Under a Siena Sun (Escape to Tuscany #1) - T.A. Williams Page 0,26

see you yesterday, but something came up. My name’s Armando. My wife and I live up at the Villa Castelnuovo. Thank you so much for calling about Boris.’ He handed her the bottle of wine. ‘Ignore the label, this is our own wine from the villa.’

Getting over her initial surprise that the Labrador belonged to her landlord, Lucy held out her hand. ‘I’m very pleased to meet you, Armando, please call me Lucy. And thank you so much for this gorgeous bottle of wine, but there was no need. I was thinking about coming up to the villa one of these days to say hello.’

She saw a shadow cross his face. ‘It’s probably best if you don’t. The owner doesn’t like visitors.’

So Armando was the hired hand, not the proprietor. ‘Oh, dear, I’m sorry to hear that. It would only have been a courtesy call, but of course I’ll keep my distance.’

He looked relieved. ‘You can always get me or Fioretta on the number you called. We’ll be only too pleased to help. Is everything all right here? You’re the first tenant we’ve had.’

‘Everything’s marvellous and everything works. Can I offer you a glass of wine or a cup of coffee? It’s a new machine and I’m still getting used to it, but it seems to make pretty good coffee.’

He readily accepted the offer of an espresso and she ushered him and the dog inside. While she made the coffee, he looked around appreciatively.

‘It’s good to see the old place lived in. It was almost falling down before the builders started and they were here for four, five months, getting it back into shape.’

‘They’ve done a marvellous job. I love it.’

‘And I understand it’s your intention to buy it.’

‘That’s right. I can’t wait. And do you know the first thing I’m going to do? I’m going to plant a rambling rose outside the back door. Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always wanted a home with a rose around the door.’

She saw him smile. ‘Well, in that case, let me offer you one of mine. As well as the vines, I take care of the gardens up at the villa and I’ve got a number of roses that I’ve grown from cuttings. There’s a very unusual pink and white one with a wonderful scent that would be perfect for what you want. I’ve no idea of its name but it’s a vigorous climber and it’ll flower throughout the summer. Would you like that?’

‘I would love that. Thank you so much, Armando.’

As they drank their coffee, he told her what he could about the history of the place. The villa had been built three hundred years ago alongside the ruins of the original Castelnuovo. He couldn’t tell her much about the castle itself, seeing as it had been razed to the ground centuries earlier. From the size of the foundations, he said it was clear it must have been a building of some importance, but he knew no more than that, apart from the fact that it had given its name to the village and the villa. This only whetted Lucy’s appetite to visit the ruins even more, but clearly this wasn’t going to be allowed by its reclusive owner. She decided she would, at the very least, check it out on Google Earth, although it would have been better to see it in the flesh.

Armando finished his account with recent developments up at the villa. ‘The present owner bought the Villa Castelnuovo five years ago and he and his wife only moved in when the builders finally finished about three years ago.’ He lowered his voice although there was nobody in the vicinity to overhear. ‘He’s not been very well. That’s why he keeps himself to himself.’

‘What a pity. Still, hopefully, living in a beautiful place like this will help him get better.’

‘Fioretta and I do hope so. He’s a good man. It pains us to see him so unhappy.’

‘Is he from around these parts?’

Armando shook his head. ‘No, he’s not.’ He didn’t say where he was from and Lucy didn’t dig. It was clear he and his wife were keeping a low profile. At least Armando had said he was a good man. She certainly didn’t want to end up living next to a sleazy Russian oligarch or a drug baron on the run.

‘And Boris the dog; does he have free run of the place?’

‘Yes, and normally he’s very good. He either goes for longer walks with his master or