Benito would ever leave his native village, she had been teaching him English and she said now:
“Yes, thank you, Benito,” and he grinned sheepishly.
“It’s no good,” he went on in his own language. “I’ll never learn.”
“You won’t if you don’t try,” she replied in Italian now, and loosening her hair from its restraining band she flung herself down on the sand and stretched luxuriously. “The water is delicious!”
Benito knelt beside her. “You swim too far alone,” he remarked.
“I know.” She sighed and looked suitably chastened.
Benito was puzzled. Since her father’s death Samantha had had no time for idle chatter. But today, she was different.
Samantha, as though reading his thoughts, said: “To be quite honest, I’m a bit bemused. I had a letter from England this morning.”
“England?” Benito frowned. “You know someone in England?”
“Apparently so,” replied Samantha, rolling on to her stomach.
“Someone who knows your father?”
“Yes … at least ‘knows’ is rather an understatement.” She shook her head.
“So? Tell me, who is it from?”
He allowed himself to relax beside her, his fingers straying caressingly over her bare back.
But Samantha was not in the mood for petting and she rolled restlessly away from him and sat up.
“Don’t,” she said, irritatedly. “I’m serious. The letter was from my grandmother. Now do you understand?”
Benito lost his lazy air. “Your grandmother! But your father, he said that you had no relations!”
“I know.” Samantha hunched her shoulders. “But it seems I have. That is, unless someone is having a joke at my expense. And that’s not all. I also have a mother!”
“Madre de Dio!” Benito gasped.
“Yes, that’s exactly how I feel. So you see, I am presented with rather a problem.”
“And that is?”
“My grandmother wants me to go to England.”
“No!” Benito looked angry. “But you are not going?”
Samantha sighed. “I haven’t made my mind up yet.”
Benito leant towards her. “Cara, what about us? You know how I feel about you. I thought … I hoped … that soon now …”
Samantha nodded. “I know.”
She had been left in no doubt as to Benito’s feelings. They had grown up together. They had always been in each other’s company. He had taught her to swim, to handle a boat as well as any boy, to fish. John had not objected, although at times her father had been a little obtuse where Benito was concerned. He had not been able to see what was happening under his very nose. Perhaps, Samantha reflected, he had thought they were too close for anything emotional to come of it, but in Italy, it was the natural thing that children brought up together should marry, and Benito had never made any secret of his feelings. Benito’s family expected the match. Already there was talk of a small cottage becoming vacant in the village which would suit their needs. John Kingsley’s villa had too high a rent for any of the village folk and anyway, Benito would want to remain in the bosom of his family. And Samantha had always enjoyed their company. She adored the children, Benito’s nephews and nieces, but marriage was such a big step and in no time at all she could see herself with a family of her own and no possible chance of ever leaving the village again. Was this what she wanted? she had asked herself time and time again, and had always come up, unsatisfactorily, with the same answer. What other choice had she? Now that John was dead the problem had become daily a more difficult one. This letter had opened new doors, shown new horizons, and although the idea of leaving was frightening, yet she felt sure that this was her opportunity to see something of the world. How could she explain all this to Benito, though? How would he ever understand? He was content to live in Perruzio. He had a good life. He belonged with his family. And so might she belong with hers.
Benito had always taken her acceptance for granted and now to be confronted by this new Samantha was rather disconcerting for him.
“Why have they never come to see you?” he asked suddenly. “Why did your father say your mother was dead?”
“I don’t really know,” she admitted, sighing. “Perhaps as far as he was concerned, they were. But my grandmother was contacted by my father’s solicitors, so he must have decided that should anything happen to him, I was to know the truth. Of course, he would never think that anything would happen so soon. He was only a young man, after all.”
“But what about me?” Benito rose to his feet. “Surely your father knew about us?”
“He knew, and yet he didn’t know,” murmured Samantha. “Benito, I don’t think Father thought that there was anything more than friendship between us.”
Benito turned away. “And you let him think that?”
Samantha rose too now. “Of course not. I told him that we were very fond of one another. …”
“Very fond?” Benito spread wide his hands helplessly. “I adore you.”
Samantha compressed her lips. “I know, I know.”
“But you are going to let this new family of yours take you away from me,” he exclaimed angrily.
Samantha put her hands over her ears. “Don’t! I don’t know yet.”
Benito looked belligerent. “I won’t let you do this to me!”
Samantha turned and ran up the cliff to the villa, without answering him. Benito ran after her, and as he was not tired from swimming caught her easily.
“This is your home, carissima,” he murmured, in another tone.
Samantha looked gently at him. “It’s the only home I’ve ever known,” she whispered.
“And so?”
“I still can’t quite take it in,” she said. “Try and understand, Benito. How would you feel if you suddenly learned that your mother was still alive after you had thought her dead for all these years? I’m twenty-one now. I’ve never known what it’s like to have a mother. Naturally, I’m curious to see her. If only to find out what kind of a woman could desert her child to the extent that my mother has done. It must be at least seventeen years since she saw me.”
She felt a lump in her throat at this thought. Then she looked at Benito. Standing beside her in denim trousers and a rough shirt open at the neck, he looked dear and familiar, and she wondered why she was allowing the letter to come between them. If only it had never arrived! It would have been so simple to marry Benito and have his children. Living in Perruzio there would be no complications in their lives. Just as his parents had lived before them.
