Page 22 of A Chance in a Million
‘No, she’s my boss. I work for her.’ Jane went and collected a couple of cushions from the sofa. ‘Jump off a moment and you can sit on these. That way you and I’ll be at the same height.’ The little girl obeyed and was soon sitting happily, if precariously, perched at eye level. Jane sat back down again and gave her a smile. ‘That’s a nice teddy. What’s he called?’
Linda gave her a look as much as to say,what a silly question. ‘He’s called Teddy.’ She then transferred her attention to the computer screen. ‘What are you doing?’
Jane had limited experience with kids and had forgotten how inquisitive they could be. ‘I’m writing an email.’
If she had been expecting Linda to ask what an email was, she was to be disappointed. This seven-year-old was already computer savvy. ‘I got an email from my friend Violetta the other day. She’s a year older than me.’
Jane decided to start asking a few questions of her own. ‘And what did it say?’
‘It didn’t say anything. It was a photo of her birthday cake. It was pink.’
Jane gradually brought the conversation around to more relevant issues.
‘Are you here with your mummy? Is she going to stay with you?’
‘Yes, we’re going to have asuper holiday.’ The last two words were delivered in perfect English and Jane realised her mother must have been using the language more now that her husband was out of the equation. She grinned and switched to English.
‘Do you speak English? It sounds like you speak it very well.’
‘I can speak English and Italian.’ This, too, came out in fluent English and not without considerable pride – and rightly so. ‘So can you. We’re clever.’
‘Mind you, Dino the dog understands both languages, too. I sometimes speak to him in English and sometimes in Italian and I’m sure he knows exactly what I’m saying – particularly if it’s about food.’
At that moment there was a movement at the door and the Labrador himself put in an appearance, panting loudly, with his pink tongue hanging out. Jane saw that the water bowl she kept for him was almost empty so she got up and refilled it. When she returned to the table and they were both watching the dog slurping up big messy mouthfuls of water, she had an idea and glanced back at Linda. ‘When he finishes drinking, try asking him if he’d like a biscuit, but do it in English. You’ll see how well he understands.’
She got up and went over to her special packet of dog biscuits, listening with a little smile as Linda addressed the dog in slow, clear tones so he would understand. ‘Dino, do you want a biscuit?’
He immediately trotted across to the little girl and sat down primly at her side just as Jane had been teaching him.
Jane nodded approvingly. ‘Very good, Linda. Now tell him to give you his paw and to say “please”.’
‘What’s a paw?’ Clearly this was unfamiliar vocabulary for the little girl so Jane explained and then, after the dog had obediently obeyed the command, she handed Linda a biscuit to give to him. Both dog and girl looked satisfied as he took it most delicately and settled down at their feet to crunch it up.
His arrival was followed not long after by Veronica and her elder daughter.
‘Jane, can we come in?’
‘Of course. What can I offer you? It’s a bit hot for tea but I’ve made some fresh lemonade if you’re interested. Maria’s trusted me with her secret recipe. Would you like some?’
‘I’d like some lemonade.’ Linda had understood and was proudly showing her mum and grandma how good her English comprehension skills were.
Beatrice was quick to remind her of her manners: ‘No, Linda, “I’d like some,please.”’
Veronica answered for all of them. ‘That’s kind. I’m sure we’d all love some… please. You’ve met Diana, so now let me introduce you to my other daughter. This is Beatrice.’
‘Ciao, Jane. Mum’s been telling me how you’ve changed her life.’ Just like her sister, Beatrice spoke impeccable English. She was a good-looking woman in her mid-thirties, and she had a friendly, if slightly weary, smile. As Jane shook hands with her, she couldn’t miss the worry lines around the eyes. What was that old saying about death, divorce and house moves being the worst?
‘Hi, Beatrice. Your daughter’s just been showing me how well she speaks English. She’s a bright girl.’
‘I’m a bright girl.’ Clearly Linda was not one to hide her light under a bushel, but it then emerged that she was at least prepared to share the credit. ‘And Dino speaks English too. I’ve just been talking to him and he understood what I said.’
Jane pointed towards the open door. ‘Shall we sit outside? It’s a gorgeous afternoon.’ The others trooped out and sat down in the shade at the rear of the pavilion, while Jane grabbed four glasses and the jug of lemonade from the fridge and put them on a tray. For good measure she added a bowl of ice cubes and a plate of biscuits – not the canine variety, although Dino eyed them covetously.
They sat and chatted about everything from the weather to life in Rome, Linda’s school and Jane’s literary aspirations. Her military career was not mentioned and she was pleased about that. She found herself drawn to Beatrice, just as she had been to Diana, but this was different. She knew that Beatrice had been through a tough spell and must have suffered emotionally. In consequence she felt an immediate bond with her and was pleased to hear that she would be staying three full weeks and her daughter a few weeks longer. Veronica was looking and sounding perkier than ever and Jane was pleased for her too.
In the course of the conversation she learnt about Beatrice’s job with an Italian TV company, which sounded fascinating although it was clear that life as a single parent wasn’t making things easy for her or for her daughter. By the sound of it, this holiday would be the first real together time the two of them had had for ages. After a bit, Beatrice turned the subject to her siblings.
‘Di sounds as if she’s enjoying life in New York. Did you see the photos of her spring collection?’ She glanced across at Jane with a smile. ‘Believe it or not, there were some dresses I wouldn’t mind wearing myself – unlike last year’s collection that looked as though it was inspired by pole dancers.’
