Free Tuscan Rose by Belinda Alexandra Page A

seemed that she had no interest in ‘little people’ either.
    Further along the street, Rosa found herself outside a clockmaker’s shop. She was dazzled by the dozens of faces all telling the same time. There were marble carriage clocks, brass cuckoo clocks and longcase clocks. Some of the clocks were shaped like hot air balloons while others were shaped like banjos or lanterns. There were statues of angels and Roman soldiers with clock faces embedded in their stomachs. Rosa’s gaze settled on a clock in the shape of a swan and she noticed what time it showed. One hour had already slipped away! She would have to hurry if she was to complete all her errands.
    The millinery shop that the Marchese had recommended was called Signora Lucchesi’s. It was not as prestigious as those further up on Via Tornabuoni but the display of satin berets, pillbox hats, cocktail hats, skullcaps and tulle bridesmaids’ hats seemed luxurious to Rosa. The store was stocked for spring and the hat displays resembled bouquets of tulips, sunflowers, hyacinths and peach blossoms. Rosa’s eye fell on a flamingo pink hat with clusters of silk roses on the brim. It was the most beautiful hat she had ever seen. She brushed her fingertip over the fabric and felt a sea breeze kiss her face.
    ‘Buon giorno, Signorina. It’s parabuntal, a fine straw made from the leaves of a palm tree.’
    Rosa turned to see a shopgirl in a tailored black dress approaching her. The girl had porcelain skin and glossy hair. She was smiling but her expression changed when she laid eyes on Rosa’s old cloche hat.
    ‘You are the governess from the Villa Scarfiotti, yes?’ the shopgirl said, lifting her chin. ‘The Marchesa’s housekeeper telephoned to say you were coming. This way, please.’
    The shopgirl did not touch Rosa but steered her past the satin and organza creations using nothing more than her erect head and stiff manner. She opened a curtain at the back of the shop andushered Rosa into a chair. The booth was full of boxes and unused hat trees. Rosa didn’t think it could be where the shop’s clientele usually tried on their hats; it was too dark. The shopgirl whipped off Rosa’s hat and tossed it into a basket of material scraps and loose threads before Rosa had time to protest. She then lifted a box from a shelf and took out a slouch hat. ‘Here,’ she said, dropping the hat onto Rosa’s head and holding up a mirror.
    The hat was black felt with no ribbons or adornments. It was finer quality than the hat Rosa had been wearing and she would have thought it very becoming if she hadn’t seen the other headwear in the store. She lifted her chin to get a better look at herself in the mirror and the hat slipped.
    ‘It’s too big,’ she said.
    The shopgirl sighed and grabbed a tape measure from her pocket and wrapped it around Rosa’s head. ‘I will get one of the apprentices to narrow the band for you,’ she said. ‘Wait here.’
    Rosa wondered how long the resizing would take. She still had to visit the shoe store and music repair shop. She noticed a gap in the curtains next to her and peered into a room with burgundy wallpaper, scrolled mirrors and two armchairs. A woman was there in a dress with a ruffled collar that emphasised her enormous bosom. She held a cluster of wax cherries to the brim of a floppy sunhat perched on a block, before trying some silk flowers. She sighed, obviously having a hard time deciding between the two. She turned and caught sight of Rosa spying on her.
    ‘Ah!’ she said, placing her hand on her hip. ‘Our governess from the Villa Scarfiotti. How generous of the Marchese to send you to us.’
    Rosa guessed the woman must be the shop owner, Signora Lucchesi. But her angry tone made Rosa wary. What had she done to provoke such a reaction?
    ‘The Old Marchese thought I was good enough to dress the heads of all the women of the Scarfiotti family,’ Signora Lucchesi said, her eyes narrowing like a cat about to scratch.