Page 5 of Far from Home
‘Thank you very much, that all sounds amazing. The trouble is…’ Amy took a deep breath. ‘I have no idea who Signor Slater was. I’ve never heard his name before and I can’t begin to imagine why he should have left me his possessions.’ She looked across at the notary. ‘Can you enlighten me, please?’
The notary’s face was a picture. He now looked as puzzled as she felt. ‘You don’t know who he was?’ He leant towards her, elbows on the desk. ‘But, surely, you must know. After all, why should he name you in his will if you and he weren’t connected?’
Amy shook her head before replying. ‘It’s a total mystery to me. Did you know him well?’ The notary nodded. ‘And he never told you anything about me or my mum?’
‘Absolutely not, Signora. I must confess this is the first time in my professional life that I’ve come across a case like this.’ There was an awkward silence for a few moments before he shrugged helplessly and returned to the matter in hand. ‘Anyway, the property is undeniably yours, whether you knew Signor Slater or not. You’ll find l’Ospedaletto only a short walk from here. If you turn left on the far side of the piazza and then immediately right you’ll come to it in a matter of minutes. It’s one of the oldest and finest buildings in Sant’Antonio. As you’ll see from the deeds, the property comprises not only the house, but also six hectares of land – some of it currently rented to a local farmer, Signor Emanuele Montalcino – mostly planted with vines.’ He allowed himself a smile. ‘As I understand it, the annual rent is paid in wine, and I can confirm from personal experience that it’s excellent.’
Amy grinned as the notary continued.
‘Here are copies of the deeds, some other documents and a bunch of keys. There’s also an envelope in there addressed to you. Maybe that will explain his connection with you.’
He handed over a small ring of keys, followed by a hefty brown envelope of documents. ‘If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact me.’
‘I wonder if you could tell me more about Mr Slater? What sort of man was he?’
‘He was a fine man – generous and kind. He was well liked in the town.’
‘And what did he do?’
‘Do? You mean his job? I don’t think he worked. He never talked about what he did before he arrived here. Maybe he took early retirement from a well-paid job. I often wondered if it had been something in finance, seeing as he was well-off but, like I say, he never spoke of it.’ He smiled. ‘Who knows? Maybe he was fortunate enough to come from a wealthy family.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I’m afraid I have another appointment now. I wish you a good afternoon but don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.’
Chapter 3
Amy left the lawyer’s studio and spotted Gavin sitting under a parasol outside the bar across the square so she went over to report back. She found him sipping a glass of what looked like Prosecco, an empty dish in front of him.
‘Meringue and black cherry ice cream. It’s amazing. You have to try it.’ He must have noticed the shell-shocked expression on Amy’s face. ‘What did the man say, Amy? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.’
‘I’ve just been left a whole heap of money.’
‘As well as the house?’
‘Yup.’
Amy went on to outline the details of Mr Slater’s will and he looked delighted. ‘That’s fantastic! Looks like we’ve got ourselves a holiday home.’ She noted his use of the plural but didn’t comment as he continued, ‘We need to celebrate. Is it too early for champagne?’
A waitress appeared through the gaudy plastic fly curtains and Amy resisted the temptation to order a bottle of booze and just asked for ice cream and sparkling mineral water for herself and another glass of fizz for Gavin. After the woman had gone off, Amy recounted in more detail everything the lawyer had said and she saw a puzzled expression on Gavin’s face. This was the same expression she had been seeing in the mirror herself every time she tried to get her head around the identity of her mysterious benefactor.
‘So even the notary hasn’t been able to help you find out who Mr Slater was?’ He swigged down the last of the wine in his glass, ready for the next one. ‘Surely he must have been able to tell you something?’
‘He was as mystified as we are. It’s just plain weird.’ She had been using that word a lot recently.
‘What about the stuff he gave you? Did you say there was a letter?’
Amy nodded and reached for the bulky envelope. ‘That’s what he said. You never know – maybe that’ll give us the explanation.’
There was a brief delay while the waitress brought out a heaped dish of ice cream, a little bottle of cold mineral water, and another glass of Prosecco for Gavin. As she set it down in front of him he shot her a sparkling smile that actually made the woman’s cheeks flush. Amy sighed. He had always had a way with women – herself included. Relegating that can of worms to another time, she took a mouthful of the excellent ice cream and followed it with a big swig of water before locating a slim white envelope amid the package of documents the notary had given her.
Unusually, this envelope was securely sealed with a large blob of dark red sealing wax. On the outside was a single handwritten word:Amy. She broke the seal, slit open the flap at the top of the envelope with her finger and reached inside.
The letter, written in a shaky hand, was short and quite bewildering. If she had been baffled before, she felt even more confused by the end of it. She read it through twice before handing it across to Gavin without comment.
My dearest Amy
Initially this may puzzle you, but you will find that these are key questions. Keep them safe.
1) On what day was your mother born?
2) On what day were you born?
