Rosamanti Read Online Free Page A

face. A waiter brought over another pot of coffee. Pietro filled their cups.
    “But why would you want to be alone here, where you know no one? Would you not rather be comforted by your family and friends?”
    Sarah reached into her bag for a tissue and dabbed at her eyes.
    He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I can see that I should not have asked you that. Please forgive me.”
    They drank their coffee, the silence vaguely awkward. She knew she should say something, but she didn’t trust her voice to work properly.
    “Come, let me take you for a ride up to Rosamanti. You can see the chickens, and I will introduce you to Geraldina.”
    Mystified as to who Geraldina was, she was glad to be ushered back through the maze of narrow laneways of Capri township. This was the capital of the island of Capri. She knew from her research that the other main town was Anacapri, on the other side of the island. They passed luxury designer shops, their expensive clothes, handbags and jewelry adorning the windows.
    “None of the locals shop here. These are for the rich and famous. Movie stars, sports stars—they all come here for the big labels, but also for the local handmade sandals and other exclusive things. One day, I will show you some much cheaper places to get nice clothes in Anacapri.”
    They finally arrived at a little square behind the main part of the town where dozens of scooters were parked. Pietro extracted his and wheeled it over to where she stood waiting. He climbed on and kick-started the little bike, then she swung her leg over. She wrapped her arms around his taut waist and hung on tightly as they roared off up the steep and winding lane toward Lo Capo.
    They turned into the driveway of Rosamanti and parked the bike. Sarah sighed. Just coming back here to Rosamanti made her feel somehow better . Pietro helped her off the bike.
    “Un momento, Sarah.” He disappeared inside the villa, soon reappearing with a plastic bucket with a lid on it. Taking hold of her hand, he led her down a steep rocky path toward a low brick structure with a corrugated iron roof. Wire netting was attached to the walls, creating a large chicken run. Seeming to recognize Pietro, the hens became excited as he approached, squawking and flapping their wings. He let go of her hand now that they were on level ground, and took the lid off a large oak barrel that stood outside the pen. He scooped corn and other cereals into a bucket and entered the chicken enclosure. The chickens raced after him, excited about the prospect of being fed. The noise was chaotic, clucking sounds mixed in with argumentative shrieks and squawks. He poured the grains into a flat tin, and pushed a float lever to fill up the water trough. Sarah watched as he bent low and entered the little hutch, soon emerging with a basket half filled with fresh eggs.
    “I hope you like eggs.”
    Again, he made her smile with the warm tone of his voice. He was definitely easy to be with. He rested the basket on an old wrought iron garden bench under an apple tree.
    “Come on.” He held out his hand to her. She took it, enjoying the feeling of warmth and safety.
    They climbed even farther down the steep rocky pathway. Another little shed lay in a hollow, surrounded by a fenced yard with several fruit trees which appeared to have had their leaves shorn off neatly at about waist height.
    “Can you hold this for me please?” He handed her the bucket he had been carrying, opened the gate, and entered the yard.
    “Geraldina! Cara mia !”
    Sarah jumped as a huge white goat came rushing out of the shed, leaping awkwardly toward them. It had huge horns which lay back flat on its head and a long shaggy beard hanging from its face. As it approached Pietro, the goat stood up on its hind legs. He grabbed its forelegs and Sarah watched, stunned, as they did a kind of dance, finishing with Pietro hugging the goat and planting a kiss on its head, right on a little white fringe growing between its