La Località Italiana (The Italian Village) – Part 5

 Read more from Kay here. / Read part four here.

It was three weeks after the shipment of artworks had left when Lizzy had a phone call from Tito.

"Lizzy, I have sold two of your paintings already so I am going to need more next month, so I hope you have been painting mia cara" he said.

Lizzy was quite taken aback; she had only had time to paint one more picture so she asked Tito to delay his return visit for a few weeks.

"I don't want you coming all this way if I don't have any new works for you to view" she said.

"I don't mind, but if you prefer I will wait awhile. We must go to dinner again when I visit, it has been too long".

"Thank you Tito, I would love to" replied Lizzy.

Over the next six weeks Lizzy worked hard on her paintings and tried to capture the beautiful scenery and landscapes of the region. She also received three paintings from another artist to show. She was excited to think that others wanted their artwork in her gallery.

It was getting towards two months before Tito turned up; Lizzy had thought that he had changed his mind.

"So sorry mia cara…" he said as he rushed into the gallery, just before closing time.

"That's alright, I understand. You must be very busy" responded Lizzy, feeling relieved to see him again.

"Not too busy to take you to dinner, are you free this evening?" he replied.

"Well, ah yes…I can be, I was going to go out with Miles and Jemma but that's ok I will cancel with them", Lizzy said feeling slightly embarrassed about being so enthusiastic.

"How about we all dine together, do you think they would be interested?' he quizzed.

"I am sure they would, I will ring Jemma at work" replied Lizzy, heading for her desk.

Lizzy came back to the front door where Tito was waiting, "Yes, it's all fine. But I want to go home and change. Come with me and you can have a drink while I change".

Tito smiled broadly at Lizzy as they left the gallery.

On the walk down the street to the villa, Lizzy felt Tito take her hand. She was not sure whether to pull away or not so pretended not to notice.

As they entered the villa Lizzy told Tito to take a seat while she went and got him a glass of wine. Soon after Jemma and Miles walked in the door. They greeted Tito warmly and the two men sat together and chatted while the girls got ready.

Dinner was lovely. This time they went to ‘Trattoria Borghesi', a new restaurant that had only recently opened. They chose to sit at a table outside; the evening air was filled with the smell of lavender. The food was divine, the company excellent and everyone had a fun evening.

As they all walked back to the villa Tito reached for Lizzy's hand again. This time she didn't react, she felt comfortable. She has no idea what he expected at this point.

The next morning Tito arrived at the gallery waving his cheque book in the air.

"Well Lizzy, what do we have here? I want to buy maybe five this time of yours and I will take one of the pictures from your new artist to trial" said Tito excitedly.

"That's wonderful! Thank you Tito", she replied.

"No need to thank me, I thank you for introducing me to your wonderful art", he said.

Lizzy blushed at the compliment.

‘'Now Lizzy, do you think I can take the pictures back with me tomorrow? I have clients waiting to see your work, you have my cheque and you know me well now".

"Of course you can Tito, that's perfectly fine", replied Lizzy, without hesitation.

Lizzy didn't see Tito the evening before he left as he said he had to go to the next village to see some more art works.

When Tito arrived at the gallery the next morning he handed Lizzy an enormous bouquet of apricot roses. Lizzy thanked him and gave him a hug. She was really starting to like him and all the attention he was lavishing on her.

"I will see you again soon, ciao bella", he called out as he finished packing the works into his Alfa Romeo.

Lizzie walked back inside and found a big vase for the huge bouquet. She felt a tinge of sadness that Tito had to go, she hoped the time would go by fast and she would see him soon.

It was just over a week later and Lizzy received a call from the bank. She was informed that the cheque for the paintings had been dishonoured.

"There has to be some mistake, I will call Mr Mancarelli and find out what's happened" said Lizzy, knowing that there must be an error.

Immediately Lizzy called Tito but his phone was on answerphone so she left a message.

Two hours later Tito called her back.

"It's so nice to hear your voice Lizzy. Come stai bella?" he asked.

"Well, I just had a call from my bank and there seems to be a problem with your cheque so I thought I should call you …" Lizzy replied, hoping she didn't sound suspicious.

"Oh my dear, there has to be a mistake. I will attend to it straight away, please do not worry" said Tito, reassuringly.

Another week passed and the bank informed Lizzy the cheque was still dishonoured. Tito did not call her back.

Lizzy felt confused and frustrated so she called Tito again. There was no reply so she left another message.

Lizzy waited and waited and no call came. Weeks slipped by and there was still no call from Tito and his cheque would not clear.

Finally Miles encouraged Lizzy to lay a formal complaint with the local police. After several weeks of investigation Tito was tracked down in Naples. It eventuated that Tito was working for syndicate who were buying artworks from smaller galleries and selling them offshore. Trails of fraudulent cheques were left behind as Tito made his way around the country tricking unsuspecting people into believing his lies.

The charges mounted against Tito and the police told Lizzy he would be spending a lot of time in jail. Other members of the syndicate were still at large and a warrant had been issued for their arrests.

Lizzy had been one of many who was conned by this charmer. It would take years of court battles and prosecutions before she would see even a small amount of her money let alone her art works.

Lizzy was broken-hearted and embarrassed. How could she have been such a fool and taken in by this man? She had started to have feelings for him.

Jemma and Miles tried to help and support Lizzy but she felt a failure. She had been duped, her dreams were all shattered. She felt as though she was the joke of the village. Despite Jemma's protests, Lizzy closed down her gallery as she could not bear the humiliation. Her friends all rallied around her and offered their support but Lizzy felt she needed to get away from it all. She had trusted someone and was let down badly, it was going to take time to trust again.

After a few weeks she told Jemma she was going to return to London for a bit and try and sort her head out, she needed a complete change. Jemma understood, although she didn't want her younger sister to leave. They had put a lot into their new life in Tuscany and it was going to be hard to let her go. They were not just sisters but best friends; they were always there for each other.

"Hopefully I will be back…when the dust settles", called out Lizzy as she went upstairs to pack. In her room Lizzy brushed away tears. She hadn't wanted Jemma to see her so upset; if she did Lizzy knew Jemma would convince her to stay. Staying was not an option.

Back in London Lizzy found herself a flat in Bayswater. An old London acquaintance told her about a job in a cute little gallery near Hyde Park. It was perfect, and with her art gallery knowledge Lizzy felt right at home. Soon she started to meet new people, and gradually she accepted invitations to go out with colleagues. It was going to take time but she knew she would be alright. She had learnt a hard lesson but now it was time to move on.

Back in Tuscany, Miles and Jemma were starting to make some headway with their relationship. They were taking it slow but there was hope for the future. They were good for each other and always missed each other when they were apart. Was this enough to build a permanent relationship on? Time would tell.

By Kay Rayner