Page 14 of Far from Home
‘How come you speak Italian like a native? Congratulations, by the way.’
‘Thanks. My mum and my grandparents were Italian and we always spoke Italian at home.’
‘Over here or over there?’
‘London, I’ve always lived in London.’
‘Sant’Antonio must seem very quiet in comparison.’
Amy answered honestly. ‘Yes, but quiet in a good way.’ She decided not to mention her health scare and just limited herself to adding, ‘Maybe my life’s been getting a bit too frenetic. It’s wonderful to relax, and Sant’Antonio’s a perfect spot for that.’
‘Martin used to say the exact same thing. How strange that you didn’t know him.’
Amy shook her head. ‘I know. I haven’t a clue who he was. Before I got the notary’s letter a week ago, I’d never even heard of him.’
‘And yet he left you his house? That’s incredible.’
‘You can say that again.’
Rosa turned her head and gave Amy a shrewd look. ‘But the fact remains that he knew you. Maybe Vincenzo’s idea of him living under an assumed name is closer to the mark than I thought.’
Amy snorted. ‘But even if he originally had another name, I just don’t know anybody well enough for them to leave me a house. I just can’t fathom it out.’
Rosa nodded. ‘In that case all you can do is try to enjoy it. Do you think you’ll move over here for good?’
‘I honestly don’t know. Like I said last night, whatever I decide, first of all I’m going to have to do an awful lot of work to get the house up to scratch.’
‘Martin didn’t do much to it. He lived quite a Spartan life, really, considering how wealthy he was. Of course it’s a very ancient building – the oldest in Sant’Antonio, even older than the castle.’
‘Do you have any idea how old?’ Amy was very pleased to have bumped into Rosa, who seemed to be a fount of local knowledge.
‘The house is early medieval; it used to be a hospice for pilgrims on their way to Rome.’
A lightbulb switched on in Amy’s brain. ‘Hence the name, l’Ospedaletto. Wow, so that means the place is, what, seven or eight hundred years old?’
‘1215, if I remember right, so that’s over eight hundred years. It’s a sobering thought that this place was standing before the Duomo in Florence.’ Rosa smiled. ‘That’s why I love history. And the stonework inside is a delight, isn’t it. Those arches are amazing.’
Clearly Rosa was no stranger to the house and its owner. ‘So you knew Mr Slater really well. Can you tell me any more about him?’
Rosa reached down to pat the head of her Labrador, and Max immediately crawled over to be petted as well. ‘Yes, Max, you’re a lovely dog as well.’ She glanced up. ‘Max and Coco are brother and sister. Martin got him the same time we got her. He was such a nice man. Vincenzo played tennis with him most weeks and we both saw a lot of him and liked him. We often met for a coffee or a drink. He used to come to our house for dinner at least once a month and every Christmas Day.’
‘On his own?’
‘Yes, that’s why we always invited him for Christmas dinner, to stop him being all alone.’
‘How sad.’
Rosa shrugged her shoulders helplessly. ‘We could never work out why he chose to be alone.’
‘Didn’t he have a wife or partner?’
Rosa hesitated for a few moments before replying. ‘I honestly don’t know. I’m sure he must have had a few lady friends – he was a good-looking man after all – but I don’t think there was ever anything serious. He was just a very solitary person. Vincenzo and I felt awfully sorry for him really, but I suppose that was his choice.’
Amy was fascinated and would have asked for more information, but at that moment Rosa glanced at her watch and stood up.
‘Anyway, I’d better get back. Are you going on with your walk?’
Swallowing her disappointment, Amy shook her head. ‘No, I don’t think so. I reckon Max has had enough for now and I need to start looking for a good plumber.’
