The Body in the Piazza - By Katherine Hall Page Page 0,28

saw that Faith had seen it. Olivia was here to cook. Clearly she was not going to have any patience for those who might have other things in mind.

“Such a wonderful group. From so many places,” Francesca said. “It is just what Gianni and I have hoped. Now, before you leave, one last thing. Breakfast—colazione—will start in the dining room each day at seven for the early risers and go until eight thirty. It will be buffet-style, but if you want something you do not see, please let us know.”

Constance Nashe didn’t even let a millisecond go by. “I suppose it isn’t going to be possible to get a cooked breakfast.” She stated it as a fact. “Poached eggs, proper toast.”

“That is no problem at all. You just need to tell me what you would like as soon as you come down, or the night before with the time you want it in the morning, and it will be ready. We have wonderful sausages and tomatoes, so we can do a full English breakfast if you like. Even the beans, although they may be a little different.”

Not canned, Faith thought, noting with glee the disappointment on Constance’s face at having her demand satisfied. She was obviously a woman who enjoyed making those around her uncomfortable, even when it meant her own needs weren’t met.

“You will find a folder in your rooms with information about our house and the grounds. I think you will especially enjoy our pool. We have given you the schedule for each day, but it may change. We want to know what you would like to do, so the outings are suggestions, although we planned them with a view toward introducing you to this area in the short time we have—markets, wineries, some historic towns, and of course, Florence itself starting tomorrow morning. We have tickets for those who wish to visit the Duomo and other places. There is a map of the city and also some other maps in the folder.”

She took a breath. Faith felt proud of her former employee. Francesca was doing very well.

“We have one other student who will be joining us during the day. You will meet him later this evening. I think you will enjoy Jean-Luc. He has restored an old property a short walk from here and is originally from France. He has invited the class to visit his villa on Tuesday and will talk about the renovation process he went through if you are interested. I can tell you it took much longer than he thought! But it is a beautiful home now. Oh, I almost forgot. You will be cooking from sheets I will give you each day in the kitchen, but at the end, you will have new ones without the food spills in a binder to take home.”

She looked at her watch. “One hour—and then meet back here?”

There were murmurs of assent and people started leaving to go to their rooms. Faith and Tom went over to Gianni and Francesca.

“So far, so good. Everybody seems happy to be here,” Tom said. “I can’t wait. I’m not bad at nookie, but have never tried my hand at gnocchi.”

Faith had forbidden him to repeat this joke, which he had tried out on her some weeks before, and she was only happy that at the moment the audience was limited to their two friends.

Gianni laughed uproariously and Francesca looked puzzled. Faith gave her husband a look. A wife-type look.

“Okay, okay.” He was laughing, too. “I had to try it once, didn’t I?”

“Not really,” she started, and was about to elaborate when Francesca pulled her to the side. “Could you come into the kitchen for a moment or do you need to freshen up?”

“No, I’m fine. And I’d love to see the kitchen. Tom, why don’t you unpack your things?” This wouldn’t take long. Tom had packed even less than she had. “If you’re not in the room, I’ll find you where?”

“Definitely checking out the pool.”

The reverend had obviously decided he was on vacation, Faith thought. And she would work at getting in the same mood. Tom saw much more death than she did—and he had also not had the same amount of contact with Freddy. She looked out the French doors that led to a patio and spotted the pool, an inviting turquoise oblong farther down the hillside. It, the garden, the pleasure of cooking again with Francesca, would all help her to move on. And move is what