Page 25 of Never Too Late
She looked around and saw Robert and his faithful dog sitting with the dark-haired woman from the yacht. Steph had no intention of interfering with him and what might prove to be his latest conquest, so she looked over to where Keith and Faye were with Sky and Tom, chatting to Cody Havergill, but decided against intruding on them. Rather than go and sit somewhere on her own and maybe risk another approach from Denver or assault by Willow, who was now stripped to a bikini that looked as if it had been designed to fit Barbie, she went over to a long flat slab of rock where Ben and Lottie were sitting. He was looking relaxed and happy, and, beside him, Lottie was still wearing the broad smile on her face that had been there almost since day one. They welcomed her and as they chatted, Steph gradually brought the subject around to music, but stayed studiously away from Ben’s music and the prospect of him returning to the band.
‘I’ve just been talking to Robert. He tells me he’s doing a concert in a Roman amphitheatre near Florence on Sunday afternoon. I was wondering about maybe going to hear him play.’
Lottie looked up with interest. ‘That sounds like a super idea.’ She turned to her husband. ‘Benny, how would you feel about a bit of classical music for a change?’
‘I’d love that. Rob plays so beautifully, and I like the idea of a performance in a Roman amphitheatre – reminds me of when we did that gig at the Arena di Verona all those years ago.’ For a fraction of a second Lottie caught Steph’s eye and winked. Clearly, she viewed her husband talking about the band as progress. ‘Why don’t we have a word with Keith and see if Cesare might be able to take us in the minibus?’ His wife looked delighted to hear him sound so positive.
At that moment, Steph’s phone bleeped, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was an email from the hospital in England. She opened it and as she read through the letter a cold numb feeling descended on her. It was couched in formal medical terms, but the upshot was that an appointment had been made for her the following Tuesday at the hospital for a biopsy. The letter indicated that this was a routine investigation to exclude anything serious. She had limited experience of mammograms, but she wondered if this really was as routine as it sounded. Presumably they had spotted something that didn’t look right.
‘What is it, Steph? Bad news?’ Lottie must have seen from Steph’s face that something was wrong. She reached over and caught hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘Can I help?’
Steph slipped her phone back in her pocket and looked up, debating what to say. In the end the sympathetic expression on Lottie’s face convinced her to reveal everything, including her fears about the significance of the biopsy. Lottie’s grip on her hand tightened.
‘It’ll be all right, you’ll see. It’s just that they want to be sure. I had a biopsy on a suspicious lump ten years back. I was terribly worried for a few days, but it all came back negative and I’m sure it’ll be the same for you.’
Steph gave her a grateful smile. ‘Thanks, Lottie, that’s really helpful.’
Ben leant over towards her and added a bit more reassurance. ‘If you knew the number of medical procedures I’ve had over the years, you’d realise that a little thing like a biopsy’s nothing. It’s good that they’re being thorough, but try not to worry.’
A bit later, after Cesare and Donatella had cleared away all the rubbish, the launch ferried everybody back to the yacht again. By this time even the Labrador had completely dried out in the sunshine and Steph herself was able to simply slip her clothes back on over her bikini without having to hop on the spot somewhere to get changed under a towel. On the way back towards La Spezia, Keith made a little speech, thanking Faye for thirty years of devotion and thanking his three children for their love. Steph couldn’t help glancing across at Denver’s face when his father said this, but there was nothing in his expression that reflected the anger he had demonstrated the other day. Whatever his father had said to him, it appeared to have cooled his temper. Of course, maybe Keith had given him a car…
They docked briefly at La Spezia where the celebrities and their entourages all left, stepping straight into a fleet of ostentatious, if anonymous, limousines with tinted windows. As Cody was helped unsteadily down the gangway by his bodyguard, he waved kisses and shouted fulsome thanks and farewells. Steph was surprised and impressed to see him still standing after everything he had drunk but, of course if the tabloids were right, he had had a lot of practice. Down on the main deck, Ethan was looking very pleased with himself. Being able to make contact with a rock legend like Cody was all he had ever wanted, and no doubt today had provided him with some excellent leads which wouldn’t do his business any harm at all. Whether Steph would still be involved with his business when that time came, was another matter entirely.
She took advantage of a quiet moment on the way back to the villa to inform Ethan she had to go back to the UK for a medical appointment on Tuesday, bracing herself for disinterest or even an annoyed outburst, but was pleasantly surprised to find him most supportive when she told him what was going on.
‘You should have mentioned it before, Steph. I didn’t realise you were having problems. How long do you think you’ll be away?’
‘The appointment’s on Tuesday at eleven thirty, so if I fly home last thing on Monday I can get a flight back to Pisa on Tuesday late afternoon or evening so I should only miss one day’s work. I’ve just been checking flight times and it looks like there are still seats.’
‘Then go ahead and book. I’m sure Cesare will give you a lift to the station, if not to the airport itself.’
Back at the villa that evening, on Keith’s instructions Cesare and Donatella organised another barbecue for the family. Steph protested that she and Ethan should duck out and give them some privacy, although she could almost hear Ethan grinding his teeth as she spoke, but Faye and Keith insisted they join them. Interestingly, tonight Robert was also part of the group – minus the dark-haired woman who had disembarked at La Spezia – although Steph could see him making sure he steered clear of his big brother. In fact, when they all sat down around the big table on the terrace, she saw Robert wait until Denver and Willow had taken their seats before placing himself at the opposite end of the table, where Steph also happened to be sitting chatting to Sky.
As he sat down she felt a warm body rub against her thigh and she looked down to see two big eyes reflecting eerily green in the candlelight as they gazed up at her.
‘Ciao, Waldorf. Had a good day?’ In return she got a nudge from a cold wet nose and a reply from his master.
‘He’s had a great day. I shudder to think how much he’s had to eat. I saw Cody’s bodyguard feeding him stuff all day long. Whatever you do, don’t let him persuade you to give him any more or he’ll explode. What about you? Enjoy yourself?’
Steph was surprised to hear him sounding relatively relaxed. She was also mildly surprised to find that he had chosen to sit near her, although she knew it was simply because he was trying to get as far away from his brother as possible. It actually worked out quite well that he was sitting alongside her, rather than opposite her; that way she didn’t have to run the gauntlet of getting dragged in by those magnetic eyes of his. She concentrated her attention on the table in front of her as she replied. ‘Definitely. This is a beautiful part of the world. I can see why you decided to put down roots here. You live up on the headland, don’t you?’
‘Yes. The year after Dad got this place I saw it up for sale, so I bought it. You’ll never guess who used to live there.’
‘Somebody famous? Byron or Shelley, maybe?’
He shook his head. ‘Somebody closer to my heart – Paganini himself.’
‘Wow, arguably the most famous violin player of all time! I can see why it appealed to you.’
‘I felt an immediate connection with the place. Plus, it’s in an amazing position.’
‘It certainly is. I was up on the opposite headland the day after the storm, and I couldn’t help thinking what a wonderful view you must have from your house. Did the place need much work?’
‘It needed alotof work. I did quite a bit of it myself. I enjoy getting my hands dirty.’
Steph was surprised and impressed: somehow she had assumed that his mega-rich father was the owner of the house or that he had gifted it to his son, and so, the idea of a world-famous musician getting involved in a bit of DIY was unexpected. Clearly Robert was trying to make it on his own two feet.
‘What happens to Waldorf when you go off to play all over the world? You don’t take him with you, surely.’ Or did one of his many women move in for the duration? The answer was closer to home.
