Under a Siena Sun (Escape to Tuscany #1) - T.A. Williams Page 0,40

to pull out. ‘Dinner on Wednesday night, I think we agreed?’

‘That’s right. I was wondering… have you been to the Cavallo Bianco just down the road from you yet?’

‘The Cavallo Bianco? You mean here in Castelnuovo? I’ve got a friend here at the moment and she’s just been talking about it.’

‘So, would that be all right?’

‘It would be super, thanks. I’ve been meaning to go there. My friend tells me it’s very good.’

‘You can judge for yourself. I like it a lot and I often eat there. My aunt and uncle own it.’

‘Well, well.’ Lucy remembered he had told her way back that he had relatives in the village. ‘That sounds great. Would you like to come here for a drink first and then we can walk down together?’

‘Terrific. Say, eight o’clock?’

When she rang off, she looked across the table at Margherita.

‘Now, that’s a coincidence.’ She went on to tell her what Tommy had revealed and saw comprehension on the older woman’s face.

‘So you’re going out for dinner with little Tommasino, fancy that.’ Adding the suffix –ino to a word in Italian acted as a diminutive and as Tommy was the best part of six feet tall, it seemed a bit of a misnomer, but presumably Margherita had known him since he was a baby and still thought of him as a toddler. ‘It was so sad what happened with him and his wife…’ Her voice tailed off sorrowfully and Lucy found herself undecided whether to ask or not. In the end she felt she had to know.

‘Did she die?’

‘No, she left him when he had an affair. And with a German woman of all people!’

‘Ah…’ Lucy couldn’t think of a follow-up to this but she filed the knowledge away for future reference. It sounded as though her first impression of Tommy had been right and he came from the same mould as Charles. She harrumphed to herself and wondered what sort of evening she was going to have on Wednesday.

Chapter 12

Tommy arrived bang on eight o’clock on Wednesday and Lucy gave him a glass of Prosecco as promised. Even up on the terrace it was a hot, clammy night as the end of July approached, so they stayed downstairs where the thick stone walls David Lorenzo had mentioned did an excellent job of keeping the temperature at an acceptable level. She told Tommy about her conversation with Margherita and he smiled at being referred to as Tommasino.

‘I was born in Siena, but we used to come here to see my uncle and aunt most weekends. I know Margherita very well – ever since I was tiny. They had the local farm and we kids used to play in the olive groves and we’d often see her. I can’t tell you how many glasses of home-made lemonade I’ve had from her. You heard about her son’s accident?’

Lucy nodded. ‘Yes, and all sorts of other stuff. She’s a walking encyclopaedia. I reckon I now know everything about everybody around here – and if I don’t, I know who to ask.’ She wondered if he would register that this might well include him and his German lady friend, but he gave no reaction.

The restaurant was almost full, even though it was mid-week, and this confirmed what Margherita had said about its good reputation. Tommy was greeted with kisses by his aunt who then gave Lucy an interested look as she shook her hand. Presumably this wasn’t the first time Tommy had brought a woman here for appraisal.

As they sat down, Lucy felt his knee rub against hers and she registered that it was remarkably hairy – surprising, seeing as he was wearing long trousers. A swift glance under the table revealed the culprit. A familiar-looking black dog had squeezed between them and was sitting at their feet, one paw scrabbling at Tommy’s knees. Instinctively, Lucy looked around to see if David Lorenzo was in the room, but couldn’t locate him.

‘Bella, come out!’ Tommy’s aunt gave Lucy an apologetic smile. ‘I’m sorry, she and Tommaso are old friends, so she’s always around him.’

As the dog reluctantly heeded the command to come out from under the table, Lucy registered that this Labrador was not Boris after all. The sensation of disappointment this induced in her reminded her of the little shivers of attraction she had been feeling in the tennis player’s company and she did her best to shrug off a feeling of regret – and guilt, seeing as he was a married man