Beneath the Porticoes

By Brooke Adams

Tired of her hum-drum life as a secondary school teacher living in Yorkshire, thirty-four year old Elizabeth Miller travels to the Italian city of Bologna to take up a post as an English Literature lecturer to foreign students.

While in Bologna, Elizabeth meets many interesting international students, including the charming and attractive Carlo Morettini, a twenty-nine-year-old Friar-in-training of the Franciscan order. There seems to be a spark between them, but Elizabeth finds it hard to believe that he would like her in that way…

As feelings develop and attraction grows, Carlo finds himself at a crossroads. Should he let Elizabeth go and accept his destiny as a brother of the Franciscan order? Will his faith and duty to Christ overcome his deep-seated physical desires and emotional need for intimacy?

Could Elizabeth really bring herself to walk away? Can she live with the fact that she has changed this man’s life forever?

Beneath the Porticoes is a love story charged with themes of forbidden love, sexual sin, repentance, and ultimately personal redemption.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Jun 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781803139623

Book preview

Contents

I

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

II

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

III

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-One

Twenty-Two

Twenty-Three

IV

Twenty-Four

Twenty-Five

Twenty-Six

Twenty-Seven

Twenty-Eight

Twenty-Nine

Thirty

Thirty-One

Thirty-Two

I

One

An endless row of tall porticoes arched into the distance. Elizabeth observed the way the light fell under each one as her thoughts lingered on the life she had left behind. She had no idea how things were going to work out here in Bologna, but she knew as she walked across Piazza Maggiore that she was determined to move on with her life. The tall bronze statue of the famous Nettuno, holding his legendary trident high in the air towered over the fountain, and water gushed noisily from the urns of the surrounding cherubs. The piazza was close to the university district where she was headed. Elizabeth was utterly enchanted by the ancient architecture that shaped the city, as she passed by its historical palazzos, conservatorios and accademie.

Elizabeth Miller was a bibliophile and always had been. As a child, her parents would read to her at bedtime taking her on huge voyages and intrepid adventures across magical lands. These experiences had captured her imagination and instilled a love for literature deep within her and as she’d grown up, her enthusiasm for books had only deepened. Myth and legend became her greatest loves, and she went on to study Classics and Literature at York University where she was a book reviewer for the magazine and ran the student book club.

On leaving university, Elizabeth was offered a post as an English literature teacher at a very prestigious girls’ school in the city of York. The first couple of years were quite a challenge as she learned to prepare lessons and acquired teaching experience, but Elizabeth soon got into the groove and within three years had become an important and popular member of the English literature department. Now, as Elizabeth approached her thirty-fifth year, nothing had seemed to change. Her friends were getting married, moving home, changing careers, and it was beginning to dawn on her that she had still not found the right vocation nor met the right man. She’d had a serious relationship with Luke while at university which had lasted over three years, but they were only twenty when they met and although he had been her first love, by the time they reached their final year, they had already started going in different directions. Since then, Elizabeth had dated a few guys, but nothing had endured. The fact was that she had not been truly in love for years, not since Luke.

Elizabeth was growing restless and knew that there was more to life than this. It was no good going on a two-week holiday hoping to feel completely refreshed when she got back. It was time to make some real changes. It felt as if the adventure of her life hadn’t really begun, she’d fallen into situations and mingled with lots of people, enjoyed a successful career and been on quite a few holidays with her friends to glamorous resorts in her twenties. This time things were different and the ennui that plagued her gave her the strength to push forward into new terrain.

Amanda, Elizabeth’s best friend, had suggested that she go and live abroad for a year or two (as long as she could come and visit, of course); somewhere she could continue to teach or work with literature in some way, so that she’d have the opportunity to meet people and explore new towns and cities. Elizabeth liked the idea and knew that Amanda must be right since the thought of starting yet another academic year in York made her feel depressed. Over the spring and summer months, Elizabeth researched possibilities. She knew that she wanted to stay in Europe. Eventually, her persistence paid off and she had narrowed down her options to Italy and France where there was a demand for English teachers.

In early May, Elizabeth spotted that Bologna University was advertising for an intermediate English literature teacher for their adult-education language students. It was a year-long contract, starting in September. The pay was reasonable, and accommodation was included. At first Elizabeth felt a little unsure but once she’d done some online research on the city, her decision was made. It was the oldest university in Europe, it was quite an alternative city with many left-wing students, and the architecture was stunning. The location was perfect too, situated less than an hour from so many other interesting cities like Florence, Siena, Urbino, and Pisa.

It was on another lonely Friday night towards the end of the school term that Elizabeth went onto the Bologna University website and applied for the job. She filled out the application form and, as she had already prepared her documents, now all she had to do was upload her certificates and diplomas. Elizabeth poured herself a large glass of Chianti and sat on her sofa for a few minutes before deciding. ‘Am I really going to up sticks and leave? Just set off to a new country all alone where I don’t know a soul?’ Elizabeth stared into space thoughtfully. The usual awful Friday night TV show burst onto her screen. The lights and colours on the stage were so bright and garish and it was in that mind-numbing moment that she knew that there must be more to life than this. She rose from the sofa. The decision was made, and she confidently clicked ‘send’.

Two

In less than a month, and after a couple of telephone interviews, Elizabeth received a reply and couldn’t believe her luck! She was over the moon as she read the first sentence of her letter informing her that she had got the job. Now that she was approaching her mid-thirties and having finished her MA a couple of years ago, at last somebody had given her the chance to teach in a more interesting way. Literature was what she knew about, and her life had always been academic. All that mattered right now was that she would be starting her new career as an English literature teacher next month. The past was beginning to feel more distant already and Elizabeth’s future lay before her.

Elizabeth walked along Via Zamboni under a bright summer sun, to the Archiginnasio, a grand sixteenth century building housing the faculties of modern languages, philosophy, law, economics, and the sciences. It contained a humongous collection of books in the library encompassing a myriad of subjects from L’Antica Grecia to I filosofi del Rinascimento. As she entered the building and climbed the grand staircase, she peered through various glass doors and marvelled at the walls richly furnished with antiquated books and dark oak panelling. Bold heraldic shields decorated the elegant columns along the corridor leading to her new classroom and office. Although it was small, the wide arched windows looking out onto a tranquil ornate courtyard made up for it. Her desk ran along the length of the window. Curriculum textbooks had been piled there ready for her first lesson. She felt grateful to be living in a city so saturated in art and culture. A million questions ran through her mind. ‘Will I be able to do the job? Will the students understand a word of what I’m saying? Will I end up back home in tears within three weeks?’

Elizabeth wandered down the corridor to a kitchenette and made herself a black coffee, then heard busy footsteps approaching. It was one of the morning cleaners:

"Buongiorno Signora Miller." A stout young lady greeted her with a smile as she dragged the vacuum cleaner along.

"Buongiorno," Elizabeth replied, taken by surprise.

"Benvenuti alla scuola," she said warmly, her eyes sparkling with kindness.

"Grazie." Elizabeth smiled. "Mi chiamo Elizabeth. E lei?"

"Piacere." They shook hands. "Mi chiamo Maria Grazia."

Elizabeth walked back to her office, sat down at her desk with her strong coffee, and had a look at the register. Some names were Italian, some French, others sounded more Germanic. She was looking forward to teaching a new set of adult students. Although she was quite reserved by nature, English literature enthused her and gave her a zest for her work, and she liked nothing more than enjoying and analysing well-crafted stories, sharing them with others and engaging her students in deep conversations.

After rechecking the syllabus briefly one last time, Elizabeth finished preparing her first lesson, which would mainly consist of introductions and some group bonding exercises. As always, she had also prepared a quiz to test their level of knowledge and decided that she’d then set them some homework. She sat back and took a deep breath, a new breath. She had made a bold move by coming here all alone. There was no way that she was going to spend her entire life as a secondary school teacher back home in York, climbing the career ladder which would leave her swamped by curriculum demands and endless meetings. Here she could experience a different culture, express her passion for literature, staying close to it, taking it to a higher level, and connecting with students from all over the world.

The class was due to begin in ten minutes. Elizabeth took her final sip of coffee then went to have a closer look at the classroom. It was a huge old-fashioned room with oak panelled walls and occasional pillars. The heavy wooden desks were arranged regimentally in rows and huge windows let plenty of light in. It felt quite stuffy so she opened some windows and rearranged the desks into a friendly position that would encourage class discussion. Excited and hesitant, she prepared to get ready for her very first moments as professoressa Miller.

Suddenly, the church bells pealed nine times, reverberating loudly across the courtyard as the students trickled into the classroom. Elizabeth sat at her desk and greeted them with a nod and a smile as they took their seats.

"Buongiorno. Mi chiamo professoressa Miller." Elizabeth then decided to end her sentence in English hoping she’d be understood. …and I will be your teacher for this academic year. The students smiled respectfully. Elizabeth smiled back and asked if everybody would like to introduce themselves to the class and mention why they were interested in learning English literature. Elizabeth sat back and listened.

Hi, my name is Nicole and I’m from Munich in Germany. Elizabeth instantly liked her, picking up on her inner radiance and self-confidence. I’ve been living in Italy for the past couple of years as I’m working in hotel hospitality. I will be starting a new job in London in the new year, so I need to improve my English. Her dark brown eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

You already speak it so well. Elizabeth smiled.

I started learning it at school on and off and often read fiction that has been translated from German into English… if it’s not too hard. Nicole raised her eyebrows expressively. Elizabeth smiled and nodded.

Thank you, Nicole.

The students had come from such interesting backgrounds. Elizabeth was intrigued by their situations and what had led them there.

Hello, my name is Nandu, and I have taken a year to travel around Europe. Nandu was a businessman in his late fifties from Southern India and had come to visit his brother, a doctor working in Italy. I will be staying in Italy until Christmas then will be moving on to London for a further six weeks. I’d like to take this opportunity to improve my English and look forward to learning about English literature. Nandu had a very formal manner and Elizabeth respected that. He reminded her of her old History teacher.

Thank you, Nandu. Elizabeth then turned to the student seated behind him.

All at once, she noticed a familiar face. It was the priest from her local chiesa. He had already noticed Elizabeth and, for a moment, couldn’t believe that she was to be his teacher! Elizabeth felt her face redden as she looked at the register and discovered that his name was Carlo. She found his smile disorientating and he felt a bit awkward and discreetly tried to make himself invisible; she gestured to him to introduce himself.

My name is Carlo. I am from here in Bologna and I am a monk of the Franciscan order. Everybody