Page 10 of Far from Home
The only glasses she could see on the worktop were covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs so she checked in a few cupboards and rapidly closed the doors again. She had limited experience of mice and rats but the host of droppings in there looked sinister.
She shook her head. ‘Nothing I feel like using. We’d probably catch bubonic plague.’
Undeterred, he wiped the neck of the bottle on his tissue and took a tentative sip. He had a bigger swig, grunted approvingly and then passed it across to her. She took a little taste and smiled at him.
‘Mmh, that’s really good. Did I tell you the notary said the guy who looks after the vines paid Mr Slater rent in kind – wine.’
‘Now you’re talking.’ Gavin grinned at her. ‘I wonder what the going rate in litres for all this land is. There are rows and rows of vines up there on the hillside. Quite a few bottles, I would imagine. And if it’s all as good as this, we can spend our holidays drunk as skunks all the time if we feel like it.’ From the expression on his face she could see that the place was beginning to redeem itself in his eyes.
Together they walked back out onto the gravel patio and sat down again on the old iron bench. Here they were shaded by the criss-crossed branches above. Down the hill to their right was a fine view over faded, red-tiled roofs, the ramparts of the castle, and onwards across the low hills that ultimately separated them from the Mediterranean in the far distance. To their left, the rows of vines on the hillside rose up with mathematical precision towards uncultivated land and rocky outcrops near the top. It was a stunning view and it was so quiet all she could hear was the buzzing of bees in the rosemary bushes.
They sat down side by side and drank some more wine. A few moments later, they heard movement in the branches of an ancient fig tree and to Amy’s delight she spotted not one, but two, gorgeous little red squirrels chasing each other about and, by the look of it, having great fun in the process. She sat and gazed at them in wonder while Gavin drank in the view – and the red wine. He took another couple of mouthfuls and offered her the bottle. She took it distractedly and sipped, lost in her thoughts, until he brought her back to the present.
‘It’s almost five. We need to sort out somewhere to stay for the night.’ There was a brief pause before he added, almost casually, ‘You know I said I’d stay till Sunday? Well, it turns out I need to get back tomorrow after all. That call I made earlier: the Taiwanese are keen to proceed with the purchase of a hefty chunk of Knightsbridge and I need to be there to seal the deal.’
Amy felt a wave of disappointment and immediately found herself analysing it. It didn’t take her long to recognise that her disappointment wasn’t so much the prospect of being separated from him, as the thought that if she were to accompany him to London tomorrow, it would separate her from this lovely place. She made a quick decision.
‘Of course, your job has to come first, I understand. But I think I’ll stay on for a few days more. After all, everybody’s been telling me I’m supposed to be taking a break. Are you sure you won’t be lonely by yourself?’ That, she knew, was a rhetorical question. If she knew Gavin – and she did – he wouldn’t be on his own for long.
He nodded. ‘I’ll be fine. What about you? Are you sure you want to stay here all on your own?’
‘A bit of peace and quiet will do me good. Besides, I need to concentrate on finding a plumber to sort out the kitchen, bathroom and central heating – the stuff on my list, remember? That’ll give me something to do.’
‘So what’s the plan? Are you thinking of keeping it as a holiday home? That would be a very expensive luxury, particularly considering that you normally only manage to get away for a week or two every year.’
‘That’s the old me, Gav. I’ll tell you this: that fainting thing last week frightened the life out of me, and I know I need to start taking things easy – or at leasteasier.’
He looked sceptical. ‘I’ll believe it when I see it. That’s just the way you’re built and it’s the way the job is. I wouldn’t mind betting you’ll be back to your old frenetic self within a matter of weeks.’
She shook her head. ‘The specialist at the hospital didn’t mince her words. What’s the point of working myself into an early grave?’ Lucy had said the exact same thing as well. ‘No job’s worth a heart attack.’
He still wasn’t convinced. ‘So you’re telling me that you’d be quite happy to let slimy Christian take over your job while you do something more menial?’ He caught her eye. ‘Pull the other one.’
She wasn’t convinced either, but she put on a brave face. ‘I’ll sort myself out, don’t you worry. And as for it being too expensive to keep this place, I’ve just been left three quarters of a million pounds, remember. Add that to the money I’ve saved over the last five or six years of healthy bonuses and I could probably survive quite happily for the next ten years, or even twenty, without doing any work at all.’
‘But you’d be bored stiff and you know it. If I were you, I’d put this place on the market and use all that money to buy us a decent flat in London.’
She didn’t answer immediately. This was just about the first time she had ever heard him refer directly to them moving in together. Her continuing doubts about the longevity of their relationship threatened to surface but she didn’t want to get into that now. The time for the two of them to talk seriously about the future was rapidly approaching but, for now, she intended to follow the doctor’s advice and avoid any extra stress. In consequence, she opted for prevarication.
‘Well, either way, I need to get the plumbing sorted out. I’ll get onto that over the next few days and, when it’s all been done, I’ll make a decision.’
She took a final mouthful of wine and stood up. It was a delightful afternoon, and the temperature here in the shade of the trees just perfect. Somewhere in the distance a dog was barking and she wondered if it might be Max, the black Labrador. She glanced around the garden, which she felt sure could become spectacular with a bit of time, care and effort, and the house itself was to die for. She had never owned her own home before and this was so far beyond her wildest expectations, it was hard to believe it was truly hers. It was a dream of a place: stylish, ancient, and redolent with character, even if it was clear it was going to need a good bit of work. The fact that it had been owned by the mysterious Mr Slater added to its fascination. Hopefully, if she asked around over the next few days and searched through all the papers upstairs in his study, she might be able to find out more about this man and just why he’d seen fit to leave her his house. She looked across at Gavin, who was ensuring that none of the remaining wine went to waste.
‘Come on, let’s go and check out the hotel.’
Chapter 6
The Corona Grossa turned out to be very pleasant. The woman at the reception desk gave them a charming room with a little balcony overlooking the ruins of the old castle. Amy told her she intended to stay for a number of days, but she wasn’t quite sure for how long. The receptionist was very laid-back about the exact length of stay, telling her to let her know in due course. The first half of June until the schools broke up for the summer holidays, she informed them, wasn’t yet high season and the place had plenty of availability.
That evening they went downstairs to the restaurant to eat and Amy was glad she had booked. Almost all the tables outside on the square were taken and theirs was the last one free. Whether this was just because it was an exceptionally warm Friday night or the restaurant’s normal state was unclear, although Amy thought it was probably the former. With a population of only a couple of thousand and with it not yet being high season for tourists, she couldn’t imagine the restaurant being busy every night of the week.
The menu was remarkably comprehensive and she lost no time in deciding to have mixed antipasti, followed by a seafoodfritto misto. Gavin also opted for the antipasti but predictably decided to follow it with a steak. The waiter who took their order returned a minute later with a bottle of red wine, a bottle of water and a basket of bread. As he set these down on the table he gave Amy a friendly smile.
‘Here on holiday?’
‘Sort of. I’m just staying a few days to check out a house here.’
The man’s smile broadened. ‘Really? You’re thinking of buying a place here? Well, welcome to Sant’Antonio if you do. It’s a great place to live. My name’s Giuliano and my wife and I run the Corona Grossa.’
