Page 42 of A Chance in a Million
Even her father – normally fairly taciturn as far as personal matters were concerned – joined in. ‘You’ve been so awfully dejected for ages now and suddenly you look transformed. You can’t imagine how happy that makes us.’
‘I can honestly say Iamfeeling a lot brighter. Yes, I still have my bad moments, but they’re getting fewer and fewer. The really good news is that I haven’t had a seriously bad dream since I arrived over here in Italy. Like I say, I’m not there yet, but I’m getting there. Even I can feel it.’
She and her parents had a quiet dinner together at her house on Friday night and then on Saturday she took them down to Padua. She gave them a tour in the morning followed by a lunchtime pizza and then a circuit of the Colli in the afternoon, taking in a stop in Arquà Petrarca. It was less crowded than the last time and they managed to get close enough to the tomb of the great poet: a Roman-style pink marble sarcophagus on pillars in the main square. Interestingly, Jane’s phone told them that in 2004 the tomb had been opened and it was discovered that, while the body probably belonged to Petrarch, the skull belonged to a woman who had died over a century earlier. The mystery of Petrarch’s skull continued to puzzle academics but didn’t appear to trouble the swarm of visitors around his grave.
It was another fine, sunny day and when they got back to the villa Jane got a text message from Diana asking if they would like to come over for tea with the family. When they went across to the main house, they found Veronica, Flora, Luciana, Beatrice and Diana sitting outside on the back lawn with a familiar black form stretched out at their feet, apparently unconcerned that Linda and her teddy were sprawled all over him, playing. When he spotted them, Dino jumped to his feet and ran across to greet them effusively, starting with Jane. Veronica was quick to remind him of his manners.
‘Dino, don’t jump all over the guests.’ She rose to her feet and greeted them in her turn before inviting them to sit down and accept a slice of sponge cake – freshly baked by Maria this afternoon – and some tea. They were soon chatting freely and Jane found herself the subject of much of the conversation. It came as something of a relief when Dino’s master appeared. Jane had already warned her parents that he looked more than a little unkempt but she hadn’t mentioned to them that, in spite of his appearance, she felt a definite connection with him.
‘Sorry I’m a bit late. I got caught up with a seminar on the internet.’ He walked across and introduced himself, shaking hands politely. ‘Good afternoon. I’m David; Beatrice and Diana’s brother. I’m pleased to meet you, Mr and Mrs Reed.’ He sounded very formal and Jane could see he was uncomfortable in a social gathering like this.
The conversation continued and by the end Jane had the impression that Veronica and her parents were getting along fine, and even David had been cajoled into taking part – mostly in the guise of history guru, talking about the First World War. When they returned to the summer house later on, her mother waited until the door had closed behind them before turning towards Jane and cutting to the chase with the same unerring knack for putting her on the spot she had demonstrated on numerous occasions all the way through Jane’s childhood and adolescence.
‘You like David, don’t you?’
At first Jane attempted to play down any feelings she might have been developing for him, but her mother wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
‘I could see the way you were looking at him. You definitely like him.’
Probably because he could see Jane’s embarrassment, her father then intervened. ‘Well, what’s not to like? He’s clearly bright, comes from a good family and I suppose the only question is what he looks like underneath all that hair. He certainly looks fit enough.’
Jane shot him a grateful glance but then admitted defeat. ‘Yes, you’re right, I do like him.’ She caught her mother’s eye. ‘Considering I came over here certain that I’d never look at another man again, it’s unexpected, but I can’t help it. There’s something almost magnetic about him, his eyes in particular.’ She toyed with the idea of showing them the photo of him in uniform on her phone but decided that might look too much like she was stalking the poor man.
Her mother reached out and caught hold of both her hands. ‘Well, I for one, am delighted for you. We all know how close you were to Mark and how awful these past two years have been for you but you’ve got to move on with your life. Whether anything happens between you and David is unimportant. What matters is that you look so much more relaxed and there’s a smile on your face that wasn’t there before. Whether it’s anything to do with David is up to you to decide, but something, or someone, here is doing you good.’
The party the next evening went well. Jane and her mother had decided to make it a help-yourself buffet and they spent the afternoon preparing all manner of dishes from nibbles to hot food. Because they were in Italy, they decided to make it an all-English affair and Jane had bought a big piece of beef from the butcher further along the valley, which they roasted together with potatoes and her mum’s homemade Yorkshire puddings. Just to make sure that everybody got a truly authentic English meal, Jane made a big pot of her speciality chicken tikka masala and a heap of rice. This raised more than a few eyebrows, but she was able to tell everybody that this Indian dish had become one of the most popular in England and it appeared to be met with approval. The only concession she made to being in Italy was that she bought a load of wonderful meringue ice cream from the shop in the village which made the best ice cream she had ever tasted. She served this with a fresh fruit salad containing everything from strawberries to white flesh peaches.
Diego’s disco turned out to be really rather good, once Jane had explained to him that there was no need for the noise levels to set the glasses in the kitchen jingling. He produced an eclectic mix ranging from Sixties classics like the Rolling Stones and the Supremes all the way up to Italian pop which allowed those who felt in the mood to get up and dance. Among these was little Linda who appeared to be loving her first party with grown-ups and a certain ninety-five-year-old who even got up and danced with her. Jane watched in awe before returning to running around, serving food and collecting dirty dishes while her father acted as barman, dispensing Prosecco, red wine and beer, along with non-alcoholic drinks. She barely had time to exchange a few words with Paolo when he arrived but she was gratified to see that Beatrice had taken him under her wing. When the time came for an overtired Linda to be put to bed, Jane noticed that Paolo went with them. It looked as if her plan was working out.
Dino the dog wandered about from group to group, tail wagging hopefully, doing his unsuccessful best to look as though nobody fed him. His master arrived late and surprised Jane with a birthday present. Nobody was supposed to know it was her birthday and she wondered how he had found out. He didn’t hand it to her and she only discovered it as she was clearing up the dessert dishes later. Taking it out to the kitchen she opened it and found a copy of his book on the origins of the First World War with a dedication inside. This read:To my good friend Jane. David.
She stood there and looked at it for a few moments, digesting his choice of words. He had included the adjectivegoodin front offriend, which he didn’t need to do, but there was no disguising the fact that it couldn’t be described in any way as intimate. Hearing approaching footsteps she closed it again and set it down on top of the fridge. What had she been expecting? A declaration of undying love? Hardly.
The party broke up at midnight and the guests gradually went their separate ways. Jane was standing outside the front door watching Diego load his disco gear into the boot of his car, when she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find it was Paolo. There was a funny expression on his face – almost of embarrassment.
‘Hi, Jane. Thanks for inviting me. It was good to meet your parents. Sorry we haven’t had much chance to talk.’ He hesitated and the uncomfortable expression became more pronounced. ‘I wanted to ask you something: would it be all right with you if I asked Beatrice out one of these days? I mean… you and I are just good friends, aren’t we? That’s what you want, isn’t it?’ He sounded really awkward and her heart went out to him.
‘Of course it’s all right, Paolo. Yes, you and I are good friends.’ She couldn’t help noticing that these were the very same words David had used in his book dedication and the parallels were unmistakable. Clearly, David’s feelings towards her were similar to her own feelings for Paolo. ‘I hope we remain very good friends and I do hope you and Beatrice enjoy being back together.’
An expression of relief flooded across his face. ‘Thanks, Jane. The thing is, it’s clear you have somebody else on your mind.’ He reached over and kissed her on the cheeks. ‘Thanks again for a lovely evening and I hope it works out for you and David.’
And he disappeared into the darkness, leaving her feeling like a freshly landed fish on the deck of a boat, flailing about helplessly. Her mother had seen it, and now even Paolo had seen it. Was she really so transparent? And if they could see it, did that mean that David had also noticed the attraction she felt for him? Her thoughts were interrupted by the man himself.
‘Ciao, Jane. I’m just going for a walk around the perimeter with Dino and I wondered if you might feel like keeping me company?’
Jane spun round as he emerged from the doorway behind her. ‘Hi, David. Yes, of course. I’d like that. Just let me put on some sensible shoes.’ She disappeared back inside and pulled on her trainers. Her parents had already gone up to bed so she closed the French windows before coming back out again. She found David and Dino waiting for her and they set off side by side in the darkness. As the lights of the house receded into the distance behind them, her night vision improved and she found she could make out the path quite clearly. It was another cloudless sky and although the moon had not yet risen, the starlight was strong enough to cast shadows. Up here away from the pollution down on the industrial plains, the air was clear and the deep velvet of the sky above their heads was filled with pinpricks of light from far distant galaxies. It was a breathtaking view.
‘Did they teach you how to navigate by the stars?’ His voice almost made her jump. ‘There’s the Great Bear and Orion’s Belt, so the north must be…’ He let the question hang in the air and she smiled as she supplied the answer.
‘That way.’ She stopped and pointed confidently towards the north, pleased to find that this memory from her military past didn’t produce a wave of nostalgia.
‘Correct. Well done, Captain Reed.’
‘It’s an amazingly clear night, isn’t it?’
‘It’s a beautiful night.’
His voice sounded so soft and tender, she very nearly reached over and caught hold of his arm but restrained herself. If they really were just ‘good friends’ she didn’t want to put him into an awkward situation; not least as he was the son of her employer and this could potentially scupper her job. For his part, he made no move.
