The Sapphire

Chapter four

Mirabelle suddenly realised that she was staring, pulled herself together, smiled and held out a hand to the other woman. 'Delighted,' she said, and they exchanged pecks of kisses on each other's cheeks.

'So, tell me, Signor,' said Leon, 'what has this lovely and most persuasive lady persuaded you to? When I last saw her in London she was persuading young men to join her in a visit to Italy, but the British police took a dim view of her plans.'

Isola shot him a glance of pure hatred, but her companion answered courteously. 'My lady's husband arranged her release through diplomatic channels. So she is now here on his behalf, on diplomatic business.'

Mirabelle found her voice. 'What a beautiful brooch you have, Signora,' she said to Isola. 'Is it a family heirloom? It looks very old.'

Isola smiled graciously upon her. 'In fact it is English,' she said, 'and it was given to me by my kind friend Signor Ramero,' - indicating her companion.

Mirabelle turned questioning eyes on him, and saw that he was a little embarrassed. 'It came to me as a pledge for a loan,' he explained, 'and as the loan was not repaid, I retained it. It's a pretty thing, isn't it?'

'Yes, and it suits my lady perfectly,' said Mirabelle quickly, so as not to put Isola on her guard.

'So what brings you to Florence, Signor?' Isola asked Leon. 'Which unhappy lovers of freedom are you persecuting now? Have you come to drive me out of Florence?'

'No, Signora, unless you wish to be driven,' answered Leon. 'But at present I do not have a vehicle in which to drive you. My wife and I are here to find out where your gentle friend is spending his money - which we can now see - and to have a holiday.'

'A holiday! I don't believe you ever rest from persecuting -' Isola began, and then suddenly she caught at her companion's arm and drew him away. The pair walked rapidly away across the Piazza and were quickly lost in the crowds. Mirabelle looked around her - what had they seen? - and saw a Blackshirt approaching them across the Piazza.

Leon immediately turned towards him, and Mirabelle saw him change his appearance before her very eyes: one moment he was Leon Gonsalez, international fighter for justice, and the next moment he was an innocent and bewildered English tourist with his equally innocent wife.

'Good morning, sir,' he said to the Blackshirt, in very poor Italian, and then, in the English of the London middle classes: 'Could you be so kind as to direct us to the Uffizi Gallery?'

The Blackshirt, who had seen a known subversive talking to this man and woman, was taken aback to discover that they were English tourists. Recovering from his surprise, he began to give detailed directions, which Leon appeared to follow eagerly. At last Leon pressed a tip into his hand with thanks, and led Mirabelle away, as she said loudly, 'But darling, we have to go to the cathedral to find Lucy and the others.'

'We'll do that now,' said Leon, 'and then go on to the museum.'

The Blackshirt nodded. These English tourists were all the same - patronising and not very clever, but very interested in the great cultural heritage of his beloved country, and he approved of that.

Mirabelle led Leon up to the cathedral doors. 'What time is it?' she asked. 'We aren't due to meet up until eleven.'

'Only half past ten,' answered Leon, 'but in fact I can see them over there.'

As they stepped into the vast building Lucy came hurrying to meet them. 'Isn't this wonderful? It's so beautiful!'

Leon was amused at her enthusiasm; Mirabelle agreed that the cathedral was amazingly beautiful. 'We have other news,' she added, as the two men strolled up to join Lucy. 'We've found the brooch and we've found the man Leon was asked to find and we've found out where he's spending his money.'