“Oh!” Pietro, Enrico, and Franco skidded to a halt.
Eyes lighting, Roland and Bryce stepped forward, and within seconds, the five had their heads together, communicating in their mishmash of Italian, English, Austrian, and hand signs.
Bemused, Diana looked at Toby, and he reminded her of the earlier encounter. “Despite the limitations of language, they seem to get on well.”
Then Roland and Bryce turned to Toby and Diana with big, beseeching eyes, and Roland reported, “Pietro, Franco, and Enrico want to know if we’d like to play a game of hide-and-seek.”
“Can weplease?” Bryce all but begged.
Diana looked at Toby and whispered, “Is it safe?”
He met her eyes, thought, then shrugged and replied, “As long as they remain on the island, I can’t see why not.”
The boys’ faces lit, but before they could whirl back to their friends, Toby firmly added, “But after lunch.” Over Roland’s and Bryce’s heads, he translated for the other three.
Pietro nodded readily and replied that they had to go home for lunch, too.
A rapid negotiation resulted in the five arranging to meet by the well in the piazza at two o’clock.
With that decided and approved, the boys parted with waves and promises to see one another soon.
As their party turned for the villa, Diana noticed that Evelyn was flirting with a pout. Diana glanced at Toby, then caught Evelyn’s eye. “As Toby won’t be with the boys this afternoon, perhaps we should invite him to help us make jam.”
Evelyn beamed. “Yes!” She looked up at Toby and, letting go of Diana’s hand, caught his and lightly tugged. “You will come and help make the jam, won’t you? You’ll like it, I promise.”
Toby had no option but to agree. Raising his head from assuring Evelyn that he would be honored, he slid a glance at Diana and confessed, “I’ve never made jam before.”
“Nor have I,” Evelyn reassured him, “but Giulia will show us how.”
* * *
As always at Villa Giordano,lunch proved to be a relaxed and relaxing affair.
Toby was pleased that the boys didn’t try to rush, but the instant the plates had been cleared away, they begged to be excused to go and wait for their friends by the well.
“Just be sure,” Diana told them, “that you don’t do anything you shouldn’t. Anything that might get you into trouble. Don’t forget we’re visitors here.”
“We won’t,” the boys chorused.
“And,” Toby said, “you must be back by four o’clock. You’ll hear the church bells toll, so you’ll know when that is.”
They nodded readily.
“We’ll come back then,” Bryce promised.
Toby glanced at Diana, then looked at the boys. “Off you go, then.”
With muted whoops, they raced for the front door and the gate beyond.
As the latter closed with a definite thump, feeling suddenly anxious, Diana looked at Toby. “They will be all right, won’t they? No one is likely to seize them as hostages?”
He smiled reassuringly. “Since we arrived, no one who doesn’t belong on the island has been rowed across.” He paused, then added, “And after walking around and being seen by the locals over the past days, most on the island will know who Roland and Bryce are and where they belong if there is any unforeseen incident.”
Diana felt the unexpected anxiety—which had surprised her with its intensity—slough from her shoulders. “That’s comforting.”
What was rather more puzzling, at least to her, was the degree of faith she had in Toby’s judgment. Other than her father, she’d never trusted anyone so readily and completely.
Evelyn came to her side and, when Diana glanced at her, asked, “Is it time to make the jam yet?”
