One Hot Summer by Norrey Ford Read Free Book Online

Jan began to feel a touch of boredom. All Bianca’s books were Italian, and it was too hot to study. Siesta might be a good idea after all.
    She woke about four, and went in search of Dino. The boy was gardening, but when Jan said firmly, ‘ il porto, per favore ,’ he grinned cheerfully and trotted of f , indicating that he would bring the buggy to the main archway soon. His idea of soon being Italian and not British, Jan was there first. She was wearing her own dress and sunhat, feeling it would not be right to appear amongst the islanders in Bianca’s distinctive clothes: She planned to spend a long time wandering round the harbour and small village, and there seemed to be a Byzantine church which might repay exploration. So when Dino at last arrived, she smiled happily and climbed in beside him.
    ‘ I l porto , Dino ?’
    ‘ Si, si, signorina .’
    Certain that the boy understood she wanted the harbour, Jan made no comment when he started away uphill instead of down. No doubt he knew what he was doing. Before long they emerged on to a lonely coastal road, with magnificent views of the headlands and the sea. From the road almost down to the water’s edge, cascades of flowering broom fell like rivers of gold.
    Dino grinned. ‘ Bella, bella !’ He waved a hand proudly, as if he had himself laid out the road and the view.
    A coastal road would, in time, lead to the harbour, so Jan agreed happily and settled down to enjoy Dino’s conducted tour. He stopped at a village and invited her to walk around. The houses, heaped together like a box of spilled bricks, were white or blue, yellow or Pompeiian red, but she was shocked by the dirt and all too obvious poverty. One house was built of ragged lumps of old concrete cemented together crudely. The roof consisted of terracotta drainpipes stacked six deep and covered in cement. There was no proper door and Jan felt pretty sure the floor was trodden earth. Goats and children played around the front of this shack. She shuddered, thinking the only good feature of the village was the fresh sea air and constant sunshine.
    Returning to the buggy, she said again firmly that she wished to go to the harbour. He gave his usual happy nod, and set off at a reckless speed over the bumpy road. Half an hour later, after a breathtakingly lovely drive round the coast, he drew up triumphantly and waved a hand towards an ancient castle perched high on a solitary rock. ‘ Castello !’ Then, turning and pointing to the heights from which they had descended, ‘ Villa Tramonti.’
    This must be, then, the castle visible from the Villa, where Bianca’s godfather lived, and from which he waved sometimes to the girl. Shading her eyes, she stared up till she located the roof of the Villa.
    Time was getting on, and although she felt sure Dino was doing his best to give her an enjoyable outing, she began to feel irritated by her failure to reach the harbour and the few shops she had seen there. By now they must be a long way from home and there would be little time for the souvenir-hunting.
    ‘ Dino,’ she said loudly and clearly in English, more than half convinced that he could understand, ‘ I want to go to the harbour. Boats. Harbour.’ Suddenly she remembered the name of Marco’s boat. ‘ The Drusus. Take me to the Drusus .’
    ‘ Ah!’ Understanding lit the boy’s face. ‘ Drusus? Si, si, signorina .’
    ‘ If you say si, si again and don’t take me there, Dino, I will strangle you with my own hands!’
    Another five minutes and the buggy jerked to another stop. They were as high above the harbour as ever. Dino leaned over a stone wall, pointing.
    ‘ Drusus , signorina !’
    Jan began to giggle. What an absurd afternoon! She had credited Dino with more understanding than the poor boy possessed, or her Italian was much worse than she had realised. Seeing her laughter, Dino laughed too.
    ‘ Bella ?’
    The view certainly was beautiful, even though the harbour was as far out of