Page 33 of Change of Heart
Alice took a deep breath and launched into the speech she had been preparing. ‘As I told your receptionist, my name is Alice Sterling and I’m the recently appointed manager of Varaldo Castle. I’m British, but I’ve lived in Italy for a number of years and my background is in estate management.’ Having established her credentials, she went on to the matter in hand. ‘As you know, the Varaldo family intend to open the castle to the public, and I’ve come to see you to explain how I believe this will have a positive effect on the town.’
As she ran through what she saw as the list of potential benefits ranging from employment opportunities to increased trade for local businesses, she kept a careful eye on his expression. It remained impassive, almost as though he wasn’t even listening, and by the time she came to the end of her little speech, she had absolutely no idea what reaction to expect from him. To her surprise, it was affable – initially.
‘Thank you for coming to see me, I appreciate the courtesy. Certainly it’s more courtesy than I’ve ever received from any member of the Varaldo family. The fact is, however, that I don’t accept the scenario you present. Far from improving the quality of life for the people of the town, I fear that such a step would be counterproductive and should be opposed.’
‘And that’s why you’ve called the referendum?’
‘I believe it’s only right and democratic for the local inhabitants to be able to vote on such a major issue.’
Alice was genuinely surprised at how reasonable he was sounding and she was even beginning to question whether everybody, including his sons, might be wrong about him when his attitude suddenly changed. In fact, it changed so quickly it was as if a switch had been flicked. One minute he was the smooth politician, the next he was something far more primal.
‘This town doesn’t belong to the Varaldo family to treat as their personal fiefdom. Those days have gone! We’re not in the Middle Ages now!’
Alice could almost have smiled to hear him using the same language the baroness had used only a few hours earlier, but the rising anger she sensed in him and the bitter expression on his face wiped away any thought of smiling. There was no question that he looked and sounded intimidating, but she knew she had at least to try.
‘Surely that’s the whole point, Signor Montorso. We’re living in the twenty-first century now and there’s no place for family feuds. I’ve got to know the Varaldo family well since I started working here and I’m quite sure that none of them harbours any kind of old-fashioned sense of superiority or entitlement. They’re just a country family trying to do what’s best for the family… and the town.’ Seeing him about to erupt, she ploughed on. ‘What I came to say to you today was that the family weren’t behind Saturday’s newspaper article. Getting theGazzettainvolved was my idea, as a means of generating popular support in favour of the conversion of the castle into a tourist attraction. The Varaldo family specifically told me to avoid any mention of the historic conflict between their family and yours, and I respected that. The journalist sniffed out the story of the long-standing rivalry for himself.’
‘I don’t believe you. That sort of thing just reeks of Varaldo deceit. They’re the scum of the earth!’
The mayor gave an angry snarl, and flecks of spit actually flew from his mouth onto the desk between them. Instinctively, Alice pulled back, but she remembered Fenella’s words about dealing with bullies and persevered.
‘Believe what you like, but I’m telling you the truth and I don’t like being called a liar. The Varaldo family are good people and I’m proud to work for them.’ She stood up and returned his belligerent stare. ‘And it’s my belief that the people of the town feel the same way as I do about the family. I came here today to have a calm, pragmatic conversation with you, not a slanging match. Good luck with your referendum, but I believe the result will come as a shock to you.’ She could see him getting redder and redder in the face and so, before he either leapt over the desk and physically attacked her or burst a blood vessel, she headed for the door, stopping only to wish him good day before leaving.
As preparation for a stress-relieving walk with an alpaca, this had to be as good as it got.
Although she had had some time to calm down over lunch, she was still feeling decidedly uptight when she met Alfonso at the gate to the alpaca field.
‘How did it go with the mayor?’
‘Well, he didn’t physically assault me, but it was the strangest thing; one minute he was sounding very rational and almost conciliatory, and the next he changed completely, and I thought for a moment he might be about to explode.’
Alfonso nodded sagely. ‘That’s what everybody says these days. Let’s face it, he’s never been an easy person to get on with, but over the last few years he’s been getting worse and worse. It’s the sudden mood swings, just like the one you’ve been describing, that are more noticeable now. I was talking to Giovanni the baker just the other day and he told me Cesare suddenly picked up a handful of cream pastries and threw them around the shop just because he had to wait in a queue to be served. That’s not rational behaviour. He should get himself looked at properly by a doctor, but apparently he refuses even to entertain the idea. Valentino at themunicipio, who’s always been one of his friends, tried telling him that, and Cesare threw a glass of water in his face.’ Alfonso shook his head sadly. ‘It’s proper medical help the man needs.’
At that moment Alice spotted Pietro in the field behind his father approaching with a handsome pure white alpaca on a rope halter. For such a giant of a man he was being very gentle and stroking the long neck of the animal softly. For its part, the alpaca looked completely relaxed and docile. Alfonso opened the gate and beckoned to Alice to go in. Pietro led the alpaca up to her and handed her the end of the rope lead.
‘This is Bianca. We called her that because of the colour of her coat.’
Growing up on a farm, Alice had considerable experience with animals and, as a youngster, had often exhibited ponies, sheep and even the bull with her father at the County Show, so leading an animal was nothing new to her. What was new was this particular breed of animal. Bianca was probably the size of a Shetland pony or maybe a little taller. Her shoulders were roughly level with Alice’s waist while her head was level with Alice’s shoulder. The most endearing feature was the enigmatic smile on the animal’s face, not dissimilar to Frank the Labrador when he was splashing about in the pool. Alice stretched out her free hand and stroked the rough coat.
‘She was sheared just before we got her so she’s not as cuddly as she will be in the winter.’ Pietro was looking positively paternal and it occurred to Alice that he would probably be the perfect person to supervise this new venture. She gave him and the alpaca a smile in return.
‘Ciao, Bianca, are you coming for a walk with me?’
Pietro replied on the alpaca’s behalf. ‘For today, I thought you might just like to stay in this area until you feel comfortable with her. After that, you can take her out and walk anywhere you like. She’s not in the least bit aggressive and I’m sure you’ll find it a calming experience.’ He gave her a little smile. ‘It works on me.’
‘And I’m quite sure you need some of that after your meeting with the mayor this morning.’ Alfonso came up behind his son and gave Alice a soft pat on the shoulder. ‘Full marks for going to see him. That was brave of you.’
‘I’m glad I did, but I’m really quite worried about him, about his health. It was scary how he switched in an instant from nice to nasty. I’m sure psychologists have a name for that kind of thing. You’re right, he definitely needs professional help but I suppose until he acknowledges he has a problem and asks for help, there’s nothing to be done.’ She returned her attention to the alpaca who was standing peaceably alongside her. ‘Come on, Bianca, let’s go for a walk and see if some of that alpaca calm rubs off on me.’
Chapter 21
The rest of the week was uneventful and Alice was grateful for that. After her confrontation with the mayor she had been expecting the worst but as the days went by, she began to hope that they would reach the referendum the following week without further conflict. On Tuesday, Luca’s friend came to look at the Mercedes and predicted that, fully restored, it was likely to make a substantial amount at auction. He also promised to send a detailed estimate of the cost of restoration, all of which Alice reported to Simonetta first and then to Luca that evening on the phone. It gave her a perfect excuse to call him and when she heard his voice she felt that same little thrill of attraction run through her.
‘Ciao, Luca, I thought I’d give you a call and tell you how it went with the classic car man today.’
‘Ciao, Alice, it’s great to hear from you. I’ve been thinking about calling you just to hear your voice.’
This sounded good and Alice settled down happily to chat to him, and they ended up talking for almost half an hour. When she recounted her meeting with his father the previous day she heard him give a sigh.
