by T A Williams
For her part, Sarah had no doubts. In spite of her best resolve, in spite of her experience with James, and in spite of the fact that she had only really started to get to know Miles a few days ago, the events of the last hour confirmed that she had already developed a deep and lasting affection for him. The combination of the strength and support he had shown to her up there on the lift, coupled with his obvious continuing grief, produced an overwhelming urge in her to take him in her arms and hug him tight and kiss it better. If it would ever get better for him.
As she was sitting there, her phone whistled. Annoyingly, it was a text message from James. Feeling almost embarrassed, Sarah opened it.
When RU back? Need 2 talk. J
At least, she thought to herself, he had dropped that annoying little X. She swiped the phone off and returned it to her pocket. There would be time to reply when she was on her own again. For now, she was happy to be with Miles. In fact, she realised, she was very happy to be with him, even though his thoughts and affections were elsewhere.
‘What are you doing about food tonight?’ His voice made her jump. She glanced across at him, his face flushed red by the last rays of the sun as it set behind the roofs of the buildings opposite. He was looking more relaxed now, although that could just have been the light. After last night’s feast, there was no group activity planned for tonight. Sarah hadn’t even thought about food and, indeed, after her recent scare, food had been the last thing on her mind. Now she came to think about it, however, all she had had since breakfast was that one ham and cheese focaccia and she really could manage something else. She nodded her head.
‘I could eat.’ She checked the time. It was just after seven-thirty. Restaurants would already be open. ‘What do you fancy? Pizza, or something else?’
‘I’m easy. A pizza would be fine, but so would steak and chips. You decide.’
‘Shall we go and see what the town has to offer?’
Sarah finished her drink and they set off along the main road for a few hundred yards before turning left, going down a steeply sloping, cobbled alley until they emerged into a tiny square with an old well in the middle. They spotted a charming-looking restaurant in what was almost certainly a medieval building, with tables outside in the relative cool of the evening air, and were delighted to see it was open. Sarah glanced across at Miles.
‘This do?’
Miles nodded approvingly, so they went over and sat down. A friendly elderly waiter brought them the menu and they made their choice, both choosing the same – ham and melon as a starter and then lamb chops done on the charcoal grill.
Miles glanced across at her. ‘A drop of red wine, maybe?’
She nodded. ‘Lovely, but get some water as well, please.’
She heard him order a bottle of Montefalco. The name meant nothing to her but she remembered they would be going through Montefalco over the following days. This seemed to be a good omen and it turned out to be an excellent choice. The waiter reappeared with a trolley bearing a whole leg of prosciutto. He wheeled it to their table and skilfully sliced the ham with a carving knife right in front of them. The result was excellent, some of the best Sarah had ever tasted. As they ate, they began to chat more easily about the trip so far. He was enthusiastic and she was delighted to see a smile return to his face.
‘I really didn’t think I would enjoy myself anything like as much as I have done, you know.’ He sounded as though he meant it.
‘Why? What did you think would be the problem? Too close to the customers?’
‘No, not that. I like being with them. It reminds me just exactly what we do. Our business is people, after all. I’d hate to work in an industry making ball bearings or toilet brushes, wouldn’t you?’
Sarah nodded in agreement. ‘Definitely. So why were you worried about coming on the ride?’
‘To be quite honest, there’s so much to do in the office at the moment, I saw this as an annoying interruption. Now I’m coming round to thinking that there wasn’t really anything too urgent to do back there, after all. Somehow I’d convinced myself there was a whole heap of stuff that only I could do but, talking to Debbie, it’s pretty clear some other very capable people have been able to step in and sort things out in my absence.’
Sarah was delighted. This sounded like the sort of epiphany any workaholic needs from time to time. She knew Debbie, old Mr Hall’s PA, and had great respect for her efficiency and unflappability. There were some very good people working in the company. The stirrings of her own epiphany started to rise to the surface. The more she thought about it, now that she was free from James and his insistence upon trying to control her life, she knew she definitely wanted to do as she had said and start going back out with groups of tourists once more. Not all the time, but every now and then for the sake of the fresh air, the change of scene and, as Miles had said, so as to maintain contact with the grass roots of their operation. There was no need for her to feel she had to spend all her time in the office. Melissa would easily be able to cover in her absence, just as she was doing now. Mel was a great PA and she knew what she was doing and would have been on the phone long before now if she hadn’t been able to cope. Sarah nodded to herself as she swallowed a chunk of ice-cold melon and washed it down with a mouthful of wine.
‘That sounds great to me. Does that mean you’re going to be on the phone a bit less?’
He nodded. ‘Yes, certainly as far as London’s concerned. New York’s another matter. Don’t forget that I’ve got my brother moving over there and I’m trying to do as much as possible before he arrives. I just so hope he doesn’t screw things up.’
‘He won’t screw things up, Miles. I’m sure he’s keen to do well for the company. As long as you give him a chance.’ Miles still didn’t look convinced, so Sarah allowed herself a few words of advice to her boss. ‘He’s been working hard these past few days. I know he’s capable of doing well. He just needs your trust.’
Just then, the waiter reappeared to remove their plates and returned almost immediately with lovely-looking little grilled lamb chops and roast potatoes. The meat smelt wonderful and Miles reminded her that the Italian name, scottadita, meant literally burn your fingers. ‘Back in the days when this place was first built, you would have eaten them with your fingers and then thrown the bones on the floor for the dog.’
‘Like those gorgeous Labradors at the count’s place last night. They’d have loved the bones.’
‘I always wanted a dog, you know. But Lucia, my wife, was allergic.’ Sarah glanced up from her plate of chops at him and was pleased to hear him talking about his wife without looking too heartbroken.
‘Well, Leo the Lab certainly took to you at the count’s house last night.’
‘As did his brother to you, Sarah.’
Sarah smiled at the memory of Raffa the dog. ‘Maybe that’s where I’ve been going wrong, Miles. Maybe what I need is a Labrador. They’re handsome, they’re faithful, they do as they’re told and, above all, they can’t write. So no snide letters left on the kitchen table.’
‘Mind you, you have to clean up after them.’ She saw him smile.
‘You obviously never lived with James. A dog would make far less mess.’
Chapter 9
Sarah went to bed quite early and lay there thinking for quite a while. It had been an eventful day and an enjoyable evening with Miles. She remembered that she still hadn’t replied to James’s latest text message, but she wasn’t in a hurry. It was definitely over between them and, as far as she was concerned, she and James were history. After years of being bullied by him – and the more she thought about it, the more she realised that was what it had been – she was now in command of the situation and no longer had any doubts. Whether this was down to Miles, or just a result of time and common sense, was hard to judge, but the result was the same. Gradually, she drifted off to sleep.
She was woken at four o’clock in the morning by distant rumbles of thunder and what sounded like mo
nsoon rain landing on the roof directly above her head. She had left her window open and, as the gutters rapidly filled and started to overflow, had to get out of bed and go across to close the window when water started coming in and dripping on the floor. She peered out and was awed by the quantity of rain pouring off the roof and off the roofs of the buildings all around. It was like standing behind a waterfall. Down below, in the light of a solitary street lamp, she saw that the cobbled street had turned into a raging torrent. As she returned to bed she wondered what effect this was going to have on their ride the next day.
When she looked out of her window at seven o’clock, it was still raining but, mercifully, nothing like as hard as that first torrential downpour. The roads were no longer rivers, but everything was soaking wet and it promised to be a very different cycling experience from previous days. She opened the window and leant out. It was noticeably cooler out there, which was welcome, but she had a feeling the rain would throw up other problems.
When she got down for breakfast, Gianluca confirmed her fears. He was sitting with Dan and Mike, telling them what to expect. ‘After so many days of dry weather, the roads are going to be really slippery, particularly the white lines. Try to stay off the lines at all costs. I’ve seen so many accidents that way.’
Sarah took a seat at a nearby table and gave them all a wave. ‘Listen to Gianluca. He knows what he’s talking about.’
‘Can we join you?’ It was Chuck. He came in, closely followed by Lars, and both sat down at Sarah’s table. ‘Is it another hilly day today?’ She nodded.
‘Pretty much like yesterday, with some great sights along the way. We’re heading for Foligno. The town gets a very good write-up as a tourist destination, and we’ll be stopping off in Assisi on the way. Apparently the basilica there is quite stunning.’ She glanced out of the window at the rain that showed no sign of letting up. ‘You’d probably do well to dig out a jacket as it might get a bit chilly on the road today.’
Chuck grinned at her. ‘Chilly – that’s a word we haven’t heard much of so far this trip. It’ll be good to cool down a bit.’
They soon cooled down out on the road. The road surface was very wet, with some serious puddles to be negotiated, and they were all soaked within minutes. Even though the air temperature was still pretty high, as the water on their legs evaporated in the breeze, it was definitely noticeably colder. In spite of Gianluca’s warning, repeated by Sarah to everybody just before they set off at nine o’clock, two people fell off before they had even left Gubbio. Both times, as predicted by Gianluca, slippery white lines were to blame. Fortunately, neither accident was serious and the scuffed knees and elbows didn’t even need dressing. At least, to Sarah’s relief, after that everybody started to take a lot more care, and before too long they had safely exited the built-up area and were out in the hills once more. Here, on the minor roads, there was very little in the way of road furniture, and slippery white lines were few and far between. This didn’t mean there was no danger, however. Some of the puddles concealed deep potholes and Gianluca spent quite a lot of his time cycling back and forward along the line of riders, warning them to take care.
Sarah would have enjoyed talking to Miles, but he was off ahead of her somewhere, so she was able to cruise along and let her mind roam. Although Miles was pretty high up in her thoughts, she was thinking more about herself today than him. Somehow, she was feeling better about her life. The James episode was over and she could now make a fresh start. She would do her best to work hard and well, but definitely getting out more and maybe allowing herself a bit more time to do other things was high on her list of priorities. First on her agenda, she decided, would be to buy herself a flat. One of her aunts had died the previous year and left her and her brothers and sisters some money. With this, along with her savings, she knew she should have enough to put down as a deposit. It was something she had been wanting to do for years and it would give her a new interest. She was still reflecting on what sort of place she would really like when the accident happened.
It was during a brief break in the rain, just before mid morning. Sarah, still in her position as the last of the bunch, had just crested a rise and was freewheeling carefully down the wet, winding road on the other side when she came round a corner and saw three riders at the side of the road, in the process of getting off their bikes. In front of them was another bike, lying in the long grass. As she applied the brakes and skidded to a stop on the slippery asphalt, she instantly recognised the bike on the ground. There was no mistaking the bright, canary-yellow colour. It belonged to Miles, but there was no sign of him. She felt her heart leap. Beyond the low wall at the back of the grass verge, the ground fell away very steeply into dense woodland, just the tips of the trees visible above the wall. If he had ended up down there, he might well have seriously injured himself. She jumped off her bike and looked around, terrified of what she was going to find.
‘What’s happened? Where’s Miles?’
Dan pointed over the wall and Sarah thought her worst fears were going to be confirmed, but this didn’t turn out to be the case. ‘He’s just gone down there to try to help Lars.’
‘Lars…?’ Sarah wasn’t following.
‘Lars skidded on the bend and he and his bike went right over the wall.’ Dan was looking quite shocked. ‘His front wheel hit the wall and he just somersaulted over and disappeared into the trees. Miles was first on the scene and he’s down there now with Chuck and Mike.’ For the first time, Sarah spotted two more bikes resting against a fallen tree at the roadside. Her brain was still processing the fact that Miles hadn’t been involved in the accident, after all, and wondering how Lars was faring. She shook herself into action, pulled out her phone and called Polly, explaining briefly what had happened, asking her to tell Gianluca to stop the rest of the group. She went over to the wall and looked down into the trees. The ground fell away very steeply and she could clearly see the trail down through the undergrowth where first Lars and then the others had passed by. She could hear distant voices, but couldn’t see anybody.
‘Here’s Polly.’ Dan’s voice returned her attention to the road. As soon as the minibus had come to a halt on the grass verge, hazard lights blinking, Sarah went over and explained in detail what had happened. Polly listened and nodded before replying.
‘I called Gianluca and told him. He was just about down in the valley, but he’s on his way back up here now. Paul’s going to collect everybody else together and hold them until we know what’s going on.’
Sarah nodded approvingly. A voice from below attracted her attention. She and Polly hurried over to the little wall again and peered down into the trees. To her relief, she saw Lars. He was upright and walking, being supported by Mike on one side and Miles on the other. Together they were making their way very gingerly back up through the trees to the road. Bizarrely, both Miles and Mike were bare-chested. In spite of the circumstances, Sarah had to stifle an appreciative grunt as they climbed towards her. As they emerged from the trees, she suddenly understood the reason the two men were stripped to the waist. Lars was as white as a sheet and holding his left elbow in his right hand, the two shirts tied together to make a primitive sling. He was clearly in a lot of pain.
‘Collar bone. I’d stake my life on it.’ Gianluca had just arrived and was climbing off his bike. He came across to help Dan and the other men as they leant down the steepest part of the slope to give a helping hand to Miles and Mike as they eased Lars up onto the flat. Behind Gianluca, Sarah spotted the tiny form of Terri getting off her bike, nodding her head in agreement. She leant her bike against Gianluca’s and came across to where Polly and Sarah were standing.
‘It’s the classic cycling injury. The bike goes down, you put out your hand to break the fall and bang goes the collar bone. He’s going to need to go to hospital.’
Sarah had been thinking the same thing. She pulled her map out of her back pocket and studied it. The nearest town big enough to have a hospi
tal was Perugia and that was about thirty kilometres away. Should they call for an ambulance or should he go there in the minibus with Polly? She remembered her first-aid training. ‘Pol, dig out the first-aid kit, will you? There should be a bandage in there we can use to make a better sling. And a painkiller or two would probably be a good idea.’
Polly scuttled back to the van while the others helped Lars down until he was sitting on the stone wall. Gianluca sat on one side of him and supported him as Sarah delicately removed the two cycling shirts and fashioned a better sling with the fresh bandage. Polly set about wiping the mud off Lars’s face, arms and legs with a cloth, while Sarah cleaned and dressed a deep cut on his left knee. Finally, after about five minutes, she stood up and surveyed the damage.
‘Lars, do you feel up to travelling with Polly to the hospital or do you want me to call for an ambulance?’
He looked up wearily. His face was badly scratched, presumably by brambles or thorns as he had crashed down through the woods. The cuts were angry, but most had stopped bleeding. ‘There’s no need for the ambulance. I’ll be fine in the van, Sarah. I’m so sorry about this.’ He shook his head cautiously. ‘I just don’t know what happened. One minute I was riding down the road, not that fast, and the next I was nose down in the earth, sliding through the trees. There wasn’t even a white line to slip on.’
‘Oil.’ Terri had been doing a bit of sleuthing back on the road. She pointed up the hill and Sarah realised she could see the telltale colours of an oil slick running diagonally across the wet tarmac. ‘A car or truck must have been spilling oil and your tyres didn’t stand a chance.’
Sarah returned her attention to Lars. He looked cold. Of course, she thought to herself, that could also be the shock. She was just about to head for the van to look for a jumper or jacket when Polly beat her to it, reaching into the medical kit. ‘Here, there’s a packet of foil blankets in here.’ She unrolled one of the shiny gold sheets and tucked it around Lars’s shoulders.