Page 13 of A Chance in a Million
Noting her tone, Miss Leonard’s voice became surprisingly warm. ‘But no longer. Want to talk about it?’
Instinctively Jane shook her head, but then relented. ‘Not really, if you don’t mind. At least, not yet. There was a man who was very dear to me, but he died.’
‘I’m so sorry to hear that. Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I know a thing or two about grief.’
Jane was genuinely moved at this sensitive and caring side to her employer. Maybe talking might do both of them some good but not now, not yet. ‘Thank you, Miss Leonard. That’s very kind. Maybe one of these days…’
‘Of course. You take your time. And would you start calling me Veronica? I think we know each other well enough now. Miss Leonard makes me sound so stodgy.’
‘I would like that. Thank you.’
‘Anyway, going back to the man from Mantua, would you mind meeting up with him again – with me as chaperone? You see, I’d already heard about the Costume Museum from my daughter, Diana, and I’ve been meaning to visit it. It only opened a couple of years ago but I’m afraid I haven’t been in the mood for sightseeing or museum visits of late. But now, seeing as you know the curator, it seems like too good an opportunity to miss. Besides, I’m sure you might enjoy a trip to Mantua. Do you know the city?’
Jane shook her head. ‘No, this area’s all new to me.’
‘It’s a charming little city situated on a curve of the river so that it almost feels as though it’s an island. All very quaint and medieval with cobbled streets and a magnificent Palazzo Ducale. The dukes of Mantua were big players in Italian history. It’s a couple of hours away by car and we could drive over one day, visit the museum and I can check out the costumes. I promise I won’t leave you alone with your man unless you want me to. How does that strike you?’
The idea definitely appealed. It sounded like a lovely place to visit and Jane was confident that the fact she would have her boss with her should ensure that Paolo wouldn’t get the wrong impression. ‘That sounds great.’
‘Shall we get Alvise to drive us or how would you feel about doing it? I’m afraid I gave up driving some time ago. Everybody goes so fast these days.’
‘No need to bother Alvise, I can drive us by all means. Just say when.’
‘How about early next week, Monday or Tuesday?’
‘That’s absolutely fine by me. I’ll check the opening times.’
Later that day, Jane decided to call Paolo. She had given it a lot of thought before getting in touch with him but Veronica had clearly indicated she was interested in meeting him. Jane had enjoyed his company and she knew it would be pleasant to see him again and, luckily, Veronica would provide a perfect excuse for not getting too friendly – unless she decided she wanted to.
He answered almost immediately. ‘Jane? Ciao, it’s good to hear from you. I was hoping you’d call.’
‘Hi, Paolo. I told my employer I’d met you and she’s keen to visit the Costume Museum next week. I’ll come with her and I thought maybe if you’re around I could return the favour and buyyoua drink.’
‘It’ll be great to see you again but let me offer you lunch or dinner.’ He definitely sounded eager, but she stuck to her softly-softly approach.
‘That’s very kind, but I can’t really. I’ll be with my employer and working, you see, but I’m sure I could take half an hour off to buy you that drink.’
He had another couple of goes at persuading her but she stuck to her guns and he finally relented. He told her the museum was closed on Monday but said he would be only too pleased to give them a private tour that day if that suited them. Jane felt sure Veronica would be pleased to receive special treatment so she thanked him and they agreed to meet there on Monday afternoon at three.
That evening she really felt the need to get some exercise. She had always kept herself very fit and the physios had been keen to get her back onto a regular running routine once her wounds had healed. It was now a week since her last run and she knew she needed to restart. The problem was that here in Venice there were precious few places suitable for a run without bumping into people at every turn. She mentioned the problem to Alvise and he came up with an excellent solution.
‘I have to go over to Murano to pick up some replacement pieces of glass for one of the chandeliers in the living room. When the decorators were in recently, they managed to give it a clout with a ladder and broke four of the little crystal pendants. As you can imagine, Her Ladyship wasn’t best pleased. It’s all handmade and it’s been there for hundreds of years, so the replacement pieces had to be specially made. Why don’t you come with me? I’ll show you where you can go for a run without bumping into too many tourists. Down by Murano sports ground there’s space.’ He had another idea. ‘Come to think of it, you could take Dino with you if you like, unless you’re afraid he might trip you up. You can let him off the lead and the only worry is that he might choose to go for a swim.’ He grinned. ‘But even if he does jump in, we should be able to dry him off before we get back home.’
‘I’d love to take him for a proper run. He’s still quite young, isn’t he? I bet he’d love it.’
‘He’s barely two years old now. Like I told you he normally roams all over the estate up in the hills so he’ll probably run you into the ground.’
Jane went up to change and then they set off. This time after barely a couple of hundred metres or so Alvise turned off the Grand Canal into a considerably narrower canal between the houses, regularly passing underneath humpbacked bridges that seemed almost to graze the top of the little cabin. Each time Jane instinctively ducked, just in case. Gondolas and other boats – some of them long, low delivery vessels and even a municipal rubbish barge – came past in the other direction and Alvise had to nip in and out between the moored boats to avoid the larger ones. He had an expert touch on the tiller and was clearly enjoying himself. Dino, too, was having a marvellous time charging from side to side of the launch, occasionally barking at other dogs, or simply for the hell of it. When Jane considered that this was simply the Venetian equivalent of being given a lift from one part of the city to another, it was a surreal experience. She still hadn’t fully come to terms with living in a city built on water.
After a few minutes they emerged from among the houses into the open lagoon and Alvise pointed across the smooth surface of the water to a low island some distance away.
‘That’s where we’re going: Murano. Know the name?’
‘Murano’s famous for glass, isn’t it? I’m sure my parents have got a glass jug at home from Murano. Of course, I suppose that’s why you get the chandelier parts made there. Is that right?’
Alvise nodded. ‘It’s famous worldwide. You should go over some time and take a look around. They do tours of the factories where you can see glass blowers and all that. There are some amazing craftsmen there.’
It took them fifteen minute or so to motor across to the island, which he told her was actually a collection of half a dozen separate little islands linked together by bridges. Instead of heading for the centre, he took her round to the north of the island where there were fewer buildings and what looked like a sports complex. He dropped her and the dog at the entrance to a broad canal that he told her would lead him to the glass factory, and they arranged to meet back here again in forty-five minutes. After he had chugged away again, she looked down at Dino who was clearly raring to go. She pointed her finger sternly at him as Alvise had taught her.
