Part 14 (1/2)
”Tiff, you must know what it's like when you lose someone: you learn to live with it and go on, but you never really get over the sudden loss-”
”I never had a sudden loss,” Tiff said, helping herself to smoked fish. ”In feet, I'm afraid, my last loss took for longer than I planned. But that, of course, makes me quite proud. I did marry an old fellow for his money-don't pa.s.s that honesty around to the rest of his heirs!-but the doctors had only given him six months to live. Thanks to me, he was a happy old cuss for almost a year and a half.”
”That is-quite commendable, ”Jordan said, forced to smile.
”Yeah, I thought so,” Tiff said proudly. ”But now ... let's get back to Ragnor. You know what I think?”
Jordan lifted her shoulders and arched her brows, waiting. She knew that Tiff needed no encouragement to go on.
”I think he's incognito here, that he's in some kind of hiding,” Tiff said.
”In hiding? He walks around in the open.”
”But no one really knows anything about him. He only showed up in Venice a while ago, although apparently, he's got lots of business dealings with some of the American businessmen who've been putting money into ”restore Venice” funds and the like. He is popular with all the right people-except for the contessa, of course. I think he may be underworld.”
”I don't think he's even Italian,” Jordan said.
”No, no ... but there are crime families all over Europe. Maybe he got into something horrible as a youth, maybe he is a criminal-”
”Maybe we should both stay away from him, ”Jordan said.
”Good Lord, no! That makes him all the more fascinating. Along with the feet that he seems really and totally repelled by the contessa!”
”That may be his one really admirable aspect,” Jordan said dryly.
Tiff shrugged. ”Well, no, I have to admit that I do love the n.o.bility thing. I'm dying to get to know her better as well. Don't worry-I'll never invite you at the same time.
Actually, I wish she'd invite me back to her palazzo.”
Jordan decided not to mention the fact that the contessa had insisted she must come by again. ”To use an American expression, Tiff, I'm afraid that I consider the contessa to be an absolute ... slime bucket!”
Tiff laughed, pleased as punch again.
”Well, you tend to be so honest-I thought that I'd be honest, too,” Jordan said.
Tiff smiled and went on. ”Back to Ragnor-if I'm able to talk to him, and invite him over, may I use you as bait?”
The term Tiff used disturbed Jordan. ”Bait?”
”Well, if I'm able to say I'm having a dinner-or a lunch, breakfast, or even drinks-and that you're coming, I can at least get him here, to my lair, you know. There's just something about him that's so ... beguiling. If I get the chance, I'm just going to ply him with oysters and liquor. Did you know, oysters do have an effect?”
Jordan laughed out loud, setting down her gla.s.s. ”Tiff-you're horrible!”
”Yes, I suppose so, but honest, at least, as you've said. May I use your name in my pursuit?”
”Sure.”
”Great! Thank you. I mean, I'll be careful-I won't plan anything too close to Anna Maria's ball or anything like that. Hey, I promised you a ghost tour. Want to hear my favorite story?”
”I'd love to.”
”Once, I think it was during the sixteen hundreds, the youngest daughter of the house, a beauty, fell in love with the wrong fellow. Her uncle had been elected doge at the time, and this fellow was the son of a rival politician.”
”Sounds like Romeo and Juliet.”
”You haven't heard the ending. The two fall in love, and there's a rumor that the family just won't have it Anyway, such a young man can't just disappear, so you know what happens?”
”What?”
”He supposedly falls off the balcony and breaks his neck.”
”How terrible. So now he haunts the house?”
”Of course. Unfortunately,” Tiff said with a sigh, ”I've never seen him.”
”Too bad.”
”Now, of course, the daughter is certain her family caused the accident. So she decides to kill herself as well and jumps off the same balcony.”
”I guess that's why you never get to see him haunting your bedroom. The two of them are haunting the place as a pair.”
Tiff shook her head. ”Nope! The daughter jumps off the balcony-but hits the ca.n.a.l.
She means to drown, of course, but she's rescued by a young gondolier. She marries the fellow, and they move to Rome, and live happily ever after. Isn't that a happy ending?”
”Sure-except for the original young man the daughter was in love with.”
”Oh, well, there can't be a happy ending for everyone!” Tiff said. ”There's more; come on, we'll walk around the place and I'll give you more history.”
The palazzo was beautiful, with the master bedchamber being exceptional. The original owner meant to make money renting the place. A large room had been converted into a bath with a marble Jacuzzi tub large enough to accommodate several people, a shower with multi jet sprays, plush rugs, and ma.s.sive double sinks. The bedroom itself had a sitting area, a breakfast table by a window, and a huge bed covered in rich maroon silk.
”Seductive, eh?” Tiff said, her smile gleeful. ”Now ... if I can only get the young blood in here that I want to seduce ...”
”Well, then, I hope you get it,” Jordan said and glanced at her watch. ”Thanks for the breakfast, Tiff, and the tour. The place is really wonderful. It should definitely do.”
”Thanks. I hope so. I mean, I'm doing all the right things. Of course, I have help here, but only every other morning. I'm actually quite a fine cook, and I've always been detailed, organized, and neat. a.n.a.l, even!” she admitted with a smile.
She went downstairs with Jordan, showing her out On the streets again, Jordan was surprised to realize that she laughed each time she thought about Tiff's brash honesty. Tiff was indeed something.
She'd enjoyed the morning, and walking back, she felt again just how much she loved Venice.
The city was uniquely charming.
And by day, there were no shadows.