. Kick their teeth in ... don't kneel! We will go to Milan and sell antiqu es. We will be rich and independent. No more medieval systems ... no more slaver y. We will take what we want and be happy.' Cesare eyed her thoughtfully, then h e looked at Giulio. `If I were you I would watch her ! I see a touch of Lady Mac beth there !' He turned and walked off, followed by Piero and Amanda after a bri ef pause. Amanda glanced back and saw Giulio and Tina facing each other in silen ce, a wintry resignation on Giulio's face, but sullen defiance on Tina's. What s ort of life would they make together? she asked herself. She was glad she did no t have to face such armed hostility. As they walked back up towards the castle, dark clouds began to bank up in the west, and a powerful wind sprung up, blowing them fast towards the rearing bulk of the city on its mountain. `Looks like a b ad night,' Cesare murmured, looking up. `Lucky we had the Beatrice pageant when we did,'

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 165 Piero said with a nod. Cesare glanced at him. 'I hope Magdalen does not hear abo ut Tina, or your goose is cooked for good, my boy.' `Don't be hypocritical,' Pie ro snapped. 'You would like that very much. You hate Magdalen and her father.' ` Only because he doesn't understand them,' Amanda ventured softly. Cesare gave he r a grim look. 'What do you know about it? Keep out of the discussion.' `I know why they bought Mireze,' she said. `So do I,' Cesare ground out. To infuriate me . And they succeeded.' `They bought it as a wedding present for Piero,' Amanda t old him sweetly. There was a tense silence. She watched Cesare. He looked quite blank for a while, then he swore beneath his breath with great savagery. `Why di dn't they say so long ago?' `Did you give them a chance?' `They could have made me' listen,' Cesare said irritably. `They have their pride, too, you know. It is not the exclusive prerogative of Italians.' `What a piece of stupidity! To ruin so many lives for pride's sake ...' `Oh, Cesare,' she exclaimed disbelievingly, 'Piero is rightyou are a hypocrite!' He glared at her. 'What?' But at that momen t the heavens opened and the rain began to pour down upon them in torrents. Duck ing

166 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY their heads against it, they ran for the door and dashed inside, just as the gen erator failed and all the lights went out. Cesare began to laugh helplessly . 'N o one can say this has not been an eventful day!' `Where are the candles?' Amand a gasped, brushing the rain from her face with a handkerchief. 'I must go up and change yet againmy clothes are saturated.' Cesare fumbled in the dark, produced a candle, found matches and lit it. The small flame made a brave attempt against the engulfing dark, but it was only able to push it back a short space. Cesare lit another, handed Amanda one. Piero disappeared without waiting for a candle, and Cesare lifted his candle. 'Shall I light you up the stairs, Manda?' She woul d have liked to refuse his offer, but she hated the dark on her own. 'Thank you, ' she whispered, aware of the huge bulk of the stone building pressing down upon them. On just such a night as this had she arrived back here, to thunder and li ghtning, and she climbed the stairs fearfully, listening to the wind blowing out the tapestries and whistling down the chimneys. Lightning flashed outside the w indows. The old building seemed to be beset by invisible armies. Amanda looked a t Cesare's broad shoulders ahead of her. The pale candlelight just showed her th e shape of his dark head. She found his presence inexpressibly comforting, and h er need and reliance on him made her confused and resentful. What price independ ence and pride if it could all be overthrown by the alarum of a thunder-

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY I67 storm? She desired to be free, yet found herself contantly seeking Cesare's prot ection and support. It was maddening. At the door of her room, Cesare paused and looked down at her. She saw the bold hawk-like profile, then looked away, her h eart thudding. `Thank you for today,' he said softly. `Today ?' `The pageant,' h e smiled. Amanda laughed. 'Oh, so much has happened since then that I'd forgotte n it.' `I shall never forget it,' he said deeply. 'You were all that I had dream ed you could be ... my Beatrice ...' She knew that he was going to kiss her, and her whole body yearned for the touch of his mouth, but she forced herself to st ep away quickly. `It was nothing,' she said hurriedly. 'I'm so wet. I must chang e now ... thank you for lighting me upstairs, Cesare ...' The door closed betwee n them. - She leant against it, shuddering, and above the thunder of her own bre athing heard Cesare slowly move away. Even with the door between them she could sense the repressed passion in him, almost hear the turmoil of his blood. What a m Ito do? she asked the darkness. Can I go on like this, holding him off, fighti ng my own love as well as his? She recalled what he had said to her recently ... that he was not made of steel! Would he break? Or would it be herself who broke under this unbearable pressure?

CHAPTER TEN dreams that night were vivid and nightmarish. She dreamt she was wal king through a wood, the dark wood of the Botticelli painting, but now it was fi ltered with sunshine and at her feet flowered primroses and violets, English flo wers of the spring, their fragrance drifting upwards to her nostrils, making her feel gay and optimistic. Then suddenly the sunshine vanished. A cloud hung over the trees, casting gloom not only over the landscape but over her spirits. She looked down and the flowers, too, had gone. The grass was withering, the leaves began to fall. She cried aloud in astonishment, putting out her hands. A brown l eaf fell on to the palm of one of them; she felt the crisp dry texture on her sk in. Under her gaze it became skeletal until it lay like a cobweb on her hand. Sh e shrank in horror and it dropped off. It was so strange, so menacing, to see th e normal course of the seasons suddenly escalate like this, that she stared arou nd her in terror of what she would next find. She saw a figure moving through th e bare, black trees towards her. It was Cesare. His dark head was unmistakable. He was, oddly, wearing his magnificent Renaissance costume, the black and silver cloak flaring out from his broad shoulders. The silver ribbons glinted in the m oonlight. HER 168

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY Moonlight? Amanda looked up at the dark sky. How had night come so fast? Cesare was coming slowly towards her. She ran to meet him, putting out her hands in wel come, then stopped dead as she saw that her fingers were bony, shrivelled, the p ale skin loose upon them. I'm old, she thought. I am ageing, like the wood. Some thing terrible has happened to me. She put her hands over her face, terrified th at Cesare should see her like this, and sobbed violently ... 'No, no ... don't l ook ... go away !' Then suddenly she was staring with wide, petrified eyes at da ylight, and she was awake in her bedroom. She lay trembling for a moment, relivi ng the horror of the dream. What a strange thing to dream ! A nightmare! It's od d, she thoughtI've never been afraid of growing old before. Why should I dream th at? She sat up, absorbed and intent, staring at the clock on the table. It ticke d rhythmically away, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour; a machine , tireless, emotionless, unaware of itself or anything esle. But human beings ar e neither machines nor emotionless. They, too, measure time, but the passing of time has meaning for them. `That's what my dream meant,' she whispered huskily t o herself. `I'm young now. It's my spring. But one day, all too soon, I shall be old, and then I shall have lost my chance of fulfilment Gather ye rosebuds whil e ye may, she remembered

171/i HAWK IN A BLUE SKY confusedly. All those old proverbs ! Make hay while the sun shines. The known tr uths of the human race enshrined in a few words, but becoming so mossy with age and use that they are hardly respected any longer. I should have known, she told herself. If I resist Cesare I'm resisting my own chance of happiness. I love hi m why not admit it? He loves me. I must be mad if I keep on running away from him -like this ... He'll tyrannise over me, she reminded herself. He will expect me to be his wife, first and foremosta housewife, a mother. Cesare has no belief in women's aspirations. comHe's been brought up an autocrat, accustomed to and and be obeyed. He's ruthless. He's merciless. I love him, she thought, her passion s wamping every other consideration, and I want him ... She leapt out of bed, hurr iedly washed and dressed in her jodhpurs and a clean blue shirt, and went down t o the stables to join him for their usual ride. Tina was in the stables, sullenl y moving about in the tackroom, her eyes dark-ringed. She glared at Amanda and s aid nothing. Then Cesare emerged from the kitchen, flicking his crop at his boot s, an aloof expression on his handsome face. 'Have you saddled the horses ?' he asked Carlo, the thin lad who helped around the stables for sheer love of horses . 'I, did it,' Tina put in defiantly. 'It will .be the last time I ever look aft er Vesta ...' Her glance at the mare was almost pathetic in its intensity. Cesar e shrugged. He turned and lifted Amanda to the saddle. His hands lingered on her waist, as though re- -

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 171 luctant to release her. She looked down into hsl dark face and their eyes met wi th the impact of a violent collision at high speed. She felt the jar throughout her body. Cesare's eyes widened, a hungry flame shot into them. She saw his lips shape her name. But then he visibly controlled his passion, turned away and lea pt into the saddle. At that instant Tina burst into a shriek of spiteful laughte r, and Volenco Viva reared up, his front feet clawing the air, a desperate whinn y of rage and pain breaking from him. `What have you done, you little hellcat?' Cesare demanded of Tina as he strove desperately to stay on Viva's back. The hor se plunged and kicked, twisting himself in apparent agony. `Jump,' Amanda begged Cesare. 'Dearest, jump off now ...' Too late. The stallion had grown too desper ate. He shot off at a gallop, with Cesare clinging desperately to him, his lean face grimly set. `What is it?' Amanda asked Tina angrily. 'What did you do?' `Wo uldn't you like to know?' Tina retorted. 'You'll be lucky if your precious Cesar e comes back alive! I hope Viva kilsl him. I hope he kicks his head in ... I'd l augh at the funeral !' Amanda turned her mare and followed in Viva's wake, her f eatures white as Tina's words sank home. Cesare might be killed before she had h ad the chance to

172 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY tell him ... to show him ... She winced. The nightmare was coming true. People w ere anxiously hurrying down the city streets, having seen Cesare shoot by on Viv a's back. They called to her in high Italian. 'He was going so fast ...' `The ho rse bolted with him?' they called as she rode past. Amanda nodded, wasting no wo rds. She could not have spoken. Her throat appeared to be as dry as ashes. When she rode through the gate she saw Cesare disappearing into the vineyards at a tr emendous pace. She galloped after him, her heart pounding. What had Tina done to make Viva behave like that? It was totally alien to the stallion's nature to be so vicious. He had always been high-spirited, it was true, but he had never tur ned on hsl master. There was genuine rapport between horse and master. Amanda ha d always found it moving to see the great, powerful animal nibble at Cesare's ea r adoringly. Movingand maddening. She had resented the fact that Cesare could so easily charm the stallion, the people of the city and apparently every woman he met. It was not fair that a man should have that sort of charm, especially when he had so many other attributes. She found herself ducking and weaving through t he vines. Men came running towards her, shouting and pointing, their faces grave . She sensed what they said, although the words were muffled at this distance, a nd her heart seemed to stop. Cesare had been thrown ! Please, God, she prayed de sperately, don't let him be

73 killed. Please, please, not Cesare ... She saw Viva, running with sweat, his coat matted, his eyes rolling in his head, standing by a fence, hsl sides heavin g visibly. A few feet away, arms flung wide, lay Cesare. Ominously still, she re alised, as she rode up and flung herself down from Vesta's back. Already several men were kneeling beside him, but they drew back respectfully as she ran toward s them. `Is he conscious?' she asked breathlessly. `No, signorina . .' they told her. 'Giacomo has gone to the vineyard office to telephone for the doctor,' the y informed her politely. Amanda knelt beside Cesare and looked at his face. He h ad his eyes shut. There was a cut on his forehead and dark blood trickled from i t. His skin looked very pale beside his black hair. She lifted one of his hands, felt carefully for the pulse at his wrist. It seemed very faint. Her own heart missed a beat. How badly was he hurt? She felt helpless, useless, not knowing wh at to do. One of the men asked her gently, 'Shall we carry him to the office ?' `No,' she said. 'He must not be moved. It's dangerous to move someone until you know for certain how serious their injuries are! The doctor ,will come and tell us.' As if he heard her voice there was the sound of a car racing along the road through the vineyards, and a few moments later the young doctor puffed up to th em, his face anxious. He nodded to her. 'He had a fall from his horse, I underst and?' `Yes. He's unconscious,' she said miserably. 'We didn't HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 1

174 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 1 move him in case of injury ...' The doctor gave her an approving smile. 'Good. V ery wise.' He knelt down and deftly began to examine Cesare, his thin fingers od dly delicate as they moved over the long body. Amanda watched with her heart in her mouth. This is a punishment for my folly, she thought. If he dies ... I've w asted my chance of happiness. `He has a broken rib,' the doctor announced after a time. 'Really, he sl as usual unbelievably fortunate! How many times I've know n him take incredible risks and come up smiling! One day his luck will run out, though, so he should start to be more careful.' Tut his head,' Amanda whispered, pointing to the cu t `And he's unconscious !' `Yes, he may have concussion,' th e doctor agreed. Tut that is something we will only find out when he wakes up. H e must go to hospital, of course. He will have to be X-rayed. He may have intern al injuries I cannot find.' His thoughtful glance rested on Cesare's head. She s hivered. 'Can I go with him?' The doctor glanced at her. 'Why not? There will be nothing for you to do, though. You realise that? You will have to sit in the wa iting-room and wait, perhaps for hours. Wouldn't you rather go back and comfort the Contessa?' `Others may do that,' she said fiercely. 'She has Piero and Aunt Teresa ... Cesare needs me.' The doctor shrugged. 'As you like.'

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 175 One of the vineyard workers slid up to Amanda as she waited to climb into the am bulance beside Cesare. 'I took a look at the horse,' he whispered. 'This was und er the saddle.' She took the thing he held out to her, and gave a groan of angry protest. It was a small metal object she recognised. It came from a collection of medieval torture instruments kept in a glass case in the castle. This one was used, as Tina had used it, to drive horses mad and make them turn upon their ri ders. It was a porcupine, made of iron, and spots of blood showed where it had d ug into Viva's flesh. Cesare's weight on the saddle, of course, had forced the g hastly thing down into the horse's back, making Viva desperate to get rid of his rider. `Tina ...' she breathed. 'How vile ... how wicked !' The vineyard worker s made a low hissing sound of rage. One of them was holding Viva's bridle. The s tallion was looking unhappy and dispirited. Amanda went up to him and gently str oked his long nose. 'No one blames you, poor darling,' she murmured. 'Least of a ll Cesare! wasn't your fault ...' Then the doctor asked if she was ready, so she turned away and climbed into the ambulance, taking her seat beside Cesare, hold ing his chilled fingers between her own, gently rubbing them as if she might put back the natural body warmth into them by doing so. The ambulance carried them to the hospital some miles across the other side of the plain. It was a small ru ral hospital, of course, but there was a reassuring

176 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY warmth about the reception they got. Cesare was Xrayed, then wheeled back to the small side-ward in which he was to sleep. Amanda was permitted to go in later, when he was in bed, to see him for a few moments. He was still unconscious, his skin drained and colourless against the crisp white pillow. `We have not got the result of the X-rays yet, but when we do I will let you know at once,' the doct or assured her. `Thank you. How do you think he looks?' she begged. `His pusle i s getting stronger. You can't say for certain until he recovers consciousness, b ut I don't think, somehow, that there is anything drastically wrong. Of course, that is pure guesswork, but I know Cesare. He is fit and very strong. It would t ake more than a fall from a horse to kill him.' `I hope you're right.' `I hope s o too,' the doctor assured her. `Can I stay for a while?' `It would not be wise. He will be watched, don't worry. A nurse will be in here all the time. You had far better go and get yourself some food.' `I couldn't eat!' `Some coffee, then, ' the doctor insisted. 'You need some nourishmentyou've had a shock. I tell you w hat, come along to my office, and I'll give you something to lessen the impact o f the shock.' She obeyed him reluctantly, took two little red pilsl and a cup of milky coffee laced with sugar and, she sus-

177 pected, brandy. Then she resumed her vigil outside Cesare's room. She only l eft her post once during the next few hours. She went to the powder-room to wash and freshen up, then rang San Volenco with the latest bulletin. The Contessa wa s lying down, having contracted a migraine after the shock of hearing the news, but Piero spoke to Amanda reassuringly. 'She sl tougher than she looks, you know . She will weather thisso long as Cesare is going to be all right.' `I'm sure he is,' Amanda promsled. 'They are all very soothing here. I know a lot of it's sta ndard hospital practice, but under that I feel they're genuinely confident. The X-rays were quite satisfactory, they say. No sign of internal injury.' `And the head? Did they X-ray his head?' `Oh, yes, they seem sure that his head injury is superficial, but the unconsciousness is worrying, of course. Until he regains c onsciousness they won't be one hundred per cent certain about brain damage.' Pie ro sighed. 'Well, we must hope ...' `Is Magdalen there?' asked Amanda. `Yes, do you wish to speak to her?' `Please, just for a moment!' Magdalen spoke within se conds, proof that she had been beside Piero, listening intently. Amanda spoke to her affectionately. `Try to cheer Piero up! He's fond of Cesare, you know, unde rneath his rebellious outbursts.' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

178 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY Magdalen's voice was warm. 'Don't worry, I'll do my best.' `I hope you have come together again,' Amanda said on a sigh. 'I would like to think that you two, at least, have made up your differences.' `And you will have the chance to do the same with Cesare very soon,' said Magdalen, understanding why Amanda sounded so sad. Amanda sighed again. 'I could kick myself for wasting so much time ! So man y years ...' Later, resuming her vigil outside his room, she thought back over t hose years of exile in England, and realised that she had not been mature enough at eighteen to cope with the demands Cesare would have made upon her. She had d one the only thing possible when she fled from him. She had needed time to grow up, time to reach understanding of her own needs as well as his. They had been b etter apart during those years. A click made her turn her head alertly. The youn g nurse smiled at her gravely, her olive-skinned face slightly flushed with exci tement. `He is awake, signorina . . . I have buzzed for the doctors, but I think you could see him for a moment before they arrive ... he seems drowsy but aware of his surroundings.' She smiled again, her eyes amused. 'He even asked after h is horse!' Amanda followed her back into the room hastily, her knees shaking. Ce sare lay against the pillows, his eyes now wide open, hsl gaze fixed on the door as they entered.

79 She sank to her knees beside the bed and reached for his nearest hand. 'Cesar e ...' He looked at her, smiling faintly, a great light buried deep within those grey eyes, eyes which held no coldness for her now. 'Did I give you a shock, my darling?' `A hell of a shock,' she said, with an abrupt laugh. He grinned, well satisfied, reading between the lines with his usual quick intelligence. 'Well, that's something,' he murmured. 'This bang on the head will have been worth it i f that's the case.' She blushed, aware that he was too quick for her. `Does your head hurt?' `Horribly,' he said, beginning to turn on the pillow, then gave a g roan and clutched at his bandaged chest. `What the hell have I done to this ?' ` Don't try to move,' the nurse protested. 'You have a broken rib.' The doctors we re at the door, giving the nurse reproving looks as they saw Amanda in the room. She bent and kissed Cesare very lightly on the cheek. `I must go for now,' she said. 'I'll see you later.' He caught her hand, lifted it slowly to his lips and kissed her palm with lingering passion. Very pink and agitated, she withdrew he r hand and walked to the door. The young doctor from Volenco followed her while his hospital colleagues examined Cesare. `I'm afraid you will not be able to see him again tonight,' he told her kindly. 'He will be sleeping. You must go back to Volenco and come again tomorrow afternoon.' HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 1

I80 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `Oh, no,' she protested. `Yes,' he nodded. 'Don't worry. We will be in touch if anything goes wrong, but although I still can't be certain I am more than ever c onvinced that he is going to be fine. We will have to keep him in here for a whi le, of course. Head injuries are always suspect, especially after unconsciousnes s like this, but the X-rays were good, and he seems quite rational. We shall see ...' She had to accept this verdict. The doctor drove her back to Volenco himse lf, since he had already spent more time than he could afford on the case. He sp ent two afternoons a week at the hospital, normally, he explained, since he was able to follow up his own cases personally there. 'I'm no expert on head injurie s, but they have a good man in the hospital. You know, he has a nose for serious cases, and he was quite optimistic about Cesare, too. I trust his judgment.' Th e Contessa and Piero met her in the hall, their faces anxious. Aunt Teresa was s oftly weeping in the background. She always expected the worst. `He's going to b e fine,' Amanda assured them. `You have seen him?' asked the Contessa. `Yes, and he was already getting restless,' Amanda smiled. 'I'm glad I'm not nursing him. He'll be a terror to those nurses !' The Contessa sighed. 'At least he has reco vered consciousness. That frightened me, the long lapse of time when he was unco nscious.' Amanda nodded grimly. 'Me, too. I prayed hard during the hours I waite d outside that room. But I knew when I

181 saw him that he was going to be all right. It was in his face. He was still drowsy, still a bit weak, but there was a definite improvement since the last ti me I saw him. He had slightly more colour.' `That wicked girl,' the Contessa sai d grimly. 'To do such a thing! It is inconceivable! But she has paid ...' Amanda looked enquiringly at them. Piero told her, `The vineyard workers came into the city to find her and they were pretty rough. She and Giulio fled in panic. I thi nk they narrowly escaped being killed.' Amanda nodded. 'And Viva? How is Viva? C esare's first question was about Viva.' `How like him,' Piero muttered. 'Viva wi ll be all right in a few days. The porcupine does no permanent damage, you know. ' `It has damaged Viva's confidence in human beings,' Amanda said gravely. They all looked unhappy for a while, then Magdalen came down to join them, her expres sion tentative, as if she was not sure of her welcome. Amanda smiled at her. `He llo ! Come and talk to me while I get ready for bed. I'm worn out.' `I will send up a meal to your room,' the Contessa said at once. `Thank you,' said Amanda gr atefully. 'I'm starving ... I couldn't eat at the hospital, I was too worried.' The Contessa smiled lovingly at her. 'My dearest child,' she murmured. 'I am so glad.' Amanda knew that there was no need for words between them. The Contessa a lready knew that Amanda HAWK IN A BLUE SKY

183 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY had stopped running away from Cesare. She had known it at once on setting eyes on her. There was a joyous light in the still beautiful ey es. The Contessa knew that her dearest wish was about to come true, and, despite Cesare's accident, she was ecstatically happy. Magdalen perched on the end of t he bed and grinned impishly at Amanda as she slid between the sheets. `Do I hear the distant sound of wedding bells?' `Don't we both?' Amanda parried. Magdalen shrugged. 'Don't suggest a double wedding on my wedding day I'm going to be the o nly bride around! I've been dreaming of this for years.' A rapt expression crept over her face. 'White suits me, you see ... I thought ivory satin, cut very sim ply but exquisitely ... with a pearl headdress and a very long flowing veil ... I'm going to have my shoes made in Milan. They make the best shoes in the world. They make your feet look half the size, yet they're ultra-comfortable!' Amanda laughed. 'I see you've got it planned to the last detail ! What is Piero to wear ? Do you need any bridesmaids?' `Do you think Cesare will wait long enough?' Mag dalen teased. 'He doesn't look the patient sort.' `He's waited five years !' Mag dalen groaned. Just as well he's tucked up safely in a hospital bed. We might ju st have time to squeeze our wedding in before they let him loose.' `Oh, he must be there,' Amanda said, looking shocked. `Do you think he'll allow it?' asked Ma gdalen doubtfully.

183 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `Of course he will,' Amanda promised, and Magdalen went o ff to bed looking hopeful. Amanda was shocked and dismayed when, next morning, t he Contessa told her that Cesare had ordered that she should not visit him again . `Why not?' she asked unhappily. `He said something about not wanting you to ta ke him out of pity,' the Contessa smiled. `What nonsense,' Amanda said at once. 'I shall go, whatever he says.' `I told him you would say that,' said the Contes sa. 'He told me to tell you he would refuse to see you if you turned up there. H e was adamant. My dear, you know what he is like in one of these moods ! `The au tocrat to his fingertips,' agreed Amanda crossly. 'He can't do this !' `It won't be for long,' the Contessa soothed. It seemed, however, like an eternity to Ama nda as she waited day after day, hearing news of him at second hand from the Con tessa and Piero. She and Magdalen were able to keep busy in planning Magdalen an d Piero's wedding, which was to take place at Mireze, as tradition dictated. The church at Mireze was adorable, a very small stone building with famous stained glass windows and some exquisite statuary around the walls. Magdalen had her wed ding dress, like her shoes, made in Milan, to the disgust of Signora Marella. Am anda promised her faithfully that she should make her wedding dress.

184 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY `If the day ever comes when I need one,' she added discreetly. Signora Marella g ave her an amused look. 'Of course,' she agreed, tongue in cheek. 'For you I thi nk silk and tulle ... very innocent and floating ... ethereal, spiritual ...' An ecstatic look filled her dark face. `Ah, it will be the best thing I ever made! Every woman in the city will be mad with envy ! They will hate me ...' Amanda l aughed. 'You're shocking me!' Magdalen said, 'You're making me regret I didn't a sk you to make mine! How was I to know you were a whizz, Signora Marella?' Later , she and Piero drove off with Magdalen's father to see the stables at Mireze. P iero had agreed to take over control of them after his marriage. Cesare had been consulted, and had, reluctantly, agreed, although he had said he would miss his brother's help in the Druetso estates. Amanda sat in the sunny walled garden, h er eyes contentedly closed, enjoying the warm fragrance of the flowers. She coul d hear one bird repeatedly chinking in the ivy. Out on the blue swell of the sky were a few larks, riding the warm currents of air above the plain, their song s oaring heavenward. Then someone stood between her and the sun, and a flower was drawn lightly across her lips. She remembered another occasion when, with closed lids, she had invited a kiss, and her heart beat frantically against her ribs. It couldn't be, she thought, keeping her eyes shut tight. She waited a moment, t hen whispered huskily, 'Cesare ?'

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 185 He did not move. The kiss she was longing for did not fall on her raised lips. S he opened her eyes. He was very big and dark, almost appearing to tower over her . Amanda felt her body weaken at the sight of him, a feeling of lassitude and ye arning invading her. When their eyes met his held hers commandingly, searching t heir depths as if trying to penetrate her thoughts, to read her heart with merci less intent. Suddenly she knew that, after so long a pursuit, the hunter demande d the full capitulation of his quarry. Without a word, Cesare was requiring of h er total surrender. He did not mean to meet her halfway. There was to be no chiv alrous understanding on this occasion. Cesare's male pride demanded that she mak e the first move this time. She had abandoned her pride long ago. It had crumble d when she saw him so white and vulnerable at her feet in the vineyards. There w as only room for love in her heart now. She lifted her arms, clinging to his nec k, and kissed him with unleashed hunger. For a moment Cesare stood unresponsive under her kiss, then he gave a stifled groan and caught her to him, his hands li ke steel on her waist. `At last,' he whispered against her mouth. 'I've got you ... you'll never escape me again, my dove ... the hawk has his claws in you at l ast, and you are really done for.' She laughed breathlessly, caressing his hair and the back of his strong neck. 'It's what I want, don't you see, it's what I h ave always wanted, but now I'm no longer

I86 HAWK IN A BLUE SKY afraid to admit it. I'm yours, Cesare. I only want you to love me.' His hands mo ved slowly, possessively over her body, arousing in her feelings she had only gu essed at until now. She groaned and clung to him, and heard him laugh softly bef ore his mouth came down again to devour her lips, parting them ruthlessly, bruis ing them with the unleashed hunger of years. Then he suddenly withdrew and burie d his face in her neck, his skin burning 'hot against her cool flesh. She heard him whisper hoarsely, `Manda, I'm almost afraid ... I want you so much ... I'm a fraid to touch you. I've waited so long, I'm almost out of my mind with desire. Suddenly you're here, in my arms, wanting me back, and I'm frightened of my own emotions. You don't know how much I want you.' `I want you, too, darling,' she t old him tenderly. He groaned. 'You're too innocent to know. I'm a starving man s uddenly given the chance to assuage his hunger. I'm afraid it may slip out of my control ... I'm only human and I want you like hell now, right now.' She felt h er heart pounding desperately as his words sank into her mind. She shook, clingi ng to him, her own face on fire, her body trembling. 'Cesare, my darling ...' He straightened, taking a deep breath. Then he took her flushed face between both hands, 'There, I'm back on the leash,' he said with grim humour. 'Kiss me.' She lifted her face eagerly. Their mouths clung for a moment, then he moved back aga in. ` We must go in and tell my mother to make her plans

HAWK IN A BLUE SKY 187 for a wedding,' he said. 'It had better be soon or. I won't be answerable for my actions.' `It will be soon,' she promised. Tut not soon enough !' Cesare laughe d and looked up at the strong walls of his home. 'I never thought to hear you sa y such things, my dearest,' he said triumphantly. 'See, the city is filled with joy tonight.' The setting sun flooded the whole city with a golden light. It loo ked as if, as he said, Volenco was rejoicing with them, rejoicing that the Hawk had captured his prize at last.