“Oh, darling.”
“What, mum? I told you I was going to look into the cabinet and see what I could find. This is just where it’s taking me. Millions of people go to Rome every year, I’ll be fine.”
“I know. It’s not that.”
“What is it then?”
“I’m going to have to go to Sally’s son’s wedding on my own.” Iris let out a big belly laugh.
“Oh my god mum, seriously? I thought you were going to be mad at me for not telling you sooner!”
“No, of course, I’m not mad. If anything, I’m quite glad.”
“Glad? Why?”
“Yes, I’d love to know more about the cabinet but in all honesty, you work so much! Too much maybe and I can’t remember the last time you went on holiday or took any kind of break. You’re nearly 30, you’re single and all you do is work.”
“Mum!” Iris said, somewhat frustrated that they were having this conversation yet again.
“I know, I know, and you know I’m not pushing for you to meet someone. I just don’t like thinking of you all alone, like me.”
“You’re not alone. You have so many friends. If anything, I think you’re busy enough for the both of us with social occasions.”
“Yes, that’s true but I’m not talking about social occasions. I’m talking about waking up alone and going to sleep alone and not having anyone to talk to about whatever pops into your head or what happened that day. I know how that feels.” Evelyn said heavily.
“I know mum but I’m happy alone right now.”
“I know you are and that’s why I’m not pushing. But I also know what it feels like to be old and alone. To know the chances of you meeting someone at this time in your life are slim at best and that you’ll probably die alone.”
“Mum! You can’t think like that! I read in the paper the other day that a couple reconnected in their 80s and got married! So you’ve still got like 20 years to meet someone!”
“You’re so funny, Iris.” Evelyn said sarcastically.
“I know, and modest too!” Evelyn laughed.
“Oh darling girl, I love you.”
“I love you too. I’m just coming up to the office so can I call you later? I need to call someone else to grab all this food off me as I can’t stop for very long outside the office, there’s no parking.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll speak to you another time. Enjoy your lunch.”
“Love you, mum.”
“Love you too, bye.” Evelyn hung up the phone and Iris quickly called Lisa, the office manager to come and get the food from her.
Chapter 13
There was only a couple of days left until Iris headed off to Rome. She’d chosen and reserved her hotel, she’d looked up how to get from the airport to the hotel via train, so now all that was left was to find a hotel in Bracciano. She’d been interrupted in her search by the delivery driver on Friday, so needed to look again at places to stay. She knew she’d have to get a train from Rome to Bracciano so she didn’t want to pack too much. Especially if Italian trains were anything like British trains then she’d have to sit with her bag on her lap for 2 hours. Not something a solid suitcase would really be the best thing for. She’d need to pack just the essentials, a capsule wardrobe was definitely called for, and maybe she could buy a travel-sized liquid detergent while she was out there to hand wash a few things. Just one extra pair of shoes and one cute dress, in case she needed it for a fancy restaurant or something where she had to blend in and play the part. She kept telling herself that this is just family history research, she’s not a spy. But who knows what you’ll discover when you’re looking for the source of a magical cabinet?
She got into bed after a very long Wednesday full of back to back meetings and opened up the travel app on her phone. She typed in Bracciano and chose the check-in and check-out dates from the calendar. How do you decide how long to stay when you don’t know what you’re going to find while you’re there? Iris decided on two nights initially. The first visit to the records office should tell her how much there is to find and how long she might need to stay. She could always extend her stay once she was there.
After searching through what felt like a hundred different listings, Iris found a hotel in Bracciano that would be perfect. She quickly booked it and then set the alarm on her phone, ready for an early start in the morning.
The next morning, she woke up to find a small backpack in the cabinet, it was precisely the right size to carry with her on her trip to Italy and she knew right away that this was meant for her. She looked the bag over and it was perfect. It had a solid back so she could comfortably carry the bag for as long as she needed to without things poking out and into her back, several zipped-up sections to keep everything in and hidden internal compartments to keep her stuff safe. It’s even got a hidden rain cover that can be pulled out when needed. And the best part is it will fit in the overhead locker of an aeroplane. Which meant that she could grab a flight to the Amalfi coast, rather than taking the train, and buy the cheap hand luggage only ticket. If it’s cheaper than the train that is. She wasn’t against spending money but she loved taking the train, it felt more like you were travelling when you got to take in the view and stop at different places along the way. It was probably quicker to fly, though, and she’d get more beach time in that way. She made a mental note to check out both options on her lunch break today.
She headed to the bathroom and jumped in the shower, before quickly rummaging through her wardrobe for a dress to wear. It had been warmer than average for the last few days so she decided to take advantage of it and wear her knee-length black and blue leopard print wrap dress. But best to check if it was going to rain or not when deciding on shoes. Iris has a pair of black peep-toe flat sandals that she could walk in for hours. They were perfect for hot weather and went amazingly well with the dress but even a hint of rain and she’d have cold, wet feet all day. She grabbed her phone to check the weather and saw that she’d had a text while she was in the shower. It was from James.
‘Thinking about you and wanted to say hi. And have a goof day.’ Which was quickly followed by another text.
‘*a GOOD day! Autocorrect!’ She smiles and starts to type a reply.
‘Haha thank you! It’s definitely started well so far.’
‘Oh, how so?’
‘Just some guy I’m supposed to be going on a date with, he texted me this morning to wish me a goof day. You know, the usual.’
‘Well, I hope he enjoys his date.’
‘I’m sure he will when he eventually tells me a date and time.’
‘I’m sure he’s working on it. Have a goof day!’
‘You too!’
The weather was set to be sunny all day, much like her mood hopefully, so she went for the peep-toed flats. She grabbed her bag and an apple on her way out the door. She’d decided to grab a proper breakfast on the way to work, probably via the drive-thru but eggs and a muffin are the same, whether at home or in the car, right?
The rest of the day passed in a blur for Iris as she got everything she needed to finished, before she disappeared off for the next two weeks. She couldn’t believe she was going to Rome tomorrow night. It had been such a quick week since she asked for the time off on Monday and while she still had a few hours in the office tomorrow, she’d be spending them finalising a few things and making a list to leave of what was still outstanding, and why, to send to her boss. She was, however, grateful to Martha for offering to take some of Iris’ tasks on while she was away. Martha had been grateful for the audiobook gift card and she and Iris had spent the last few days talking about the book she had downloaded. Iris had read the paperback and enjoyed it a lot. Plus, Iris was happy that she had someone to talk to while making tea now. When Iris had mentioned she was taking a trip to sort out some family business, like she’d told her boss, Martha had been more than happy to offer to cover anything she could. Iris gladly handed off a couple of admin tasks that, in all hones
ty, bored her anyway. It was fewer things on her to-do list and it made her feel slightly less guilty about being out of the office so suddenly and for so long. Martha had offered to do more for Iris but what she had already given her felt like too much. She made a mental note to pick up some kind of thank you gift for Martha while she was away.
Chapter 14
She woke up Friday morning and in the cabinet was a princess themed birthday card inside an open, blank envelope. It was obviously for a little girl but she didn’t know any little girls, let alone one with a birthday coming up! But as had become her routine since she got the cabinet, she put it in her handbag when she got downstairs, ready to see where and when it would be needed that day. She got dressed and packed her new little backpack, ready for her flight later. She put her passport in the top zip pocket of the bag and used the printer app on her phone to wirelessly print off her boarding pass for her flight. She went to her printer in the spare bedroom across the hallway and got the piece of paper, then folded it up and placed it neatly inside the front cover of her passport.
When she got into the office she bumped into her boss in the hallway, literally. He seemed pretty flummoxed and was clearly in a hurry between meetings, even though it was only 8.55am.
“Oh, sorry Iris.” He said, moving his mug of tea out of the way just in time for it to slop onto the floor instead of onto them.
“Everything ok?” Iris asked.
“Yeah fine, I just have back to back meetings all day and my sister phoned earlier to double-check I could still make it to Ellie’s party this afternoon. She’s going to be 4. Obviously, I said yes, of course, I would be there and why would she think I had forgotten my only niece’s birthday party but obviously I completely did and now I don’t know where I’m going to find the time to buy her a bloody card, let alone a present!”
“Leave that to me. Where is the party? Is it close to here?” It was the least she could do when he approved her leave at such short notice.
“Uh, yeah why?” He said, intrigued.
“You’ll see!” She said with a wink. “Is your niece a girly girl?”
“She’s dressed as a different movie princess every time I see her if that helps?” He said with a shrug.
“Certainly does! Give me 20 minutes.” So, she knew what the card was for already but still needed to find a present for a four-year-old princess obsessed little girl, with just a couple of hours’ notice.
She headed to her desk and thought about what she could get and where from in time. Online was out of the question, it would have to be something local that her boss could pick up on the way, as he’d never be out of his meetings in time to just go to a shop and peruse the aisles. She headed to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, the last one in the office for 2 weeks.
“Click and collect!” she said out loud to herself. Almost shocked that she hadn’t thought of it before when it was so obvious. She pulled up the local toy store website and checked the click and collect details. ‘Pick up in as little as an hour!’ the website said. ‘Fantastic’, she thought to herself. While she waited for the kettle to finish boiling, she popped a teabag in her mug and typed ‘princess’ into the search on the website. 167 results, not surprising.
She narrowed it down to a handful of options, none of them too noisy, messy or glittery. She knew from the experience of being a small female child herself once, that glitter got absolutely everywhere no matter how much you tried to contain it. She finished making the tea and went back to her desk. She re-evaluated the five things she’d put in the basket and decided on 2 medium-sized presents. One princess stencil drawing set and one light up fairy doll from the latest kids’ movie. She reserved both, along with a large gift bag and entered her boss’ details on the reservation page. Once she clicked confirm it sent a text and email to her boss to tell him when and where to pick it all up. Iris got up from her desk, got the card from her bag and placed it on her boss’ desk. She loved helping at the best of times anyway but she also knew that with her being unexpectedly away for two weeks at short notice, this would really help to earn herself some brownie points for when she got back. She already knew she’d have a mountain of work to deal with. Plus, her boss was actually a decent guy and he deserved for her to help him out a little bit.
“Iris!” A voice shouted a few minutes later. She turned her chair and saw her boss quickly walking towards her. “I got the card and the text and confirmation email. Thank you! You have no idea how happy this is going to make my niece and how much trouble you’ve saved me from with my sister!”
“You’re welcome, I’m glad I could help. Especially since you’ve given me this time off at such short notice.” Her boss held up his hand to stop her.
“You deserve a holiday, just as much as the rest of us, only we actually take ours. Go, relax, be free of us for two weeks! And promise me you’ll enjoy yourself yeah?” He said with a smile.
“I’ll do my best.” She said, returning the smile. Her boss hugged her briefly and then disappeared into his next meeting.
She turned her out of office on a few hours later and closed down her computer. She grabbed her bag, said her goodbyes and she was off, to the craziest adventure she’d ever have. It might seem to everyone else like she’s just going on holiday for two weeks but who knew what she’d discover while she was there.
Chapter 15
She got to Rome city centre and checked into the hotel later than planned. She had to get the train from the airport to the centre of Rome and, seeing as she would be travelling on from here, she decided to stay in a hotel right by the main Termini station. The train from the airport was easy enough but she got ever so slightly lost walking from the station to the hotel. What should have been a straightforward walk, literally out of the front of the train station and up the same street until she got to the hotel, ended up being a random walk around what felt like half of Rome. It was only a slight 10-minute detour where the road she was following went off at an angle but she continued to follow the streets in a straight line, not looking at street signs until it was too late. Then Google maps was not working correctly and had to be recalibrated. But she got there eventually!
She was too late for dinner so she ordered room service instead. Iris knew she was fortunate that she had a good job, but no kids or partner, so she could afford to pay for a good hotel. She had a rule with herself that for as long as she could afford it, she wouldn’t stay anywhere less than 5 star and it had to have a pool. Of course, that would probably change when she did eventually settle down but for now, she was just enjoying it. And she was only in Rome for 2 days before going to Bracciano. The hotel she’d found there did have a pool but it was 4 star. There literally wasn’t anything better though so she was just going to go with it. 4 star hotels could be just as luxurious as 5 stars, she reminded herself when she booked it. It all depended on the hotel and she wasn’t really a hotel snob. She never went on holiday usually, so took the opportunity to treat herself to a bit of luxury when she had the chance.
Rome passed in a blur for the 2 short days she spent there. Iris got up early on the Saturday and headed straight to the Palatine hill as James had suggested. The hop-on, hop-off tourist bus went from the main Termini station and stopped right outside the ticket office for the hill so, she spent hardly any time walking to and from the bus, especially now she remembered to check the street signs on the ‘simple’ walk between the station and the hotel! She got her ticket for the hill and the Colosseum and took a quick stroll through the hill, back towards the Colosseum. She stopped several times to admire the amazing statues and once to quickly use the toilet. She figured they wouldn’t be as busy there like the ones in the Colosseum and she was right, she didn’t even wait in a queue.
Iris found herself standing against some railings, looking out over the ruin of what was once a grand entertaining space in the structure that was built there. Her entire house would fit in it at least 3 or 4 times, as a two-storey building! She was
struck by how different life must have been for these people to modern life and how lavish the parties held here must have been. She was also struck by how alone she felt now that she’d finally stopped rushing around and was able to just stand still and take everything in. Being in Rome reminded her of just how many people there were in the world and how she only ever interacted with the same few day after day. She got her phone out of her pocket to text James but then saw the time. She’d been far longer than she’d intended to be, so sped through the rest of the hill to quickly get to the Colosseum before she ran out of time.
She joined a guided tour of the Colosseum as soon as she got through the ticket hall and had an amazing time listening to the guide talk about the history of the Colosseum and of Rome itself. To be standing there, where all that history took place, where all those people had been before her, was just an immense feeling. From the ground, the Colosseum opened up to the sky and felt huge when you looked up. It wasn’t until she got up to where the seating was and could look down onto the arena and across to the other side of the building, that she truly appreciated the scale of this construction. The guide was happy to answer questions any time, and while the obnoxious American did his best to ask all the questions, stupid or otherwise, the other people in the group managed to get a few in too. The woman next to Iris asked a question about ticket prices for the people who wanted to come and watch a gladiator fight. The guide had an answer straight away and she seemed pretty impressed with that. As the group started to move forward iris decided to strike up a conversation with the woman.
“Great question about ticket prices!” She said with a slightly forced enthusiasm. The woman looked at her for a minute and Iris wondered if she understood English, before remembering that she’d just asked a question in English and understood the answer.
The Bedside Cabinet: The Cabinet Mystery Book 1 Page 6