Under a Siena Sun (Escape to Tuscany #1) - T.A. Williams Page 0,81
as though she was living in a dream and she knew she couldn’t be any happier. She stayed with him at the villa in his lovely big bedroom. Early next morning she was there, resting on her elbows, gazing out through the lace curtains that fluttered gently in the breeze. The view was even better than from her cottage and she could clearly see Siena in the distance with the unmistakable bulk of the cathedral distinguishable among the red roofs of the old town. Beyond that, the hills continued until a vague dark strip on the horizon where the Apennines were virtually hidden by the haze. She sighed with real pleasure and couldn’t help comparing this view to the orange dust and sun-scorched scrub that extended for miles all around the Mabenta clinic with hardly a single house to be seen amid the trees.
‘A penny for your thoughts.’ She was roused from her daydream by the feel of his lips on her neck. ‘You looked miles away.’
She turned towards him and kissed him softly. ‘Just thinking.’
‘Let me guess: about Africa?’
‘Yes, but also about just how happy I am right now. You’d better keep your distance, I think I might explode.’
He grinned down at her. ‘We wouldn’t want that to happen, now, would we? If it helps, I haven’t been this happy for years and years, maybe never.’
As he settled back beside her, she decided the time was right to ask him a direct question.
‘So does that mean you’re feeling healthier mentally, as well as physically? I know about your knee, but what about inside your head?’
‘You mean my depression? I’m fine now. And it’s down to three things. First, less than two years ago, after Rosy had been gone for a few months, Armando and Fioretta persuaded me to get Boris.’ He glanced across at her and grinned. ‘To be honest, they didn’t give me much choice. Armando just turned up one day with a little black ball of fur in his hands and said I needed him. And I did. Labrador puppies should be available on prescription. He did wonders for me, just as a friend and a silent, non-judgemental companion who forced me to get off my ass and outside into the fresh air. Second, Franz Berlin. That man’s a miracle-worker. He has a knack of helping you get to the root of your problems all by yourself – or so it seems. He’s been invaluable to me.’
As Lucy leant against his shoulder, her eyes were drawn to the curve of the cypress trees alongside the drive leading down to the gate. A sudden movement revealed what had attracted her attention. This time no fewer than three red squirrels were chasing each other from branch to branch, tree to tree and she felt herself smiling as she watched their antics. ‘Franz helped me so much too. My experiences in the Congo – particularly those last really scary weeks – were weighing me down more than I was prepared to admit at first. I was still having awful nightmares even after weeks had gone by, but he sorted me out. Yes, Franz is a good guy.’ She reached over and kissed David softly on the lips. ‘And so are you. And the third thing? You said there were three.’
He smiled down at her. ‘Need you ask? The third, and most important was you, Lucy.’
‘But you and I have only just got together.’
‘I knew it from the first moment I saw you.’ He ran a finger gently across her cheek and she rubbed her face against his hand. ‘Honest, I mean it. Even as I was lying there bleeding from that stupid bullet wound, it registered with me that you were something very special.’
‘But you were so grumpy the first few times I saw you.’
‘You think that was grumpy? You should have seen me a few months earlier. Believe me, what you saw was sweetness and light compared to the bad-tempered wreck of a man I was before I met you.’
‘You really must have been in a bad place. And you must have been on your own for ages. So how did you spend your time here after your wife left?’
‘Walking the dog and reading history books, and doing a hell of a lot of nothing.’
‘Well, it worked out in the end and if I’ve helped in any way, then I’m pleased, and I’m sure Boris would like me to say the same on his behalf.’