by T A Williams
As she was resting on her elbows on the brickwork, her phone started ringing. It was a familiar voice.
‘Hi, Suzie. It’s me, Tommy, calling from the US. I hope you don’t mind. I got your number from Rafe.’
‘Hello, Tommy. Good to hear from you.’ And she realised that it was. ‘How’s California?’
They chatted for some minutes and she wondered if there was any special reason for the call. This emerged towards the end of their chat.
‘Um, Suzie, I just wanted to tell you I’ve been thinking about you. A lot.’
She was mildly surprised. She now knew, through Alex, that his family lived in a castle and he was another extremely wealthy member of the aristocracy – apart from looking like a film star. What interest might he have in her?
‘I hope you were thinking nice things.’
‘Yes. In fact, Suzie, I just wanted to say once again how sorry I am about my behaviour back in London. I’m really not a bad guy. Please don’t hate me.’
‘Of course I don’t hate you, Tommy.’
‘Would you mind if I see you again sometime?’ He sounded remarkably meek and it was hard to believe that this was tall, handsome Tommy with all his wealth. ‘If I were to come over to Italy again sometime with James, would it be okay for me to see you?’
‘Tommy, of course it would. I look forward to it.’
‘That’s great.’ The relief in his voice was palpable.
At the end of the call, as she put her phone away safely in her bag, she found herself reflecting on what he had said. Could it be that he wanted to take things to the next level with her? And if he did, how did she feel about it?
Her mind still mulling this over, she circled round, walking down by the riverside where ducks swam in the water at her feet and cypress-clad hills rose above her on one side, with the wonderful buildings of old Verona on the other. It was a very romantic view and she felt, in her bones, that she could so easily have let romance sweep her away, but the more she thought about it, the more she realised that the only romantic interest in her life at present was an artist she barely knew who was crushed beneath the weight of his grief. Nice as it was to hear Tommy expressing his interest, the object of her affections was Michael, but he was a forlorn hope. Even an espresso in a little cafe in a delightful cobbled square did little to cheer her up. Despite being surrounded by lovely old buildings made up of row upon row of red bricks alternating with horizontal strips of cream-coloured stone, she barely registered their beauty and she was feeling quite low by the time she got back to the hotel.
It was almost seven by this time and she realised she was feeling hungry. That afternoon Michael had given them bread, local cheese and huge, tasty, home-grown tomatoes, apologising that his intention had been to take them to the nearby trattoria, but that he and Alex had lost track of time. Washed down with a glass of good red wine it had been fine, but now Suzie knew she needed something more substantial.
She collected Alex and together they went out into the street and wandered around until they were attracted by the entrancing aromas emanating from a friendly-looking pizzeria in a narrow back lane near the riverside. As they ate, they talked.
‘Weren’t Michael’s paintings amazing?’ Alex looked up from her plate of seafood antipasti. ‘If I could ever get to be even half as good as him, I’d be delighted.’
That afternoon, after the snack lunch, he had shown them a selection of his work, including the newly finished portrait of Frederika the Austrian. It was a stunning likeness and the level of intricate detail, right down to the light reflecting in the diamond earrings and the hint of a smile on her face, was a tour de force. There was no hiding the fact that it had been painted by a master and Suzie had been reminded of some of the great portrait painters of the past. Maybe, she thought to herself, her mention of Rembrandt earlier had not been so far off the mark. He had then shown them other canvases but he stayed away from the end of the sitting room where the painting of his wife was hanging.
Suzie had no doubts about Alex and her art. ‘I really think you should do the art course at the Academy, you know, Alex. Just think what it would do for you as an artist – and as a person.’
Alex nodded morosely. ‘I know, I can’t stop thinking about it, but I know what my father’s going to say. What’s the point?’
There was a brief interval while the waiter appeared with two enormous pizzas and removed the remains of their starters. After he had left, Suzie looked across the table at Alex, still thinking about the resigned note of defeat in her voice.
‘Alex, can I ask you something? Something personal? If you don’t want to answer, please don’t, but I know I need to ask.’
‘Whatever you like.’ Alex sounded intrigued.
‘The reason you always do what your father says is because he might turn off the money tap. Is that right, or is there more to it than that?’
Alex took her time before replying.
‘Of course the money’s important. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t, but you’re right, there’s more to it than that.’ She took a mouthful of sparkling mineral water. ‘It’s my mother. Before she died, when she was in the hospice, she made me promise to do exactly what my father said. She said he would know what was best for me. A few days later, the cancer finally killed her and it was an awful time for me. I was barely into my teens and my mum had been my best friend in the whole world. I felt completely lost. There was Rafe, of course, but he was older and he was away at school most of the time anyway.
‘I was all alone at home with my father, but he’s not the sort of man who shows his emotions or goes in for open displays of affection. I’ll always remember him taking me to one side before my mother’s funeral and telling me it was my duty – he actually used the word “duty” – not to cry in the church. We were Tedburns and we didn’t do that sort of thing.’ She paused for a few deep breaths. ‘Well, I cried my eyes out all the way through the service and I’m not sure he’s ever forgiven me. After that, he sent me off to school and our relationship, if you can call it that, has remained at arm’s length.’
Suzie nodded slowly. ‘So you’re still accepting his control over your life because of a promise made when you were thirteen?’ She glanced up. ‘That’s a long time ago, Alex.’
‘I know, but a promise is a promise, isn’t it?’
Suzie carried on eating her pizza, turning over in her head what she had just heard. Deep down she felt sure that the very best thing for Alex would be for her to study art, and she could sense her indecision. After a while, she had another go.
‘But surely your mother just meant while you were growing up? Now that you’re an adult, I’m sure she would have wanted you to do what makes you happy.’
Alex just nodded vaguely, but didn’t reply as Suzie carried on.
‘Deep down, your father must want what’s best for you, too. And I’m certain he also wants you to be happy. Don’t you think so?’
‘I suppose so, but the fact is that he’s convinced that all I need to make me happy is a whole heap of money and a husband chosen by him.’
‘Have you tried talking to him about it?’
‘Have I tried?’ Alex snorted into her mouthful of quattro stagioni pizza. ‘Time and time again, but it always ends up the same way. He knows best and he refuses to hear my side of things. So, gradually, I’ve drifted into being what he wants – a spoilt little rich girl.’ She made an attempt at a wry smile. ‘Tough life, eh? Nothing to do, and all the money in the world.’
Suzie sat back from her pizza and took a mouthful of water. After the wine she had drunk during the day, she had decided to stay off alcohol tonight. ‘Does he love you?’
Alex looked up abruptly. ‘Of course he does. He’s my father.’
‘And you love him?’ Suzie didn’t wait for a reply. ‘Then, if you love each other, I think you need to sit down and have a serious talk. Maybe not in that formal study of his, but somewhere neutral.’ A sudden thought occurred
to her. ‘I tell you what, why don’t you invite him over here for a day or two? When’s the last time he had a holiday?’
‘Him, a holiday? Hardly ever. He says the estate’s his life.’
‘But he could get away?’
‘I’m sure he could. After all, he’s got Rafe there to keep an eye on things.’
‘Well, go on then. Give him a call and see what he says. Don’t mention the art course on the phone. You can pick your moment for that once he’s over here.’
* * *
The result of the long phone call Alex made to her father later that evening came as a surprise to both of them. After a lot of cajoling, he finally agreed to come to Verona on Friday and stay until Sunday, and Alex declared herself amazed.
‘This’ll be his first time out of the country for ages. Come to think of it, it’ll be just about his first time out of Devon for a good long while, too. I never thought he’d agree.’
‘That’s got to be a good sign. Now all we’ve got to do is to make sure you know what you’re going to say to James and you’re away.’
‘Oh, bugger, I’d almost forgotten about him. One thing’s for sure, I’m not mentioning anything to my dad about my being unable to marry James until he’s agreed to let me stay here and study art.’
‘And it might also be a good idea to tell James you can’t take things to the next level with him first, before letting your father in on the secret.’ Suzie gave her a little smile. ‘All in all, you’re going to have your work cut out over the next week or two.’
‘You can say that again.’ Alex gave her a look of desperation before breaking into a little smile. ‘And it’s all your fault. If you hadn’t agreed to come to Italy with me and if you hadn’t taken a liking to Michael, I’d still be sitting back home looking out over the deer park without a care in the world.’
‘Without a care in the world? Really?’
‘As long as I didn’t think about my life, my future or my ambitions…’ Alex smiled again, but it was bittersweet.
‘And now where would you rather be?’
‘No question – here.’
Alex sent a text to Michael telling him what was going to happen and he replied saying he would speak to the people at the Academy about her anyway. That way she would hopefully know if there was going to be a place for her before her father came to Verona.
Apart from that, over the course of the next few days, they set about visiting Verona properly, starting with the Arena itself. Inside, it was even more impressive, with seating in its heyday for thirty thousand spectators who would have come from all over the Roman Empire to watch sports, games and bloody combat. The central area had now been transformed into comfortable seating and a stage, while cheaper seats were all around on the stone terraces. Sadly, they were informed that the summer opera and concert season had finished only a few weeks earlier, so they weren’t able to sample the famous acoustics that made it one of music’s great venues – with performances over the years from musical legends ranging from Pavarotti to Pink Floyd.
They were at the end of September by now and Suzie wondered how much longer the fine weather might last. Sooner or later it was bound to change and she felt sure that the winters here, so close to the mountains, would be harsh. As the thought crossed her mind, she found herself wondering where she would be and what she would be doing from the middle of October onwards when her contract to accompany Alex came to an end. And that was little more than two weeks away.
Every evening, she had been scouring the Internet ever more feverishly for possible jobs, but without any great success. Following on from what Professor Macgregor-Brown had suggested, she had sent off CVs to a handful of universities, but without much hope, not least as the academic year would be starting any day now and most of the positions would already have been filled. On Thursday afternoon she did, however, receive a very welcome text message of a different kind.
Hi Suzie. I gather from Alex that she’s got her dad coming tomorrow. I imagine that’ll mean you’ll be on your own that night. I’ve got tickets to a special concert if you’re interested? Michael
Suzie rocked back on her heels and headed out onto the terrace where Alex was filing her nails. She held the phone under Alex’s nose and waited until she had read the message.
‘What do you think?’
Alex beamed. ‘You want to know what I think? I think you should say yes and then make yourself look as good as possible. And a clothes shopping trip wouldn’t do any harm either. After all, he does say it’s a “special” concert, doesn’t he? That almost certainly means dressy.’ She was looking positively animated now. ‘I’ll come shopping with you. I’d better find something fairly conservative for my father’s benefit.’
Suzie shook her head uncertainly. ‘I don’t know. I don’t want it to look as if I’m throwing myself at him, after all.’
‘But, given half a chance, isn’t that exactly what you’d like to do?’ There was a note of triumph in Alex’s voice.
‘Well, yes, but…’
‘No buts. This time let me be the one giving the advice. Let him see just exactly what he’s been missing.’
Chapter 13
Michael had agreed to meet Suzie at the hotel at six o’clock and by that time she was a bag of nerves. Alex, with the imminent arrival of her father in an hour or two, was little better. The two girls sat uncomfortably on the terrace, watching the sun sink towards the distant hills, both immersed in their own thoughts.
Suzie also had something else to worry about. She was now wearing a frighteningly expensive dress that Alex had insisted on buying for her with her gold card and she was terrified of creasing it or even ruining it. She was also more than a little worried that it might be too revealing. She had never had a dress with such an open neckline before and, although Alex and the shop assistant had laughed at her fears and had assured her that she was anything but indecent, she kept on glancing down in terror to check that everything was as it should be.
And as if she didn’t have enough to worry about, her contact lenses – also worn at the insistence of Alex – were making her eyes sting. She made a silent resolution to stick to glasses from now on.
When the bells of at least three different churches starting ringing to announce that the long-awaited hour had come, Suzie stood up, straightened her dress and went over to give Alex a hug.
‘Good luck with your dad. Maybe best to stick to trivia at first and let him settle in. A bottle of wine probably wouldn’t hurt either.’
‘Good luck to you, too, Suzie. You look gorgeous. You’ll probably have to fight him off.’ She giggled. ‘That’s if you want to put up a struggle.’
Downstairs, Suzie had the unaccustomed pleasure of seeing a man do a double take as she appeared. Michael was standing by the information desk where she had found the leaflet about the Academy of Art and as he turned towards her there was no mistaking the impression her appearance made upon him.
‘Suzie, good evening. Wow, you look amazing.’ He sounded as if he meant it and, needless to say, she found herself blushing.
‘Hi, Michael. Thanks for the compliment. You’re looking very good yourself.’
And he was. It was a warm evening and he was wearing a simple white cotton shirt, with a light blue jumper slung over his shoulders. As she walked across and shook hands with him, she couldn’t help noticing that the jersey was the exact same shade as his eyes. She wondered idly if he had bought it himself or if this might have been a present from an admirer. His wife? She didn’t have much time to ponder this as she could see him looking puzzled and shot him an enquiring glance.
‘Something wrong, Michael? You’re looking a bit bewildered.’
He gave a little shake of the head as the penny finally dropped. ‘It’s the glasses. Of course, you aren’t wearing your glasses. And with your hair up, you look like a film star.’
‘Stop it, or I’ll be blushing all evening. The contact lenses are because Alex bullied me, bu
t they make my eyes sting, so next time you see me, you’ll have to put up with the glasses again. Anyway, because you said in your text that it was going to be a special concert, Alex took me to the salon this afternoon where they ganged up on me and insisted on putting my hair up.’ She glanced down briefly. ‘And then she got me this dress.’
As she looked up again, she saw his eyes had followed hers and were now trained on the revealing neckline. This did nothing to calm her embarrassment. What he said next didn’t help.
‘That’s my mistake, I’m afraid. To be totally honest, I should have been more specific. It’s a special concert because it’s being put on by the kids of a special school that I’m a trustee of. It’ll be hard chairs in the gymnasium, I’m afraid. Sorry if I didn’t make myself clear.’
Great, Suzie thought to herself. Now she was going to look ridiculous, all dressed up to the nines in the midst of a bunch of parents and teachers. Her embarrassment grew.
They walked out into the evening air and she took a few deep breaths. High above, she could hear the high-pitched cries of gangs of swallows as they wheeled in the sky, which was already flushed red as sunset approached. Down at street level the shadows were deepening and she was glad she had managed to resist Alex’s encouragement to wear heels – not least if they were going to be in a gymnasium with a delicate wooden floor – as they set off on foot. As she and Alex had already discovered, the pavements weren’t always perfectly flat here in Verona, often with patches of cobblestones, and she had no wish to trip and end up flat on her face.