Stravaganza: City Of Stars Part 19

'Yes,' said Georgia. 'That's one reason we don't have servants. Also, we couldn't afford to pay them. Machines are cheaper.'

'You pay servants in your world?' asked Falco.

'You mean you don't?' asked Georgia.

They stared at one another. It seemed incredible that they could be friends; their worlds were so different. But from now on they were to be the same.

Luciano woke to the sound of scurrying footsteps and hushed voices. He struggled into his clothes and went out to find the servants who were in a great state of anxiety.

'What is the matter?' he asked, knowing perfectly well.

'We cannot wake the young master,' said the housekeeper. 'He ... he has drunk some tincture we are not sure what.'

'Have you sent for the doctor?' asked Luciano.

'Yes,' said the housekeeper. 'And for the Duke.'

'Let me see him,' said Luciano.

He went to sit by the bed where Falco was still lying as he had left him in the night. I wonder what he has been doing in England, he thought.

When Falco had eaten his fill, Georgia showed him round the bathroom, explaining the shower, her electric toothbrush and even Ralph's razor.

'You'll have to use something like that in a few years' time, unless you grow a beard,' she said.

She gave him a quick tour of the rest of the house and showed him how the television worked and the computer. He was particularly fascinated by electric-light switches and taps, though he didn't like fitted carpets, useful though they were for getting around on crutches.

'Come on,' said Georgia. 'We must go out. You mustn't get too attached to my house. You won't be able to live here.'

'Can we go to the hospital?' asked Falco.

'Not yet,' said Georgia. 'First we have to get you noticed. Now remember what I told you about having lost your memory?'

They walked slowly through the Islington streets, this time taking plenty of time for Falco to accustom himself to the cars and the noise. Georgia was careful to explain the traffic lights and the zebra crossings to him, instead of just helping him to cross the roads.

Falco was interested in everything, especially the people who pa.s.sed them in the streets. He found it hard to tell which were male and which were female. 'They all wear pantaloons!' he whispered.

By contrast, no one took any notice of him. From her own experience in Talia Georgia knew that most people paid no attention to shadows and it was even easier for a lack of one to pa.s.s unremarked on a grey English summer's day than in the bright sunlight of Remora.

As they got closer to their destination, Georgia hung back. She had thought often of this moment and now that it had come, she was very nervous.

'OK,' she said. 'Now you stay out here and I'll go in and explain.'

The Duke's horse was dark with sweat when they arrived at the summer palace. He dismounted, flinging the reins at a groom, and took the steps of the main staircase two at a time.

Luciano jumped from his chair as the distraught Duke threw open the door and swept over to the bed. He s.n.a.t.c.hed his son up in his arms, but the boy's body was slack and unresisting.

'Where is the doctor?' demanded Niccol. It was terrible to see him so frantic and Luciano tried to slip out while the servant explained that the doctor was on his way.

'Wait!' roared the Duke. 'You! Bellezzan boy! Stay where you are! What do you know about this?'

'I heard a commotion this morning,' said Luciano truthfully. 'And the servants told me what had happened. I tried to wake your Grace's son but found him as you see him. I have been watching over him since, waiting for the doctor.'

'You were here last night?' asked Niccol.

Luciano nodded.

'And what about the other one, your servant?'

'My friend,' Luciano corrected him quietly. 'Giorgio must have gone back to the Ram. I should like to do so too and let him know what has happened.' He had arranged with Georgia that she would wait in Remora once she had stravagated back.

Niccol shook his head like a wounded bear.

'Go for now,' he said. 'But I shall want to talk to you again. Especially if anything happens to my son.'

Luciano took the carriage back to Remora with a heavy heart.

'A boy has lost his memory?' asked Vicky Mulholland, uncomprehending.

Georgia went through it again patiently. 'Yes. I told you, he just came up to me in the street as I was pa.s.sing here. I rang your doorbell because you're the only person I know round here. I don't know what to do. He seems quite out of it doesn't know where he lives or who his parents are.'

'And you don't think it's some trick?'

'No. He seems a bit strange. And he's very handicapped. He has a pair of crutches and a twisted leg. He won't last long on the street, the state he's in. Should we phone the police?'

'Hang on,' said Vicky, running her fingers through her curly hair. 'He's still outside?'

'I told him to wait while I asked for help.'

'Well, perhaps we'd better get him in here before we do anything,' said Vicky.

Yes! thought Georgia. She had always banked on Falco to do the rest.

She went with Vicky to the front door and beckoned to Falco. He was standing where she had left him at the gate, leaning his weight on the crutches, looking pale and weary. Georgia heard Vicky's sharp intake of breath as she took in his black curls and his delicate, beautiful features.

'Would you like to come in?' asked Vicky, and Falco smiled at her.

The time had come for Arianna to set out from Bellezza. She was to reach Remora on the tenth of August, the day before the Campo in that city was turned into a racetrack. But a d.u.c.h.essa had to travel in style, in a state carriage, at a gentle pace, with overnight stops at inns so that she should not arrive tired. She wanted to see other parts of Talia too. Rodolfo was to accompany her and Gaetano was going to ride beside her.

It was the first time that Arianna had left the lagoon and her first important state visit since becoming d.u.c.h.essa. Her maid Barbara was following in a second carriage laden with trunks of clothes for her week of ritual celebrations. The trunks alone had filled three mandolas as the Ducal party left for the landing stage to take the boat to the mainland.

It was as well that Arianna was masked and hooded as she made the sea-journey to the mainland, or her face would have betrayed a most un-Ducal excitement about the trip. More new experiences awaited her on the sh.o.r.e. The Bellezzan state carriage was kept on the mainland and rarely used. Arianna had never seen horses before and was immediately overawed by their size and power.

It did Gaetano's suit no harm at all for her to see him mounted on the tall bay he had left in the Ducal stables on his way to Bellezza three weeks earlier. Arianna smiled up at him from her carriage window.

'You seem used to horses, Principe,' she said to him.

'Indeed I am, your Grace,' he answered her formally. 'And beautiful as your city is, it is the one thing I have missed there.'

'I'm glad to know that everything otherwise was to your satisfaction,' said Arianna, drawing her curtain.

'What is your name?' asked Vicky, settling Falco in a kitchen chair. 'Can you remember that?'

'Nicholas Duke,' said Falco, carefully reproducing the name he had agreed on with Georgia. It felt strange in his mouth, but there was no doubt that he would be able to remember it.

'Nicholas,' said Vicky. 'Can you tell us anything about yourself?'

Falco shook his head. 'No,' he said, untruthfully.

'Your parents?'

He shook his head again.

'How did you hurt your leg?' she persisted.

'I think it was a riding accident,' said Falco.

'And how did you get here?'

Falco looked pleadingly at Georgia. 'I can't explain,' he said. He could feel tears welling up.

Vicky looked distressed. She stopped asking questions and put the kettle on. 'I think you're right, Georgia,' she said in a low voice. 'We must call the police and trace his parents as soon as possible. But let's have some coffee first he looks worn out.'

She carried a tray through to the living room, where the piano was and her violins. But she almost dropped it when she heard Falco's gasp behind her. He was staring at a picture on the piano. It was a younger version but recognisably the Stravagante Luciano. Vicky put down the tray and helped Falco into a comfortable chair.

'I see you looking at the photo,' she said. 'It is my son, Lucien. He ... died last year.'

'He lives in another place,' said Falco. Georgia kicked his ankle.

Vicky sat down, white-faced. 'That's what that strange man said at the funeral,' she said, trembling. 'What does it mean?' She pa.s.sed her hand over her eyes. 'Sometimes I fancy he's still alive in some other world. I've even imagined that I've seen him.' She looked cautiously at them to see what they thought of this.

'I think it's just a manner of speaking,' said Georgia quickly. 'Perhaps he's religious.' And she glared at Falco.

'We had the most extraordinary case today,' said Maura, over dinner. 'The police rang in about a boy. He's lost his memory and seems to have been abandoned by his parents.'

'Good grief,' said Ralph. 'How old is he?'

'Thirteen,' said Maura. 'At least he says he is. But small for his age. He's very handicapped too. Has to walk with crutches. But the extraordinary thing is, he was reported by Georgia's violin teacher, Vicky Mulholland.'

Georgia felt her spaghetti Bolognese turning to ashes in her mouth. She swallowed hard. Now was the time for her to own up. But Russell was listening, not tuned out the way he usually was during meals.

'Yeah, actually, I found him wandering round outside as I was pa.s.sing her house,' she said. 'I asked her if she would call the police.'

All the rest of the family turned their attention fully on Georgia.

'Why on earth didn't you say?' asked Maura.

Georgia shrugged. 'It was no big deal,' she said.

'What? You find abandoned children every day, do you?' asked Ralph.

'She finds cripples easily enough,' said Russell. 'Georgia collects them.'

'Handicapped people, Russell,' said Maura sharply. 'Well, I wish you'd said, Georgie. I might have to declare an interest at work now.'

'What interest? It's not as if I know him,' lied Georgia. 'I just found him and took him into Mrs Mulholland's. That's not a crime, is it?'

'No, but there's a complication,' said Maura. 'You see, there was no reported missing child of his description so we had to put him in temporary foster care. Well, you know how backed-up we are in Islington with children needing foster families and our children's homes are all bursting at the seams.'

'Don't tell me we have to have him here,' said Russell.

'No, Russell,' said Maura. 'But the Mulhollands volunteered and we've approved them as temporary foster-parents. He'll be living with them till we find his real parents.'

'What do you think has happened to them?' asked Ralph.

'In all likelihood, I think they're probably asylum-seekers, who have deliberately left him to be found, so that he can get proper medical care. He may even have come into the country unaccompanied. It wouldn't be the first case we've had,' said Maura.

'A bit unfeeling to abandon the kid, though,' said Ralph. 'Particularly if he's lost his memory.'

'If he has,' said Maura. 'It's more likely that they told him to pretend he'd lost it as a cover story. I should think his family are far from unfeeling.'

Georgia felt uncomfortable; her mother's guesses were a bit too close to the truth.

'Welcome back,' said Paolo. 'We don't seem to have seen much of you lately.'

'I know,' said Georgia. 'It will be different from now on.'

'Will it?' asked the older Stravagante. 'You seem very sure. I don't know what you and Luciano have been up to. I said it was a good idea to befriend the younger generation of di Chimici, but you must be careful. The Duke is a powerful enemy.'

Georgia was let off the hook by the return of Luciano in his carriage. He had to tell Paolo and Doctor Dethridge what appeared to have happened to Falco. The four Stravaganti were silent for a moment, each thinking separate thoughts about this event.

'And ye two knowe no thinge aboute the chylde's resouns?' asked Dethridge. 'Yt is a terrabyl thinge thatte he has done.'

'I think he was just tired of living with his physical problems,' said Luciano.

'But he didn't tell either of you what he was planning?' persisted Paolo.

It was difficult for Georgia and Luciano to withstand the two men's questioning while looking them in the eye. In the end, Paolo let them go but he looked very grave.

With great relief, the two younger Stravaganti walked into town.

'I never want to go through another night like that,' said Luciano. 'How was it at your end?'

'Fine,' said Georgia. She looked and felt quite wretched though. She now had a secret from Luciano as well as from everyone else in Talia and she didn't know how he was going to take it.

Falco lay unsleeping in Luciano's old bed in London. He did not know how to relax. So much had happened to him since this second stravagation. He hadn't had any idea that Georgia planned to bring him to Luciano's parents, but he liked them. David was nothing like Falco's real father and wasn't at all frightening. He had accepted the idea of fostering the lost boy as soon as his wife put it to him. And it was lovely to have a sort of a mother again. Falco had almost forgotten what it was like.