The Rinuccis: Carlo, Ruggiero & Francesco. Lucy Gordon

about nightmares,’ Carlo went on, ‘and the greatest catastrophe the world has ever known. Thousands of people, living their ordinary lives, when there was an ominous rumble in the distance and Vesuvius erupted, engulfing the town. People died in the middle of fights, of meals—thousands of them, frozen in one place for nearly two thousand years.’

      He had them now. Everyone was listening.

      ‘Is it true they’ve got the dead bodies in the museum?’ someone asked, with relish.

      ‘Not the actual bodies,’ Carlo said, in the tone of a man making a reluctant admission, and there was a groan of disappointment.

      Bloodthirsty little tykes, Della thought, amused. But he’s right about them.

      ‘They were trapped and died in the lava,’ Carlo continued, ‘and when they were excavated, centuries later, the bodies had perished, leaving holes in the lava of the exact shapes. So the bodies could be reconstructed in plaster.’

      ‘And can we see them?’

      ‘Yes, you can see them.’

      A sigh of blissful content showed that his audience was with him. He began to expand on the subject, making it vibrantly alive. He spoke fluently, in barely accented English, with an actor’s sense of the dramatic. Suddenly the streets were populated with heroes and villains, beautiful heroines, going about their daily business, then running hopelessly for their lives.

      Della seized the chance to study him in action. It went against the grain to give him top marks, but she had to admit that he ticked every box. The looks she’d admired on the screen were enhanced by the fact that his hair needed a trim, and hung in shaggy curls about his face.

      He looked like Jack the Lad—a brawny roustabout without a thought in his head beyond the next beer, the next girl, or the next night spent living it up. What he didn’t look like was an academic with a swathe of degrees, one of them in philosophy.

      ‘History isn’t about culture,’ he finally reassured them. ‘It’s about people living and dying, loving and hating—just like us. Now, go with your teachers and behave yourself, or I’ll drown you in lava.’

      A cheer showed that this threat was much appreciated.

      ‘Thank you,’ Hilda said. ‘You really do have a gift with children.’

      He grinned, his teeth gleaming against the light tan of his face.

      ‘I’m just a born show-off,’ he laughed.

      That was true, Della mused. In fact, he was exactly what she needed.

      Hilda thanked her and turned to shepherd the children away. Carlo looked at her in surprise.

      ‘Aren’t you with them?’ he asked.

      ‘No, I just happened along,’ she said.

      ‘And found yourself in the middle of it, huh?’

      They both laughed.

      ‘That poor woman,’ Della said. ‘Whoever sent her here on a culture trip should have known better.’

      He put out his hand.

      ‘My name is Carlo Rinucci.’

      ‘Yes, I—’ She was about to say that she knew who he was, but hastily changed it to, ‘I’m Della Hadley.’

      ‘It is a great pleasure to meet you, signorina—or should that be signora?’

      ‘Technically, yes. I’m divorced.’

      He gave her a gentle, disarming smile, still holding her hand.

      ‘I’m so glad,’ he said.

      Watch it, warned a voice in her head. He plays this game too well.

      ‘Hey, Carlo,’ called the other man, ‘are you going to give the signora her hand back, or shall we put it in the museum with the others?’

      She snatched her hand back, suddenly self-conscious. Carlo, she noticed, wasn’t self-conscious at all. He just gave a grin that he clearly knew would always win him goodwill.

      ‘I forgot about Antonio,’ he admitted.

      ‘Don’t mind me,’ Antonio said genially. ‘I’ve just been doing the work while you do your party tricks.’

      ‘Why don’t we finish for the day?’ Carlo said. ‘Time’s getting on, and Signora Hadley wants a coffee.’

      ‘Yes, I want one desperately,’ she said, discovering it to be true.

      ‘Then let’s go.’ He looked her in the eye and said significantly, ‘We’ve lost too much time already.’

      CHAPTER TWO

      DELLA waited while he showered at top speed, then emerged casually dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and fawn trousers. Even in this simple attire he looked as though he could afford the world, and she guessed that he’d had a privileged upbringing.

      ‘Let’s get that coffee,’ Carlo said.

      But when they reached the self-service cafeteria they both stopped dead. The place was packed with tourists, all yelling with raucous good cheer.

      ‘I think not,’ he said firmly.

      He didn’t wait for her answer, but simply took her hand and walked away, adding, ‘I know lots of better places.’

      But then, abruptly, he stopped.

      ‘Where are my manners?’ he demanded, striking himself on the forehead. ‘I didn’t ask if you wanted to go into that place. Shall we turn back?’

      ‘Don’t you dare,’ she said at once.

      He grinned, nodding, and they went on in perfect accord.

      His car was just what she would have expected—an elegant sports two-seater in dashing red—and, also as she would have expected, he ushered her into it with a flourish. His whole body was a clever combination of different effects. Built like a hunk, yet he moved with subtlety and grace. His hands on the steering wheel held her attention, lying there lightly, barely touching, yet controlling the powerful machine effortlessly.

      Della’s mind was reeling.

      Just what I need, she thought. He’s ideal—for the programme. Handsome, charming, never at a loss for words—he won’t suddenly become tongue-tied in front of a camera, or anywhere else. The perfect—She paused in her thoughts and tried to remember that she was a television producer. ‘The perfect product. Yes, that’s it.

      She felt better once she’d settled that with herself.

      ‘Do you live around here?’ Carlo asked.

      ‘No, I’m just visiting. I’m staying at the Vallini in Naples.’

      ‘Are you planning to stay long?’

      ‘I—haven’t quite decided,’ she said carefully.

      He swung onto the coast road and they drove with the sea on their left, glittering in the late-afternoon sun. Naples lay ahead, but when they reached halfway he turned off into a tiny seaside village. Della could see fishing boats tied up at the water’s edge, and cobbled streets stretching away between old houses.

      He parked the car and made his way confidently to a small restaurant. As soon as they entered a man behind the counter yelled joyfully, ‘E, Carlo!’

      ‘Berto!’ he yelled back cheerfully, and guided Della to a table by a small window.

      Berto came hurrying over with coffee, which he contrived to pour while chattering and giving Della quick, appraising glances.

      I’ll bet they see him in here with a new companion every week, she thought, with an inner chuckle.

      The