‘You will be given a budget to undertake works, pay staff and maintain the estates. You will have three months to prepare your estates – renovations, changes, whatever you deem appropriate and within limitations of the law – to open to lodging guests for the upcoming summer high season.’
‘We have to opena hotel?’ Silvia snapped.
‘Yes. And facilitate it.’
She scowled through her thinly slitted eyes.
Matthew’s mind whirred with confusion and panic. This wasnotthe plan. Not even close to it. The image of Nonno Andrea wilting in the hospital bed returned to his mind, and his head thumped through the cortisol rush.
Meanwhile, cradled as closely as possible by his side, Sarah was trying her best to remember the key points.Lodging. Renovation. Did he say Umbrian border? What ‘laws’?Sensing all the nervous energy suddenly exude from Matthew, she knew he stood to lose more than her. She nodded along to placate her mounting questions.
‘We will be watching you, from near and far. There will be tests along the way to prove your worth and commitment to the cause. Put one foot out of line, and I’ll be the first to know.’ Alberto’s tone lightened a little. ‘At the beginning of December, the properties will close. You will have three months to rest and recover while we, the D’Adamo Board, will assess your success as business owners, managers and ambassadors of the D’Adamo family brand. Once we have made our decision as to who has had the most successful year, the other couple will be offered a second-place payment in the form of a one-off lump sum in lieu of the inheritance. Or, the opportunity to retain their allocated property outright. The successful pair, however, will claim the inheritance and all it entails, and they will also keep their property.’
Alberto relaxed back into his chair. ‘The only decision to make now is, do we have an agreement?’ A wry smile formed across his face as he offered each a pen.
Luca hesitated for a moment and Silvia urged, ‘Dio, Luca! Firmalo. Firmalo!’ She forcefully tapped a lengthy pink claw on the contract.
Matthew, pen in hand, turned to Sarah. He had to communicate with her in such a way that wouldn’t let on just how major a divergence this was from their original plan. ‘I . . .’ he began, then shook his head, so confused by the turn of events.
‘It’s ok,’ she whispered. ‘I’m here for you. Sign it.’
‘Are you sure?’ The green tinge to his eyes seemed to burn brighter, fuelled by his concern for her.
Touched by this, Sarah said, ‘Absolutely.’ She raised her left eyebrow to indicate Luca and Silvia. ‘Sign. We can do this.Together.’
Under normal circumstances, Matthew would never have signed anything without first running it past his own lawyers, but these circumstances were hardly normal. He read through the new terms again as Alberto watched on. Looking across at Luca and Silvia, whispering snide remarks, Matthew felt quietly confident that he could still come out of this situation victorious.
He placed the contract on the desk in front of him and his pen hit the paper. Turning to Sarah for one final check, he was met with a smile and nod of encouragement. Matthew exhaled and dragged the pen across the dotted line, ending with a final flourish:DA.
‘So, it’s settled,’ Alberto chimed, collecting the signed contracts. ‘As of today, you are residents of Fiorellino sul Monte. Now, we must allocate each couple a property.’
From a drawer under his desk, Alberto withdrew two large packs of documents labelledProprietà AandProprietà B. ‘Let’s toss a coin for the properties. The first to be assigned is Property A. Luca,testa o croce?’
Luca calledcroce, and Sarah watched as Alberto reached into his right pocket, withdrawing a silver one-Euro coin. ‘Aha!’ he announced, tossing it into the air.
It landed on the desk between the two women, rolling on its edge for a moment before it flattened. The image of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’, with arms and legs outstretched, looked up at them from the desk.
‘Testa! Matteo and Sarah.’ Alberto beamed, cheeks flushed. ‘Let’s take you home.’
cinque
Sarah didn’t dare take her eyes from the view outside the car window. With every driveway that appeared, every hilltop residence she caught a glimpse of in the distance, she wondered,Is that ours?
Sarah and Matthew hadn’t had the chance to speak in private, as an attendant from the front desk had been sent to assist them with the repacking of their things. They had much to say to each other. Now, however, wasn’t the time.
Turning, Sarah noticed Matthew’s legs fidgeting in the rear footwell of the car. She reached across and, just as she had done on the plane, stroked his arm. Immediately, his legs slowed and eventually stopped. He gave her a sideways smile of thanks.
High above the undulating valley, the car turned a hairpin bend and began to slow.
‘Almost . . .’ Alberto said, raising his chin in the direction of the front windscreen.
A long driveway lay ahead. The driver carefully turned off the main road, and the car gently rumbled down the fine gravel drive, lined with majestic jade green pines on each side.
Luca leaned forward on the chair in front of him for a better view, only to be pushed out of the way by Silvia, who craned her neck to see. ‘Who lives here?’ she asked abruptly.
‘Sarah and Matteo.’ Alberto handed a leather-bound compendium to Matthew and said, ‘Don’t lose that.’ The car continued its crawl, the sound of gravel crunching under the tyres growing louder as debris and larger stones flicked up and hit the underbelly of the vehicle.
Alberto turned from the front seat. ‘That road forms part of the border between Umbria and Toscana, so we have just left Tuscan soil.’ He pointed to the main road behind them. ‘Welcome to Umbria.’
