He frowned. ‘You mean the other girls bullied her?’

‘Don’t make me laugh! We didn’t bully her. We just seethed helplessly in the background. Mostly she didn’t notice, but when she did she loved it. It was a kind of tribute. She knew her own power even then.’

‘Her power,’ he murmured. ‘Yes, I remember that.’

‘She had only to snap her fingers and fellers would fall at her feet. It was like a spell she cast-over women, too. You couldn’t even hate her when she pinched your boyfriends.’

‘Plural?’

‘Oh, yes. I used to refuse to take them home because they’d take one look at her and collapse. Then I realised that they’d only tagged along with me hoping to get close to her.’

‘But you couldn’t blame her for that?’

‘Of course not. It was natural to her-like breathing. And in a way I enjoyed it too. She was like a queen, and everyone who knew her was in the magic circle.’

He turned the page and stopped at a picture of the two girls and an awkward-looking young man. He had his arm about Polly’s shoulder, but his eyes were on Sapphire. Polly was regarding him with almost a glare.

‘Who’s that?’

‘That was my fiancé,’ Polly declared with a touch of tartness. ‘And this picture must have been taken at the exact moment he started to have doubts. I was madly in love with him-at least I thought I was. She just-I don’t know-smiled at him. And suddenly he was hers.’

‘She probably didn’t even know she was doing it,’ he remarked.

Oh, she knew all right, Polly thought. She didn’t even want him. He was too poor to really interest her, but she couldn’t bear the sight of a man who hadn’t fallen under her spell.

But she and Sapphire had declared a truce for tonight so she only said, ‘You’re probably right. It hurt a lot at the time, but I don’t think she realised.’

‘And yet you cared for her when she was ill?’

‘I’m a nurse. Looking after people is something you learn to separate from your feelings or opinions.’

‘I should have realised that. So what happened to this man? Did you get him back? Is he the one you’re engaged to now?’

Polly gave a soft chuckle. ‘Heavens, no! Why would I want him after that?’

‘You couldn’t forgive?’

‘It wasn’t a question of forgiveness. I just couldn’t take him seriously again.’

‘You thought, How can I be interested in a man who’s shown himself such an idiot?’ Ruggiero said lightly.

‘Well, I think my so-called “love” was only a juvenile crush, so it died very easily when he fell off his pedestal.’

‘How lucky that you found Brian, a man of good sense. How did you meet him, by the way? In the hospital?’

‘Yes.’

‘Was it love at first sight?’

‘No, of course not,’ she said sharply.

‘Why do you say it like that?’

‘I don’t believe in love at first sight. It’s just a sentimental myth.’

‘Maybe it is,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Or maybe not.’

He met her eyes, and for a moment the air was full of the things she couldn’t say.

Don’t you know by now that it’s just a myth? If any man should have learned that, it’s you.

But the words were too cruel to speak.

And in that moment she knew what she was going to do. If a kind lie was needed to make him happy, then she would tell that lie. It might not be the path of virtue, but that mattered less than nothing beside the need to bring him some inner peace.

‘The thing was,’ Polly said carefully, ‘that she attracted so much love that it was easy to envy her without seeing what she didn’t have. She knew something was missing-or at least she’d begun to suspect-and I think inside her she was looking for that something. Maybe she found it with you. I hope so.’

‘Did I make her happy?’ he asked quickly. ‘Did she say so?’

‘Yes. She said you were different to the others-kinder.’

What she’d actually said was, ‘Honestly, Polly, it was so easy it was boring. I mean, he was a hot-blooded Italian. I thought at least he’d give me a run for my money. But he just collapsed at my feet like the others.’

‘Kinder,’ he murmured. ‘I’m glad. She needed kindness so much.’

‘What makes you say that?’

‘On the surface she had everything. But there was a vulnerability about her that I’ll swear nobody else had seen, and that drew me to her almost more than her beauty.’

‘Men love to think a woman is frail. Just let your voice break a bit, and they fall for it every time. It makes them feel good.’

‘But is it kind to delude them?’ Polly had asked.

‘Kind? Is the world kind? Look at what’s happening to me. My looks have gone and I’m dying. Is that kind? You have to use anything that works.’

Kind. Was it that echo that had made her use that word now? It had been chance, but the way he’d seized on it had revealed a new vista.

‘You said she might have found what she was looking for with me,’ Ruggiero said after a while. ‘Did she ever say anything to make you think so?’

‘She kept her secrets,’ Polly said gently. ‘There were things she didn’t know how to say. But when she talked about you there was a special note in her voice.’

It had been derision, but he needn’t know that.

‘Are there any other pictures? From the last year?’

‘No, she wouldn’t allow that. She wanted to be remembered at her best. This one here is the very last.’

It showed Sapphire holding her child, her cheek resting caressingly against the baby’s. The illness had made her thinner, but not yet ravaged her, and she was as beautiful as she had ever been in her life. Ruggiero looked at it for a long time.

‘It’s late,’ Polly said. ‘I have to go.’

‘Don’t go,’ he said quickly. ‘I have a spare room.’ He smiled briefly. ‘I’m afraid you might not come back.’

‘I’ll come back tomorrow if you want me to.’

‘No, stay. There’s a lot more I want to ask you. And don’t worry-you’re quite safe. I won’t do anything that would bring Brian’s wrath down on my head.’

Of course not. Because she wasn’t the right woman. She was a lot safer than she wanted to be.

Polly called the villa, spoke to Hope and found, as she’d expected, that Matti was safely in bed.

‘Not that it was easy,’ Hope complained. ‘My husband was playing with him and they were like two babies together. I had to get firm with both of them.’

Polly chuckled. ‘All right. I’ll leave well alone.’

‘You stay there and take care of the other one,’ Hope said enigmatically.

‘Don’t worry. I will.’

Ruggiero showed her the room.

‘I’ve got a shirt if you need something to wear,’ he said.

‘Thanks, but I have everything I need.’ She pointed to her bag.

‘But I thought-’

‘A good nurse always comes prepared. I could do with some tea.’

‘Yes, Nurse.’

She came out a few minutes later to find the tea ready, along with a snack of ham and melon. While they ate she entertained him with tales of the childhood she and Sapphire had shared. It was easier to make her cousin sound sympathetic this way, for in those days her charm had yet to develop its ruthless edge.

Ruggiero laughed at some of the stories and sat contentedly through the rest, sometimes nodding, as if to say that this was what he’d waited to hear.

It was one in the morning before she yawned and said, ‘Enough for now.’

‘Forgive me for keeping you up so late. And thank you.’

He laid a gentle hand on her arm, nodded, and left her.

Polly put on her pyjamas and got into bed, sitting up and staring into the darkness with her hands clasped around her knees. She had a vague feeling of disappointment that she could not explain.

Sapphire was there in her head-so vivid that Polly could almost see her.

‘Now do you get it?’ she said contemptuously. ‘All he wants is the pretty fantasy. Which means he’s chosen me.’

‘He needs more time. He’ll face the truth later.’

‘How, when you’re never going to tell it to him? He doesn’t want to hear it. He’s not brave enough.’

‘That’s true,’ Polly agreed sadly.

‘Then I’ve won.’

‘I guess you have.’

Sapphire gave her luxurious, self-satisfied smile.

‘Oh, push off!’ Polly said crossly.

Sapphire vanished.

She lay down, listening to the soft sounds of night-time life coming from the harbour until at last she fell asleep.

She was awoken by a hand shaking her gently but urgently. Staring into the gloom, she saw Ruggiero, looking urgently into her face.

‘Polly, please wake up.’

She pulled herself up, using him for support, then rubbed her eyes.

‘I’ll set Brian onto you,’ she said through a yawn.

‘No need. That’s not what I’m here for.’

That was the story of her life. This dangerously attractive man appeared in her room, sitting on her bed, and was she wearing a sexy nightie? No way. She was in austere pyjamas with sensible buttons that came up high. She checked to see if the top button had come undone, but it hadn’t. She never had any luck.

‘It’s all right, you’re decent,’ he said, seeing the gesture and misunderstanding it. ‘Don’t worry.’

‘I wasn’t,’ she sighed. ‘Ruggiero, what’s happened?’

In the darkness she knew that he was glaring.

‘Let’s say I’ve finally come to my senses,’ he said harshly.

‘What-exactly-do you mean?’

‘Do you need to ask? Haven’t you been waiting for me to let go of the damned fool fantasy and get real?’

He switched on her bedside light and showed her the album that he’d put on the bed before waking her.

‘Here,’ he said.

The book was open at a large, glossy picture of the bride and groom, standing just outside the church. The photographer had been an expert, and had caught every unappealing detail about the groom-including the fact that he was a good thirty years older than his bride, and at least five stone overweight.