Treasured Lies (27 page)

She simply smiled and speared a slice of halloumi and a cherry tomato with her fork.

The afternoon rolled on with pleasant discussions centring around what to do with the treasure. Rosalina was amazed that Ginger could devour nearly as much food as Jimmy. Looking at her trim, petite figure, it was impossible to work out how she managed to fit it all in.

Helen, on the other hand, ate the smallest amount before she declared she was full. But at least she was reaching for the food on her own now. Archer and Rosalina had felt awkward at constantly having to prompt her to eat.

‘Helen.' Rosalina was always hesitant when it came to mentioning Archer's father, but she pushed on regardless. ‘Did Wade ever speak of the treasure being in Egypt?'

Grid lines formed on Helen's forehead and as she turned to face her, she could tell Helen was rolling the question around in her mind. Almost like a librarian, shuffling the volumes of index cards around until she found the right one. Helen sighed. ‘Oh, there were so many. Half the time I wondered if he was talking in tongues because I couldn't follow what direction the conversation was taking.' Her words were delivered with metered precision, as if she had to think about every single one of them.

Archer laughed. ‘I remember that too, Mum. He'd start talking about one treasure in say, South America, and before you knew it, he'd hop to China and detail a completely different, unrelated treasure.'

Helen nodded. ‘He was as much a mystery as the treasures he chased.' The smallest of smiles curled at her lips.

‘On that note, we have much to do.' Archer stood up and rubbed his stomach. ‘Ladies, that meal was absolutely splendid. Alex, help me clean this up.'

‘Go, go. We'll clean up.' Rosalina stood up too and manhandled Archer and Alessandro away from the table. ‘You men have other important things to do.'

‘Yes we do.' By the look of Archer's grateful smile he was happy to avoid the cleaning up.

Jimmy stood up and belched. ‘Woops, pardon me. I better start the engines and get us moving again.' Jimmy shot out of there like a mouse avoiding a hungry cat.

That left the three women. Rosalina didn't expect Helen to help, but like it was something she did every day, she started collecting the plates and transporting them to the kitchen's granite bench. Rather than make a fuss over her, Rosalina let her continue. She wanted to ask Archer's mum a thousand questions. It would be great to know more about Archer's childhood, before the horrendous times that is. But Rosalina resisted. It was lovely having her around them and she didn't want to scare her off too quickly.

‘So, Ginger, have you been to Italy before?' Rosalina pushed the food scraps into the bin.

The blonde shook her head. ‘Before I boarded
Evangeline
, I'd never been outside Australia. Actually, I hadn't even been outside of Victoria.'

‘Oh my goodness. Why did you apply for this job?'

‘This—,' Ginger spread her arms wide, taking in the vast views of ocean outside the windows, ‘—this's exactly why I wanted this job. To see the world. And to live on a magnificent yacht like
Evangeline
while I do it. I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world. Still do actually.'

Rosalina wondered if Ginger had also hoped to find a rich boyfriend in the process. But she shoved the unfounded snipe aside when she reflected that Ginger's story wasn't dissimilar to her own. Before she went to Australia, Rosalina hadn't been outside of Italy. Despite their differences, every once in a while she was reminded of how much alike her and Ginger were.

‘Wade and I lived in Venice for nearly a year.'

Rosalina's heart nosedived at Helen's comment as she recalled a statement Archer once made that he'd never been to Italy. It had been the trigger to one of their biggest fights, because at that point she'd thought she had proof that he had. In the end she'd believed him. But now, after Helen's declaration, she felt sick.

He had lied to her
. She swallowed back the meatball-sized lump in her throat. ‘When did you go there, Helen?' Rosalina hoped the others missed the quiver in her voice.

‘Oh, I don't know. It was well before Archer was born …'

Helen continued talking but her words faded into obscurity as Rosalina mentally punched herself for being so paranoid. It shocked her at how quickly she'd jumped to the conclusion that Archer lied. She was saddened by her reaction.
Was her trust in him ever going to be complete again?
She realised Helen had asked her a question. ‘Sorry, Helen, I missed what you said.'

‘I asked if you'd ever been to Venice.'

‘Actually, I took my grandmother there for her seventieth birthday. It was just the two of us. We had a fabulous time doing all the tourist things and eating in many wonderful restaurants.'

‘Mmmm,' Helen mumbled. ‘Wade and I ate at the same restaurant at least twice a week. It wasn't so much the food that we loved, though it was good, it was the ambiance. We sat at one of their little wrought-iron tables, barely big enough for our plates and a bottle of wine, and we watched the people go by.' She laughed. It was the first time she'd heard Helen laugh and, shocked at how similar it was to Archer's, Rosalina giggled too. ‘Wade invented this game where he'd guess the occupation of the passing pedestrians. He was funny, because the more wine he sipped, his imagination would slip from occupations to their involvement in treasure somehow. From stealing it, to hoarding it, to selling it, to finding it. He was obsessed with treasure. I see so much of him in Archer.' Helen looked up at Rosalina and all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around Archer's mum and give her a huge hug. It was like Helen had stepped back in time, a time before all the horrible things happened. Helen was talking about her life, like any mother would.

Rosalina sighed and wished Archer was hearing this. It was probably a story he'd never heard before. ‘Hold that thought, Helen, I'm going to the loo. I'll be right back.'

As Rosalina dashed out of the kitchen, she was grateful to hear Ginger continuing the conversation with Helen. She scurried along the hallway and burst into the office. Both Archer and Alessandro looked up at her in surprise. Archer slammed down the phone, obviously cutting off the person he was talking to, and Alessandro flipped over a notepad that was in front of him.

Rosalina's paranoia hit overdrive as her eyes darted from one gentleman to the other.

‘What's wrong?' Archer jumped up and strode towards her.

It suddenly occurred to her that with everyone on edge at the moment, she may have driven their reactions by the way she pounced into the room. She really needed to drag her paranoia down a few notches.

‘Nothing's wrong.' She clasped her hands together. ‘In fact it couldn't be better. Your mum's been telling us stories about restaurants she went to in Venice and games she played with your dad.' She clutched his hand and led him out the door and in the direction of the galley. ‘You should hear her, Archer, it's like she's finally worked out how to talk.'

‘Hang on a minute, Rosa, I don't want to scare her by running into the room.'

‘Oh right.' She stopped. ‘Okay, what should we do?'

He squeezed her hand and let go. ‘We're not going to do anything.'

‘What?' She gaped at him.

‘Just hear me out. I think the best thing to do is to act normal around Mum. Making a fuss about her improvements might make her feel … I don't know, anxious. If each of her progressions, no matter how slow, are revealed without any fanfare, then maybe she'll keep improving.'

He kissed her on the forehead, then turned her shoulders towards the galley and gave her a little smack on her bottom. ‘Now get back to the kitchen, you naughty girl.'

Rosalina couldn't help but laugh. ‘Okay, but come in soon. Alright?'

‘When we're done. Alex and I were in the middle of something when you came waltzing in and interrupted us.'

‘I noticed that.' She paused, hoping he'd fill her in, but he didn't. She blew him a kiss and left him in the hallway.

She found Ginger and Helen still in the kitchen, still cleaning up, and both still having a conversation like everything was normal. It was like Helen had been released from a spell. Rosalina stepped up and joined the action, wiping down the counter.

After they'd finished, Rosalina went to the office with the intention of ringing Nonna with the details of coming home, but once again Archer and Alessandro nearly jumped out of their skin when she entered. This time she couldn't put it down to anything she did and her suspicion took flight.

‘Are you guys okay?' She eyed each of them, searching for answers.

‘Of course. What's up?' Archer put his elbow on the table and propped his chin onto his palm. She was certain he was trying a little too hard to look relaxed.

‘Nothing is up, I'd just like to use the phone to call Nonna.'

‘Can you give me five minutes to finish up?'

‘Okay.' Rosalina shrugged, slipped into the chair opposite Archer's desk and turned to Alessandro. ‘So, how are the plans going?'

‘The plans?' Alessandro actually looked frightful.

‘Yes. The plans for the treasure once we get to Livorno. What's wrong with you guys? You seem on edge.'

Archer sighed. ‘Sorry, babe. I guess we're a little jumpy at the moment.'

‘Okaaaaay.' She dragged out the word, openly showing her scepticism about Archer's reasoning.

‘The plans are going well now that Alex has found the right people to talk to. We're making progress about where the treasure will be secured for cataloguing and restoration.'

‘Great. That's a relief.'

Archer stood up. ‘Actually, I could do with some fresh air. I'll leave you to call Nonna.' He kissed her before he left the room and Alessandro scooted off after him like a jack rabbit.

Rosalina tried to calm her overactive mind by telling herself she was being ridiculous. She picked up the phone and dialled. Nonna was slow to answer and she sounded every bit her seventy-eight years of age. Her voice was as fragile as the bone china cups Nonna drank her tea from.

After a few pleasantries she asked the question she was dreading. ‘Has Filippo been behaving himself?'

Rosalina listened to Nonna's answer with building frustration and she was certain Nonna was still omitting some of the things her youngest brother was doing. Talking about Filippo's behaviour was upsetting Nonna and Rosalina decided to change subjects.

‘Don't worry about him, Nonna. I'll have a serious talk to him when I come home on Sunday.' Rosalina waited for her grandmother's response to her news she was coming home. And it was wonderful. Nonna was so excited she spoke a thousand words a minute. And she grew even more excited as they discussed Rosalina's idea of a big luncheon with all their family and friends. An hour passed quickly and it was only when Archer popped his head into the room again that she wound up the call. She could talk to her grandmother for days.

‘I love you too, Nonna. See you in two days.'

The rest of the day drifted by as swiftly as the azure Ionian Sea they cruised across. As the sun was setting and the lights of Syracuse began to light up the portside city, Jimmy guided
Evangeline
into a berth at Porto Di Siracusa.

Their night was uneventful and Rosalina was glad to see the town behind them as they set off early the next day, passing through the port entrance just as the sun kissed the horizon with its golden rays. Jimmy maintained
Evangeline
at a constant distance from the ever-changing shoreline. After breakfast, she tried not to watch Archer and Alessandro with suspicious eyes as they once again vanished into the office. She shrugged off the feeling as she sat at the dining table and began planning the menu for the family gathering.

It was mid-afternoon when Jimmy guided the yacht along the Amalfi coast and into Positano's sheltered harbour. Rosalina was enjoying the rugged coastline from her view on one of the upper deck sun lounges when Archer sidled up beside her. His hand was warm on her knee. ‘You, my beautiful, need to pack a bag.'

She sat up and shielded the sun from her eyes with her hat. ‘Why? Where are we going?'

‘I thought you might like a night off
Evangeline
.' His hand glided up from her knee and rested high on her inner thigh.

‘Oh, I'd love that.' She realised she sounded just a little too eager. ‘What I mean is, it would be lovely to have you all to myself for a night.'

‘My thoughts exactly. Come on then, get packing, we're here for less than twenty-four hours, so we might as well make the most of it.'

Rosalina rushed to pack and it wasn't long before Jimmy had her and Archer in the tender, hanging onto their hats as they motored towards the Amalfi shoreline.

Chapter 29

Alessandro ran his thumb over the soft skin on the back of Ginger's hand as they stood at the railing of the lower deck. In the distance they watched Jimmy motor the small boat towards the sandy Positano beach to offload Rosalina and Archer. Positano was a pretty harbour town. It was a spectacular spot that hugged the steep cliff, allowing nearly every home a view overlooking the stunningly blue ocean. The colourful houses blended pinks, whites and terracotta like an artist's pallet. All the homes looked to be precariously stacked atop each other and appeared as if they were about to tumble into the sea at any moment.

He squeezed Ginger's hand. ‘I propose we grab a bottle of red Chianti and cheese and crackers and watch the sun go down from the top deck.'

‘Yes please. Sounds lovely.'

‘It's a charming view now, but I bet it becomes even more beautiful as the sun sinks behind that cliff and the lights come on.'

She glanced at the fireball in the sky. ‘We have a few hours until sunset then.' Ginger turned to him. Her eyes were vibrant blue, as if they'd absorbed their colour from the azure sea surrounding them. ‘Maybe you could show me the treasure. I'd love you to tell me the history behind each piece.' She looked up at him, wide-eyed with interest.