BooksBarbecue
Back The House by the Sea
Chapters (71)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  69. MORE FROM LOUISE DOUGLAS
  70. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  71. ABOUT BOLDWOOD BOOKS

I went outside in search of Joe and I found him in the sea, floating on his back.

‘Come in,’ he called. ‘It’s beautiful.’

I pulled my dress over my head, dropped it on the decking, climbed down the steps into the sea and swam towards Joe and at the same time he swam towards me. We met and we kissed as we trod water; below the surface, our bodies broke and reformed in the refracted light. Joe’s skin was so much warmer than the sea, his mouth so gentle on mine.

We parted, swam quietly alongside one another.

The last entry in the diary was bothering me. Anna had written that her father was taking her to see a psychiatrist in London. Perhaps the DeLuca parents believed Anna could be persuaded out of her infatuation with Gabriele Arnone or perhaps they were hoping she could be prescribed drugs that would make her easier for them to control. I’d read of horrendous ‘treatments’ inflicted on young women diagnosed as being ‘promiscuous’ in the wake of the sexual liberation movement during the 1960s. Or maybe they thought a psychiatrist would be able to persuade Anna to understand how unsuitable a match Gabriele would be.

Patrick Cadogan had been working as a psychiatrist in London at that time. Had Anna originally been Patrick’s patient? I knew they’d met when Anna was young and at a low point in her life, no more than that.

Joe was floating on his back with his eyes closed. I swam up to him.

‘Joe? Do you know how Anna met your father?’

‘She never used to talk about it.’

‘Didn’t Patrick ever say anything?’

‘No.’

‘Do you know if…’ I tailed off.

‘If what?’

‘If Patrick ever treated Anna for anything, as a patient I mean?’

Joe snorted. ‘He didn’t treat her. He was the one who gave her most of her problems.’

That was true.

I lay on my back and let the sea hold me up. The sky above me was lovely. I thought of that eighteen year old girl being dragged to England against her will to have her hopes and dreams dashed.

Poor Anna, I thought. Poor her.

54

Valentina and Francesco came to the villa. Vito was safely out of the way, working the night shift in Gela, and Francesco wanted to show Valentina the Alfa Romeo.

Valentina was heavy with her pregnancy and it was exhausting her. Dark circles were like bruises around her eyes. When she stood, she leaned backwards to adjust her centre of balance. She breathed through her mouth and she constantly looked for things she could rest against: trees, benches, walls. She winced as the baby moved inside her. She looked as if she needed to lie down in a quiet place and sleep for a week.