A Legacy of Secrets(40)

‘And your mother, does she love Australia? I have heard so many good things about it.’

And Ella sat quiet for a moment, sipped on her limoncello and answered carefully. ‘It’s a beautiful country,’ Ella said, ‘but my mother misses home an awful lot.’

‘Of course,’ Teresa said. ‘But she is happy with her choice?’

And she looked at Ella for a very long time. There was a moment, a long one, and one Ella decided where it would be prudent to play by very old rules. It was, Ella told herself, a practice run for her aunties. ‘Very happy,’ Ella said and returned Teresa’s smile, looking up in relief when Santo came in.

‘Take Ella and show her the winery,’ Teresa said. ‘Choose something nice for dinner tonight.’

‘You have to get back, don’t you?’ Santo said to Ella. It was nice that he offered the choice as to whether they stay longer, but Ella knew it would be rude to leave now, knew from her mother what was silently expected.

‘No.’ Ella smiled. ‘I’ve got everything done. Dinner would be lovely.’

‘She seems to like you.’ They were walking in the grounds, through the vines and out to the winery. She’d have loved to take a photo, to tell her mum she was here, but she wasn’t sure that that suggestion would be particularly welcomed.

‘You’re quiet,’ she commented, because Santo rarely was.

‘It feels different to be here and know he isn’t.’

‘Sorry...’ Ella could have kicked herself for her own insensitivity. ‘I didn’t think.’

‘No!’ Santo shook his head. ‘I am not upset.’

‘I do understand that whatever has gone on, still he was your grandparent.’

‘It’s not fond memories I’m having, Ella.’ Santo said no more than that. They walked into the cool dark winery and she wondered if here he might try something, but instead Santo spent an awful long time choosing the wine.

‘This one,’ he said. ‘This was from the year you were born.’

‘I didn’t know you knew the year I was born.’

‘I read your résumé.’ He gave her a smile and walked over, lifted his hand to her hair, just wondered about her, really. ‘You know I always wanted to have sex in here.’

He was just so direct.

‘With your grandmother waiting in the house?’

‘That doesn’t come into my fantasy.’

‘Well, it’s a bit off-putting in mine,’ Ella said. She was terribly wary of him, trying to keep things light when she felt anything but, trying to keep her head on during a most difficult of days.

‘I miss you.’ He watched her frown.

‘You don’t know me.’

‘That’s what I miss.’

He didn’t even try to kiss her, did nothing other than take her hand and walk back to the house. She just couldn’t read his mood.

The food was heavenly—fennel salad dripping in the best olive oil Ella had tasted, and a huge lasagne, but the Sicilian way, stuffed with Italian sausage and cheeses.

Santo sat at the table, chatted and spoke and smiled in all the right places, and she tried to fathom him, but couldn’t. He looked up and caught her staring, and smiled till she blushed as he stared back and he pressed his foot to her leg just once, but it wasn’t Santo.

It was like watching an actor play his part.

‘Do you remember my birthday?’ Teresa smiled and recounted tales of supposed happier times, but Ella watched a muscle flicker in Santo’s cheek as Teresa mentioned Benito’s children and asked after Luca and Gio, though she was wise enough perhaps to not mention Matteo. ‘And that time Lia hid and we could not find her for hours. You were so young then. Grace was still alive.’

‘Grace?’

‘Lia’s mum,’ Santo explained. ‘Benito was married before Simona.’ He was so much more open here, but then so was Teresa, Ella realised. She must assume, given that Santo had brought her here, that they were serious.

‘She lived with us,’ Teresa explained. ‘When Grace died.’ And she smiled over to Santo, and Ella watched as there was just a brief pause before Santo duly smiled back, not that Teresa noticed. She turned her attention to Ella.

‘Will you tell your mother that you ate with me?’ Her eyes twinkled.

‘I can’t wait to tell her.’ Ella laughed, because she’d been sitting there thinking just that. For the first time in a very long time, she actually missed her mother, wished that today was something they could have properly shared.