by Daisy James
Izzie stood up and it was the most natural thing in the world to move into Luca’s arms. His eyes sought hers, a question floating in their depths, and instead of saying anything, she raised onto to her tiptoes and, ignoring the patrons’ curious audience, kissed him until she was breathless. She could have stayed there all day, exploring the way Luca’s body moulded so perfectly to hers, enjoying the ripples of pleasure that cascaded through her veins when his fingers glided around to the nape of her neck to pull her closer, inhaling the intoxicating scent of his citrussy cologne, but Luca hadn’t forgotten that she too had something to talk about.
‘So, what was it you wanted to tell me?’
‘Ah, yes, I think we should sit down for this.’
‘Why? What’s going on?’
Luca held out a chair for Izzie and she collapsed into the seat, the muscles in her stomach tightening as she contemplated Luca’s reaction to what she had uncovered.
‘Izzie?’
‘Before I… before I stumbled on you and Sabrina in the limonaia, I took a stroll down to the vineyard. I just needed a few quiet minutes to myself away from all the hustle and bustle of the wedding, but when I got there someone else was there.’
‘Who?’
‘I don’t know, but they left something behind.’
‘What?’
‘A bottle of weed-killer.’
‘A bottle of what?’
Luca leaned towards Izzie, his forearms on his thighs, his eyes fixed on hers, his forehead creased in confusion and concern.
‘The person I disturbed was in the process of spraying Gianni’s vines with a concentrated solution of vinegar and lemon juice. It’s an organic weed-killer, but it wasn’t being used to get rid of weeds. I suspect it’s the cause of the recent spurt of dried, crumbling leaves that’s been upsetting him so much.’
Luca stared at Izzie whilst he assimilated what she had just told him.
‘Sabotage?’
‘It looks that way.’
‘I don’t know whether to be angry or relieved!’
‘I agree. Now we know what’s causing the problem, Gianni can take the appropriate action, but who do you think would do such a thing?’
‘I know exactly who would do such a thing!’ growled Luca, springing from his seat and grabbing his car keys. ‘Come on! We need to get back to the villa.’
Chapter Twenty Three
The Driveway, Villa Limoncello
Colour: Livid Purple
Luca swung the steering wheel of the Spider to the left and drove through the wide welcoming stone pillars of Villa Limoncello. Izzie was surprised that, despite her apprehension over what Luca intended to do, a warm feeling of homecoming surged through her body until they came to an abrupt halt only yards past the gate, their progress blocked by a plethora of expensive cars and dark-windowed SUVs. Nevertheless, the traffic chaos did not detract from the grandeur of the entrance to the house.
‘I love this driveway,’ sighed Izzie, feasting her eyes on the avenue of arboreal magnificence; the arrow-straight cypress trees lining the route to the front door, the splash of cerise from the azaleas, the glossy foliage of the magnolia bushes.
She opened the car door and inhaled a long breath, savouring the fragrance of baked earth, of crushed pine needles and the herby, peppery aroma of lavender. Her ears buzzed with the sound of the cicadas striving to out-do the soft melody of Italian classical music coming from the direction of the terrace.
‘I wish…’
She stopped mid-sentence when she realised that Luca had remained in the driver’s seat, his arms wrapped around the steering wheel, staring through the windscreen at the villa.
‘What’s the matter?’
Deep creases ran the width of his forehead and her heart gave a nip of concern when she saw his attention was miles away, focused on the far horizon where the dusty hillside met the azure of the sky. Luca must have sensed her scrutiny because he quickly reconnected with the present and jumped out of the car to join her, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans and his shoulders stiffened with repressed anger.
‘Luca? Are you going to tell me what’s going on?’
‘Not until I’m absolutely sure.’
However, it wasn’t long before Izzie guessed exactly who Luca suspected was responsible for the damage to Gianni’s precious vines. Instead of walking towards the villa, he grabbed Izzie’s hand and guided her in the direction of the half-concealed entrance to Riccardo’s B&B. With impressive agility, he vaulted over the gate and, a little more clumsily, Izzie followed suit.
‘Luca, I don’t think we should…’
‘Shhh…’
Izzie shook her head, her heart flaying her ribcage as she oscillated between wanting to support Luca and ditching her investigative deerstalker to high-tail it back to the safety of the villa where she knew the champagne would be flowing and she could share the details of her reconciliation with Luca with Meghan. However, her curiosity won out in the end, even though her self-confidence demons had raised their ugly heads above the parapet once again. She lifted her chin, squared her shoulders, and inhaled a deep breath.
What was the worst that could happen? Riccardo would either bawl them out, or call the police and have them escorted from the premises, but if Luca was right and he was to blame for the sabotage, then he wasn’t going to do that, was he?
‘Looks like he’s given his workmen the day off,’ whispered Luca, peering around the corner of the house to the swimming pool where a regiment of building equipment and DIY tools had been abandoned in situ.
‘Actually, I asked him to do that.’
‘You did? And he agreed?’
‘Well, it was part of the deal we struck. Look, Luca, maybe we should talk to Gianni about this before we start casting about accusations. I didn’t see who left that spray in the vineyard – it could have been anyone.’
‘Everyone in the village knows how keen Riccardo is to buy the vineyard – he’s made no secret about it. When you spoke to him about the electricity, did he ask you if you knew who the owner of the villa was?’
‘Yes, he did but… Luca? Luca? Where are you going?’
Izzie jogged in his wake, catching up with him on the front steps of the B&B and reaching for his hand just in time to stop him from hammering on the door.
‘Hang on a minute – I really think we should wait until we’ve thought this through a bit more. We don’t have any evidence that Riccardo is to blame – none whatsoever.’
She held Luca’s gaze, surprised at the level of distress scrawled across his expression. But then, it wasn’t just Gianni’s job that was at risk if the saboteur had succeeded, it was his dream to reinvigorate the vineyard and produce the first batch of Rosetti wine for over two decades. If Riccardo had been spraying the vines with home-made weed-killer, it was a very serious matter, but they needed more than mere suspicion before they said anything to him.
‘Sorry, Izzie, you’re absolutely right, and I shouldn’t have involved you in this. Let’s go back to the villa and enjoy what’s left of the wedding celebrations. I’ll have a chat to Gianni and Vincenzo later when everyone’s left, and we’ll have a look at that spray you found before deciding what to do. Thank you for injecting a dose of sanity into the situation.’
Luca smiled at Izzie, his eyes crinkling attractively at the corners as he linked her arm, and her heart ballooned with pleasure. She wanted to kiss him there and then, but the sooner they left the B&B the better.
‘This way, I know a shortcut.’
Izzie lead Luca through the rose-covered arbour, across the terrace next to the swimming pool, and towards the gap in the wall between the properties she had used before, behind Villa Limoncello’s wishing well. Just like they had been on her previous visit, her eyes were drawn to the pool house and what she had thought was a multi-coloured painting on its rear wall.
‘Hang on a minute.’
She dashed to the window and peered in, a spasm of al
arm whipping through her body like an electric shock. No wonder Riccardo had steered her away from the pool house the last time she was there, because displayed on a shelf running the width of the building were a brigade of exactly the same spray bottles as the one she had found in the vineyard, each containing a different colour liquid, ranging from pale pink, to inky blue and transparent.
‘What are you looking at?’ asked Luca, coming to stand next to her, curling his palm around his eyes as he squinted into the building. ‘What are those?’
‘I think some of them contain chemicals for the swimming pool, but I recognise the bottles with the red nozzles. Look.’
Izzie fished out her phone and showed Luca the images she had captured of the spray she had found in the vineyard. It was identical to those lining the shelves, same size, same red nozzle.
‘So, I was right? We have our culprit?’
‘It looks like it.’
Luca extracted his own phone from the pocket of his jeans and spent a few minutes taking photographs of their discovery, before turning to Izzie, relief spreading across his face.
‘Okay, the mystery is solved and Riccardo isn’t going anywhere. I think I can predict how Gianni’s going to react when we tell him, so what do you say we keep what we’ve discovered to ourselves for the time being? Just so we can enjoy your last night in Tuscany without having to spend it explaining everything that’s just happened in minute detail?’
‘Sound like the best idea you’ve had all day!’
Chapter Twenty Four
The Courtyard, Villa Limoncello
Colour: Caramel Symphony
Luca plastered a smile on his face, grabbed Izzie’s hand and together they made their way back to Villa Limoncello, pausing on the terrace where there were a few guests still enjoying the fruits of Carlotta’s culinary expertise and Vincenzo’s generous servings of Chianti.
‘Hey, Izzie, Luca! Where’ve you been?’ cried Carlotta, rushing forward to greet them with kisses and cheeks squeezes. ‘I’ve been worried about you, Izzie. Meghan said you’d left for home already.’
‘Just went for a spin on the Vespa, that’s all,’ said Izzie, knowing her smile hadn’t fooled Carlotta in the slightest. She expected a grilling later.
‘And Luca?’
‘Oh, I bumped into Izzie on my way over to San Vivaldo to check up on the restaurant. Everything’s cool, Carlotta. Hey, isn’t that Vincenzo calling you?’
All three of them turned to see Vincenzo waving vigorously with his left hand, a smile lighting up his handsome face. The music had bumped up a notch, and now that the meal was officially over, the bridal couple had taken to the floor to start the dancing.
‘I expect to see you two on the dance floor, too!’ laughed Carlotta, waving her finger at Luca and Izzie before accepting Vincenzo’s arm and joining him for a surprisingly accomplished waltz around the courtyard to the delight of the audience.
‘They make a handsome couple, don’t you think?’ mused Luca, resting his hand casually on Izzie’s shoulder, a gesture that sent ripples of pleasure through her veins.
‘Perhaps someone else should grasp the matchmaker’s baton? What do you think? Turn the tables?’ suggested Izzie, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
‘Another accolade to add to your many accomplishments!’
‘Hey, what’s Meghan doing?’
Unusually, Meghan hadn’t spotted their arrival. Her oversight wasn’t because they were hidden from view by the vine-covered pergola, but because she only had eyes for Gianni who was standing on the edge of the makeshift dance floor watching Carlotta and Vincenzo dance.
‘I’m not sure…’
As Izzie and Luca watched on, Meghan grinned at Gianni, but he shook his head fervently, reaching across to grasp her arm, but she wriggled from his clutch, and continued her path towards her brother, her long hair flying behind her like an earth-bound mermaid as she whispered in his ear. Brad looked over Meghan’s shoulder to where Gianni stood, his face flooded with colour, but Gianni gave an imperceptible nod and Brad strode off to speak to the band. Beaming, Meghan skipped back to usher Gianni towards the steps of the terrace where he was handed a microphone and stood trembling like a puppy on his first visit to Crufts.
‘Oh my God, Meghan’s persuaded him to sing!’ gasped Izzie, delight sweeping through her like a warm summer shower.
When Gianni launched into an accomplished rendition of Maria, Mari, his voice as smooth as liquid caramel, Izzie could see that Luca was choked with emotion. All that singing to his vines had given Gianni all the practice he needed to hone his considerable talent and Izzie had to fight to hang on to her own tears. He had a deep, mellow voice perfect for an outdoor performance, and he certainly looked the part. With his dark suit and white shirt open at the neck to reveal a smattering of chest hair, he could easily have graced the stage of La Scala – and would be the most handsome tenor in the ensemble!
As soon as the final elongated note faded into the late afternoon air, rapturous applause broke out from an appreciative, if somewhat biased audience. Luca dashed forwards to hug his best friend, then stepped back to allow Gianni to enjoy the onslaught of congratulations. Izzie’s heart ballooned when she saw how his eyes shined with pleasure.
‘Hey, Izzie! Thank goodness Luca found you!’ said Meghan, joining them on the terrace steps. ‘Have you ironed out the misunderstanding?’
‘We have!’ beamed Izzie.
‘Well, you can also rest assured that I’ve given Brad a piece of my mind. He’s under no illusion that he owes you big time for everything you’ve done to pull this off – but I have to say I don’t hold out much hope of him changing his modus operandi anytime soon! I love and loathe my amazingly talented brother in equal measure at the moment. I’m highly offended that he couldn’t trust his own sister not to divulge the details of Stefano and Louisa’s wedding location! As if I would go around blabbing about one of Italy’s most famous film stars getting married at Villa Limoncello! What does he take me for?’
Meghan’s sulk was comical, but it was also misplaced, and Izzie laughed. ‘Meghan, I love you. You are the best friend a girl could wish for, but you have to admit that you are the biggest gossip this side of the Mediterranean.’
Meghan placed her hands on her hips, preparing to make her argument to the contrary when she giggled instead.
‘I am, aren’t I? Oh, well, if you can forgive him, then I suppose I can. You have forgiven Brad, haven’t you, Izzie?’
‘Of course. Luca has explained what happened about the confidentiality clause, about him being a last-minute stand-in, everything.’
‘Everything?’ asked Meghan, her eyebrows raised in the direction of Luca.
‘Yes…’
Izzie glanced at Luca and her heart sank when she saw his reluctance to meet her eyes. Oh, God, what now?
‘Right,’ said Meghan, giving Luca a meaningful look. ‘There’s a future opera star waiting for me over there. Ciao, darlings!’
Playing for time, Izzie watched Meghan wriggled her way through the crowd until she reached Gianni, slid her arm through his and guided him away from the courtyard towards the gazebo where she knew they would find some privacy and she could congratulate him in her own imitable way.
‘Luca? What did Meghan mean, have you told me everything?’
‘Ah, Izzie, I’m glad I’ve caught up with you at last,’ said Brad, appearing from behind the pergola with a bottle of Chianti in one hand and two glasses in the other. ‘I believe an apology is in order, as well as a massive dose of gratitude. To be honest, I thought you knew about the wedding. I admit I didn’t confide in Meghan because she’s the least discreet person I know, but I thought Lucy or Rachel would have filled you in when they spoke to you about the brief. I had no idea you were under the impression that this wasn’t the real deal. I’m sorry.’
‘Brad, it’s okay, really.’
‘Well, if it’s any consolation, what you’ve pulled off here is a triumph. The vi
lla looks amazing, better than I dared to dream when I was searching for the right venue to hold Stefano and Louisa’s wedding. You really do have a flair for dressing a set, Izzie, but then, if I’d taken the time to stop and think about it, I should have known that. I’ve seen your work before you… well, when you had your own interior design business. Is it true what Meghan said? Has that moron Darren Hambleton dispensed with your services?
‘Well, no, actually, his father…’
‘If you’re interested, I might have a job for you in the production company. I’ve been left in no doubt by my sister that she does not intend to drop everything to come to my aid again, and the next shoot is in July down in Sorrento. Are you free?’
Izzie stared at Brad. It was the last thing she had expected him to say and her brain felt scrambled.
‘That would be… that would be…’
She struggled to find the right word. Not because the thought didn’t excite her, it did, but because she had no idea what she wanted to do next and needed time to think things through. She glanced across to Luca, who had been listening intently to Brad’s proposition, hoping for inspiration.
‘Ah, sorry, Luca.’ Brad slapped Luca on the back as though they were old friends, and Izzie stared at the two men in confusion. ‘Were you thinking of offering Izzie something here at the villa? Wouldn’t blame you!’
‘Offering me something at the villa?’
Brad’s jaw dropped, and his face flooded with contrition at his faux pas.
‘So, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get this show wrapped up or the wine bill will blow the budget. Ciao!’
She watched Brad stride towards Vincenzo, just to give her a few moments to gather her thoughts before turning to meet Luca’s eyes, seeing immediately his discomfort.
‘Luca? What did Brad mean?’
‘Actually, I was about to tell you…’
‘Tell me what?’
Oh, God, not another secret. She didn’t think her heart could cope!