Francesca, page 21
Ralph was a little perturbed. Julie had told him she would be staying at my house more, and he had accepted it. But I’m not sure he believed it. I think he thought Julie was up to her old tricks with some chauffeur or whoever.
‘Why don’t we go and see how the girls are getting on?’ he suggested one day to Tony and Jake.
They had looked at him in a peculiar fashion. Why on earth, in the middle of all the business they had to attend to, would he want to visit a building site?
They both noticed that, when they got to the house, Ralph was now unsure about going in. Ralph desperately wanted to believe Julie, but he also didn’t want to look a fool in front of Tony and Jake. If she wasn’t there and hadn’t been spending nights at my house, then where was she?
Elle opened the door and let them in. In they walked, like the three musketeers. Julie wasn’t to be seen, and Ralph looked uncomfortable, probably wishing he hadn’t come.
Then, as if by magic, they could all hear her voice coming from upstairs, shouting at one of the builders. The look of relief on Ralph’s face was a picture, even though some of the language wasn’t ladylike.
Ralph’s face lit up. When Julie eventually came down and saw Ralph, she looked surprised but seemed to understand why he had come. Sometimes you don’t need words, and she had been known to disappear before for a few days apparently.
She took his arm and walked him towards the scaffolding, showing him all she was doing. Even though it looked an absolute mess, he seemed interested, not in what was going on but to hear his wife all worked up about her new project.
Then she told him that, in a few weeks, we were all going to Italy.
I looked at Tony. Out of the blue, he picked up the dog lead and suggested we go for a walk on the seafront. We walked along casually, like old friends, with intermittent stops while Susie emptied her bladder again! Tony seemed to be enjoying himself. It was nearly Easter, and even though it was still a little cold, the sun was out.
We talked about the building works and how Julie seemed like a different woman. Tony had stopped and bought two coffees from a stall on the front. Now was the time for the real reason we were here—Italy.
Sitting down on a wooden bench looking out at the sea, we drank our coffees while Susie ran around.
‘We have to go, you know,’ he said, looking straight ahead at the sea.
‘I know, but don’t you think they are going to sense something is wrong when we don’t share a bedroom. I thought you said you were going to come up with something. We can’t pretend to argue all the time just so one of us can sleep on the sofa.’
I could see he was trying to think his way out of this, but there wasn’t a way out. All avenues were exhausted.
‘Can’t we just be adult about this, Francesca, and share a room and I will sleep on the floor or something? I don’t know until we get there and see the layout of their villa. Do you fancy some chips?’ He gave a weak smile and went to get some.
When he came back with the open bag, we both sat watching Susie and sharing the chips.
Suddenly we were laughing and chatting like old friends, about normal day-to-day things, even my job. It was nice. It was one of those rare times we had spent together, just getting to know each other. I realised I enjoyed his company. He held my hand as we got up from the bench and headed back to the house. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.
I know we shouldn’t have been holding hands. But after all, we were friends and Julie was always putting her arm through mine and giving me a hug. Who was I kidding?!
Over the next few weeks, in between my shifts at work, Tony had become a frequent visitor. It had become our routine to walk the dog, with or without Bobby, and sit on ‘our bench’ and drink coffee. I found myself looking forward to seeing him, hearing his warm laughter, and seeing his hair blow around in the wind. I was also disappointed when he didn’t come.
I kept reminding myself that it was only friendship. And on our usual evenings out at some party or dinner, I left him to his own devices around midnight. I dressed more conservatively than on New Year’s Eve when I had worn Julie’s long flowing chiffon dress. It still tormented me, though, wondering what he was doing once I had left.
The house was coming together brilliantly, and it looked great! I telephoned my mam and gave her daily updates on how things were going and did a little soul-searching along the way.
The school holidays were upon us, and Julie came in waving airline tickets in the air. ‘Here are yours, Tony’s, and Bobby’s. There is yours, Elle. We leave on Monday.’
Elle declined. She hadn’t expected this, so she made an excuse about overseeing the decorators and looking after the dog.
Tony had sorted mine and Bobby’s passports out. It seemed we were set to go.
Julie certainly hadn’t given us much time to change our minds. This was Thursday, and she wanted to shop and buy a whole new wardrobe for the trip. In the meantime, my credit card had arrived, and Julie decided it needed a good spending spree to break it in.
I had never been abroad before, so the prospect was a little daunting but exciting at the same time. Bobby had boasted to all of his friends at school that we were going to Italy, even though he had no idea where it was.
The building site manager had his full instructions list, and Julie had informed him that, even though she wasn’t there, she would be on the telephone constantly, wanting updates. And he could send her photos via her mobile telephone.
16
Italy
Bobby loved looking at all of the aeroplanes and travelling first class. It seemed to make all the difference. Jake and Sharon seemed to take it in their stride. Julie and Ralph had their son with them. They had explained that he had a few learning difficulties, including a bad stammer. He was quiet and shy but watched Bobby, looking at his books that were far too young for him. He would point things out to Bobby and correct his reading. They seemed to be on a level, although Josh was six years older than Bobby.
A chauffeur was at the airport to pick us up in an open-topped Rolls-Royce. The sun was hot and beautiful, and Julie was pointing out places in the area she thought might be of interest to me. It was beautiful, and we were driving to a villa past the coast.
At least Julie had said it was a villa. No, it was a castle. I suppose I should have known better. It had a cook, a maid, and a nanny. The swimming pools were enormous and surrounded by marble. I had never seen or dreamt anything like it. On arrival, we were met by the butler, who welcomed us and took our bags. You must admit, Julie Gold did things in style.
We settled in and were told to pick our own rooms. I saw Tony and Jake look at each other. They had obviously discussed this. Looking in the rooms, we found there was no need to worry. Tony had been right. ‘Let’s see what it’s like when we get there,’ he had said.
The rooms weren’t just bedroom. They were more like luxury apartments, with corner sofas that unfolded into beds. And then Julie saved the day.
‘Personally,’ she said, ‘I like my own bedroom. Ralph snores, and I like my own dressing space.’
I agreed and was given my own room. Apparently, it was the modern thing to do!
There was a strange awkwardness surrounding Sharon and Jake. They seemed to be bickering a lot, and you could sense their discomfort in the atmosphere.
Bobby wanted to go into the pool, while Josh sat at the side with his feet in the water. I must confess, when we all sat at the poolside and Tony got out of the pool after playing with Bobby, I saw for the first time the golden hairs on his chest that led all the way down to his stomach. The drops of water from the pool seemed to glisten on them, making me thankful I was wearing large sunglasses; the fantasies I was having when I saw him weren’t exactly ladylike! I could feel my face going red with embarrassment.
The next few days were a whirl of excitement, swimming, eating out, and clubbing. We took the boys to a water-themed fun park and did the whole sightseeing thing. Of course, Julie stopped at all of the well-known designer shops and bought herself yet another wardrobe of clothes. Sharon had declined the shopping trip and just seemed to sit around the pool. It was obvious she didn’t want to be there.
When we arrived back at the villa one day, I noticed the men were arguing. Well, they weren’t so much arguing but, rather, disagreeing with each other, raising their voices in some sort of debate. When we walked into the lounge, they stopped talking. Julie and I, along with the boys, made ourselves scarce.
Josh seemed to be joining in more and spent a lot of time with Bobby, who by now had a lovely suntanned glow.
Ralph poured Tony and Jake a glass of whisky. ‘No, boys. I won’t hear of it. Anything could happen.’ He was adamant. He had heard a few months ago that a man he did dealings with in Ireland was starting to take more than his fair share of money from Ralph’s business. He was a manager-cum-partner with Ralph and dealt with some of his money ventures over there.
Ralph had felt like kicking himself. He hadn’t been there for a while. This man was an old colleague of Ralph’s from the old days, when they had run guns together. Ralph had trusted and left him to deal with things in Ireland.
The problem was, this man was suddenly turning on Ralph and didn’t want to work for him anymore. He didn’t just want a larger piece of the action; he wanted to rule it all himself. Men who worked for Ralph were being told all kinds of things to get them to change their loyalty. Ralph’s former friend had spread the rumour that Ralph was getting old and losing it and that, before long, they would have nothing.
Ralph had ignored the money trail at first. It wasn’t unusual for someone to take a little extra—as long as the work got done.
Apparently, now the situation had gotten worse. Not only was this man spreading the word that Ralph’s days were over and that he was weak, he had also begun dealing in drugs, using Ralph’s name as the front man for it all.
Though they were on holiday, Ralph decided it was time he went to Ireland to sort things out. Not only were people losing respect for him over there, but also, two of the men he had sent over to have a well-meaning word had been shot. Things were well and truly out of hand, and Ralph needed to go immediately. Tony had insisted he and Jake go with him. But Ralph had refused, and that was what they were arguing about.
Patrick, or Paddy as he was known, was becoming a liability. In addition to the trouble he was causing on the streets, he was using the drugs himself, and they were making him increasingly more erratic. He had been taking his gun out in pubs and threatening people publicly—all in Ralph’s name. It was Ralph everyone was turning on; they thought he was to blame for all of this unrest and mindless killing.
The men spent the whole day talking and arguing with each other, until eventually Ralph gave in and agreed Tony and Jake could go with him to Ireland. Secretly, he was pleased they had insisted.
Sharon eventually gave in to the awkwardness between her and Jake and made her excuses and left Italy.
I must say the atmosphere seemed better. Jake even perked up a little, enjoying himself in the pool and on the excursions Julie had arranged. She even took us to Rome to see the Vatican.
It was passed midnight one night when I went to get a drink from the kitchen. I noticed the swimming pool lights were on. I opened the patio doors and walked out to find Tony lying on a sun lounger wearing a bathrobe. He had a drink in his hand, and I could see he was deep in thought. When I walked up to him, he didn’t even notice me until I spoke.
‘Are you okay, Tony?’ I felt like I was intruding. I could tell he had wanted to be alone. He looked a little startled.
He gave me a well-rehearsed smile and told me he was fine. I felt I shouldn’t stay and started to leave.
‘Don’t go, Francesca. Stay a while. Take a seat.’ He pulled one of the sun loungers closer to him, and I sat down.
He wasn’t his usual self. I sensed something was wrong. So I asked him again if he was okay, and he fobbed me off with some excuse about it being too warm and not being able to sleep.
He reached his hand over the arm of the sun lounger and held my hand while we sat in silence.
‘I have to go to Naples tomorrow,’ he said in a low whisper. ‘Would you come with me, on your own I mean? This isn’t some indecent proposal. I’m just asking if you would like to come.’ He took a deep sigh and lay back on the lounger.
I could hardly see him under the umbrella, but I felt this was not the time to ask why or where. So I just said, ‘Yes, I would like that.’ Julie had already made plans for tomorrow. She’d told me she thought it might be a good idea for the boys and me to have a few days to ourselves. ‘The nanny is going to look after the boys,’ I added. ‘And I think Julie wants a day with Ralph on their own anyway. So yes, I would like to come with you.’
Tony released my hand, and I felt that was my cue to leave. I stood up and left him sitting quietly by the pool, deep in thought. What was this mystery tour he felt he had to go on?
I got up early the next morning, showered, and was ready to go. I knew Naples was a good couple of hours away so he would want an early start. When I walked into the kitchen to make some coffee, I was surprised to see Tony. He too was dressed and ready to leave. He had said he was going to wake me but heard the shower and could hear i was already awake and getting ready.
Tony would be driving us himself. This really was a mystery tour.
It was still cool when we left, although the sun had risen. We chatted but not about where we were going or anything important. Eventually, we turned into a lane surrounded by lots of green fields, farmland even. At the end of it, looming towards us, was a large house. If we had been in France, I would have called it a chateaux.
My curiosity was rising. Tony turned into the drive. It was now mid-morning. I could see groups of people standing in the nearby fields, busily working. Suddenly it dawned on me. This was a vineyard. The people were picking bunches of grapes and putting them into baskets. Had Tony really brought me all this way to buy some expensive wine? I must say I felt a little deflated.
The door of the house opened before we got to it, and a middle-aged woman in a blue dress and white apron stood there with a big smile on her face and threw her arms open wide. Tony walked into her arms, giving her a hug, and immediately started speaking fluent Italian. The woman then put her arms around me and stood aside for us to enter.
Tony seemed to perk up. He had a beaming smile on his face and seemed to know exactly where he was going in this large house. We walked into a small lounge. Sitting in a rocking chair near the mantelpiece and dressed in a black lace dress was an old lady with white hair.
She immediately broke into a smile and stood up. ‘Antonias, my boy, come here.’ He was immediately enveloped in her arms.
It was strange. When I looked at this very smart lady, possibly in her seventies, I saw she had Tony’s blue eyes. This was family.
They were both speaking excitedly in Italian for a few minutes, and then she beckoned to me. ‘Sit down, Francesca. You must think us very rude. But it has been a long time.’
I sat on the pretty floral sofa. The sitting room was bright and airy, but I was perplexed. This woman seemed to know who I was. Tony had his arms around her shoulders and was kissing her on the cheek.
‘This, Francesca, is my grandmother.’ He seemed quite excited, like a young boy.
She walked towards me and put her arms around me. I was shocked, because he had never mentioned he had a family. I didn’t even know he could speak fluent Italian. But then that was silly. He was Italian, so of course he would speak Italian. Being in Italy was like a busman’s holiday to Tony. He had come home.
The lady who greeted us at the door, Rosanna, came in with coffee and cakes. She was not only the maid but also a sort of housekeeper-cum-companion. I was very confused. It seemed Tony’s grandmother owned the vineyard and was known to sell famous wines to all well-known outlets. She knew an awful lot about me and asked about Bobby. She assured me that she spoke to Tony often on the telephone, and she apologised for not being at the wedding. She had arthritis and didn’t travel well.
It was a lovely day. Rosanna cooked us lunch, and we sat chatting. I sensed Tony would want to spend some time alone with his grandmother to chat, so I asked if I could look around her gardens. I could see Tony was grateful that I had made my excuses.
Her roses were in full bloom, and the perfume that came off them filled the garden. I walked around the garden in the sunshine and then noticed a small building. It was a small church. It had half a dozen windows, all stained glass with biblical saints on them. I waked into the cool entrance. There were half a dozen pews and, before them, an altar with a large brass crucifix and a statue of Jesus Christ. It was beautiful, peaceful, and calm. The stained-glass windows filled the church with a rainbow of colours as the sun shone through them.
Suddenly, I heard a cough. When I turned, I saw Tony and his grandmother standing there behind me. I felt I should apologise for going in without permission. His grandmother walked towards me slowly, resting on her walking stick.
‘You should wear something on your head when you come in here,’ she said. Her voice was warm and friendly. ‘Here, take this.’ In her hand was a white headscarf made of lace. She handed it to me and then put one on her own head.
She sat down in one of the pews and held her hand out to me. ‘Do you like my little church, Francesca? Goodness, when I say your name, you sound more Italian than I do. Francesca Lambrianu.’ She nodded and looked at Tony. When she said it in her Italian accent, it sounded completely different.
‘It’s beautiful,’ I said, looking around. ‘I could get married her. It feels special.’ Then, I looked at them both and blushed. That had been a stupid thing to say.
She seemed very pleased and then explained to me that she had gotten married in this church. It used to be the church were the workers who lived on the land many years ago would come on a Sunday to pray. ‘You should come back on your anniversary, Antonias, and have a blessing here. Then I can watch you take your vows.’
‘Why don’t we go and see how the girls are getting on?’ he suggested one day to Tony and Jake.
They had looked at him in a peculiar fashion. Why on earth, in the middle of all the business they had to attend to, would he want to visit a building site?
They both noticed that, when they got to the house, Ralph was now unsure about going in. Ralph desperately wanted to believe Julie, but he also didn’t want to look a fool in front of Tony and Jake. If she wasn’t there and hadn’t been spending nights at my house, then where was she?
Elle opened the door and let them in. In they walked, like the three musketeers. Julie wasn’t to be seen, and Ralph looked uncomfortable, probably wishing he hadn’t come.
Then, as if by magic, they could all hear her voice coming from upstairs, shouting at one of the builders. The look of relief on Ralph’s face was a picture, even though some of the language wasn’t ladylike.
Ralph’s face lit up. When Julie eventually came down and saw Ralph, she looked surprised but seemed to understand why he had come. Sometimes you don’t need words, and she had been known to disappear before for a few days apparently.
She took his arm and walked him towards the scaffolding, showing him all she was doing. Even though it looked an absolute mess, he seemed interested, not in what was going on but to hear his wife all worked up about her new project.
Then she told him that, in a few weeks, we were all going to Italy.
I looked at Tony. Out of the blue, he picked up the dog lead and suggested we go for a walk on the seafront. We walked along casually, like old friends, with intermittent stops while Susie emptied her bladder again! Tony seemed to be enjoying himself. It was nearly Easter, and even though it was still a little cold, the sun was out.
We talked about the building works and how Julie seemed like a different woman. Tony had stopped and bought two coffees from a stall on the front. Now was the time for the real reason we were here—Italy.
Sitting down on a wooden bench looking out at the sea, we drank our coffees while Susie ran around.
‘We have to go, you know,’ he said, looking straight ahead at the sea.
‘I know, but don’t you think they are going to sense something is wrong when we don’t share a bedroom. I thought you said you were going to come up with something. We can’t pretend to argue all the time just so one of us can sleep on the sofa.’
I could see he was trying to think his way out of this, but there wasn’t a way out. All avenues were exhausted.
‘Can’t we just be adult about this, Francesca, and share a room and I will sleep on the floor or something? I don’t know until we get there and see the layout of their villa. Do you fancy some chips?’ He gave a weak smile and went to get some.
When he came back with the open bag, we both sat watching Susie and sharing the chips.
Suddenly we were laughing and chatting like old friends, about normal day-to-day things, even my job. It was nice. It was one of those rare times we had spent together, just getting to know each other. I realised I enjoyed his company. He held my hand as we got up from the bench and headed back to the house. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.
I know we shouldn’t have been holding hands. But after all, we were friends and Julie was always putting her arm through mine and giving me a hug. Who was I kidding?!
Over the next few weeks, in between my shifts at work, Tony had become a frequent visitor. It had become our routine to walk the dog, with or without Bobby, and sit on ‘our bench’ and drink coffee. I found myself looking forward to seeing him, hearing his warm laughter, and seeing his hair blow around in the wind. I was also disappointed when he didn’t come.
I kept reminding myself that it was only friendship. And on our usual evenings out at some party or dinner, I left him to his own devices around midnight. I dressed more conservatively than on New Year’s Eve when I had worn Julie’s long flowing chiffon dress. It still tormented me, though, wondering what he was doing once I had left.
The house was coming together brilliantly, and it looked great! I telephoned my mam and gave her daily updates on how things were going and did a little soul-searching along the way.
The school holidays were upon us, and Julie came in waving airline tickets in the air. ‘Here are yours, Tony’s, and Bobby’s. There is yours, Elle. We leave on Monday.’
Elle declined. She hadn’t expected this, so she made an excuse about overseeing the decorators and looking after the dog.
Tony had sorted mine and Bobby’s passports out. It seemed we were set to go.
Julie certainly hadn’t given us much time to change our minds. This was Thursday, and she wanted to shop and buy a whole new wardrobe for the trip. In the meantime, my credit card had arrived, and Julie decided it needed a good spending spree to break it in.
I had never been abroad before, so the prospect was a little daunting but exciting at the same time. Bobby had boasted to all of his friends at school that we were going to Italy, even though he had no idea where it was.
The building site manager had his full instructions list, and Julie had informed him that, even though she wasn’t there, she would be on the telephone constantly, wanting updates. And he could send her photos via her mobile telephone.
16
Italy
Bobby loved looking at all of the aeroplanes and travelling first class. It seemed to make all the difference. Jake and Sharon seemed to take it in their stride. Julie and Ralph had their son with them. They had explained that he had a few learning difficulties, including a bad stammer. He was quiet and shy but watched Bobby, looking at his books that were far too young for him. He would point things out to Bobby and correct his reading. They seemed to be on a level, although Josh was six years older than Bobby.
A chauffeur was at the airport to pick us up in an open-topped Rolls-Royce. The sun was hot and beautiful, and Julie was pointing out places in the area she thought might be of interest to me. It was beautiful, and we were driving to a villa past the coast.
At least Julie had said it was a villa. No, it was a castle. I suppose I should have known better. It had a cook, a maid, and a nanny. The swimming pools were enormous and surrounded by marble. I had never seen or dreamt anything like it. On arrival, we were met by the butler, who welcomed us and took our bags. You must admit, Julie Gold did things in style.
We settled in and were told to pick our own rooms. I saw Tony and Jake look at each other. They had obviously discussed this. Looking in the rooms, we found there was no need to worry. Tony had been right. ‘Let’s see what it’s like when we get there,’ he had said.
The rooms weren’t just bedroom. They were more like luxury apartments, with corner sofas that unfolded into beds. And then Julie saved the day.
‘Personally,’ she said, ‘I like my own bedroom. Ralph snores, and I like my own dressing space.’
I agreed and was given my own room. Apparently, it was the modern thing to do!
There was a strange awkwardness surrounding Sharon and Jake. They seemed to be bickering a lot, and you could sense their discomfort in the atmosphere.
Bobby wanted to go into the pool, while Josh sat at the side with his feet in the water. I must confess, when we all sat at the poolside and Tony got out of the pool after playing with Bobby, I saw for the first time the golden hairs on his chest that led all the way down to his stomach. The drops of water from the pool seemed to glisten on them, making me thankful I was wearing large sunglasses; the fantasies I was having when I saw him weren’t exactly ladylike! I could feel my face going red with embarrassment.
The next few days were a whirl of excitement, swimming, eating out, and clubbing. We took the boys to a water-themed fun park and did the whole sightseeing thing. Of course, Julie stopped at all of the well-known designer shops and bought herself yet another wardrobe of clothes. Sharon had declined the shopping trip and just seemed to sit around the pool. It was obvious she didn’t want to be there.
When we arrived back at the villa one day, I noticed the men were arguing. Well, they weren’t so much arguing but, rather, disagreeing with each other, raising their voices in some sort of debate. When we walked into the lounge, they stopped talking. Julie and I, along with the boys, made ourselves scarce.
Josh seemed to be joining in more and spent a lot of time with Bobby, who by now had a lovely suntanned glow.
Ralph poured Tony and Jake a glass of whisky. ‘No, boys. I won’t hear of it. Anything could happen.’ He was adamant. He had heard a few months ago that a man he did dealings with in Ireland was starting to take more than his fair share of money from Ralph’s business. He was a manager-cum-partner with Ralph and dealt with some of his money ventures over there.
Ralph had felt like kicking himself. He hadn’t been there for a while. This man was an old colleague of Ralph’s from the old days, when they had run guns together. Ralph had trusted and left him to deal with things in Ireland.
The problem was, this man was suddenly turning on Ralph and didn’t want to work for him anymore. He didn’t just want a larger piece of the action; he wanted to rule it all himself. Men who worked for Ralph were being told all kinds of things to get them to change their loyalty. Ralph’s former friend had spread the rumour that Ralph was getting old and losing it and that, before long, they would have nothing.
Ralph had ignored the money trail at first. It wasn’t unusual for someone to take a little extra—as long as the work got done.
Apparently, now the situation had gotten worse. Not only was this man spreading the word that Ralph’s days were over and that he was weak, he had also begun dealing in drugs, using Ralph’s name as the front man for it all.
Though they were on holiday, Ralph decided it was time he went to Ireland to sort things out. Not only were people losing respect for him over there, but also, two of the men he had sent over to have a well-meaning word had been shot. Things were well and truly out of hand, and Ralph needed to go immediately. Tony had insisted he and Jake go with him. But Ralph had refused, and that was what they were arguing about.
Patrick, or Paddy as he was known, was becoming a liability. In addition to the trouble he was causing on the streets, he was using the drugs himself, and they were making him increasingly more erratic. He had been taking his gun out in pubs and threatening people publicly—all in Ralph’s name. It was Ralph everyone was turning on; they thought he was to blame for all of this unrest and mindless killing.
The men spent the whole day talking and arguing with each other, until eventually Ralph gave in and agreed Tony and Jake could go with him to Ireland. Secretly, he was pleased they had insisted.
Sharon eventually gave in to the awkwardness between her and Jake and made her excuses and left Italy.
I must say the atmosphere seemed better. Jake even perked up a little, enjoying himself in the pool and on the excursions Julie had arranged. She even took us to Rome to see the Vatican.
It was passed midnight one night when I went to get a drink from the kitchen. I noticed the swimming pool lights were on. I opened the patio doors and walked out to find Tony lying on a sun lounger wearing a bathrobe. He had a drink in his hand, and I could see he was deep in thought. When I walked up to him, he didn’t even notice me until I spoke.
‘Are you okay, Tony?’ I felt like I was intruding. I could tell he had wanted to be alone. He looked a little startled.
He gave me a well-rehearsed smile and told me he was fine. I felt I shouldn’t stay and started to leave.
‘Don’t go, Francesca. Stay a while. Take a seat.’ He pulled one of the sun loungers closer to him, and I sat down.
He wasn’t his usual self. I sensed something was wrong. So I asked him again if he was okay, and he fobbed me off with some excuse about it being too warm and not being able to sleep.
He reached his hand over the arm of the sun lounger and held my hand while we sat in silence.
‘I have to go to Naples tomorrow,’ he said in a low whisper. ‘Would you come with me, on your own I mean? This isn’t some indecent proposal. I’m just asking if you would like to come.’ He took a deep sigh and lay back on the lounger.
I could hardly see him under the umbrella, but I felt this was not the time to ask why or where. So I just said, ‘Yes, I would like that.’ Julie had already made plans for tomorrow. She’d told me she thought it might be a good idea for the boys and me to have a few days to ourselves. ‘The nanny is going to look after the boys,’ I added. ‘And I think Julie wants a day with Ralph on their own anyway. So yes, I would like to come with you.’
Tony released my hand, and I felt that was my cue to leave. I stood up and left him sitting quietly by the pool, deep in thought. What was this mystery tour he felt he had to go on?
I got up early the next morning, showered, and was ready to go. I knew Naples was a good couple of hours away so he would want an early start. When I walked into the kitchen to make some coffee, I was surprised to see Tony. He too was dressed and ready to leave. He had said he was going to wake me but heard the shower and could hear i was already awake and getting ready.
Tony would be driving us himself. This really was a mystery tour.
It was still cool when we left, although the sun had risen. We chatted but not about where we were going or anything important. Eventually, we turned into a lane surrounded by lots of green fields, farmland even. At the end of it, looming towards us, was a large house. If we had been in France, I would have called it a chateaux.
My curiosity was rising. Tony turned into the drive. It was now mid-morning. I could see groups of people standing in the nearby fields, busily working. Suddenly it dawned on me. This was a vineyard. The people were picking bunches of grapes and putting them into baskets. Had Tony really brought me all this way to buy some expensive wine? I must say I felt a little deflated.
The door of the house opened before we got to it, and a middle-aged woman in a blue dress and white apron stood there with a big smile on her face and threw her arms open wide. Tony walked into her arms, giving her a hug, and immediately started speaking fluent Italian. The woman then put her arms around me and stood aside for us to enter.
Tony seemed to perk up. He had a beaming smile on his face and seemed to know exactly where he was going in this large house. We walked into a small lounge. Sitting in a rocking chair near the mantelpiece and dressed in a black lace dress was an old lady with white hair.
She immediately broke into a smile and stood up. ‘Antonias, my boy, come here.’ He was immediately enveloped in her arms.
It was strange. When I looked at this very smart lady, possibly in her seventies, I saw she had Tony’s blue eyes. This was family.
They were both speaking excitedly in Italian for a few minutes, and then she beckoned to me. ‘Sit down, Francesca. You must think us very rude. But it has been a long time.’
I sat on the pretty floral sofa. The sitting room was bright and airy, but I was perplexed. This woman seemed to know who I was. Tony had his arms around her shoulders and was kissing her on the cheek.
‘This, Francesca, is my grandmother.’ He seemed quite excited, like a young boy.
She walked towards me and put her arms around me. I was shocked, because he had never mentioned he had a family. I didn’t even know he could speak fluent Italian. But then that was silly. He was Italian, so of course he would speak Italian. Being in Italy was like a busman’s holiday to Tony. He had come home.
The lady who greeted us at the door, Rosanna, came in with coffee and cakes. She was not only the maid but also a sort of housekeeper-cum-companion. I was very confused. It seemed Tony’s grandmother owned the vineyard and was known to sell famous wines to all well-known outlets. She knew an awful lot about me and asked about Bobby. She assured me that she spoke to Tony often on the telephone, and she apologised for not being at the wedding. She had arthritis and didn’t travel well.
It was a lovely day. Rosanna cooked us lunch, and we sat chatting. I sensed Tony would want to spend some time alone with his grandmother to chat, so I asked if I could look around her gardens. I could see Tony was grateful that I had made my excuses.
Her roses were in full bloom, and the perfume that came off them filled the garden. I walked around the garden in the sunshine and then noticed a small building. It was a small church. It had half a dozen windows, all stained glass with biblical saints on them. I waked into the cool entrance. There were half a dozen pews and, before them, an altar with a large brass crucifix and a statue of Jesus Christ. It was beautiful, peaceful, and calm. The stained-glass windows filled the church with a rainbow of colours as the sun shone through them.
Suddenly, I heard a cough. When I turned, I saw Tony and his grandmother standing there behind me. I felt I should apologise for going in without permission. His grandmother walked towards me slowly, resting on her walking stick.
‘You should wear something on your head when you come in here,’ she said. Her voice was warm and friendly. ‘Here, take this.’ In her hand was a white headscarf made of lace. She handed it to me and then put one on her own head.
She sat down in one of the pews and held her hand out to me. ‘Do you like my little church, Francesca? Goodness, when I say your name, you sound more Italian than I do. Francesca Lambrianu.’ She nodded and looked at Tony. When she said it in her Italian accent, it sounded completely different.
‘It’s beautiful,’ I said, looking around. ‘I could get married her. It feels special.’ Then, I looked at them both and blushed. That had been a stupid thing to say.
She seemed very pleased and then explained to me that she had gotten married in this church. It used to be the church were the workers who lived on the land many years ago would come on a Sunday to pray. ‘You should come back on your anniversary, Antonias, and have a blessing here. Then I can watch you take your vows.’
