Page 16 of A Chance in a Million
‘Yes, I did. Really well…’ He looked up and hastily changed the subject as Veronica appeared. ‘I hope to see you again soon.’
Chapter 9
They drove up to the hills the following week. A few days before they left, an envelope with a British stamp arrived for Jane and she found a stiff white card inside inviting her to Fergus and Virginia’s wedding on the twenty-fifth of August. She stared at it blankly for several minutes before stuffing it into her bag for now. It said RSVP at the bottom so she knew she would have to make up her mind before long, but it wasn’t an easy decision and she needed time to think. She had told Fergus it was unlikely but maybe, just maybe, it might be the right opportunity for her to try to confront her demons and re-establish contact with so many friends and former colleagues. If she accepted the invitation, this would be an important milestone for her, and she wanted to be absolutely sure she made the right decision.
Veronica was already up by nine o’clock and Alvise ferried her, along with Jane and the dog, to the garage with a heap of bags and boxes, including Jane’s new laptop and printer. He then went back to help Maria finish closing up the palazzo for the summer while Jane piled all the baggage onto the back seats of the Mercedes and settled the dog in the boot space. When everything was all securely stowed away, they set off, heading west, and as they travelled, Veronica explained what lay ahead.
‘The family estate’s almost four hundred metres up. The air temperature’s noticeably fresher than it is down here and there are so few people. It’s totally refreshing.’
‘That sounds wonderful. What’s it like?’
‘It was built in the late seventeen hundreds in the Palladian style. You probably know that Andrea Palladio was a famous Renaissance architect and his villas have been copied for centuries. The villa’s a lot smaller than most, but still very striking.’
‘So is it smaller than the palazzo in Venice?’
‘In terms of floor space in the villa itself, probably about the same. I’ll be staying there with Maria and Alvise. We occupy part of the ground floor and all of the first and second floors. My mother-in-law has her own apartment on the ground floor. A couple of hundred metres away there’s the original medieval house where my son David has been living. Over to the other side is what we call the summer house and that’ll be all yours.’ She smiled at Jane. ‘Don’t worry, we’re not putting you in a shed in the garden. The summer house has two big bedrooms and we use it for guests – not that there have been any for years. You’ll be completely independent so you’ll be free to come and go as you please.’
‘And the estate itself? Is it farmed or what?’
‘Partially; we have red and white grape vineyards and a small olive grove – just for our own consumption really. The rest is grassland and there’s a little lake. I’m sure you’ll find it’s rather nice and very relaxing after the bustle of Venice.’ She was sounding quite animated today and Jane was pleased for her.
After initially heading west towards Vicenza, they turned south, bypassing Padua. The terrain here was still dead flat but ahead of them through the heat haze Jane began to make out an island of dark green rising up from the plains. As they drew closer and closer, Jane realised that there was to be no gradual transition. One minute they were on the flat, the next they were climbing. The hills suddenly rose up from the plains and, in a matter of seconds, they had gone from a long straight, level road to a series of sinuous bends that climbed steadily and the scenery changed radically. Here, they found themselves in the midst of wooded valleys, vineyards, olive groves and remarkably green fields, with woodland covering the tops of the hills which Veronica told her were long extinct volcanoes.
The road narrowed considerably as it snaked through a little village before starting to climb steeply. After rounding a sharp bend Veronica pointed to the right.
‘We’re here. I’ll open the gates.’
Jane turned off and drew up in front of a pair of sturdy metal gates set between hefty stone pillars. Veronica produced a remote control from the glove compartment and the gates hummed open. They drove through and onto a long drive that curled steeply upwards. The sound of the gravel crunching beneath the car tyres stirred movement from behind her as Dino – who had been sleeping soundly up to this point – recognised where he was. Just to underline this, he produced a prolonged half whine, half howl, that ended with what could have been a laugh – or he may just have been sneezing. Whatever it was, it was clear that he was happy to be home.
Their home for the next few months was set on the hillside, just below the top of a rise, and the views were spectacular, but not as spectacular as the villa itself. It was dramatic. Clad with white marble, the first impression was of a Greek or Roman temple, complete with massive columns supporting the gently sloping roof. Half a dozen curved stone steps, three or four metres across, led up to the double height front doors. It was ornate, it was imposing, and it certainly wasn’t for the unassuming. When this had been built it had been a statement of the power and wealth of the owners. Alvise had been right: there was no shortage of money in this family.
Jane drew up in front of the building and switched off the engine. She climbed out of the car and went around to let the dog out and, as she did so, she took a closer look at the place. The formal flower beds on either side of the stairway were filled with red and pink blooms and immaculately cared for. The gardener responsible for looking after the house had done an excellent job. While definitely not cold by any means, as Veronica had said it was noticeably fresher up here than in Venice, and Jane breathed in deeply, relishing the clean, much less humid, air. Yes, it might look like a National Trust property, but she had a really good feeling about this place.
‘Jane, come and let me introduce you to my mother-in-law.’
Veronica had only just started walking across to the front door when it opened and a figure appeared.
She was an old lady – of that there could be no doubt – but she looked unlike any other nonagenarian Jane had ever seen. She was tiny, but emanated an aura of confidence that was unmistakable. Her snow-white hair was curled up on her head in an elegant swirl, and pendant earrings sparkled in the sunlight. She was wearing jeans – real blue denim jeans – and a remarkably modern-looking pink top. On her feet were leopard-print shoes and there was a big smile on her aged face.
‘Veronica, carissima, how wonderful to see you again.’
Jane stood back as the two ladies embraced warmly and she could sense real affection there. Moments later they were joined by the dog who greeted his master’s grandmother remarkably gently. After making a fuss of him, she raised her head and gave Jane a searching look.
‘And you must be…’ She impressed Jane by speaking in impeccable English.
Veronica leapt in to make the introductions. ‘This is Jane. She’s my new personal assistant and she’s worth her weight in gold.’
Jane blushed as she responded to the old lady’s gestures to approach and found herself on the receiving end of a handshake that would have done a sergeant major proud; this lady certainly wasn’t frail.
‘I’m delighted to meet you, Jane. Tell me, how are you at bicycle repairs?’
Momentarily blindsided by this unexpected question, Jane hesitated but then rallied. ‘I’m not too great with gears but I’m okay at stuff like punctures and brakes.’
‘Excellent. You see, I’ve got a puncture. David normally sorts out that sort of thing for me but he’s away at the moment. Once you’re all settled in, I wonder if you could take a look at it for me.’
‘Of course, I’d be glad to.’ A ninety-five-year-old on a bike? Jane caught Veronica’s eye for a moment and distinctly saw a twinkle in it.
She started to unload the bags and boxes while Veronica and her mother-in-law went back into the house. Jane wondered idly where thedama di compagniawas – preparing lunch quite possibly. Dino, looking very bouncy, made a beeline for what was presumably his home, some way off to the left. This was a lovely old red brick building, partly hidden and shaded by cypress trees. Over in the other direction was a quaint wooden construction that looked like a cross between a pagoda and a cricket pavilion. Presumably this was the summer house so, after carrying Veronica’s things up the steps to the front door, Jane took her things over to the pagoda, starting with a box containing the food from her fridge and then the laptop, printer, and other tools of her PA trade, and then finally her heavy suitcase. She hadn’t been sure what clothes she was going to need in the country so had thought it wiser to bring almost all her things with her from Venice.
