She pressed her palm to his as they walked down the footpath and into a bustling café, the barista calling out Luca’s name when he saw them.No business talk. She loved it. The only other person in her life confident enough to tell her that was Sam.
When they arrived at the museum, Georgia was taken aback at its size. It was enormous, and appeared as if it were an artefact of architecture itself, with big columns guarding the entrance and impossibly tall windows on each side.
‘For some reason I imagined it would be much smaller,’ she said. ‘More intimate.’
‘This is one of Europe’s most extensive museums,’ Luca said. ‘Although given my penchant for watches and jewellery, I did almost take you to the Patek Philippe Museum instead.’
‘I love a well-designed watch, but that might have been a little…’
‘Boring?’
She laughed. ‘You said it, not me.’
They walked inside, through the entrance area and straight into the first display, which was Ancient Egypt, filled with vases, jewellery and even an Egyptian pharaoh and tomb. Everything was incredibly well set out, and Georgia quickly became lost in her own little world of discovery. It wasn’t until Luca placed his hand on her back that she spun around, realising they’d hardly spoken as she walked about, intrigued by the collections.
‘How many times have you been here?’ she asked.
‘Hundreds of times. And every time I see something I didn’t notice the time before.’
‘It’s amazing. It’s been a long time since I came somewhere like this.’
‘Can I take you upstairs to show you the collection of fine arts? It’s my favourite part of the museum.’
She liked the way he kept his hand just touching her back as they walked, ascending the stairs and eventually arriving in a hall that was entirely different to the area where they’d just been downstairs.
‘This is all relatively new,’ he said. ‘Much of the artwork shown here has come from the reserves, meaning art that hasn’t been exhibited in many years is now here for everyone to enjoy. There is also more French, Italian, and Dutch artwork than ever before.’
‘I can tell you’re passionate about it,’ she said, as they walked slowly past each piece.
‘I am. I studied art history at university, and spent some time working as a curator in a smaller museum before returning to the family business.’
She smiled up at him. ‘I have to confess that I knew that already. I googled you before I came to Geneva.’
He laughed. ‘You did? Well, then it’s time to confess that I did the same of you, before we met.’
She laughed with him. ‘Well, now that we’ve made our confessions, how about you tell me why you didn’t stay in a museum, as a curator?’
They began to walk slowly again.
‘Because I was always going to take over the family business. My father simply wanted me to get experience elsewhere, so I could decide if it was truly what I wanted to do.’
‘Was it a hard decision?’
Luca touched her shoulder to stop her, turning her around. ‘You must see this painting,’ he said. ‘It’s dated 1414, and is calledThe Miraculous Draught of Fishes. It’s one of the most famous pieces of artwork displayed.’
Georgia turned to look at it, sensing how close Luca was behind her. If she turned ever so slightly, she would bump into him.
‘It’s incredible to think it was painted such a long time ago,’ she said. ‘Is this your favourite piece?’
‘No,’ he said quietly, taking her hand and leading her away. ‘My favourites are by the Swiss artist Henry Fuseli.’
‘I have to confess that I know very little of art history, and I haven’t heard of him.’
‘Once you see his paintings, they are very hard to forget.’
Luca stopped walking in front of three paintings, and Georgia couldn’t take her eyes from them. They were the most haunting depictions she’d ever seen, ghoulish and terrifying, but at the same time so incredibly magnetic that she didn’t want to turn away from them.
‘The most famous is perhapsThe Nightmare, which is in the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts, but almost all his pieces are quite amazing.’
