by T A Williams
Katie couldn’t believe her ears. This same strange, damaged man who had kept his beloved daughter under virtual house arrest had ruined the life and potentially the health of the woman he loved, in a senseless attempt to protect her. How could anybody behave so abominably in the name of love? Then something else fell into place.
‘So that’s why Paul was so frosty towards Victoria?’
‘It’s all too raw, too painful for him. It’s not Victoria’s fault. In fact, from what I hear, she’s a victim herself, but put yourself in Paul’s shoes. Here is the closest living relative to the man who killed his mother. It can’t be easy for him.’
Katie shook her head in bewilderment. Beside her, the dog was losing interest in the conversation. With a cavernous sigh, he stretched out on the stone floor and closed his eyes.
‘Anyway, Katie, you didn’t answer my question about you. Is there a lucky man somewhere who holds the key to your heart?’
She giggled in spite of herself. It sounded like something Vicky would say. ‘I’m not sure, really.’ She took a mouthful of water and sat back, giving it some thought. To buy a bit of time she told him about her years with Dean and how it had all gone sour. She found herself talking openly about the way her feelings for him had gradually deteriorated until she had packed her things and left. Marco looked sympathetic.
‘But you did the right thing.’ She felt his eyes on her. ‘You look happy and relaxed. If you still had any doubts, you wouldn’t look so good.’
‘Oh, I have no doubts about Dean, that’s definite. It’s just that there’s this other man over in England. I’m not really sure how I feel about him.’
‘Ah, I thought as much. So there’s another man. Paul has got competition.’ Katie felt herself blushing. ‘Are you and he very close?’ He grinned at her. ‘Have the two of you got naked and played around together, eh?’ Her face must have been glowing like a beacon by this time.
‘Marco! That’s not the sort of question to ask a young lady.’ She found it quite easy to slip into Victoria’s speech patterns. ‘It’s none of your business, but if you must know, the answer is no. In fact, we’ve only sort of been together for a very short time.’
Marco made a throwaway gesture with his hands and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Then you have nothing to be concerned about. Why, for all you know, he might be rubbish in bed. He might even have a little…’ He waggled his little finger at her.
‘Marco! Stop it.’ She took a long mouthful of water and waited for her pulse to slow. He took pity on her and changed the subject.
‘Anyway, I have news that might interest your friend Victoria, if she doesn’t already know. I was playing around with my phone before you arrived and guess what I found.’ He held it out to her. It didn’t take long to see that Twitter was alive with references to Chalker-Pyne. Katie flicked through and saw to her horror that the main thrust of the tweets was, “reclusive millionairess comes out of hiding.” A number of them contained links to UK newspaper articles with variations on that heading. She scrolled through, feeling more and more uncomfortable. The tabloids were having a field day. Then she began to notice something. Most of the articles featured photos of Victoria, mainly close-ups of her face. Closer study of what she was wearing and the background showed all of them to have been taken here at Marco’s house on Saturday night. She remembered seeing a few flashes as people took photos, but to pass them on to the tabloids! She was furious. Beside her, Marco had more news.
‘And it gets worse, I’m afraid.’ She looked up, dreading what he was going to say next. ‘I had a call from Giuseppe an hour ago. You know he’s a journalist with La Nazione? Well, it seems their features people are planning an article about her as well. It’ll come out tonight or tomorrow morning. And that will in all probability mention where she’s living right now. He phoned me to warn me to expect a media scrum when the article comes out. And, by the way, Katie, it wasn’t Giuseppe. Although he’s a journo, he would never invade your privacy like this. He’s their political editor. He sounded as pissed off about it as you must be.’
Katie sat back and breathed deeply. A media scrum, Giuseppe had said. An image of the old wrought iron gates at the bottom of the drive flashed through her head. From the state of them, they clearly hadn’t been closed for decades. But, she thought wildly, even if they could be persuaded to close, anybody could just stroll in through any number of gaps in the boundary wall. They had no choice. They had to get away, pronto. She glanced at her watch. It was half past twelve. Vicky would be off on her date with the count by now.
The count? Could he be the person who had passed on the photos and the story to the newspapers? Or, she thought with a start, could it even have been Paul Taylor, keen to get revenge on the Chalker-Pyne family for the wrong done to his mother? She shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts. There had been numerous people at the party. Any one of them might have done it. Anyway, she knew there was no time to waste. She jumped to her feet, the dog at her side. Marco could see the worry on her face. He stood up, came over and stretched his arm around her shoulder.
‘It’ll all blow over very quickly, you’ll see. Today’s news is tomorrow’s cat litter.’ He gave her a kiss and accompanied her to the door. ‘Good luck.’
Chapter Fourteen
Katie headed straight back to the villa. On the way, she spotted Nando working in the olive groves. She went over to him to pass on the news. He shook his head in annoyance when he heard what she had to say.
‘We’ve been worried about something like this since you arrived. Victoria’s father used to arrive incognito and he only ever went out in public in disguise. He used to wear a hat and dark glasses and drive my old van on the rare occasions he went out.’ He looked up at Katie. ‘You’re right. You and Victoria have to get away as soon as possible. When’s the article coming out in La Nazione?’
‘Tonight or tomorrow morning. But I suppose there might already be British paparazzi on their way here now.’
‘That doesn’t give us much time. I will have to think about this. And I need to talk to Rosina about it. She’s clever.’ He led her back to the house. As they reached the kitchen door, Rosina appeared.
‘What are you two looking so serious about?’ Nando gave her a brief summary of what Katie had just told him. She immediately asked. ‘Where’s Victoria now?’
When Katie told them where she had gone, and in particular with whom, she saw Nando’s expression change. ‘The “count”.’ His tone inserted the quotation marks. ‘The count may not be all that he seems. Nobody really knows who he is. He arrived here only, what, a month ago?’ He turned towards his wife. She shook her head.
‘Less. Three weeks at most.’
‘Three weeks, then. You know that’s not his house, don’t you?’ Katie shook her head. ‘It belongs to a Florentine family. He’s just renting it from them. There’s something about him that doesn’t ring true. Nothing I can prove, but I don’t like him.’
Katie nodded. ‘I feel exactly the same way. Something doesn’t feel right.’
‘Well, wherever we decide to send you girls, I would strongly suggest you don’t tell him.’ He extended his arms in front of him, palms in the air. ‘I may be doing the man an injustice, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Now, let’s have a think.’ He and Rosina settled down to see what they could come up with.
Katie turned over in her head just exactly what the best course of action would be. Should they jump in the car and head back to England? No sooner had this thought crossed her mind than two conflicting emotions welled up. On the one hand, this would take her back to Martin. On the other, this would take her away from Tuscany and Paul Taylor. It would also take Vicky away from Tom, although the bonus would be that it also removed her from the clutches of the count, if, indeed he really was one. Could they hide somewhere closer to here? A hotel was out of the question as Italian hoteliers always insist upon a passport from guests. She had no doubt their names would soon be in the pu
blic domain. Rent somewhere? At such short notice, this wasn’t going to be easy. It took Rosina to find the solution.
As they sat around the lunch table an hour later, she came up with the answer to their problem. ‘I know. You can go and stay in the opera singer’s villa.’ She caught her husband’s eye. ‘You know, Nando, you’ve got a key, haven’t you? Her family won’t mind. I can phone her daughter in Milan and explain the circumstances. She’ll say yes, I’m sure. And she’ll keep her mouth shut.’ Her husband beamed.
‘Of course, that’s perfect. Nobody will know you’re there and it’s really secluded and the wall all around the park is about four metres high. Brilliant!’
Katie had her doubts. ‘Is that the villa where I met Paul Taylor?’ They nodded. ‘But, he’s got a key.’
‘Oh, you can trust Paul.’ Seeing some doubt in Katie’s expression, Rosina was quick to reassure her. ‘It wasn’t Paul who passed on the photos, you can be sure of that.’
‘Yes, but, with all the history…his mother and Sir Algernon. Might he be bitter?’
Nando looked up. ‘So you’ve heard about that, have you? Does Victoria know yet?’
‘No, I’ve only just heard myself.’
Nando and Rosina exchanged glances. ‘It might be better for her if she remains unaware of the story. After all, her father doesn’t come out of it with a lot of credit.’
Katie nodded. Similar thoughts had been going through her head. ‘That’s what I thought. I certainly won’t mention it.’
Rosina reached over and touched her arm. ‘Don’t worry about Paul. He’s not the source of the photos. He would never do a thing like that. Besides,’ she was grinning, ‘from the way he was looking at you the other night, he wouldn’t want to do anything that might harm you. Very much the opposite, in fact.’
Katie blushed. ‘Well, if you’re sure, then, the idea of us hiding in that villa sounds like a perfect solution.’
Later on, after Katie had successfully declined the offer of pasta three or four times, Nando and the dog led Katie up the path towards the opera singer’s villa. They kept among the olive trees until the very last moment. He then peered out cautiously and, once he was sure there was nobody around, he hurried her across the road and they slipped through the gates without attracting attention. At this time of the afternoon in the heat of August, anybody with any common sense was indoors with the shutters closed, enjoying a little lie down.
The electric gates swung slowly shut behind them. The drive disappeared into the trees of the park. This was more heavily wooded than the park around their own villa and it was quite dark and pleasantly cool in there, if a bit creepy. They walked around a curve in the gravel drive and the villa leapt into view. It was a smaller version of Victoria’s villa, but still a very large house. It had originally been painted white, but years of neglect had turned it a dirty cream colour. Ivy and other creepers festooned the walls, and several of the shutters were hanging off. Katie began to get a sensation of foreboding as she looked at it, and she had to resist the temptation to turn round and run back to the gates. Nando had no such qualms.
‘The old lady didn’t do a thing to it for years. She kept telling me it would see her out. And it did. Inside it’s quite nice. She had a maid right up to the end who took good care of it, but they left the outside to the elements. Come on, follow Dante, he knows the way.’ Sure enough, the big dog led them up a short flight of steps to the front door. Nando pulled out a key and inserted it into the lock. It turned easily and the door swung open.
‘I’ll lead the way. The electricity has been turned off, but I know where the fuse board is. Just follow me.’ He led her down a shadowy corridor to a small cupboard. Katie followed him gingerly, still feeling a bit apprehensive. He felt inside the cupboard and there was a click. With that, the lights came on and Katie began to feel a bit better about the place. Nando was right. It had been well looked after and it was very clean and tidy. As they walked through the downstairs rooms she noticed that the furniture was still all there, most of it covered by rather ghostly looking white dust sheets. Anyway, she told herself firmly, beggars couldn’t be choosers. They needed a hideaway and this place would be fine. She turned to Nando and thanked him.
‘It’s brilliant. We’ll be absolutely fine here.’
Nando led her into the kitchen. It, too, was very clean. Nando nodded approvingly. ‘I’ll go shopping this afternoon and bring a load of supplies. There’s wine, water and all sorts at the villa I can bring as well. Now, would you like Rosina to move in to look after you?’
Katie shook her head. ‘No, not at all. That would be too kind, but also, it might look suspicious if she disappeared as well. No, we’ll look after ourselves and you can tell everybody that we’ve left the country.’ A thought occurred to her. ‘What about the car? We’d better move it.’ Nando had already thought of that.
‘We’ll lock it in the big barn. That’s sealed and there aren’t any windows. It’ll be safe in there.’
‘Let’s hope we’re equally safe at the opera singer’s villa.’
Around four o’clock, Katie sent a text to Victoria, telling her she needed her to come home, as a problem had occurred. She didn’t want to be more specific in view of Victoria being with the count and Nando’s reservations about him. In the end, it was almost six by the time they heard the throaty roar of the Ferrari outside. Katie glanced out through the shutters just in time to see the count slip his arm around Victoria and kiss her long and hard. By the looks of the way she wrapped her arms around his neck, Victoria didn’t put up any resistance. Katie growled silently to herself.
A few minutes later Victoria let herself in the front door and stood there, listening to the car as it disappeared down the drive. She closed the door and came through to the kitchen, where Katie was waiting. She looked flushed and she looked happy. In spite of her doubts about Count Filippo, Katie’s heart went out to her. In all probability, this was her first kiss. And a first kiss in a Ferrari wasn’t to be sniffed at. Even if the other pair of lips belonged to a slimy toad.
‘Hi, Vicky, good day?’
Victoria came in and sat down. She stretched her legs and looked across the table. ‘Amazing, awesome. I had a really good time.’ She certainly looked as if she meant it. Katie smiled at her.
‘I’m really glad. Now, back to reality. Houston, we have a problem.’
‘Houston?’
Katie didn’t have time to explain. ‘A problem and it’s a big one.’ She went on to relate what Marco had told her about social media and the press, as well as the solution proposed by Rosina and Nando. Victoria’s expression changed from joy to anger, to incomprehension, and then to relief as she heard about the opera singer’s villa.
‘How vexatious! This is my fault. I should have realised that something like this might happen. I just rather thought it was only my father the papers were interested in. But, of course, it’s the name Chalker-Pyne, isn’t it?’ She looked upset. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, Katie. I should have been more circumspect.’
‘Nothing to apologise for, apart from the use of the word “vexatious”.’ She grinned at her. ‘A bit formal. Maybe try “annoying” next time. Anyway, of course it’s not your fault. I could have spared a thought myself. After all, I’m supposed to be the twenty-first century guru. And everybody knows that celebrity is the new religion these days, at least as far as the tabloids are concerned. I just wish I knew who passed the photos over to the press.’ She caught Vicky’s eye. ‘There were so many people there that night.’ She hazarded a few guesses. ‘Did Filippo take any photos of you? Or Loretta?’ She noticed a spot of annoyance on Vicky’s face as she mentioned the count’s name.
‘Yes, they both did, but so did loads of other people. It could have been anybody.’ Katie realised she had touched a nerve and was quick to change the subject.
‘As you came up the drive, did you notice anybody lurking about?’ Vicky shook her head. ‘Right, then, we need to make a move as soon
as possible before they arrive. I suggest we each pack a small bag with toiletries and some clothes and then we get the hell out of here. Oh, and bring a few books or your Kindle. I didn’t see a television up at the other villa.’
They were just finishing packing when a white van pulled up outside the back door. Nando climbed out, leaving another man at the wheel. He met the girls coming down the stairs with their bags and nodded approvingly. ‘I got my cousin to use his van, just to be on the safe side. They might recognise mine. And, as we came in, a scooter pulled up at the gate. It could well be the first photographers are already here.’ He led them out through the door and shepherded them into the back of the van. It was pitch dark in there and a bit claustrophobic, but Nando reassured them that it would only be for a few minutes. The door was slammed behind them and they felt the van set off down the drive.
In the end it took more like fifteen minutes before they bumped to a halt and heard the hum of the electric gates. Thirty seconds later, they were inside. Nando was most apologetic when he opened the door. ‘There were five or six people with cameras down there and I spotted a couple of men trying to sneak up through the olives.’ He gave a weak smile. ‘I might get the shotgun out and see if I can bag myself a rabbit later on. That should discourage them. Anyway, we decided to take the long way round, just in case we were followed.’
They unloaded the supplies from the van. Katie noticed that Nando had included twelve straw-covered flasks of wine. Clearly, they weren’t going to go thirsty. They also discovered that Rosina had been busy that afternoon, removing dust sheets from furniture and making up beds in two bedrooms on the first floor.
‘Now, are you absolutely sure you don’t need Rosina to come and stay?’ Both girls shook their heads. They would be fine. Nando nodded his agreement and took his leave, telling them he would be back in the morning with fresh milk and bread. They heard the van head off along the drive and they knew they were alone. They walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the table.