An Italian Engagement

‘So will you help him?’

‘I told him I had to sort something out first. You’re travelling by train to Pisa tomorrow for the flight to London?’

‘Yes,’ said Abby cautiously.

‘Then here’s the plan. I drive you to Perugia, and see you off on the train to Pisa before I meet the one from Venice.’ Max paused to gauge her reaction. ‘Afterwards I drive back to the Villa Falcone at a snail’s pace which, for entirely different reasons, will please both Luisa and Gianni. And somewhere along the way I’ll ring him with an ETA so he can pursue love’s young dream to the last possible moment.’ He grinned. ‘His mamma’s coming to make sure he gets enough sleep before the Rome engagement, with no idea that he wants to do his sleeping with Signorina X.’

Abby chuckled. ‘Oh, bad luck, Gianni! Are you willing to do that for him?’

‘Yes. What do you say? It’s one train connection less for you.’

‘Then I’ll say thank you very much indeed.’ She eyed him curiously. ‘Wouldn’t it be quicker for your mother to fly?’

He shrugged. ‘She won’t. She refuses to travel by road, either, if she can help it, which is why Enzo, my stepfather, bought the apartment in Venice. Water taxis and trains are Luisa’s preferred mode of travel. She’ll get a surprise when I turn up as chauffeur,’ he added. ‘She doesn’t even know I’m in the country.’

Abby was silent as they reached the hotel.

‘Penny for them?’ he said, turning to her.

‘I was just thinking that it’s very kind of you to drive me to Perugia tomorrow.’

His eyes locked on hers. ‘If it weren’t for Gianni and his love-life I’d drive you all the way to Pisa.’

Abby felt a lurch somewhere in the region of her midriff. ‘Just to Perugia will be a great help,’ she assured him.

‘In that case I’ll ring Gianni and tell him it’s on.’ Max began another rapid conversation with his brother, grinning broadly when he disconnected. ‘Gianni practically burst into song with gratitude.’

‘Will you take your mother up to your house first, to give him extra time with his lady?’

‘No. According to Luisa the journey there is bad for her heart.’

Abby chuckled. ‘I see her point, and there’s nothing wrong with my heart! I must go in,’ she added regretfully. ‘The train from Perugia leaves at eleven fifty-two, according to my timetable. What time will you pick me up?’

‘Ten sharp.’

‘Perfect. I can have a leisurely breakfast instead of rushing off to catch the local train. Thank you—again,’ she added, and smiled. ‘I seem to have said nothing else to you from the moment we met.’

‘Not quite,’ he said, and took her hand. ‘When I mistook you for one of Gianni’s fans you were ready to punch me.’

‘But I am a fan. I merely objected to the way you said it. Besides,’ she added, eyes kindling, ‘I’d just driven up those terrifying bends—on the wrong side of the road for me, remember—then the car broke down, and as the last straw this ball of flame came bursting out of the dust like something from an action film. I was petrified.’

‘So was I.’ He turned to look at her. ‘But once I could breathe normally again I realised I’d run into the best-looking damsel in distress a man could hope to meet.’

She eyed him narrowly. ‘I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or a sexist remark.’

‘It’s the simple truth.’ Max laughed, squeezed her hand, then went round the car to help her out. ‘I’ll see you safely inside, then get back to my retreat.’

* * *

The hotel bed was comfortable, but Abby lay awake for some time, her mind full of the eventful day which had begun with the surprisingly painful parting from her sister. Still at the mercy of her hormones, Laura had been a little tearful as she begged Abby to return soon and stay a lot longer. By that time, Domenico assured her, they would have moved into the new apartment with more rooms and a proper bed for Abby. After sharing a sofa with her little niece most of the night, Abby was glad to hear it. Isabella had needed much cuddling and reassurance to calm fears that Papa and Mamma wouldn’t love her so much now they had a new boy baby. Abby had relayed the news to Isabella’s shocked parents first thing next morning, and offered to look after baby Marco while they took their daughter out later for some kind of special treat.

‘You’re sure you’re up for this?’ Laura had asked before they left.

‘Of course I am. If he yells, Auntie will sing to him. That should shut him up. Ciao, Bella.’

Isabella held her face up, mouth puckered for a kiss. ‘Ciao, Zietta.’

Domenico grinned. ‘Ciao, Auntie. Do I get a kiss too?’

‘On the cheek,’ warned Laura.

‘Both cheeks,’ said her handsome husband, suiting action to words before turning to kiss his wife full on her smiling mouth.

‘For heaven’s sake, go while Marco’s quiet,’ hissed Abby, laughing. ‘You can do that sort of thing later.’

Abby smiled into the darkness. After providing a shoulder for more than one friend to cry on when a relationship went wrong, it was reassuring to know that everything was so obviously right with Laura’s marriage. Which was more than could be said for Max Wingate’s relationship with his mother. But it could hardly be sibling jealousy in his case, because he was obviously very fond of Gianni. Maybe he just didn’t like his mother, though blessed with Isabel Green as a parent this was hard for Abby to imagine. But perhaps Max had never forgiven his mother for marrying again—which probably had a lot to do with the hardness in his eyes…Abby tried to shut him from her mind. She needed her beauty sleep if she wanted to look good when Max arrived to collect her.

* * *

Abby got up early next morning to pack before her breakfast arrived. Just before ten she went down to the foyer to find Max waiting for her, elegant in linen trousers and a formal shirt with a tie tucked in the pocket.

‘Good morning,’ he said, smiling. ‘Did you sleep well?’

‘Very well—after two nights on a sofa it was a treat to sleep in a bed. I just need to pay my bill.’

‘No rush, I’m early. I’ll take your gear out to the car.’

When Abby went out to join him, Max was leaning against the Range Rover looking into the distance, the sun gleaming on his sleek dark hair. On impulse she slipped her phone from her bag and took a surreptitious photograph of him. A souvenir of her trip to Todi, she told herself, then put the phone away quickly as he turned to smile at her.

‘You’re more relaxed today,’ he commented later, as the car ate up the kilometres on the road to Perugia.

‘Not so much in the way of hairpin bends on this route,’ she pointed out. ‘Besides, we met in stressful circumstances yesterday.’

‘True.’ He grinned. ‘Right, then, Miss Green, fill me in on some background. You’ve heard a lot about my mother; tell me more about yours.’

Abby smiled affectionately. ‘She’s in her early fifties, but looks ten years younger. She’s head teacher at the local primary school, blonde like my sister Laura, and a very attractive lady.’

‘But she’s never presented you with a stepfather. Would you have minded if she had?’

Abby thought about it. ‘I don’t honestly know. The three of us were a pretty tight unit for years, and the cottage is small. Adding a stepfather to the mix could have caused problems, I suppose. But as far as I know the question never arose. Did you resent your stepfather?’ she added.

He shook his head. ‘I never thought of Enzo in that way because I lived with my own father in London. I just stayed at the Villa Falcone for the obligatory holiday every summer.’

‘Is that the most your father would allow?’

‘It was the most I would agree to at first.’

‘You didn’t like it there?’