The floors I've seen so far are either tiled or wooden and they look fine, but the carpet in my bedroom has seen better days.
"Let me think about how to manage it," Lukas says. "I'll work out a plan and take it to Gabriele."
"Okay."
I follow Lukas as he leads me along endless corridors, pointing out various formal gathering spaces and more intimate family rooms. None of them appear to be used at all.
We pass Gabriele's study but don't stop to look in. We turn a corner and walk along another corridor. The house is on a grander scale than I realized.
"Your English is very good," I observe as he tells me about the layout of the grounds, the guard accommodation I should stayaway from, the house where he lives and the garage with an area reserved for Gabriele's use that I must never enter.
"So is yours."
"I had an English nanny growing up. My parents thought it would make me more ladylike."
"Did it work?" Lukas asks with a grin that tells me he's teasing.
"Well, I know not to use a dessert fork with my salad, if that counts for anything." I consider just how useless most of what I've been taught about etiquette has been to me so far in life. "But what about you? Why is your English so good?"
"I studied at LSE."
It takes me a minute to catch up. "London School of Economics?"
"That's right. I did a law degree."
I furrow my brow. "Why would you do an English law degree?"
"Because I wanted to be a lawyer in England."
I roll my eyes as he gives the obvious answer. He winks at me and moves on along the corridor, clearly done with the topic. I leave it be. He'll tell me eventually. They always do.
By the time we've finished with the first floor I've seen kitchens, the other dining space Lukas mentioned, a couple of offices and a media room. He leads me through a glass-paneled corridor into the most modern room I've seen so far, a gym.
"Will I be allowed to use it?" I ask.
Exercise is part of my daily ritual and I can't imagine having access to such a well-equipped gym and not being able to use it.
"Of course." Lukas speaks as if he finds my question ridiculous but I have no idea how much I'm allowed to come and go.
"Oh." I notice the absence of my favorite piece of equipment. "There's no rowing machine."
"You like to row?"
"I love it." There's something about the rhythm, gliding backward and forward, that puts me in the right frame of mind for the day. "My machine back home had different programs where I could choose which river I was on."
"So the Thames one day, the Danube the next?" Lukas asks.
"Precisely. It's never dull."
"I'll arrange to have one brought in for you."
"Really?" I can't contain my joy at hearing that.
"Sure. Gabriele said to make sure you have whatever you need. If that includes a rowing machine, we'll get one." He reaches into his jacket pocket and produces a black credit card. "And while we're on the topic of anything you need, this is for you."
He hands me the card and I look at the gold lettering. Signora Ekaterina Volante. I read it as another sign of premeditation because surely banks don't produce these overnight, even for the most influential clients.
"There'll be a cellphone for you too," Lukas says. "I'll have it sent up to your room when it’s ready.”
