È solo Ubaldo.
It’s only Ubaldo? That wasn’t enlightening, but Geneva didn’t sound overly worried or in need of help, so Jade used her phone camera to check she didn’t have mascara all over her face, then carried on, fighting to order her emotions.
Arriving back at the pensione, the blue tarp hiding the hole in the roof reminded her that negotiations with the insurance company were still hanging over her head. Entering the apartment the back way, she was surprised to find Leo with Erin and Rosalie in thesalotto. In the last couple of days of everyone pulling together – with the exception of Yara, who betrayed her youthful lack of commitment by blithely continuing with her nine-to-five hours and taking her day off – the three seemed to have bonded.
As soon as Jade appeared, Erin jumped to her feet, her bob bouncing, smiling like a cat who knew where its next canary would come from. ‘We have a solution.’ She indicated Leo with a flourish. ‘This man has the money for the pensione.’
‘It’ll work perfectly.’ Rosalie beamed, looking just as excited.
Something slithered unpleasantly in Jade’s stomach. ‘What?’ She looked at Leo. He was smiling too, those grey-blue eyes looking... What? Satisfied? Pleased with himself?
He rose to kiss her cheek, laying a hand familiarly on her hip. ‘It’s part of what I was trying to tell you when my family turned up. I sort of mentioned it to Rosalie and Erin without meaning to. Sorry.’
Erin broke in again. ‘Leo can get us out of the shit. He has all this money just sitting there for Three Sisters. Rosalie and I don’t want to go home worrying about you struggling with it all on your shoulders.’
Disappointment slid over Jade like an icy shroud. ‘What?’ she whispered again, but this time with deadly calm, even while she felt she was coming apart at the emotional seams. Her gaze locked on Leo, who was beginning to look puzzled at her tone.
Every event and emotion of this summer seemed to coalesce inside Jade. Anger. Worry. Loss. Grief. A lot of rage and nowhere to put it.
Geneva. Erin. Rosalie.
Leo.
Leo’s perfect...He has all the money...Rosalie and I...worrying...everything taken off you. You won’t have it... She shook off Leo’s hand. ‘Don’t tell me that you’ve persuaded my dear sisters to sell you this nice little pensione that you can run alone?’
A moment of perfect silence.
‘Erm . . .’ Rosalie sounded uncertain.
‘Persuaded...?’ Leo took a step back, his jaw setting angrily. ‘Talk about leaping to conclusions! I offered to put up repair moneyuntil the insurance pays out– if you need it.’ His lips turned white. ‘But nice to know you think I’d connive behind your back to manipulate you into the very last thing you want.’
‘Oh.’ Jade blinked, trying to re-hear Erin’s sentences and see where she’d misconstrued.
But Leo went on inexorably, bitterly. ‘Do you feel better now, Jade? Did it give you perverse satisfaction to think that you were right all along? That I’d fail you? That we’ve been colluding to get Three Sisters from you?’ His phone began to ring, but he ignored it. ‘All we were trying to do is ensure you could continue here and be happy.’ He spun on his heel and stalked out into the hall. Then the apartment door shut with a snap.
Rosalie sighed. ‘Oh,Jade. You’ve been suspicious of us from the start. Why couldn’t you listen instead of going off on one? I can’t imagine that Leo will want to rescue us now.’
The strength seeped from Jade’s knees and she plummeted onto a sofa. Emptily, automatically, she said, ‘I –we– don’t need rescuing. Don’t you have the slightest idea about business? This property is in a historic, desirable area and has a high value, even with a dodgy roof. The bank or a commercial finance house would lend against it, but we have comfortable reserves anyway. I’ll get legal advice to deal with the insurance company, if I need it. They haven’t even said no yet. Leo must have thought our financial situation was bleak if you went to him as if I’ve already tried and failed to find a solution.’ Her voice rose. ‘Didn’t I specifically tell you to leave it to me?It’s my fuckingjob.’ Maybe they needed a swearword before they’d understand anything. But then Jade found herself clutching her chest as it hit her what she’d said to Leo – how insulting and unjust he must have found it. She knew from personal experience how hard it was to hand over your heart and have it tossed back stampedrejected.
‘Hell.’ Erin’s Scottish accent was much in evidence. ‘We’ve fucked things up for you with Leo.’
‘Well.’ Jade covered her eyes. ‘I think I more than played my part in that. So, it’s up to me to unfuck it. And that’s my job too, so keep out of it, OK?’
‘OK.’ They hung their heads like naughty children.
Jade had to find Leo, explain that she’d just been overwhelmed with bad news and awash with emotions over what Geneva had said. Her mind had played tricks. She sprang to her feet.
But as she hurried from the apartment and into Reception, an older lady in a voluminous dress stumped through the front doors, fanning her red, sweating face with a straw sunhat. Though Jade smiled automatically and sang out a friendly greeting, her mind was on catching up with Leo... until the lady tottered up the first two steps of the marble staircase.Paused. Teetered. And crashed backwards at Jade’s feet, her head making a terrible thunk as it hit the marble floor.
‘Oh, no.’ Jade fell to her knees beside the ominously still form.
The next couple of hours passed in a welter of establishing that the guest, once she’d come round, at least knew she was Gwyneth Robertson, holidaying with her sister, Doreen. Calling an ambulance. Calling Doreen, who, unfortunately, had taken a ferry to Torno. Jade really had no choice but to accompany Gwyneth to Ospedale Valduce, glad that it was accepting emergencies as the larger Ospedale Sant’Anna was further away.
From the waiting room, she tried ringing Leo. He didn’t answer. She left a garbled, apologetic voicemail, explaining her emotional brain fart after a long period of stress. He didn’t reply.
It was early evening before poor Gwyneth’s sister finally arrived at the hospital, tearful to learn of concussion and X-rays. Jade stayed another half-hour, uncomfortable at leaving Doreen upset, who said fearfully, ‘But I don’t speak Italian,’ over and over, despite the sympathetic medical staff plainly speaking English to her. Eventually she calmed down sufficiently for a nurse to take her to Gwyneth’s side, supplied with a bottle of water and Jade’s personal phone number in case of need.
Finally, Jade was free to trail down Via Alighieri towards the lake and then along to Villa Panorama. Looking neither left nor right as she trudged through the hotel on weary legs, she prayed not to encounter any of the Sartori family except for Leo. In the gardens, a few guests enjoyed coffee in the cool of the evening. At the gate, she input the code and traipsed through. Up the cobbled path. Elbow right. Up. Elbow left.
