she liked it.’
‘Oh, she liked the car all right. I bought it only a short while before my accident, but by that time she didn’t like me. She had pretty much already left me by then and she went to live on the coast on her own for a while. After the accident she came back for a bit and then, finally, when she realised I was a hopeless mess, she went off and left me. The car stayed here and, like I say, I stopped going out so I stopped driving it.’
Lucy grabbed hold of his arm with both hands – it felt rather good – and subjected him to her sternest look, while doing her best to keep her tone light. ‘Don’t say that sort of thing. The only mess round here is my hair after the ride in your car.’
‘Back then I really was a mess, but there was more to it than just the accident. I’ll bore you with the story some time, but not today.’ He looked up and she was very pleased to see a more positive expression on his face now. ‘Today’s a day for celebration. My jail term’s over and I’m a free man.’
Lucy gave him a smile in return and wondered if she dared press him for more information about what had happened between him and his wife but decided it was best, for now, to avoid poking at what was evidently still an open wound.
They walked into the luxurious hotel, not dissimilar to David’s Villa Castelnuovo, and were greeted by an obsequious lady in a designer dress, with gold-rimmed glasses dangling from a thin gold chain around her neck. She led them out through a charming lounge to a terrace at the rear of the villa, shaded from the sun by a rambling rose and luxuriant vines that looped and curled their way in and out of the crossbars of the wooden canopy that spanned the whole width of the terrace. Tables with other diners were spread out in the shade a good few feet apart from one another and David’s chosen table even had a massive lemon tree in a terracotta pot between them and their nearest neighbours. He had said discreet and it certainly was that.
It was a gorgeous setting. An army of bees flitted from bloom to bloom and their buzzing provided the only constant background noise, drowning out the conversation going on at the other tables. Otherwise, apart from the occasional car on the road in the distance, it was quiet and refreshingly peaceful after the hubbub of Florence. Lucy sat back and did her best to relax, enjoying his company now that they were out of the public eye, but she couldn’t help being concerned for him that his hitherto peaceful existence was about to be well and truly shattered, and was still feeling guilty at her part in it.
As if to reinforce her fears, his phone started ringing. He gave her an apologetic smile and answered it. She only heard his side of the conversation, but she had no doubt what was being said.
‘Hi, Sammie, this is early for you… You’ve what?’
Lucy saw his face harden.
‘How did they get hold of the story?… All over the news?… Already?’ He gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Well, so what? I couldn’t expect to stay out of the limelight forever.’
She could see him biting his lower lip as he listened to whomever was on the other end of the line and her heart went out to him. The conversation went on for another minute or two and by the time he hung up, it was perfectly clear to her that his whereabouts were not only out of the bag but being trumpeted all over the media. He dropped the phone onto the table and grimaced.
‘And so it begins. That was my agent. It’s all kicking off again.’ He sounded weary but she saw him take a couple of deep breaths and rally. ‘Anyway, enough of that for now, what’re we going to eat?’
They both had the same thing; air-dried bresaola beef drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and lemon, and covered with rocket leaves and shavings of Parmesan cheese. This was served with a huge mixed salad and would have been enough for Lucy if she hadn’t already ordered grilled lamb chops. When these arrived, they were so very tasty that she managed to find room for them, but then very definitely refused a dessert. It was as