Page 57 of A Chance in a Million
‘Jane, hi, how did the weekend go?’ He sounded surprisingly cheerful for somebody about to go under the knife. Just hearing his voice sent a surge of emotion running through her, and she had to make a conscious effort not to purr with pleasure over the phone.
‘Hi, David, it’s great to hear your voice. Where are you?’
‘Sitting in a hospital corridor, waiting for an X-ray. How was the wedding?’
‘It was lovely and I met a number of people who know you and who asked me to say hi to you.’ She reeled off the names of everybody she could remember, but avoided mentioning Taffy or what he had told her or, indeed, that he had written the note. This would be something for when she and David were face to face and alone. She told him all about the wedding reception and gave him the good news that she had been able to handle the host of memories her reunion with old friends and comrades had thrown up, without drama. He sounded relieved and delighted for her and gave her his own news: the operation was scheduled for the following morning and he promised to contact her afterwards to tell her how it had gone. There was just one awkward moment when she told him she intended to come and see him after his operation. The news was greeted by stony silence but, fortunately, at that moment he was called for his X-ray and he just bade her a hasty goodbye.
She sat there looking blankly at the screen for a few moments, wondering if he would refuse to let her see him. After what she had learnt from Flora, she knew she was going to have to tread softly but that, as she reminded herself, was something she had been trained to do. She hoped she would be able to live up to Taffy’s and Flora’s expectations – and her own.
Chapter 31
Jane received a text from David just after lunch next day reading simply:
All done. Op went well. Talk tomorrow or the next day.
She shot him off an equally short reply:
Great news. Look forward to talking. x
Just to be sure, she went up to the villa to check that he had also been in touch with his mother. She found Veronica in the back garden with Alvise, moving the furniture about.
‘Hi, Veronica, have you heard from David?’
Her employer straightened up and nodded. ‘Yes, he phoned a few minutes ago. He says the op went well. He sounded a bit dozy but that was probably just the anaesthetic. The specialist has told him they need to keep him in for a few days as the dressings need changing regularly. I told him we’ll leave him in peace today and start going to see him tomorrow evening. If we all move back to Venice tomorrow morning, it’s just a short walk across town to the hospital and it simplifies things. All right with you?’
‘Fine by me.’ Jane glanced at the wicker armchairs. ‘Would you like me to help with moving these?’
‘No thanks, there’s no weight to them, and I need a bit of exercise. It gets wet and very cold up here in the autumn and winter so we bring them in. Tomorrow morning, as we’ve got Linda and Diana and her monster suitcase to think of, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind setting off first and driving them along with Maria down to Venice, while Alvise and I close up here. Then if you can come back up to collect me and the dog, Alvise can bring the last of the stuff in the Fiat. All right with you?’
‘No problem, although I have to say I’ll be sorry to leave.’ Jane glanced out over the tree-covered hills and the regular rows of the vines below. ‘It’s a gorgeous place and it’s had a really positive effect on me – and on you, right?’
‘My husband used to call these the healing hills. Any time one of the family caught a bad cold or felt under the weather he’d pack us in the car and come up here. It never failed. But don’t worry about going back down to Venice. Don’t forget we’re going back to one of the most beautiful and fascinating cities in the world. There’ll be operas, ballets, exhibitions, shows, balls and, of course, theFestival del Cinema.’ She caught Jane’s eye. ‘And this autumn I intend to get out and about and start enjoying life again. I hope you feel the same way.’
‘I really do. The healing hills have done us both good.’
Early next morning, Jane crammed the Mercedes full of bags and cases and drove Diana, Maria and Linda down to Venice. Inside the air-conditioned vehicle they were very comfortable but when they arrived at Venice and opened the doors, the heat was still intense – maybe not as bad as a month earlier, but still hot and very humid. They started unloading the bags and it was only then that it occurred to Jane that somebody was going to have to drive the launch along the Grand Canal and the only boat she had ever piloted had been a pedalo one summer in Greece. She queried how they were going to manage, and Diana then revealed that her brother wasn’t the only one who had grown up messing about in boats.
‘I’ll drive. It’ll be fun. It’ll be my first time out on the water this year. I’m looking forward to it.’
After they had loaded all the bags into the boat, Diana started the engine. Although Jane offered to go with them, Maria and Diana told her they could cope with unloading the luggage when they reached the palazzo, so Jane returned to the car and drove back up to the villa to collect Veronica and Dino. An hour or so later, just as she was starting the climb into the hills, her phone started ringing and she felt a little thrill when she saw who the caller was. She pulled into a convenient lay-by and answered.
‘Hi, David, how’re you feeling?’
‘I feel fine, thanks.’ His voice sounded strong and she rejoiced. ‘It’s all a bit sore but no big deal. Are you guys moving back down to Venice today?’
‘Yes, I was just saying to your mum yesterday how I’ll miss being up at the villa. I’ve loved being in the hills.’ She hesitated and then decided to go for it. ‘And I’ve loved being with you and Dino. I’m going to miss you.’
‘And I’m going to miss you, too.’ There was definitely a wistful note in his voice, and now would have been a good time for him to add something along the lines of ‘but I’ll come down to Venice to see you as often as I can’ or even ‘you can always come and stay with me,’ but he didn’t. Nevertheless, she ploughed on.
‘I can come to see you later today – if you like. Your mum’s planning on coming to the hospital this evening and I thought I might come with her if that’s okay.’
There was a definite delay before he replied. ‘I’ll check with the medics but it should be fine, even if it’s just a quick chat through a glass screen. They’re very wary of infection at the moment so I’m being kept closeted away until it all heals up.’
‘Just seeing you will be great.’
‘Just don’t expect too much.’ The insecurity in his voice was palpable.
She decided to throw caution to the wind. ‘Taffy told me what happened to you. So what? I can’t wait to see you.’
