Marina took them into the very centre and to two charming squares: the Piazza delle Erbe and the Piazza della Frutta, with the imposing medieval Palazzo della Ragione dividing one from another. This stunning building was composed of row upon row of arches and capped by a long, curved roof like an airship hangar. Dotted around the flag-stoned squares were stalls selling local produce and beneath the porticoes were shops of all kinds. Sight of the shops reminded Emma she needed to buy a present for her parents. As she did so, she remembered Dexter.
‘Rich, have you ever seen Dexter’s poodle?’
He grinned. ‘Seen it? It even peed on my foot one time – damn thing. It’s on the small side. I suppose its head doesn’t even come up to my knee. Why do you ask?’
‘I want to buy him a present and I thought something for the dog might be a good idea.’
Marina turned back with interest. ‘If it’s a pet shop you’re looking for, there’s one just down one of these side streets if I remember right.’
A few minutes later, Emma found exactly what she wanted: a very smart doggie waterproof coat with an Italian flag on it. Although it didn’t rain too often in LA, she felt sure Dexter’s canine companion would cut a stylish dash when the rain did come. By this time Rich and Marina had also decided they needed to go off to buy presents and they all agreed to meet up in the historic Caffè Pedrocchi in a nearby square later on. Marina assured them this was the best-known cafe in Padua and a must for visitors, so Mark volunteered to go and bag a table while they did their shopping.
There was a market in the centre of the Piazza dell Frutta where Emma bought an old-fashioned moka coffee pot and some real Italian coffee for her mum and dad, and a handmade leather wallet for Elliot before making her way along to the cafe to meet the others.
She found Mark sitting at an outside table under the portico of the impressive neo-Gothic building and she took a number of photos of the cafe as she drew nearer. As the place where Emily and Robert were to get wind of the approaching war, it was suitably sombre with its imposing columns and elegant, formal interior with red velvet chairs and pristine white tablecloths. She could well imagine the scene in the movie where a uniformed postman would arrive bearing the two telegrams that would tear the lovers irrevocably apart. This reminder of their own forthcoming separation made Emma walk straight across to where Mark was sitting and throw her arms around him, kissing him with intensity, in spite of the looks of some of the other customers.
As he emerged from her embrace, Mark winked at her. ‘What was that about – absence making the heart grow fonder? It’s only been ten minutes. If we’d been separated for an hour I suppose you would have ravished me here on the table?’
She took a seat close beside him and grinned. ‘You bet your life. And imagine the treat in store for you if I’d been away for two hours or more.’
They sat in silence for a long time before she heard his voice, now no longer jocular.
‘I’m really going to miss you.’
‘And I’m going to miss you, too, Mark. Terribly.’
At that moment Rich and Marina reappeared and Emma once more bolted on her happy face.
* * *
After lunch they returned to the car and took it back to the rental company. From there, a taxi took them and their luggage out of the city and onto a minor road alongside a canal. The clouds had cleared and the sun was once more shining down on them. The land all around was as flat as a pancake and disappointingly built-up, with numerous small to medium-sized factories lining its banks. Marina informed them that this waterway was the Naviglio del Brenta that led all the way to Venice but, to Emma, it didn’t immediately look promising for the movie. That was, until they picked up their launch.
The boat was waiting for them just before the impressive and historic Villa Foscari. This imposing villa was set in its own extensive grounds and Emma immediately noted this as a very strong contender for inclusion in the film. This mansion, Marina told them, was a genuine Palladian villa, dating back to the sixteenth century, and it was a magnificent piece of architecture with massive columns supporting the neo-classical façade. Once again, Emma could well imagine the pair of lovers passing by this way, maybe strolling through the grounds hand in hand, ever more conscious that this would be their last day together.
The launch was a Venetian water taxi made of highly-polished wood, its comfortable cabin fitted with leather-upholstered seats and with an open deck at the stern. The boatman cast off and they began to follow the ever-widening canal eastwards. The houses and factories alongside them gradually dwindled away until they found themselves running between wide marshy fields that the boatman informed them would flood at high tide. Here it was a lot wilder and they soon spotted ducks and geese on the water and cormorants perched on stumps, wings outstretched Dracula-style as they dried their feathers. Emma took more photos as this landscape was timeless and virtually deserted. Ideal for the movie.
As Rich and Mark were standing outside at the stern, Marina came over to sit beside Emma in the cabin.
‘Not long now.’
‘Until we get to the hotel?’
‘Until it’s all over. Then what’re you going to do, Emma? I’ve seen you and Mark together. I think you’re made for each other. Are you really going back to the US while he stays here?’
Emma took a couple of deep breaths before replying. ‘I have to, Marina. It’s my job.’
She saw Marina nod her head slowly. ‘It’s tough, isn’t it? I’ve got a job I love, too. But at least I know I’m going to be with Rich again in only six or seven weeks. What about you and Mark? Do you plan on coming back to Italy to see him?’
Emma did her best to sound as positive as she could, although internally she was feeling anything but upbeat. ‘I’m not sure when, but I know I’ll see him again before long. Maybe in the autumn? I don’t know.’
‘And is that how it’s going to be? A long-distance affair that brings you together for a few weeks of the year and the rest of the time you’ll be apart?’
‘Seems like I don’t have a choice.’ Unless, she thought to herself for the hundredth time, she turned her back on her career and followed her heart as so many women had done in the past. But was that what she wanted? Her train of thought was interrupted as Rich’s voice called them to come outside and take a look at a beautifully restored canal boat chugging up towards them. As they both got to their feet, Marina caught hold of Emma’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
‘Remember what Erasmus said. It’ll work itself out.’
Chapter 24
They approached Venice from the west. Over to their left as they emerged from the canal was a sprawling industrial complex and docks with a massive cruise ship moored there but, ahead of them, the unmistakable sight of La Serenissima, the serene Republic of Venice, greeted them just as it would have done Emily and Robert. The launch headed straight towards a mass of red-brick buildings on the land directly ahead of them, cutting across one of the main shipping channels as they did so. A luxury yacht almost the size of a warship passed very close to them and they slipped into the mouth of a surprisingly narrow canal. This, the boatman told them, would lead to the Grand Canal.