Bella (16 page)

  
“
Bella and I are very
close.
”
  He told them.

  
“
Marco was such good
child, so helpful. We never had problems with him until he was about twenty.
”
Anna said sadly.

After lunch we went for a drive out, Anna and Emilio said
they wanted to show us a nice town called Massa Town. It was situated in a area
with a wide variety of landscapes: in fact there wasn`t far to go before you
reached the sea, the cultivated countryside, the hills, the rising rocky
mountains of very pure waters, and what was one of the most precious things
present in this region; the marble that has been dug and worked on since the
Roman epoch in the quarries of the near Carrageen. I had never seen such
beauty. In the evening we went to another lovely restaurant, it was a lovely
end to a perfect day.

We drove Anna and Emilio home. The weather had been
glorious, but after the heat we
’
d had, the weather
wasn't looking very promising. I could hear a rumble of thunder in the
distance, I hated storms.

  
“
Bella I think we
’
re going to have hurry back to the hotel.
”
Simon said.

The rain was coming down heavily and the window screen
wipers were not making much difference.

   
“
Let
’
s pull over for a while and see if the rain
subsides.
”
We both sat there in
awkward silence for what seemed ages watching the rain.

Simon broke the ice, and stated talking about Tuscany and
how beautiful it was.

The storm was getting worse; all I wanted to do was get
back to the hotel.

  
“
Bella the rain isn't
going to stop so I will have to risk driving us back to the hotel.
”

   The roads were bad, and we had to drive very slowly. We
finally reached our hotel and breathed a sigh of relief. We had a drink in the
bar, and then I decided to take a long hot soak in the bath and Simon opened a
bottle of wine. I laid there for about fifteen minutes when Simon knocked on
the door and walked straight in. He gave me a glass of wine and I could feel
his eyes focussing on my breasts. I started to feel really excited, I wanted to
feel his touch and taste his lips on mine. He sat on the chair in the bathroom.
I was tempted to ask him to scrub my back, but he read my mind. We knew we were
doing something terribly wrong, but hoped that no one would
find out our
secret
.
He washed my back, taking his time, then slowly his hands moved
to the front, his fingers touched my nipple and playing with it gently.
Exhilarating feelings were running through my body. He got undressed and
climbed into the bath, we gently kissed. Our kisses became hungrier and more
passionate. At that moment I could have sworn I heard our hotel door open. 

  
“
Did you lock the door
Simon?
”
I asked. 
“
Maybe it was my imagination but I thought I
heard someone come in.
”

It was too late the bathroom door opened and there stood
Marco. Simon and I got out of the bath, quickly grabbing a towel our faces red
with embarrassment, how could we explain this?

  
“
How did you know
where I was?
”
I demanded.

 
“
My parents told me where to find you, but I certainly wasn't
expecting to find this.
”
He said emphasising the last part very distinctively.   

   
“
What do you want
Marco?
”
I shouted.

He
looked angry from afar, but if you looked closer you could see a smirk forming.
It was almost like he was waiting for the perfect moment to pull me down.

  
“
Well for a start off money, and it looks like neither one of you can
argue with me.
”
Simon went to hit him.

  
“
You son of a
…
“
 

I
stopped him

  
“
No Simon he isn't worth it.
”

 I turned to Marco and said.

  
“
You can say what you
like, but I am not giving you money.
”
I avowed.

  
“
Think about it Bella,
brother and sister in the bath together. How will that look?
”

  
“
He has a point Simon?
”
I said.  The feeling I had in the pit of my
stomach was so bad, I thought I was about to faint.

  
“
I can't give you any
money yet. But when I get home I will give you ten thousand pounds, then I want
you out my life. I know you are married, and I heard you and your wife outside
the hotel arguing the other night. If I wanted, I could tell the police
everything Marco. It
’
s your word against
ours.
”

Marco laughed.

  
“
You are joking; Victoria said you were both holding a dirty secret,
now I know what it is.
”

I knew I had to give
in, because if news such as that got out, it would have hurt my family and
destroyed the guest house
’
s reputation which I spent many years building up.

  
I couldn't sleep that night for worry. Simon also had a restless night, tossing
and turning. Everyone could find out our dirty secret. Marco could keep
blackmailing us forever.

Morning finally arrived. I was very tired and
had never felt such heaviness in my heart. I called Claudio to say we were
flying back to England, missing out the resent events that had just happened.

CHAPTER EIGHT

We arrived back in England that evening. I
couldn't wait to see the children. Tammy greeted us. Violet and Robert were
both sleeping. I stroked their heads, and gave them a kiss. We had only a few
guests in. I decided as soon as the season was over I would sell up.

   The next morning Marco was there demanding
his money just like he said he would. I gave him ten thousand pounds in cash,
and told him to leave, and never to return. However Marco had other ideas.

  
“
You know I will keep needing money Bella, and you know you
can't turn me down.
”
 

How could I have judged this man so very wrong?
When I
’
d first met
him he seemed so nice, how stupid and na
ï
ve I was.
I thought to myself.

   Weeks passed by without any word from Marco.
Claudio called to say he was flying over in October.

It was September and the guest house was about to be sold. We got a
good price so I decided to start looking for another property. At the estate
agents whilst looking through all the announcements, I spotted my old family
home among them. All I had to do was put an offer in. Fate must have wanted me
to return to the place I had grown up in, because shortly after my offer was
accepted.

   Claudio arrived a few days before Violets
birthday and I introduced him to my children. He very kindly offered to help me
move into my new home. I was extremely happy to see the back of the guest house
and move back into my old home. I had three spare rooms available just in case
I wanted to do bed and breakfast later on.

Claudio, Tammy and Roy helped me decorate my new home.
Simon came over and told me he would be going back to New York soon and because
of the circumstances I honestly thought it was for the best.

I only hoped that Marco would never come back into my life
and reveal that awful night in Tuscany. I told Tammy and Roy we were getting
divorced, but never mentioned the whole story.

   I took Claudio to London and showed him the sights. I
knew I was falling in love with him, and I could finally put Simon to the back
of my mind. For once I actually felt that luck was on my side..

Claudio told me that he wouldn
’
t be able to stay very long because of his job
and would return to Italy very soon. How
could we
manage a relationship with the distance between us? That was the only thing
going through my mind.

The night before he was due to leave, he took me to a
lovely sea food restaurant in my home town. The night sky was clear, the stars
were out. We had a candlelit table looking out over the bay. We ordered
lobster, and champagne.

I really didn't want the night to end. He held my hand over
the table and told me he was in love with me, and didn`t want to be away from
me.

   
“
What are we going to
do? I love you too Claudio, but I am afraid. I
’
ve had so much bad luck in my life, and now I
have met you, but you live too far away.
”
I admitted with tears in my eyes.

  
“
Don
’
t worry Bella mia, everything will work out! I
will come over and see you as much as possible.
”
He whispered gently, wiping the tears from my
face.

After our lovely meal, we walked along the beach hand in
hand. The night was a little cold so Claudio put his jacket around me. He
kissed me, sending shivers through my spine. As soon as we were back home we
ripped each other
’
s clothes off and
made love for the first time. I had not felt love like this, since Simon. I
knew I could put any romantic feelings I had for him finally aside. After we
made love, he held me tightly in his arms for the rest of the night.

The morning sun filtered through my curtains.

  
“
Good Morning Bella.
”
  He whispered. Whilst handing over a beautifully
cooked breakfast.

  
“
Violet is having her
breakfast and Robert is still sleeping.
”
He told me.

I could hear Violet giggling downstairs while watching her
morning cartoons. After I ate my breakfast, I had a shower then got the kids
ready. Later that day I took Claudio to the airport.
 
As we kissed goodbye, I had a dreadful feeling
I wouldn't see him again.

After he left I took the children shopping. I decided to
plan a birthday party for Robert. Violet had just turned three; she was such a
good little girl. Thankfully she was nothing like her father.

 
Later that evening Claudio called to say he had
arrived home safely and that he was missing me already.

I had finishing baking some cup cakes with violet and
Lizzie. Then I put the children to bed

Lizzie had bought a house not too far from me and often
popped in for a coffee and a chat .

  
“
I
’
m worried about Tammy. She has been looking
really tired and pale lately. Haven
’
t
you
noticed Bella? Lizzie asked.

  
“
Yes I have, but I
assumed she was just tired, but maybe I will go and see her.
”
Over the next few days, I couldn't get Tammy
out my head and what Lizzie had said. Although I
’
d noticed she looked rather ill I didn't know
how to ask her. Tammy was like a mother to us all. I couldn't cope if anything
happened to her. I decided I must go and see her. I knocked on their door, Roy
answered, and he seemed jolly enough, surely if Tammy was ill, Roy wouldn't
seem so happy I thought to myself. Tammy was in the kitchen cooking and I
noticed she looked much thinner and paler since I had last seen her. She looked
tired and withdrawn. I put Violet in the living room to watch her cartoons.
Robert
was asleep in his pram. Tammy made some coffee and we sat
at the kitchen table.

  
“
How are you Bella?
”

  
“
I am
OK
, but I
am worried about you. Lizzie has noticed that you have been looking tired and
pale lately, and to be honest, she is right.
”
Tammy sighed.

  
“
I am ill Bella! I
found a lump in my breast a while back.  It is cancer but with treatment the
doctor said I will be fine. I didn't want to tell you Bella, as you have had
enough to worry about. Luckily the told the cancer hasn't spread and I have had
my first treatment. I still have a few more to go, but hopefully then, I will
be in remission.
”