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ancient bone shaker,” she said. The sun was already uncomfortably hot by the time they had pumped up the tires. They were both silent as they coasted down the hill into the city.
    As they drew closer to the outskirts, it became obvious that many other people were on the same errand. Most were on foot, carrying baskets, and some were pushing handcarts.
    There was an atmosphere of tension everywhere. German troops were a heavy presence, and many streets were sealed off. By the time Paolo and Constanza arrived at the market, they found it already packed with a bad-tempered mob. There was a great deal of pushing and shoving, good manners having long since evaporated in the grim struggle to get enough food to feed a family.
    Constanza was surprisingly good at this sort of thing. She managed to elbow her way deftly to the front of the crowd, choosing only the market stallholders whom she knew were honest, and making no attempt to bargain with them. She just pointed firmly to the goods she wanted and waved the money, while Paolo struggled behind with the bicycles and filled up their baskets.
    They were both sweating and disheveled when they managed to extricate themselves from the crowd and so stopped to wash their hands and faces at a wall fountain. Paolo was so tired that he could hardly think straight. And there was still the prospect of the long, heavily laden ride uphill to their home.
    They were sitting dejectedly side by side on the stone rim of the fountain basin when Hilaria Albertini suddenly appeared, trotting up the street in high heels and a white linen dress, as fresh as if she had just stepped out of a beauty parlor. Her blond hair was swept up elaborately above her forehead and curled in an immaculate long bob at the back.
    “Constanza! Carissima! Whatever are you doing here?” she said. Then, “Oh, hello, Paolo. Been shopping?”
    Paolo didn’t reply, but Constanza managed a confident smile.
    “At the market,” she said. “It was awful. What are you doing, Hilaria?”
    “Oh, I got a lift in with Aldo in his car. He’s gone off to some kind of high-level meeting somewhere. But all these people! I can’t think why they all choose to come into the city when there’s so much military traffic here already.”
    “They need food, I suppose,” said Constanza. Her tone was neutral.
    “Oh, yes — of course. Aldo gets all our stuff delivered for us.”
    “Where from?” Paolo asked pointedly.
    “Oh, I don’t know. I leave all that sort of thing to him and Mamma. Though things are so difficult for her at the moment, poor darling, with hardly any servants.”
    “I love your shoes,” said Constanza, changing the subject. They were all regarding Hilaria’s feet when a shadow fell across them. A large open German military car had drawn up with two uniformed officers in the back. One of them jumped out. It was Lieutenant Gräss. Hilaria quickly adjusted her legs into a demure fashion-model pose. The lieutenant saluted her politely, but it was Constanza he was looking at.
    “You have been to the market, I see,” he said, indicating their loaded bicycles. “I wish I could offer to help with your heavy burdens. But I have a great deal to do, things being as they are. You really should avoid coming into the city if you can, you know.”
    “We have to eat,” said Constanza simply.
    “What’s the latest news, Helmut?” Hilaria asked, looking up at him, wide-eyed. “Is the fighting really getting closer? You know everything that’s happening, of course. We poor civilians know nothing. Are we going to be shelled? Or bombed?”
    Helmut inclined his head very slightly to indicate that of course he was not at liberty to answer.
    “You must stay in your house and not go out unless it is absolutely necessary” was all he said, still addressing himself to Constanza and Paolo. “It is not wise to go out into any of the countryside surrounding your home. There was a major incident to the north of the city quite