Under a Siena Sun (Escape to Tuscany #1) - T.A. Williams Page 0,83

one of the nurses I worked with in Mabenta, is getting married next month. She’s French and the wedding’s going to be in Avignon. The invitation is for me plus one. I don’t suppose you’d like to come with me, do you?’

He didn’t hesitate. ‘Absolutely. I’d love that. I love France and, the way I feel about you, I’d be happy just to be wherever you’re going to be. Count me in.’

‘You’re sure? I mean, people are going to recognise you.’ She had a sudden thought. ‘Come to think of it, what if somebody takes a photo of the two of us together? They might post it on the Internet. Shouldn’t we maybe wait until you’ve got your divorce settled?’

‘You sound like my attorney.’

‘You’ve spoken to your attorney about me?’ She didn’t know whether to be pleased or intimidated.

‘Indirectly. Meeting you has been the kick up the ass I needed to make me get on with my life. I spent an hour on the phone with him this afternoon. That’s the main reason I’m going back to the States. I want to get the divorce papers settled as soon as possible and, like I told you, the sooner the divorce settlement gets done, the sooner I’ll be able to think seriously about setting up some sort of charity. As long as you don’t mind, if people see you and me together before that, so what? As both you and my lawyer say, the break-up was technically Rosy’s fault every bit as much as it was mine – in his eyes a good deal more. Being seen with you isn’t going to hurt – and it means we’ll be together.’

‘Well, if you’re sure. I’m just happy to be where you are, too. Does this mean you’ll be seeing your wife this week?’

‘I don’t know. I’ll find out in the next few days.’

Lucy found herself wondering what the reaction of his wife was likely to be when she found her husband once more looking and sounding normal. Might this rekindle the love she presumably must once have felt for him? The thought that this might mean losing him so soon was unsettling, even though Lucy kept reminding herself that getting together with him, amazing as it was, would ultimately have to end anyway. She knew only too well that her conscience would never let her settle down in the lap of unashamed luxury when so many people were suffering in squalor. Once again, her thoughts were drawn to the people she had left behind in Africa and she found herself struggling, caught between these two so very different worlds.

Carpe diem, she told herself. Enjoy the moment, because sooner or later these wonderful days are bound to come to an end.

Chapter 24

The following day she had a long lie-in to help get her ready for night duty starting that evening. David had gone off at the crack of dawn for his early flight and she had been left with time to reflect on the whirlwind that had carried her away in the past forty-eight hours. Suddenly her whole life had changed for the better. She now had a wonderful man in her life – albeit maybe just temporarily – and a permanent smile on her face. Compared to those final days in Mabenta, this really was a dream come true. Her escape to Tuscany had turned into something far, far better than she could ever have imagined.

That afternoon she met up with Daniela for tea before going to the clinic to start her night shift. When she passed on her amazing news, Daniela beamed.

‘I’ve been feeling awful about the fact that it was my newspaper, and my colleague, who revealed your tennis player’s whereabouts. I’m just delighted it’s worked out so well for him and for you. Tommy’s been avoiding me since the article came out and he knows I’m going to give him a real telling-off. Even if we’re journalists, we need some sense of morality.’

Lucy patted her hand. ‘Don’t waste your breath, Danni. Even David says it needed to happen so he could get on with his life.’

‘Are you seeing him tonight?’

‘No, he’s on his way to Boston for a few days. He went off this morning. I’m going to be working nights until Saturday and then he’ll be back and I’ll see him again. And once he’s back, I’d really like to have you and Pietro round for dinner one night so you can meet him. Anyway, how are you?