The Man from Tuscany

“Oh, he was so much more than just a handsome face. He was beautiful on the inside, and he brought out the very best in me. That’s why I need to see him again, Carly. I need to tell him that, despite all the things that went wrong and all the tears we’ve both shed, I have never for a moment regretted loving him.”

“So it wasn’t all moonlight and roses, then?”

Her grandmother gazed off into the distance, seeming pursued by memories. “No,” she said slowly. “Sometimes it was pure hell, and I don’t know how we survived. But nothing could put a dent in my certainty that he was my other half and we would have our happy-ever-after ending.”

“So what happened?”

“The war,” Anna said. “Let’s go for a breath of fresh air in the garden, precious, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

CHAPTER TWO

T HEY WERE HALFWAY to the gazebo near the pond, sufficiently far from the house that no one could overhear their conversation, but close enough that the walk didn’t overtax her grandmother’s strength, when Carly noticed a couple heading toward them.

“You’ve got more company, Gran,” she said. “Mom and Dad are here. Did you ask them to stop by?”

Dismayed, Anna said, “Gracious, no! This isn’t a story Grace would understand, nor would she appreciate my sharing it with you.”

And she wouldn’t appreciate finding them together now, Carly thought, aware that her mother had always resented her closeness with Anna.

“Why are you here, Carly?” Grace demanded the second she arrived within hailing distance. “You don’t usually stop by during the week.”

“It was kind of spur-of-the-moment, Mom. Gran had a little business she wanted me to take care of, and she’s in a bit of a hurry.”

“What sort of business, Mother? If it’s your heart, you shouldn’t be wandering around so far from the house.”

“It’s not my heart, dear,” Anna said placidly.

Grace flicked a glance from her mother to Carly, and when neither offered any further explanation, motioned impatiently with her hand. “Then what? Are we allowed to hear or is it a big dark secret between the two of you?”

Carly’s father dropped a kiss on Anna’s head and urged her to a nearby garden bench. “It’s a big dark secret,” he teased, attempting to lighten the moment. “Some silver-haired admirer living on the third floor has swept you off your feet, and you’re getting married again. Admit it, Anna. You want Carly to help you elope.”

Oh, Dad! Carly stifled a horrified giggle. You have no idea how close to the truth you’ve come!

Unruffled, her grandmother said, “Not quite, Taylor. I want to go to Florence, that’s all, and I’ve asked Carly to make the travel arrangements.”

“Florence, as in Italy?” Grace fairly choked on the question.

“The very same, dear. It’s always been one of my favorite cities.”

If she’d hoped to fool anyone into believing she hadn’t dropped news on par with a minor earthquake, Grace soon disabused her of that notion. “And Carly, of course, has explained it’s absolutely out of the question.”

“That was my first reaction,” Carly admitted, “but now that I’ve had chance a to think about it, it doesn’t strike me as such a bad idea, after all.”

Her mother stared at her, slack-jawed. “Why in the world would you encourage such a foolish request?”

“Why is it foolish, Mom? What’s to stop Gran from going to Italy if she wants to?”

“Well, her age, for one thing. And if that’s not enough, how about the fact that she can barely make it from her suite to the dining room without a blast of oxygen to get her there? A journey like this will kill her.”

“Rubbish, Grace!” Anna declared. “I’m a lot tougher than you give me credit for. Provided I take my medication and travel first-class, both of which I intend to do, I’ll be just fine.”

“I swear you get dottier by the day!” Frustrated, Grace appealed to her husband. “Taylor, talk some sense into your mother-in-law.”

“It is a fair distance for a woman your age to travel alone, Anna, especially considering your health problems,” he pointed out mildly.

“I’ll hardly be alone, dear. I’m sure Carly will take me to Boston, check me in at Logan, and see to it that I have a wheelchair. And the flight attendants are very kind. They’ll keep an eye on me.”

But she wasn’t winning them over, Carly saw. Her mother’s face registered growing outrage. Her father, ever the voice of calm reason when the unexpected or unusual occurred, looked distinctly perturbed. And in truth, Carly herself was beginning to have doubts. Her grandmother’s secret might have struck a romantic chord in the telling, but when put to the test, grand passion wasn’t stacking up so well against the practicalities.

Her father cleared his throat. “Look, we came by because it’s such a lovely day we decided to take you for lunch at that place on the beach you like. Why don’t we do that and talk about this some more?”

“That’s very considerate of you, Taylor,” Anna replied, “but there’s nothing to talk about. I’ve made up my mind, and that’s that.”

“Why are you being so difficult?” Grace snapped. “Can’t you see we’re worried about you?”

“I know that, and if joining you for lunch will make you happy…”

“I’m not happy, Mother, but when did that ever keep you from doing what you wanted? And the subject is far from closed. Now, you’re going to need a sweater—it’s always breezy down by the water. We’ll have to hurry, or we’ll end up waiting for a table.”

Annoyed, Carly said in an aside, “You know she can’t keep up with you, Mom. If you’re worried about having to stand in line, you and Dad go ahead, and I’ll bring Gran in my car when she’s ready.”

Anna waited until they were alone again, then smiled gratefully at Carly. “Convincing your mother I don’t have one foot in the grave tends to sap my energy,” she said. “Thank you for buying me a reprieve, precious.”

“I figured we need it. We have to decide how we’re going to handle this, Gran. If Mom gets an inkling of what’s really going on here—”

Anna nodded. “I’ve stirred up quite the hornet’s nest as it is.”

“Exactly. Let’s not make matters any worse.” Carly sent her a glance. “Does she have any idea that you’ve been in love for years with a man who wasn’t your husband?”

“Good heavens, no! Marco and I maintained the utmost discretion. I doubt she even remembers who he is.”

But that wasn’t necessarily accurate, as Carly discovered when they reached the restaurant and Anna stopped to chat with a friend at another table, leaving Carly a few minutes alone with her parents.

“I checked with our travel agent,” her father began as soon as she joined them. “It’s just as we thought. There are no direct flights from Boston to Florence. At the very least, your grandmother would have to fly to Washington, then change planes again in Munich or Milan, and I’m afraid your mom might be right, Carly. That’s more than Anna can handle. Is there any chance you can talk her into settling for somewhere closer, like Bermuda or the Bahamas?”

“I doubt it, Dad. She’s pretty set on Italy.”

“I’ll bet she is,” Grace said with some bitterness. “She probably hopes that if she returns to the scene of her youth, it’ll give her a new lease on life.”

Taylor nodded thoughtfully. “Nostalgia can be a powerful thing for someone your mother’s age, honey.”

“Some memories are better left untouched, Taylor. If she goes ahead with this, we’ll never see her again.”

“I don’t agree. Despite everything she’s gone through, Anna’s never once cracked under pressure. And realistically, if she’s determined to take this trip, you can’t very well forbid her to go. The best we can do is insist one of us goes with her.”

Appalled at what that might lead to, Carly said, “She’ll never agree to that.”

“She might, if you were to volunteer,” her father said reasonably. “After all, you’re her beloved only grandchild. You’re a nurse, so you’re qualified to monitor her health. You recently resigned your hospital position, which means you have the summer free before going back to university in the fall. And as far as I know, you’re unattached.” He held up five fingers. “Have I missed anything?”