“They won’t think of Genoa?”
He didn’t immediately shake his head. After some moments, he grimaced. “Heinrik might have thought of it and gone down that way. But if so, he should have quickly realized that we haven’t been sighted anywhere along that route, and he’ll conclude that we slipped past them and are already farther west. Given how long we’ve been tucked away here, by now, he should be racing for the Channel.”
Toby paused, then met her gaze. “The long and the short of it is that, in terms of avoiding our pursuers, I can’t see that we’ll gain any further advantage by remaining here for longer.”
She studied his eyes, read his expression, then nodded. “In that case, how long will it take to organize to leave?”
* * *
Together with Diana,Toby broke the news of their imminent departure to the rest of the household over breakfast the following morning.
He’d left Diana’s bed before dawn and gone to the dock to arrange a rowboat to take them to Orta. “From there,” he explained, “we’ll take the most direct route possible all the way to England.” He made it sound exciting.
“It will be the next stage in our continuing adventure.” Diana could see that the children were torn. They’d enjoyed their time on the island, yet the lure of further travel drew them.
Slowly, Evelyn nodded. “Rupert and I have had a lovely time here, but we want to see England, too.” She turned big eyes on Giulia. “Perhaps we can come back to visit, and you can teach me how to cook more things.”
Giulia beamed and patted Evelyn’s hand. “You will always be very welcome, my child.” Giulia looked at the boys. “And your brothers as well.”
The boys returned Giulia’s smile. Although they were quiet, allowing their readiness to leave to be assumed, curiosity over what lay ahead gleamed in their eyes.
Giovanni and Giulia were sad to see them go, but from their easy acceptance of the rather abrupt leave-taking, Diana deduced they were used to Toby suddenly deciding he had to leave. The pair offered to keep the children amused with a last board game while Diana, Toby, and Helga packed.
Diana fell back into her customary organizational role, keeping an eye on everything as the bags were repacked and the children’s cases got ready.
At midmorning, they gathered in the front hall—bags, cases, Bruno, and all—and donned coats and hats and sorted out who was to carry what.
Giovanni and Giulia insisted on accompanying them to the dock, and as they set off, brother and sister called the news to their neighbors, and many came out to bid the Giordanos’ guests farewell. Despite their short stay, the children had grown to be favorites of many of the locals, and soon, a small procession was escorting them along the piazza toward the narrow path leading to the dock.
The crowd slowed them, but Diana noticed that Toby showed no sign of impatience; clearly, he was accustomed to such communal farewells.
Even the prior, no doubt having been informed of the cause of the ruckus in the piazza, appeared as they reached the dock and the boat the Grosso brothers had brought. The large rowboat bobbed on the gentle wavelets.
As their party neared the end of the dock, Roland and Bryce’s three friends wormed through the crowd and rushed up to shake the boys’ hands and gabble out wishes for a safe journey.
From what Diana gathered from the mishmash of languages, the five were swearing they would meet on the island again someday.
A patter of feet drew all attention, then with everyone smiling broadly, the crowd parted to allow the Barberos, carrying Dominica, to come through.
Evelyn squealed and, with her arms spread wide and Rupert dangling from one hand, rushed toward Dominica. Set on her feet by her father, Dominica ran forward, and to the coos of the onlookers, the two little girls hugged and clung as if they might never let each other go.
Diana, following more slowly behind Evelyn, breathed a silent sigh of relief when the girls drew back and, much as the boys had, said their farewells and promised to meet again.
Signora Barbero smiled shyly at Diana. “We truly hope you will return. Your little Evelyn’s friendship has been so good for our girl.”
Signor Barbero nodded earnestly and added his hopes to his wife’s.
Diana smiled in farewell, then caught and gently tugged Evelyn’s hand.
Luckily, along with Helga and Bruno, the boys had already scrambled into the rowboat and now called to their sister to hurry up, and Evelyn—doubtless not wanting to risk being left behind—clutched Rupert more tightly and trotted quickly beside Diana to the boat.
Giuseppe and Giorgio held the craft steady while many hands helped them step in.
Toby followed, and Giuseppe got ready to push away from the dock, but a word from the crowd had him pausing.
Smiling, the prior came to stand at the front of the crowd and, raising his hand in benediction, blessed them and their enterprise and called on the Almighty to protect them throughout the rest of their journey.
From his position beside Diana on one of the bench seats, Toby replied with a grateful response, one that had the crowd and the prior laughing.
