Chapter 56

We must go with the flow

"The Comte de Robilant. Shall I let you in?" Ofelio asked and Carlo was already in the room. How tall he was. Every time I was amazed he could be so tall.

Divided by the low table covered with magazines and art books, we sat facing each other. Leaning back in his chair, he stretched out his legs and looked towards the desk. He had asked which model my typewriter was, so different from the usual ones. 

"It's a Royal. Quite old but still perfect. Papa gave it to me. He wrote many books on it: he said it should bring me luck."

It was precisely about Papa that he had come to see me, said Carlo. He had seen me being born, playing with his children, and because he loved me he was more and more worried about me. Because of the book. 

"You are there too, in the book," I said.

"Yeah... time to say goodbye when you enter Harry's Bar." he smiled but his usually cheerful blue eyes were clouded by a shadow. "It didn't help that the book was not translated into Italian. Nor that Mr. Ernest stayed away from Venice for a long time. The newspapers keep looking for Across's Renata, people keep gossiping about you and of you. It is even said that you sent Gianfranco to...