What Happens in Tuscany... (16 page)

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of an old Land Rover coming up the hill towards her. It looked very familiar. She ran a hand through her hair and stepped to the side of the road, the Labrador beside her. She gave a little wave and the Land Rover drew up beside them. The dog was the first to react. He stood up on his hind legs and greeted Paul through the window. Katie cleared her throat.

‘Working?' As she looked into the cab, she could see the seat beside him covered in tubs of something chemical. ‘Pity you had to rush off the other night. You missed a good party.'

He patted the dog on the head and gave Katie a smile. ‘Hi, Katie. Yes, work again. The men are going to need these chemicals so I'm taking them across to them.' He caught her eye. ‘I was very sorry to miss the party and to miss your company, but something came up.'

Katie suddenly realised she was staring at him a bit too intently so she took a step back and looked around. ‘Another fabulous day, isn't it?' As she said it, she groaned inwardly. The weather? She really couldn't find anything better to talk about than the weather?

‘Beautiful.' He glanced at his watch. ‘Listen, Katie, there's lots to talk about. I've got to rush off now, but how about you and Victoria come round to my place for a drink tomorrow evening?'

‘That would be lovely, thanks.' Then Vicky's date with Tom came to mind. ‘Oh, bugger, I've just remembered; Vicky's invited out tomorrow. How about Wednesday?'

He thought quickly. ‘I'm pretty sure I'm tied up on Wednesday. Well, why don't you come along for a drink tomorrow without Vicky? You can bring Dante as a chaperone if you like.'

She thought for a moment. She could think of worse ways to spend a Tuesday evening. She took a deep breath. ‘Well, yes, then, let's do that. What sort of time?'

‘Six o'clock too early? My house is just down there.' He pointed with his finger.

‘That's great. See you tomorrow, Paul.'

He gave her a wave and drove off. She carried on walking down the hill, past the gates to his house. She found herself wondering just what he had meant when he had said there was lots to talk about. She also found herself looking forward to a few hours alone with him to get to know him better.

‘
Ciao, bella!
' She and the dog turned as one. At first she couldn't see who had called, then she spotted movement from a window and realised she had already reached Marco's house. A figure emerged from the shadows and she recognised him. He was waving his hand in that typically Italian way, palm down, in a paddling motion, meaning “come here”. He confirmed this with another shout. ‘You look hot. Come in for a drink.'

She didn't hesitate. She and the dog slipped in through a narrow side gate and Marco met them at the door of the house. He held out his arms and kissed her warmly on both cheeks, then turned his attention to the dog. ‘
Ciao
, Dante, it's good to see you again.'

‘Hi, Marco. It's good to see you too. Do you want a hand with the clear up after the party?'

He grinned at her. ‘Under no circumstances. You did quite enough on Saturday night. Come in, come in.'

‘Well if you're sure.' Marco led her along a spotless corridor to the rear of the house where the loggia was looking very tidy. She turned towards him. ‘Looks like you've already done it.'

‘Pretty much. I can't stand mess.' He pointed to a wicker sofa in the shade. ‘Take a seat. What can I get you to drink?'

‘Just water please, Marco. That'll be fine. It's too hot to drink anything else.' He disappeared into the house and reappeared almost immediately with a bottle of mineral water, fresh from the fridge, two glasses and a bowl. He filled all three and set the bowl down beside the dog who dropped his mouth gratefully, noisily and messily into it.

They chatted for some time about all manner of things until the conversation came round to Paul Taylor. There was a lot Katie wanted to know about him and who better to ask than his old schoolboy pal? She decided to approach the subject cautiously.

‘I just saw Paul in his van. Pity he had to rush off the other night.'

‘Mmh yes, it was.' Marco was giving nothing away. Katie tried digging.

‘You've known Paul for a long time, then?'

‘Since we were little boys. His father was in the British army. He was killed while Paul was still young and his mother moved back here and brought Paul up single-handed. She was a wonderful pianist and many of the local people were taught by her, me included. But it's Paul you want to hear about, isn't it?' He subjected her to a searching stare. ‘Come on then, out with it. So what do you want to know about him?' She reddened and blustered a bit, but he had her pegged. ‘Come on, tell me what it is you want to know.' There was a moment's hesitation and then he hit the nail firmly on the head. ‘He's the same age as me, if that helps. That's thirty-six, although I know I look a whole lot younger.' He ran his manicured fingers through his perfect hair. ‘I bet you'd be interested to know about the women in his life.'

‘No, of course not. Well, at least, only if you insist…'

He grinned. ‘Well, the answer is there have hardly been any. You see, he works all the hours that God gives. He never stops.' Marco's expression became more serious. ‘I think his mother got some sort of pension after the death of her husband, but he never had much money growing up. He was sent off to school in the UK, paid for by the army, but I know it took pretty much all of their savings to get him through university. You know he went to Cambridge?'

Katie was impressed. She caught Marco's eye and he nodded.

‘He's a brainy boy, you know. And his company, you know, the olive company, has grown and grown. But he spends all his time working.' He gave her a smile as he reached the part that he knew really interested her. ‘So, women… Well, he and Loretta had a thing when he first came back from England.' Katie remembered Loretta from the other evening; long hair, big boobs and dripping with gold. ‘That was on and off for a couple of months and then they broke up. After that there were a few others, but none for long. He works too hard, that's his trouble.' He paused for thought. ‘Of course, he is devilishly handsome after all.' Seeing the look on her face, he continued. ‘And you can take it from me as a connoisseur of male beauty. I know what I'm talking about.'

‘Well, if you say so.' Katie grinned back at him.

‘But, apart from the work thing, I'm not sure what it is, but I think he's always had a fear of relationships. I haven't ever seen him with anybody for long. So, you see, there's no opposition. He's all yours!' He beamed at her.

‘And what makes you think I want him?'

‘Of course you want him. You all want him. Loretta would have him back in a flash if he were willing. They all love Paul. I love him myself but, unfortunately, he loves me in a different way. Anyway, I saw the two of you together the other night. You look good together. But just don't blame me if it only lasts a week or two.'

He gave her another careful stare. ‘Or is there somebody else?' As the idea took shape, he mulled it over. ‘After all, you're a very pretty girl. No, really, you are; there's no use denying it. You must have other men in your life.' His expression hardened. ‘Just do something for me, Katie; don't hurt Paul. I love him like a brother. I would hate to see him hurt. He's been through a lot you know, especially with what happened to his mother.'

Katie nodded, remembering what Rosina had told her. ‘It was cancer, wasn't it?'

Marco hesitated and then decided he should give her the full story. ‘Yes, it was cancer that killed her in the end, but it was caused by a broken heart.'

‘A broken heart? Who broke it?'

Marco glanced out of the window, Katie followed his gaze and could just make out the dovecot on the roof of their villa. She looked across at Marco. His eyes remained glued on the villa. ‘That old bastard Chalker-Pyne.
Stronzo!
'

‘Victoria's father? He broke her heart?' Katie was astounded. ‘But how?'

‘They had an affair. It lasted for years and years. His wife had died, her husband had died. It all seemed to make a lot of sense.' He looked across at Katie. ‘She was a very beautiful woman. One of the most beautiful women I've ever met. She became his mistress, living in her own house, but moving in with him when he came over to the villa. But he never took her back to England, even when Paul was studying over there. The relationship was just here. And then, one day, he told her he had no further use for her and he dumped her, just like that. He never came back to the villa and she never saw him again. It broke her heart.'

‘And then she got cancer and died.' Katie was appalled. She sat back and took a mouthful of water, but then she started putting two and two together. ‘Wait a minute, but so did he. Victoria's father also died of cancer.'

Marco nodded. ‘We only worked that out a few months ago when we got word of his death. It seems he was diagnosed with cancer way back then and decided he didn't want her to suffer for him. So he just left her with no explanation. If he'd told her, she would have been upset, but at least there would've been a reason she could understand.'

Katie couldn't believe her ears. This same strange, damaged man who had kept his beloved daughter under virtual house arrest had ruined the life and potentially the health of the woman he loved, in a senseless attempt to protect her. How could anybody behave so abominably in the name of love? Then something else fell into place.

‘So that's why Paul was so frosty towards Victoria?'

‘It's all too raw, too painful for him. It's not Victoria's fault. In fact, from what I hear, she's a victim herself, but put yourself in Paul's shoes. Here is the closest living relative to the man who killed his mother. It can't be easy for him.'

Katie shook her head in bewilderment. Beside her, the dog was losing interest in the conversation. With a cavernous sigh, he stretched out on the stone floor and closed his eyes.

‘Anyway, Katie, you didn't answer my question about you. Is there a lucky man somewhere who holds the key to your heart?'

She giggled in spite of herself. It sounded like something Vicky would say. ‘I'm not sure, really.' She took a mouthful of water and sat back, giving it some thought. To buy a bit of time she told him about her years with Dean and how it had all gone sour. She found herself talking openly about the way her feelings for him had gradually deteriorated until she had packed her things and left. Marco looked sympathetic.

‘But you did the right thing.' She felt his eyes on her. ‘You look happy and relaxed. If you still had any doubts, you wouldn't look so good.'

‘Oh, I have no doubts about Dean, that's definite. It's just that there's this other man over in England. I'm not really sure how I feel about him.'

‘Ah, I thought as much. So there's another man. Paul has got competition.' Katie felt herself blushing. ‘Are you and he very close?' He grinned at her. ‘Have the two of you got naked and played around together, eh?' Her face must have been glowing like a beacon by this time.

‘Marco! That's not the sort of question to ask a young lady.' She found it quite easy to slip into Victoria's speech patterns. ‘It's none of your business, but if you must know, the answer is no. In fact, we've only sort of been together for a very short time.'

Marco made a throwaway gesture with his hands and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Then you have nothing to be concerned about. Why, for all you know, he might be rubbish in bed. He might even have a little…' He waggled his little finger at her.

‘Marco! Stop it.' She took a long mouthful of water and waited for her pulse to slow. He took pity on her and changed the subject.

‘Anyway, I have news that might interest your friend Victoria, if she doesn't already know. I was playing around with my phone before you arrived and guess what I found.' He held it out to her. It didn't take long to see that Twitter was alive with references to Chalker-Pyne. Katie flicked through and saw to her horror that the main thrust of the tweets was, “reclusive millionairess comes out of hiding.” A number of them contained links to UK newspaper articles with variations on that heading. She scrolled through, feeling more and more uncomfortable. The tabloids were having a field day. Then she began to notice something. Most of the articles featured photos of Victoria, mainly close-ups of her face. Closer study of what she was wearing and the background showed all of them to have been taken here at Marco's house on Saturday night. She remembered seeing a few flashes as people took photos, but to pass them on to the tabloids! She was furious. Beside her, Marco had more news.

‘And it gets worse, I'm afraid.' She looked up, dreading what he was going to say next. ‘I had a call from Giuseppe an hour ago. You know he's a journalist with
La Nazione
? Well, it seems their features people are planning an article about her as well. It'll come out tonight or tomorrow morning. And that will in all probability mention where she's living right now. He phoned me to warn me to expect a media scrum when the article comes out. And, by the way, Katie, it wasn't Giuseppe. Although he's a journo, he would never invade your privacy like this. He's their political editor. He sounded as pissed off about it as you must be.'

Katie sat back and breathed deeply. A media scrum, Giuseppe had said. An image of the old wrought iron gates at the bottom of the drive flashed through her head. From the state of them, they clearly hadn't been closed for decades. But, she thought wildly, even if they could be persuaded to close, anybody could just stroll in through any number of gaps in the boundary wall. They had no choice. They had to get away, pronto. She glanced at her watch. It was half past twelve. Vicky would be off on her date with the count by now.