Under a Siena Sun (Escape to Tuscany #1) - T.A. Williams Page 0,30

he was very much in charge of things at the clinic. He then came to what was probably the main reason for his visit.

‘I wanted to come and see you to find out if you knew you’re going to be working alongside Charles Lanslebourg. I only discovered today that you know each other.’

‘Yes, I had heard. It’s quite a coincidence. So he told you he knew me?’

‘Yes, this morning after our regular weekly meeting when it was announced that you were joining us. And you knew him well?’

‘Yes, four years ago in Greece, we worked together.’ She took a deep breath. ‘But there was more to it than that.’

‘He told me the two of you used to be an item. Is that right?’

She nodded. ‘For about six months.’ She looked up from her feet. ‘Until I found one of the nurses wrapped around him.’

‘Really? That’s not the way he tells it.’

‘Is that so? What does he say?’ Lucy listened intently.

‘He says you went off and left him for no reason. It broke his heart, apparently.’

‘If no reason means catching him stark naked on a beach at ten o’clock at night with a naked girl, then he’s right. Otherwise, he’s wrong, very wrong. I believe the Romans invented the expression “in flagrante” so, as an Italian, you can probably imagine the scene, I’m sure.’

Bruno nodded slowly. ‘That comes as no surprise. To be honest, we’ve been keeping an eye on him for a while now. He’s got a thing for nurses – and they seem to find him very attractive as well. Although it’s not against the clinic’s rules, Virginia’s father quite rightly frowns upon that sort of thing and woe betide Charles if he lays a finger on one of the patients.’

‘What’s that old saying about the leopard never changing its spots?’ Lucy gave a little sigh and, to her consternation, Bruno suddenly asked her a tricky question.

‘Did he break your heart?’

She took a couple of deep breaths. ‘Pretty much; at least for a while.’ She pulled herself together and tried to sound as positive as she could. ‘But as it turned out, he did me a favour. Without him, I wouldn’t have gone to Africa, and that was an unforgettable time of my life. Thanks for coming here to tell me, Bruno, but I’ll cope. Don’t worry, I’m not going to borrow the tennis player’s gun and shoot him.’

‘That’s good to hear, but we wanted you to know that we know. If he gets on your nerves, come to me or Virginia. The last thing we want is to lose you. He’s very good at his job, but I wanted you to know that he’s under observation. Okay?’

‘Thanks, Bruno, that’s good to know. And, yes, he is damn good at his job, so I promise I’ll do my best to bury the hatchet – and not in the back of his skull.’

They continued chatting as the light began to fade. She refused a second glass of champagne, deciding to save some for the next day. As dusk fell, he stood up and looked at his watch.

‘Well, it’s been great talking to you, but I need to go. As Virginia’s gone off to the Rome conference, I need to do the rounds and check that all’s well.’

She accompanied him to the door, kissed him on the cheeks and watched as he returned to his very smart car and drove off. This evening’s visit had reassured her – if she had needed it – that she was going to find him a good person to work with at the clinic. The looming problem, of course, was that in only a few more days she would find herself confronted by her former lover and, in spite of what she had told Bruno, she knew it was going to be far from easy.

Chapter 9

Lucy’s first week at the Siena Clinic was… interesting.

She got there bright and early at seven thirty on Monday morning and found Bruno waiting for her. He gave her a tour of the hospital, introducing her to other members of staff and some of the patients. Such was her apprehension at the prospect of seeing Charles again, she barely registered that two of the patients were very well-known Hollywood stars – one male and one female – who had come in for surreptitious ‘nips and tucks’ at the hands of the cosmetic surgeons. Nor did the presence of a senior member of the British government here for much-needed liposuction do