by T A Williams
‘Sarah, I’ve seen your text. Please don’t dump me. It can’t just finish like this. I’ll try really hard, I promise. It was a moment of insanity and I’ve come to my senses now. Really, honestly. Please, Sarah…’
Sarah held the phone as tightly to her ear as possible as she was afraid James’s cries of anguish would be audible across the table, if not across the room. She gave Paul an apologetic glance and dropped her voice to little more than a whisper as she spoke into the phone. ‘James, I can’t talk now, but listen, I meant what I said. It’s over, are you listening?’
‘Not like this, Sarah, please. I know I did wrong, but I wasn’t thinking straight, honestly…’
‘Well, I am thinking straight and that’s that, James. We both need to move on and I have. That’s it, James, now please leave me alone.’
‘Please, Sarah…’
‘No, James, that’s it. Now, goodbye.’ She not only ended the call, but turned the volume to mute and stuffed it back in her shorts pocket. Only then did she raise her eyes. Some people would have pretended they hadn’t been listening, or tactfully moved on to another subject, but she could see from Paul’s expression that that wasn’t going to happen. She was afforded a few seconds thinking time as the waiter came along and, before she could refuse, Paul ordered two portions of homemade tart. As the waiter left the table, she took a deep breath.
‘That was my fiancé… my ex-fiancé.’
‘I rather gathered he’s now your ex, but didn’t realise you were engaged. That’s tough.’ His expression, while inquisitive, was caring. ‘What happened?’
‘Paul, if I tell you, please could you promise me you won’t go spreading it around. Miles knows, and Polly, but nobody else. I’d rather keep it private.’
‘Of course. But you don’t need to tell me if you’d prefer not to talk about it.’
‘No, it’s fine to talk about it. In fact, it’s probably good for me to talk about it. You see, it all happened very recently. In fact, I should be on my honeymoon as we speak, but he got cold feet at the last minute, like less than a week before the wedding.’
‘Blimey, that’s short notice. What a bastard.’ He caught her eye. ‘If he rings back, put him on to me and I’ll tell him a thing or two.’ Paul definitely looked as if he meant it and Sarah was pleasantly surprised. He sounded sincerely upset for her and she found herself smiling at him.
‘Thanks, Paul, but I think he got the message this time.’
‘Can I ask why it all fell apart?’ He was quick to add, ‘But only if you want to talk about it, of course.’
‘I don’t mind. In fact, like I say, it’s probably good for me to talk about it. He said he wanted to enjoy life with other people, have other experiences, meet other girls.’
‘Moron. What could he want with another girl? You’re far and away the most beautiful girl on this trip, one of the most beautiful I’ve ever met.’ He waved away her protests as she blushed. ‘You are, you know. But more than that, you’re bright, you’re organised and you’re one of the most caring people I’ve ever come across.’ He was grinning now. ‘In fact, I can’t think why I haven’t asked you to marry me. No chance, I suppose?’
She shook her head. ‘I couldn’t handle the responsibility of robbing the world of such an eligible bachelor, Paul. Why, I’m sure there would be women jumping off bridges all over the place the moment the news got out. But you can go on paying me as many compliments as you like, and I’d love to keep you as a good friend.’ As she spoke, she realised she really meant it.
‘So, would I be right in thinking there’s some other lucky man on the horizon?’ Sarah shook her head, but she must have hesitated before doing so and he pounced. ‘So there is, is there? I thought so. Anybody I might happen to know?’ Somehow, from his expression, she realised this was a rhetorical question. He already knew, as, according to Glynis, did everybody else on the ride. She hesitated, unsure what to say.
‘Erm…’ Sarah was in a pickle and she knew it. She crossed her fingers under the table. ‘Nothing’s going to happen, so no, there’s no other man.’
Luckily, before Paul could probe any deeper, the waiter reappeared with a square plate for each of them, containing slices of three different types of tart: almond, apple and cherry, accompanied by two scoops of very creamy-looking ice cream. In the middle of the plate was a little pyramid of raspberries and the chef had dribbled stripes of dark-red syrupy sauce around the edges. Sarah stared down at the dish ruefully, knowing it was going to be heavenly and knowing she was going to eat it all and probably lick the plate. At least it allowed her to divert the conversation from the dangerous waters it had reached.
‘And here I was, just about to say I didn’t have room for a dessert. If I can’t get into my cycling shorts tomorrow morning, you know whose fault it’ll be, Mr Hall.’
He looked unrepentant, but picked up his spoon and started eating, further postponing any continuation of this potentially tricky subject. The waiter reappeared with a bottle of vin santo and two glasses, poured a little into each and left the bottle in front of them. Sarah sighed once more. Tomorrow was going to be hilly, but maybe she had earned this feast over the past two weeks. She picked up her glass and held it out towards Paul. ‘Friends.’
He laid down his spoon, took his glass and clinked it against hers. ‘Friends, Sarah, definitely friends.’
Chapter 13
Sarah slept like a log that night, definitely the best night’s sleep she had had since opening James’s letter. The first thing she did when she woke was to check her phone and she was delighted to see that James hadn’t tried to contact her again, either by phone or by text. She turned the ring volume back on, feeling greatly relieved to have made the decision. Hopefully the penny had now dropped with him and he wouldn’t bother her again.
She was dressed and ready by seven-thirty and the first person into the breakfast room. To her considerable pleasure, the next to arrive was Miles. She saw him glance around, register that they were the only two in the dining room for now, and then make his way over to her table. He looked down towards her. ‘Hi, Sarah. You’re up early this morning. Couldn’t you sleep?’ A flicker of concern crossed his face.
She shook her head. ‘Very much the opposite. I’ve just had a really good night’s sleep. What about you?’
‘So-so. It’s my own fault. I let myself get roped in to a pizza party last night with the gang. Needless to say, I ate and drank too much.’
Sarah found herself wondering if the “gang” included Jo, and felt pretty sure it did. Repressing a snort, she told him where she had been. ‘I was actually out for dinner with your brother.’ A distinct cloud crossed his face now and she remembered what Paul had said about Miles making him swear not to bother her. She hastened to explain. ‘We’re not talking a romantic soirée à deux, just two friends hanging out. It was a fantastic meal and I had a really good time.’ She caught Miles’s eye. ‘He can be very good, civilised company, you know.’
‘When he wants to be…’ Miles ran his hand through his hair wearily. ‘If only he’d do it more often.’
‘He will, Miles, I’m sure of it.’ She hesitated and then repeated what she had said to his brother the other night. ‘Would you promise me something, Miles?’ She saw him nod cautiously. ‘Would you and Paul take some time to sit down together and talk? I know he’s going to be good for the company and I’m sure he’ll work hard. Just talk to him, you’ll see.’
Miles stood there for a few seconds, looking down at the table. Finally he reached a decision. ‘If that’s what you want me to do, I’ll do it.’ He caught her eye and even managed a little smile that sliced straight to her heart. ‘For you, anything.’
‘Anything?’ She didn’t wait for an answer. Delighted to see him looking and sounding communicative once more, she pointed to the spare chairs at her table. ‘Are you going to join me?’
He was about to take a seat beside her – indeed he already had his hand on the back of the c
hair – when the three Welsh girls descended upon him like a cloud of locusts and spirited him off to another table. He barely had time to throw Sarah a despairing wave before he was engulfed and marched away. Sarah sighed and sat back, signalling to the waitress. ‘Un cappuccino, per favore.’
‘E un espresso per me.’ She looked up and saw Gianluca come into the room.
‘Ciao, Sara. Can I join you?’
She gave him a big smile and indicated the chair that, until a moment ago, had been earmarked for Miles.
‘How’re you doing, Gianluca? You’ve been looking a whole lot happier lately.’
He nodded his head. ‘That’s because I am. I think this trip’s doing us all good.’
At that moment, Jean-Pierre and Véronique appeared at the door and Sarah waved at them. ‘Hi, you two. Did you enjoy your meal in the cellar last night?’
They walked across and Sarah couldn’t help noticing they were holding hands. Clearly, they had decided to come out of the closet. In fact, she soon discovered what had been responsible for last night’s celebrations. Véronique very proudly extended her hand in Sarah’s direction, showing off a rather nice, probably antique, diamond ring.
‘Jean-Pierre asked me to marry him.’ Véronique looked across tenderly at her new fiancé and Sarah had to combat a feeling of foreboding. Just because it hadn’t worked out for her didn’t mean it wouldn’t work out for them. She managed to look encouraging
‘Congratulations, the pair of you. How exciting. We’d better issue a warning next time we organise one of these trips. Can result in life-changing decisions.’ She stood up and went over to kiss them both. As the word spread around the dining room, the others came over to add their congratulations as well. As Miles came to wish them well, Sarah spotted a momentary cloud across his face before he rallied. She caught his eye and tried in that brief exchange to convey her sympathy, feeling sure he had been thinking about his wife. She sat back down beside Gianluca and got him to go through the route with her, as much to rid herself of the feeling of despondency that had so suddenly descended upon her, than out of real interest.
He was happy to oblige. ‘Seeing as this is the last full day and tomorrow’s just a short run downhill to the airport, we’re going out with a bang today. We’re climbing up into the Monti Cimini, and that involves a climb that’s only a few metres short of the climb up to San Marino.’ Sarah looked up and saw Jean-Pierre looking worried. Beside him, Véronique’s expression hadn’t changed. In her current state of euphoria she would quite probably have received the news they were climbing Everest without batting an eyelid. Sarah gave Jean-Pierre a wink.
‘You’ll be fine, Jean-Pierre. It’s less than San Marino and you’re seven days fitter now. It’ll be easy, you’ll see.’
‘I hope so, otherwise this could be the shortest engagement ever.’ She was pleased to see he was smiling.
‘The scenery up there’s magnificent,’ Gianluca carried on. ‘The lake’s another extinct volcano and we ride round the rim of it.’ He looked up. Not only Sarah was listening. A number of the others had gathered round. ‘And the good news is that, once we’ve got up to the rim of the crater, it’ll be pretty much downhill after that.’
‘What, downhill all the way to Bracciano?’ Sarah seemed to remember it would still be a fair distance from Vico to home.
Gianluca’s answer was predictable. ‘Definitely, apart from the uphill bits.’
The first twenty kilometres were pretty tough, but everybody made it. It was yet another wonderful day, with a clear blue sky and no clouds on the horizon. Sarah was particularly pleased about this as the restaurant where they would be having their gala dinner tonight was apparently pretty much an outdoor affair, positioned right down by the lakeside.
The views all along the route, as Gianluca had predicted, were spectacular, with wooded hills, the sparkling blue water of the Lago di Vico and, as they descended, slopes cultivated with vineyards and olive trees. They stopped for coffee mid morning in a roadside café with a fine view of the lake from the terrace. It was still only eleven o’clock, but the temperature was already high. The rain the other day had disappeared without trace and, everywhere she looked, Sarah saw dusty soil and dry grass. If it didn’t start raining again soon, by the time August came around, only the very hardiest plants would have survived. She sat down under the shade of an umbrella advertising mineral water, took off her helmet and gloves, stretched her legs and ordered an espresso and a bottle of that same water. She rather hoped Miles would come along and sit with her, but instead, she was joined by the three Americans.
‘Hi, boys, how was the climb?’
Chuck was the first to reply. Sarah noticed he was definitely looking leaner and fitter and was very pleased to hear his answer. ‘Not nearly as bad as I was expecting. And the run down from the top has been great fun.’
‘That’s because you’re all a whole lot fitter now. So, are you flying straight back?’
This time Mike replied. ‘Unfortunately, yes. We were just saying, it’s a shame the trip’s coming to an end just when we’re getting fit enough to enjoy it, rather than just struggling to keep up.’
Sarah, too, had regrets. Her main regret was that the end of the ride tomorrow would mean a return to London, and to the sad remains of her previous life. ‘I know what you mean.’ She couldn’t suppress a sigh. ‘And then it’ll be back to reality again for all of us.’ She looked up. ‘So, have you enjoyed it?’
‘It’s been great.’ Chuck had no doubts and, from the way the other two were nodding their heads, neither did they. ‘A fabulous bit of organisation and you’ve been fantastic, Sarah. You’ve been our guardian angel, encouraging us and helping and just making everything go so well.’
‘Apart from the accident to poor old Lars, we’ve been very lucky. Everything’s gone remarkably smoothly.’ She didn’t mention the near fiasco of the gala dinner. ‘Let’s hope our good luck holds. Just try not to fall off between here and the airport.’
Mike gave her a broad smile. ‘We promise we’ll be on our best behaviour. What time do you expect we’ll get to the airport tomorrow?’
Sarah sat back and did a quick calculation. As she did so, she spotted Miles in the distance, sitting on a bench overlooking the lake, deep in conversation with Paul. She felt a deep sense of satisfaction at having pushed the two brothers together and hoped they would sort out their differences. She gave them a little wave and they both waved back. Returning her attention to Mike, she did a quick calculation. ‘It’s a very easy ride, mostly downhill or on the flat, and I reckon it’s only about fifty kilometres, so I would think we should be there by noon or one o’clock at the latest. What time’s your flight?’
‘Five-thirty, so we should have bags of time, even if we all eat and drink too much tonight.’
‘Of course, you all know it’s the gala dinner tonight, and you’ll be able to dance the night away.’ For a moment, Sarah caught Dan’s eye and read a clear expression of regret, no doubt at the thought of his liaison with Polly finishing or, at least, being interrupted. Polly herself hadn’t been as cheery as usual this morning and Sarah felt pretty sure that, although at the start of the trip it had been Polly comforting her, now, at the end of it, the roles were going to be reversed. She did her best to lighten the mood. ‘Have you all brought your ball gowns?’
‘And my dancing shoes, honey,’ Chuck was the first to reply. ‘Now that’s a thought. You’re going to be very popular. Can I have the first dance with you, Sarah?’
‘And the second with me.’ Mike was quick to jump in.
‘It’s a deal. And Dan, if you can spare any time away from Polly, you and I haven’t had a dance together yet. Do I put you on my list as number three?’
‘Just try and stop me, Sarah.’ Dan gave her a grin and then adopted a patently phoney grimace. ‘By the way, I think I can feel my sore leg coming on again. I think I’d better travel in the van with Polly from now on.’
‘Very sensibl
e, Dan. You’ll need two good legs for the dancing tonight.’
They arrived at their destination in the early afternoon. The lake of Bracciano was two or three times bigger than Vico, and the hills around it were considerably lower, giving the whole area a less enclosed feel. The town itself sat about a hundred vertical metres above the surface of the lake and was dominated by the medieval castle. Their hotel was a little further round the lake, right down by the water, and there was even a beach close by. The hotel itself was made up of three separate buildings, all very old. The main part housed the majority of the bedrooms, but some of the group were accommodated in smaller, even more ancient-looking buildings in the grounds. As the rooms were allocated, Sarah felt a little twinge of regret when she saw that, although she was in the main building, Miles had been allocated the only room in the smaller of the two old annexes, a ramshackle-looking little stone tower that appeared to be held together by the ivy climbing its no doubt medieval walls. No sooner did this feeling come than she chased it away. What did it matter where he was lodged? Nothing was going to happen between them, that was pretty plain.
Needless to say, as soon as they got to their rooms, most people came straight back out again and headed for the water. Sarah followed suit, but wasn’t in the least bit surprised to see that neither Dan nor Polly appeared. Of course, he had to rest his sore leg, after all.
Sarah dumped her towel and walked cautiously over the coarse sand and gravel beach to the water’s edge and paddled in up to her knees. The water wasn’t too cold, but it was definitely chilly. Presumably it was a deep lake and the water was still feeling the effects of winter. From the road signs they had seen on the way here, just as in Umbria, snow and ice were not uncommon in the winter months so the temperatures would be low. She walked out until she could duck down and wet her shoulders, giving a little gasp as her overheated body came into contact with the water. She let herself slip forward and started to swim, using a slow, lazy breaststroke. After a little way, she rolled over and floated on her back, eyes screwed shut, feeling the warmth of the sun on her body.