Page 17 of A Chance in a Million
‘Here are your keys, Jane.’ Veronica emerged from the front door and handed over a small bunch. ‘If you want to go out in a car any time, just take your pick. I won’t be doing any driving but do check with Alvise first in case he has plans. There’s a remote control in each car which opens and closes the gates. If you want to go out on foot, there’s a pedestrian gate by the main entrance and the key to that’s on the ring. Now, what do you want to do about lunch today? My mother-in-law says she’s saving herself till dinner – to which we are both invited by the way – so for now we could order something in from the bar in the village if you like.’
‘I should maybe take a look at your mother-in-law’s bike first, shouldn’t I?’
‘Don’t worry about that. She’ll be having a siesta and she probably won’t surface for a couple of hours. Wait until this evening when it’s a bit cooler.’
‘As far as lunch is concerned, to be honest I had an enormous pizza last night so I’m not really that hungry. I’ve brought the contents of my fridge with me so I’ve got lots of stuff that needs to be eaten. Would you like to come and have a lunch of salad and bits and pieces with me? That way you can show me where everything is in the summer house.’
‘That sounds excellent, thank you. I’ll be delighted to take you up on your kind offer. Alvise and Maria will be here in an hour or two if you need anything, but I should be able to show you how most of it works.’ She turned and called out to the dog who was just visible in the distance, sniffing about in the trees around his house. ‘Dino, come here. David’s not back yet.’
Jane’s accommodation might not have had the historic allure of the palazzo in Venice or the striking appearance of the Palladian villa but it was exceedingly charming and comfortable all the same. There was an enormous open plan living room with a well-equipped kitchen to one side downstairs, and two big bedrooms upstairs, both with ensuite bathrooms. The floors were pine and there were bare beams throughout and wood panelling on the walls. The last time Jane had been somewhere like this had been the skiing holiday she and Mark had had in Austria barely a few months before his death. She felt quite nostalgic for a moment but was heartened not to feel her eyes begin to water.
‘The summer house was built in the twenties.’ Veronica went around opening curtains and windows. ‘The people who were living at the villa then did a lot of entertaining and I gather this little place was constantly full of guests. Like I said, we haven’t had guests here for years; it’s good to see it being used.’
‘It’s simply lovely. I can almost see the ladies in their long dresses and the men in their blazers and flannels.’
‘I’m not sure about blazers, but hunting clothes would have been common. Hunting was popular then and it wasn’t until thirty years ago that this whole area became a national park and they put a stop to it. I imagine back between the wars you could hardly hear yourself think on a Sunday morning with all the intrepid hunters out there shooting sparrows and protected species.’ Veronica shot her a rueful glance. ‘One of my least favourite facets of Italian country life, but at least that’s all over now as far as this area’s concerned.’
‘What about your father-in-law? Did he hunt?’
Veronica shook her head. ‘He had a horror of guns. He was in the RAF during the war and he must have seen more than enough violence. No, the only hunter here was Flora – and she was a crack shot. She even won competitions.’
‘Now, why doesn’t that come as a surprise to me? Your mother-in-law’s very different from any other grandmother I’ve ever known.’
‘Great-grandmother. Don’t forget little Linda, my own granddaughter. But yes, she’s quite a lady. Mind you, in spite of their wealth, she’s had a tough life. Living under the Nazi occupation can’t have been easy.’
She and Veronica carried on eating their lunch and chatting – increasingly freely these days – until there was a bleep from the iPad and Jane saw that her boss had just received an email.
‘It’s from your daughter, Diana. Are you happy to read it on the screen or do you want to wait until I’ve set up the printer?’
‘Just read it out to me if you don’t mind.’ Veronica took a sip of wine. ‘I can’t stand those damn computers.’
Jane clicked on the message and read it out loud as instructed. It wasn’t very long.
Ciao, Mamma. I’m flying back on Saturday morning. Should be arriving British Airways at Marco Polo at five p.m. Could Alvise come and pick me up? Are you already up at the villa or still in Venice? Really looking forward to seeing you again. Hope all is well. I’m fine. Love to Nonna. xxx
‘She never was one for long letters – mind you, she’s still miles better than her brother.’ Veronica was smiling, presumably at the thought of being reunited with her youngest before long. ‘Can you ask Alvise to pick her up?’
‘Of course, and if it’s a problem for him I’m happy to do it.’
‘That’s kind. I’ll give her a call later on. I’m so looking forward to seeing her again. I haven’t seen her since Christmas so we’ll have a lot of catching up to do.’
‘What about your other daughter? Will she be coming for the summer?’
‘Beatrice brings my little granddaughter, Linda, for a few weeks every summer. Hopefully she’ll stick around for a while. She and her husband split up last year and the divorce has just come through. I’m sure she could do with a break.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that. Is she going to stay on in Rome? Does she work?’
‘She works for a TV channel and she’s always busy. I sometimes worry that Linda doesn’t see enough of her mum. I have no idea whether she’ll end up staying in Rome. She says she’s trying to get transferred a bit closer to here but who knows?’
‘And David should be back by then so it’ll be a nice family get-together for you all.’
Veronica’s smile slipped. ‘Not all… The family will never be fully together again.’
Jane immediately did her best to add a bit of encouragement. ‘Of course, but still, it’ll be good for you to see all your kids. What age are they?’
‘Beatrice is the eldest. She’s…’ Veronica did a quick calculation. ‘…thirty-six now, while David’s thirty-three and Diana’s almost exactly eight years younger than him.’
Jane decided it would be a good idea to try to keep Veronica talking. As her own therapist had never stopped telling her, talking was good. ‘And are they all bilingual, like you and your mother-in-law?’
