T A Williams - What Happens In Tuscany...

She found a parking space opposite St David’s station and walked across to wait under cover. The rain was coming down harder now and she was glad of the huge BMW umbrella that had come with the car. To her surprise, Jenny was already there, even though it was only a quarter to seven.

‘Wow, Jen, how did that happen?’

‘The train before mine was running late so I managed to hop on. I got here five minutes ago.’ Katie led her out and across to the car, both of them sheltering under the umbrella. Jenny stopped and stared as they reached the car. ‘Bloody hell, Katie, what’s this you’re driving? It’s amazing!’ Even in a downpour, Katie had to agree that the silver sports car did look rather good. She gave her a broad smile.

‘Tip of the iceberg, Jen. Tip of the iceberg. Nothing but the best for Victoria.’ They climbed in and she threw the dripping umbrella onto the tiny rear seats. ‘You are now entering the proverbial lap of luxury. Enjoy it!’

As they drove back up the Exe valley towards Iddlescombe, they chatted. Katie recounted her experiences since arriving in Devon two weeks previously. Jenny was amazed as she heard more detail about Victoria.

‘Locked up for twenty-five years? That’s amazing.’ She glanced out of the car window as the rain continued to pour down. ‘With all the money she’s got, I’m surprised she stays in soggy old England.’

‘Ah, that’s being taken care of. We’re going off to their villa in Tuscany some time very soon.’

Jenny returned her attention to Katie. She knew full well just how hard things had been for her recently. Now she was delighted to see her looking and sounding much better, much more positive. ‘Tuscany, that’s where you said you wanted to go, isn’t it? I can see you now, basking in the Italian sunshine, a glass of Italian wine in your right hand and a handsome dark-haired Italian Adonis in your left.’

A sign appeared through the gloom, indicating they had reached Nymptonford. Katie slowed at a junction and then turned off onto a much narrower road. ‘Twenty minutes through the lanes and we’re there.’ She glanced across with a smile. ‘And Adonis was Greek, not Italian.’

‘My mistake. As long as they’ve got long black hair and dark brown eyes, I’m not fussy. And talking of men, you’ll never guess who I saw only yesterday.’

Katie was driving slowly, secretly rather awed at the volume of water streaming down both sides of the lane. She didn’t dare take her eyes off the road ahead. ‘I’m assuming it wasn’t Adonis. You would probably have told me already if you’d seen him.’

‘Martin.’

In spite of her good intentions, Katie glanced sideways. ‘Martin? How was he?’

There was a pause while Jenny looked for the right word. In the end she settled for, ‘Frustrated.’

‘You’re going to have to explain.’ Headlights appeared ahead of them and Katie squeezed halfway off the road to allow a huge milk tanker to come past. ‘What’s he got to feel frustrated about?’

‘You, I think.’ Jenny was smiling. ‘Or, rather, the lack of you. He’s been trying to contact you and your phone seems permanently off. Are you trying to avoid the poor boy?’

Katie explained about the poor reception at the manor and how the problem had only been resolved the previous afternoon. ‘I’ve been meaning to call him.’ The road now clear again, she shot a sideways look at Jenny. ‘So you think he’s interested, do you?’

‘Interested? Only in the same way that Romeo was interested in Juliet. If you want my honest opinion, I think all you’d have to do would be to snap your fingers and he’d be there like a little dog with his tail wagging.’

‘A dog? Now that’s a thought. We never had one at home and I’ve always wanted one.’

‘But they’re smelly and disobedient and you have to run around clearing up after them.’

Katie glanced at Jenny. ‘After seven years with Dean, I know all about that, thank you. No, a dog might well be the answer for me. I really don’t know if I fancy hooking up with anybody again for a while. Like I’ve been telling you, I’m looking for a new career and I’m prepared to do what you’ve done and bury myself in it. There’ll be time for men once I’ve got the work side of things sorted out. Although, I must admit that if I was thinking of it, Martin would be high on my list of potential conquests.’

‘Well, that’s up to you, but I did tell him I’d ask you to give him a call.’

‘And I will. Promise.’ At that moment they emerged from the trees into the wider part of the valley. The rain was still falling, but the visibility was better out here. Katie pointed across towards Iddlescombe Manor as it emerged from the murk. ‘We’re almost there. Not a bad little place, is it?’

‘Bloody hell.’ For once, Jenny was totally at a loss for words.

‘Welcome to Iddlescombe Manor, Jenny. I’m so glad you decided to come.’ Victoria was waiting for them in the sitting room, where a fire had been lit in the huge fireplace, even though they were in the month of July. She glanced at Katie. ‘Not the nicest of nights for driving.’

Katie shook her head. ‘Definitely not great. There was a moment on the way up here when it looked like we were driving up a river.’ She accepted a glass of champagne and grinned at the expression of awe on Jenny’s face as Rosie in her maid’s uniform went over to her with the silver tray.

‘Thank you so much for inviting me here, Victoria. It’s an amazing place.’ Jenny remembered her manners.

Victoria gave a shrug of her shoulders. ‘I suppose it is really, but for me it’s just the place I live. I don’t really have any standard of comparison.’

Katie wasn’t going to let her get too introspective. ‘Well, if it helps, the whole flat I lived in for seven years with Dean would fit into this room quite easily.’

‘But I don’t have a Dean.’ Victoria’s tone was still a bit melancholy. Katie wondered if she had been watching something gloomy on TV.

‘Well, you’re better off without one of those. We were just saying on the way up that a dog would be far less trouble.’

‘But you can’t have a conversation with a dog.’

Katie gave her a grin. ‘Try talking to a man when there’s football on the television. Trust me, you get much more in the way of communication from a dog.’ She turned to Jenny. ‘Isn’t it about time you got yourself a dog? Or a man?’

Jenny smiled. ‘I don’t think I’ve got time for either at the moment.’ She looked across at Victoria and explained. ‘I run my own business. It’s a six day a week job, but I love it. It doesn’t give me much in the way of free time, but that suits me fine for now. I’m a bit like Katie at the moment. Men; I can take them or leave them for now. There’ll come a time, but not yet.’

Victoria looked across at Katie. ‘So you’re not on the lookout for another man? I thought you told me there was one on the horizon.’

Katie glanced across at Jenny. ‘There’s Martin. He’s a nice man.’

Even Victoria realised that “nice” was a bit feeble. She caught Katie’s eye. ‘Is that all?’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound like he’s boring. I like him a lot.’ She addressed herself to Victoria and did her best to explain. ‘He’s tall, handsome and clever. He’s a solicitor and he plays rugby as a hobby. He would make a really good choice for a boyfriend; maybe more.’

‘So, why the hesitation?’ Victoria was having trouble working it out. Had she but realised, so was Katie, and she had been for the last week.

‘I don’t know. I thought I’d chosen a satisfying career in teaching, but it all went belly up’ Katie checked Victoria’s expression to see that she had understood the analogy. Reassured, she went on. ‘I’m thirty and I’m at a crossroads in my working life. Nice as Martin is, I get the feeling he’s looking for something serious; maybe thinking of settling down. I really don’t want to hitch myself up at this stage to a life as a housewife; dinner parties, driving the school run every day, taking the dog to the vet. I’m looking for more out of life.’ As she spoke, she could see from the expression on Victoria’s face that she would have welcomed the attentions of a tall, handsome man. But maybe she had just found one in Tom, the army officer. Katie was quick to reassure her.