"It was the only way. I had an interview at lunchtime, so I could not leave London any earlier. And I must arrive home tonight. Mamma has arranged a big dinner in honor of my visit. I cannot miss it."
He'd gone to all this trouble on the off chance she would come with him? However much had the helicopter cost?
Before she had time to dwell on it, they pulled up and Dino helped her out of the vehicle. A man in orange coveralls loaded her suitcase into the helicopter, and Dino helped her climb in. She settled in the seat, staring around curiously. This was a first for her. Dino chatted with the pilot who had brought him down from London. Then the engine started and the rotor blades whirred so loudly that they had to shout to talk.
The pilot checked they were both strapped in, spoke on his headset, and about ten minutes later they lifted into the sky. Maria laughed and clutched Dino's hand as the aircraft rose. Tiny white snowflakes splattered the glass windows.
Once they gained height and headed off, Dino leaned closer and put his mouth to her ear. "I have been dreaming of arriving home with you by my side."
Her heart fluttered at his words. He did manage to say all the right things, but then he was Italian and they were notoriously romantic.
They arrived at Bristol Airport in time to catch their flight to Pisa. After a pleasant flight spent chatting and catching up, they landed in Italy and collected their bags. Hand in hand they walked out to be met by Dino's brother. The man who greeted them looked like an older version of Dino. He smiled as they approached and pulled Dino into a bear hug, kissing both his cheeks. They chatted in Italian, their voices rising and falling with excitement at seeing each other again.
Dino put his arm around Maria's shoulders and led her forwards. "Rob, this is my friend, Maria. Maria, this is my eldest brother, Roberto. He is the one who owns the fish restaurant."
"Maria, it is good to meet you." Roberto shook her hand, grinning. Then his gaze moved to Dino and he laughed. "Mamma will not be happy with you, Dino."
"Is something wrong?" Maria asked, sensing that his comment related to her.
Roberto ruffled Dino's hair. "My little brother did not tell his mamma he was bringing a girlfriend home."
"It is all right, Maria. Do not worry." Dino pulled out his phone. "I will call her now. She will be pleased to see you. I did not want to jinx my chance of persuading you to come by telling Mamma to expect you."
Dino talked on his phone while they walked through the airport, gesturing with emotion as he spoke. Roberto pushed the luggage cart carrying their bags.
"Is everything all right?" Maria demanded as soon as Dino ended his call.
"Of course. Take no notice of Rob. He likes to tease me. Mamma is delighted you have come."
The drive to Riomaggiore seemed to last forever. They had landed in Pisa just before ten in the evening. Maria couldn't imagine how they would arrive in time for the big family dinner Dino had mentioned. She sat in the front of a van marked
Ristorante Rossellini
, sandwiched between Dino and Rob. The temperature was much warmer in Italy than England and made her drowsy. She nodded off and woke as they arrived with her head nestled against Dino's shoulder.
He smiled down at her as she climbed out a little uncertainly. "Welcome to Riomaggiore, Maria. Welcome to my hometown."
The houses were tall and narrow, streaks of light shining through the gaps in shuttered windows. They'd parked in the steep main street outside Rob's restaurant. Dino took her hand while Rob carried her bag and led them along a covered walkway and down some old stone steps.
"This is the only way through to the harbor," Dino said. "No motor vehicles can reach it." Pretty narrow houses balanced precariously on the steep cliffs surrounding the small bay. The few windows not masked by shutters glowed with warm light. The Rossellini house was one of those closest to the harbor. Wooden boats were pulled up on the cobbles in front of the building. She remembered the village from the picture Dino had shown her on his phone weeks ago. Although the place was quite different from Porthale, the fishy smell and gentle hiss of the sea reminded her of home.
"My mother and father cannot speak English,
cara
, but the rest of my family all know some. One of us will translate for you, if necessary," Dino said.
Maria pulled out the tie holding her ponytail and refastened it to make sure her hair was neat, and to give her a moment's breathing space before they went inside. After weeks of hearing nothing from Dino, she was about to be welcomed by his family. Suddenly everything seemed to be happening very fast. She wasn't sure she was ready.
Rob took care of Maria's bag while Dino led her into a terracotta tiled entrance hall. He tossed his fur coat over the newel post at the bottom of the stairs and ushered her along a narrow passage to the back of the house. The mouthwatering smell of cooking filled her nose. They mounted five steps and went through a door into the kitchen. The chatter of voices almost overwhelmed her as she entered. There were so many people—young, old, and in-between—crowded into every spot they could sit. A shared exclamation of pleasure burst out at the sight of Dino. "Give me a moment,
cara
," he said and went in. Maria waited in the doorway as his family leaped to their feet and surrounded him, all talking at once, the hugging and kissing interspersed with affectionate slaps on the back.
A middle-aged woman wearing an apron came forwards with her hands raised. Dino lifted her off her feet as he hugged her. When he returned her to the ground, she patted his cheek, tears in her eyes. "Ah, Dino,
chicco
." They spoke so fast that Maria was sure she wouldn't be able to keep up with the conversation even if she did speak Italian.
Dino mentioned Maria's name, then he put his arm around her and escorted her into the melee. "Hello, Maria Gardener," the woman he'd hugged said. "
Buona sera.
"
"My mother says good evening," Dino added. "My father is over there." He indicated a gray-haired man asleep in a chair. "I will introduce you to him later."
"
Buona sera
, Mrs. Rossellini," Maria said, hoping she had the pronunciation right.
Rob came in and further
ciaos
erupted as everyone headed for a huge table to one side of the kitchen. From the front the house appeared tall and narrow, but at the back it opened out to twice the width, obviously extended behind a neighboring property.
Maria was squeezed in beside Dino. After he introduced her to most of the people around the table, including his eight nieces and nephews, the beautiful young woman on Maria's other side introduced herself. "I'm Giuliana," she said. "Dino's younger sister."
"Your English is good," Maria replied. Giuliana had less of an accent than Dino.
"I study English and politics at Rome University."
"Giuliana wants to be an anarchist," Rob said from across the table.
She snapped something at him in rapid Italian, earning a stern look from her father. "They do not understand that I have ambitions. Mamma and Papa think I should want nothing more than to marry, pop out babies, and cook." She made a rude sound and tossed back a glass of wine in a couple of swallows.
"Maria is a culinary angel. She cooks the best food I have ever tasted, except for Mamma's, of course." Dino repeated his words in Italian, covered her hand with his and smiled. The babble of conversation lulled and all heads turned her way. Heat flooded Maria's cheeks as she realized she would have to say something.
"I know it's not for everyone, but I like cooking," she said. "Actually, my dream is to have lots of children, then I will cook for them."
Mrs. Rossellini and Giuliana exchanged a few words in Italian, then Giuliana smiled at Maria. "Mamma was worried Dino would marry Rachel Tanner, but now he has you to care for him, she is happy."
Me to care for him?
Maria laughed nervously. What did that mean? She cast a questioning glance at Dino to find him grinning.
"Ignore them,
cara
. Mamma has been trying to marry me off ever since I left home. She thinks I need looking after."
The clock on the wall said it was nearly one thirty in the morning, but the Rossellini family was bright and chatty. Even the children were still going strong. Maria was glad she hadn't eaten much earlier as she was served a selection of pasta and fish dishes followed by delicious fruit-filled bread.
Once the meal finished, instead of going to bed, they all moved into a large living room to chat. "Does your family always stay up this late?" she whispered to Dino.
"They are only late because they waited for us." As his family left the kitchen, Dino held Maria back and put an arm around her. "They can be a little overwhelming, and you are tired, I think. Would you like to go to bed?"
"Won't that be terribly rude?"
Dino shook his head. "They will not mind,
cara
. They understand we have travelled and are weary." He caressed her cheek. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Mrs. Rossellini watching them with a smile on her face. Her own mother might disapprove of their relationship, but at least Mrs. Rossellini seemed happy.
"I think I would prefer to go to bed."
"That is fine." Dino spoke to his mother. "Mamma says you are to stay with Rob and his wife, Carlotta. He only lives next door. I will take you there now."
Dino led Maria through an adjoining door in the downstairs hall and into Rob's house. He took her upstairs to a small bedroom on the third floor overlooking the harbor. Her case was already set on a chair beneath the window. Dino pushed open the shutters for her to see the view. The houses opposite were stacked up the hill in attractive disarray, the streetlights painting ribbons of gold across the gently rippling sea.
"It's beautiful, Dino." She imagined him living here as a boy, playing in the street below, messing about on the boats.
Dino stepped behind her and folded his arms around her. "I have dreamed of showing you my home. During the lonely nights away, I pictured you here with me. I told myself that if I imagined it clearly enough it would come true. And here you are. Tomorrow we have a big family dinner in Roberto's restaurant to celebrate Mamma's birthday, but the next day my family will take Mamma out for the day to La Spezia. You and I can stay here. I will show you around."
***
Maria woke late and found Dino downstairs chatting with his sister-in-law, Carlotta. They went straight up to Roberto's restaurant, the place where Rob had parked his van the night before.
The tall, multicolored houses lined the narrow street, balconies overflowing with flowering plants in the warmth of early spring. In the daylight, many of the buildings looked shabby with peeling paint, but the village was quaint and picturesque.
Dino placed a hand on Maria's back and guided her through the old wooden door of
Ristorante Rossellini
into a veritable treasure trove. Model boats, sea shells, and other ornaments decorated walls and shelves, nets and glass buoys dangled from the ceiling.
Three times as many people as the night before were squeezed in at the small tables dotted around the room. "All my extended family is here today," Dino said as he took Maria's hand and led her towards an empty table. Those already seated greeted Dino as he passed. Giuliana sat beside Maria again and while everyone else rattled away in Italian, Dino and Giuliana translated for her.
After the meal, Dino's family persuaded him to sing and his middle brother Marco joined him on the guitar. Everyone fell silent as Dino performed a medley of traditional Italian songs. Maria sipped the sweet dessert wine,
sciacchetrà
, a specialty of the area, while the melodious notes of Dino's voice flowed over her, leaving her dreamy and relaxed. To finish, he changed tempo, making the women giggle and the men guffaw as he sang a saucy local song, which Giuliana translated.
When Dino finished singing, a group of his male relatives called him over. Dino stopped behind Maria and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay for a little while,
amore
?"
"I'm fine. You go." She smiled up at him and he kissed the top of her head. Dino's mother came over to Maria's table with a group of women. They dragged up more chairs and settled with cups of coffee. Giuliana introduced Dino's grandmothers, aunts, and cousins. They all started talking at once, firing questions at Maria. She looked to Giuliana for a translation. "They want to know if you and Dino have set a wedding date yet," she said with a grin.
"Why does everyone think Dino and I are getting married?" Maria asked, embarrassed.
Giuliana shrugged. "They are old-fashioned. If a woman is to live with a man, they believe she must be his wife. And they all love weddings, of course."
Maria frowned, feeling a little uncomfortable. "I'm not living with Dino."
"You will be traveling to America with him, so it comes to the same thing for them." Giuliana gave a careless throwaway gesture. "I told you, they are old-fashioned."
Why did Dino's family believe she would go to America with him? Is that what he'd told them? Is that what he expected?
Dino's family talked for hours. Although Maria didn't understand much, she frequently heard them mention Pavarotti and guessed they were discussing the movie. Maria had so many questions stacking up in her mind to ask Dino. She wanted some quiet time with him so they could talk, but that didn't seem likely anytime soon. His family certainly knew how to celebrate birthdays!