Under a Siena Sun (Escape to Tuscany Book 1)

by T A Williams

  When she and Roberto arrived at her house, he insisted on carrying the bottles into the kitchen for her. After setting the boxes down on the floor he turned towards the door. ‘I’m afraid I need to get back. My wife’s taken the kids into Siena to buy clothes and there’s nobody back at the farm. I’ve no idea when they’ll be home and I don’t like leaving everything open. My daughter’s thirteen, going on eighteen, and she takes forever to choose what she wants to wear.’

  Lucy suppressed a wry smile. Just like David, this one was already married. As his car drove off and she closed the front door, she shook her head slowly. Why were all the good ones already taken? And why were so many of the others two-timing cheats? Still, she told herself, at least she now knew that Pietro was on the side of the angels.

  Chapter 15

  An hour or so later, while she was on her knees in the garden, tidying her new flowerbed, her phone beeped twice with one message from Pietro and one from Daniela within a matter of seconds of each other. The content was reassuringly similar: they had had their talk, everything was all right and they both sent their thanks for acting as go-between. Lucy immediately replied and managed to persuade them to go out for dinner with her to celebrate the fact that all was once again well between them.

  Daniela suggested that they meet up in the local restaurant here in Castelnuovo Superiore, but Lucy hesitated before agreeing. The Cavallo Bianco belonged to Tommy’s aunt and uncle after all, and she didn’t really want to bump into him so soon after refusing his invitation on the grounds of her non-existent boyfriend. Still, she told herself as she finally texted back to say yes, if she were to bump into him, he was a big boy and he would get over it, and the food there was too good for her to avoid the place on his account.

  It was still very warm at seven thirty that evening as she walked down the road to the restaurant, but tonight the clouds were starting to gather above the horizon. Lucy hoped this would signify the arrival of long-awaited rain – for her own little patch of garden as well as for the sake of the farmers around here. Even the hardiest weeds by the side of the road were dry and yellow, parched and burned by the sun, and there was no doubt the whole of Tuscany would give a huge sigh of relief when the rain finally came.

  When she got to the Cavallo Bianco, she was pleased to see no sign of Tommy, although Bella the Labrador seemed happy enough to see her again. Daniela and Pietro arrived a few minutes later and they all had a lovely meal together. Tonight, Lucy went for the chef’s take on the Spanish classic, gazpacho, and this cold tomato and cucumber soup was just what she wanted on such a sticky night. She followed this with home-made pappardelle al cinghiale. The rich gamey sauce accompanying the wide strips of pasta was made from the meat of the farmer’s big enemy in this part of Italy: the wild boar.

  Almost on a daily basis the local news was full of reports of vineyards devastated, crops uprooted, and even a few cases of people attacked by the huge wild pigs with their scary tusks which were multiplying at an alarming rate. Lucy had been pretty sure she had had one in her back garden the previous night but, by the time she looked out of the window, whatever it was that had been grunting and digging up her newly planted flowers had gone, leaving a trail of destruction behind that had taken her the best part of an hour to fix earlier this afternoon. As she savoured her pasta, she decided that wild boar appealed to her much more on a plate than in her garden.

  Daniela and Pietro once again looked as loving and settled as ever and Lucy rejoiced for them, not without the usual little twinge of envy at their evident happiness. As the meal progressed, the conversation turned to Lucy and her new home. Once Daniela had heard that she had spent the previous evening with her mysterious neighbour – whose identity Lucy steadfastly refused to divulge – Daniela spent considerable time digging, not so much to find out who he was, but to find out how Lucy felt about him.

  ‘So am I right in thinking we’re talking more than just good neighbours?’

  Lucy did her best to play down any developing feelings she might have towards David, but Daniela wasn’t a journalist for nothing and she managed to get Lucy to admit that she found him handsome, bright and good company. Reluctantly, Lucy repeated what he had said about his wife no longer living there and added the caveat that for all she knew, he might have been the guilty party responsible for the break-up. Daniela nodded sagely and gave her advice.

  ‘You’ve got to find out. Why don’t you ask him?’

  ‘I don’t know him well enough yet. Besides, if I start asking him that sort of stuff, it’ll sound as if I’m after him.’

  ‘And aren’t you?’

  ‘No… well, maybe. To be honest, I do find him very attractive, but nothing could ever develop between us as he’s from a completely different world from me. The shoes he was wearing alone probably cost more than my whole outfit. I’d never feel comfortable alongside a millionaire.’ Lucy saw that her friend was about to retort and did her best to change the subject. ‘Besides, I’m quite happy without a man at the moment. To be honest, I’m more concerned about my job.’

  ‘Why? Problems at work? I thought you said you’d cleared the air with Charles.’

  ‘It’s not Charles.’ Lucy’s voice tailed off and she glanced around but there was nobody within earshot. ‘And it’s not the work itself. I love the place. It’s got the most amazing state-of-the-art equipment and excellent facilities. I get on well with my colleagues, the director and with almost all of the patients, but I suppose it’s just this hang-up of mine. All men are supposed to be born equal but they aren’t. I’m finding the disparity between these over-privileged few and the millions of less fortunate people in the world increasingly hard to come to terms with.’

  ‘But didn’t you say your boss at MSF told you not to worry about that sort of thing?’ Daniela stretched out her hand and caught hold of Lucy’s, giving it a little squeeze. ‘I imagine you’re often doing life-saving work, I’m sure. It’s not as if you’re involved with the cosmetic surgery side of the clinic, after all.’

  ‘I know, but I still can’t get my head round the inequality of it all.’ She looked across the table and sighed. ‘And, if I’m honest, there’s something else. It’s all too easy. I go into work, I do my job, I stop for coffee, I work some more and then I come home again. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s stress-free – of course it’s not – but it’s so totally different compared to the daily struggle I’ve been used to facing.’

  ‘But isn’t it good to get away from too much stress?’

  ‘Well, yes, of course, but I felt so wedded to my job in Mabenta and I just don’t feel it here.’

  ‘And you miss the stress?’

  ‘It’s not that, really. Like I say, I like most of the patients – and I really wasn’t expecting to – but it’s something inside me. I honestly don’t know if I’m cut out for private medicine.’

  ‘So are you thinking of leaving? Going back to MSF?’

  Lucy shook her head slowly. ‘I really don’t know.’ Apart from anything else, leaving the clinic might well mean losing her little house and, for that matter, her handsome neighbour – millionaire or not, married or not, adulterer or not. ‘Like I say, it’s my problem. I’ve got to figure it out.’

  ‘Please don’t go off and leave us, Lucy. I know you’re a great surgeon – Bruno never stops singing your praises – but if you really don’t feel right working at the clinic, why don’t you go down to the main hospital in Siena and see if they’re recruiting? I bet they’d jump at having you.’

  Any further conjecture was interrupted as the door opened and Lucy’s face fell as Tommy walked in. Bella the dog ran across to greet him, tail wagging, but Lucy certainly didn’t feel the same way. After kissing his aunt and petting the dog, he spotted them and made his way across to their table.

  ‘Ciao, Daniela, ciao, Pietro.’ He shook them by the hands and turned towards Lucy, as ever the big toothy smile on his face. ‘And, Lucy, you look lovely. Has your boyfriend left?’ />
  Lucy shot an admonitory look across the table towards Daniela and replied sweetly. ‘Ciao, Tommy. Good to see you. Yes, he’s just left.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘You’re leaving it a bit late for dinner tonight, aren’t you?’

  ‘They’ll make me some pasta, I’m sure.’

  He stood there, showing no sign of leaving, quite possibly waiting to be invited to join them. Lucy didn’t know what to do, but help was at hand. Daniela knew that Lucy had turned down his dinner invitation and she must have realised the situation as she pushed back her chair and stood up, grabbing the table for help as she did so.

  ‘Well, Tommy, enjoy your meal. We’ve just finished.’ She glanced down at Pietro who was looking surprised. ‘I think I’ll skip dessert tonight. It’s terribly hot and I think I need a breath of fresh air.’

  Lucy waved them away as she went to get the bill. By the time she had paid it, Pietro had collected his car and was waiting outside. Lucy saw Daniela into the passenger seat and kissed her goodbye, whispering into her ear as she did so. ‘Thanks a lot, Danni. I owe you. I’ll call you later.’

  As Pietro set off downhill, she turned to walk home and found she had company in the shape of Bella the Labrador and, holding the end of her lead, Tommy. He grinned at Lucy and she distinctly felt him undressing her with his eyes – not for the first time.

  ‘While my uncle’s making me something to eat, I said I’d take Bella for a quick walk. I’ll see you back to your house.’

  Accepting the unavoidable, Lucy fell in beside him and they set off. He kept up a constant stream of conversation and she soon realised there was a common theme to it – her mysterious neighbour. He was evidently very interested to discover just who now owned the villa and she had to endure a serious grilling as Tommy the journalist did his best to wheedle any information out of her as to the mystery man’s identity. By the end of the inquisition she was fairly sure she hadn’t given away anything compromising, but he had been like a terrier, snapping at her heels and it had started to annoy her. This made it easier for her to tell him another little white lie when they got back to her house.

  ‘I’ve been feeling a bit off all evening and I just need to go to bed. Goodnight, Tommy.’

  And that was that. It wasn’t as clichéd as saying she had a headache, but he didn’t need to be Hercule Poirot to work out that his company was not required. To her relief, he told her he hoped she would feel better soon, and went off. She rather hoped this would be the last she would hear from Tommy.

  Chapter 16

  In spite of the clouds, it rained very little during the night and on Monday morning the sky was once again clear, the roads dry, and the temperature if anything even higher. It was a busy day, with a tricky bowel operation that took several hours. This was on an opera singer who was renowned internationally as much for his appetite for gourmet food as for his voice. She couldn’t help comparing him to her average patient in the Congo, reflecting that a love of exotic food was a luxury few, if any, could afford over there.

  When she got home from work that evening, feeling quite weary as well as uncomfortably sticky and hot, she was cheered to find a gift on her doorstep. It was a healthy rose bush, covered with beautiful pink and white blooms, in a hefty terracotta pot and there was a note with it.

  Hi Lucy. This is a present from Armando (and me). We both hope you like it. David.

  She opened the door and carried the heavy pot through the kitchen and out to the spot beside the back door where she intended to plant it. The scent of the roses was intoxicating and she breathed deeply. Coming back inside, she poured herself a large glass of cold mineral water from the fridge and debated what to do to say thank you. She didn’t have David’s number, but she did have Armando’s. An idea came to her and she reached for her phone. Armando answered almost immediately.

  ‘Pronto.’

  ‘Hello, Armando, it’s Lucy from the cottage. I’ve just found the gorgeous rose you left me. It’s absolutely perfect. Thank you so much. I was wondering if you and your wife might like to come down here one evening for a glass of wine so I could say thank you properly. Hopefully you might be able to persuade David to come too. I’d like to thank him as well for his hospitality the other day. Please tell him there won’t be anybody else here. I’m free any evening this week. Tomorrow, maybe, or Wednesday? Whatever suits you.’

  Armando reacted very positively and told her he would phone her back once he had spoken to his wife and to David. Barely a few minutes later, he called back to say that the three of them would be delighted to accept her kind invitation the day after tomorrow, Wednesday evening. They agreed upon six o’clock and Lucy had a last-minute thought. ‘Do, please, bring Boris. I met his mum and dad yesterday, and it’ll be good to see him again.’

  On Wednesday afternoon on her way home from the clinic she dashed into the shop in Castelnuovo Superiore to stock up on food. She and Donatello, the shopkeeper, were good friends now and she bought more of his wonderful hand-carved ham, several different local cheeses, a lovely aromatic cantaloupe melon and a variety of crisps and crackers as well as some fennel-flavoured finocchiona and little wild boar salami. Back home she hastily toasted slices of bread, cut them into squares and covered them with cheese, pâté or sausage, before cutting the melon into cubes and threading these onto cocktail sticks together with rolled-up pieces of ham. She had put bottles of Roberto’s sparkling rosé in the fridge the previous night and hoped her guests would approve.

  She just had time to run upstairs and take a quick shower before they were due to arrive. She resisted the temptation to put on the smart frock she had worn at Daniela’s wedding and went for her new white and pink dress instead. This was a bit short, but her legs were nice and brown by now after all her walks in the hills, so she felt confident she looked okay. Besides, she told herself, there was no point dolling herself up for David’s benefit. Yes, as she had told Daniela, she really did find him very attractive, but she knew there could be no future for her with a millionaire, let alone one who might also be philanderer.

  Shortly after seven she heard a car outside and went out to greet them. It was a sleek black Mercedes with heavily tinted windows. Evidently this was the way David managed to get around and maintain his anonymity. It was the first time she had met Fioretta and she took an immediate liking to this motherly lady. Before she could greet anybody else, she was assaulted – in the friendliest possible way – by the happy Labrador and she had to crouch down and make a fuss of him. When she stood back up again, she beckoned them all inside and made a beeline for the sink to wash the dog off her hands.

  ‘Thank you so much for coming and thank you for the rose.’ She opened the back door and showed them where she was planning on planting it. Armando, ever-helpful, had an idea.

  ‘I’ve got some wire and some masonry nails back at the villa. If you like, I’ll come round one of these days and pin up a framework for you to train the rose against when it starts going up the wall.’

  Lucy thanked him warmly and turned to David who had been standing back, letting Armando do the talking. She noticed a bottle in his hand.

  ‘Hi, David, you shouldn’t have.’

  He handed her the bottle of champagne and she was delighted to see him smile. ‘Like I say, I’ve got cases of the stuff. You’re very welcome.’

  As it was another warm, sunny evening without much wind, she took them up to the loggia. Ignoring Lucy’s protests, Fioretta picked up the biggest tray of food and carried it up the stairs, Armando took the rest and David brought the wine, leaving Lucy with just the glasses to carry. They settled down on her recently purchased chairs and David opened one of the bottles of Roberto’s sparkling rosé. Boris positioned himself at Lucy’s feet, his nose firmly pointed at the food on the table and did his best to look as if nobody ever fed him. Knowing Labradors of old, Lucy hardened her heart – at least for now.

  As for David, hardening her heart wasn’t so easy. He was looking very appealing. He was
wearing a light pink polo shirt that was just tight enough across his chest to reveal his muscular frame. His strong forearms – she had always had a thing about men’s forearms – were tanned and covered with light brown hair. There was something different about him and it took her a few moments to realise he had had a haircut. She had only ever seen him with fairly stylish, medium length hair before, but now it had been sheared to barely an inch. It looked good. In fact, he looked very good and she growled to herself.

  It was a very pleasant evening. They all approved of Roberto’s wine and Armando told her he was also hoping to try his hand at making some sparkling wine along with regular white wine when next autumn came around. David also had some good news for her.

  ‘I heard back from my lawyer today. The notary says all the papers are in order so the sale of this place should go through later this week or early next week.’

  Lucy beamed at him. ‘That’s great. I really love this house and the thought that I’m going to end up owning a historic piece of Tuscany is amazing.’ Given her doubts about the probity of some of the patients and the nature of the job at the clinic, whether or not she would still be working at the clinic in a few months’ time was a different matter entirely, but for now she did her best not to dwell on that.

  In the course of the evening she was delighted to see David visibly relax and she couldn’t miss the affection he had for Armando and Fioretta. It emerged that Fioretta was responsible for his new haircut and Lucy complimented both of them. David’s Italian was unexpectedly fluent until he revealed that his grandparents had emigrated to the USA from Italy and he had been brought up speaking both languages in the house. The dog – once he had scrounged a couple of pieces of salami – behaved impeccably, and all in all it was a most enjoyable evening.

  The not so nice part came right at the end.