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Frankie saw her mother reach over and take hold of Matteo’s hand. Matteo patted hers back with his free one before he continued speaking.

‘But life carries on. We change and the people around us change. It shouldn’t be something we’re afraid of. I am not getting any younger and I have to think of my future.’

Frankie, unable to hold her emotions any longer, accidentally let out a sob. Everyone turned to her as she wiped the tears now freely running down her face.

‘Frankie, whatever’s the matter?’ her grandfather asked in concern.

Frankie shook her head.

‘What is it, mia cara?’

‘I’m sorry. I know what’s going on. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I overheard you on the phone the other day.’

‘What?’ Maria exchanged a worried look with her sister.

‘I know about you…’ She couldn’t bring herself to say “dying”. ‘I know you’re planning to live in Cedar Lodge,’ Frankie blurted out.

The room erupted.

‘Cedar Lodge?’ Cara cried out and looked to Stefano in anguish.

‘Nonsense!’ Maria said. ‘You’re not moving in there. If you’re finding things too tough you will come and live with us, won’t he?’ She turned to Fraser and he looked at Frankie in puzzlement.

‘Why would you want to live in Cedar Lodge?’ Cara turned to Frankie. ‘Why?’

Matteo smiled at his granddaughter. ‘Yes. Why, Frankie?’

Frankie realised everyone was now looking at her. ‘Because you’re ill,’ Frankie said in a small voice. There was a strange look on her nonno’s face.

‘Ill? What’s wrong?’ Maria clutched at her own neck.

‘We will all look after you,’ Stefano said. ‘If he lives with you, Maria, we can help more here.’

Cara nodded her head emphatically as she turned to her sister. ‘I’ve always said he works too much and now it’s made him ill!’

‘Is it your heart?’ Maria asked. ‘Or cancer? Whichever, you’ll need family, not strangers at Cedar Lodge!’

‘Have you been to the doctor? Is it serious?’ Valentina asked, close to tears.

Rocco cleared his throat. ‘Nonno, if you’re finding it difficult to get around, I can look at ways to make your flat easier for mobility. There are so many measures we can take and things I can install.’

Matteo sat down, settling back in his chair, watching his family carve up where he’d live, and who’d work what hours and Frankie was a little taken aback to see him smiling, then more surprised again when he began to laugh. His booming laughter soon caused everyone to quieten down.

‘I’m heartened to see you’re all willing to help and I know that if and when the time comes for me to have more assistance there are many volunteers! Now, my darling girl, what made you think I was going to live in Cedar Lodge?’

Everyone looked from Matteo to Frankie.

Frankie swallowed. Had she got it wrong?

‘I saw you there,’ Frankie said. ‘You came out holding brochures. And Kathy at Cedar Lodge mentioned you’d been there a lot… and I heard you on the phone saying you were getting… lawyers to handle your affairs,’ she glanced at her dad, not wanting to land him in it, ‘and that you’d gone to see your GP, and that you had one year left and you hoped you’d manage to do everything in that year.’

‘One year?’ Cara made the sign of the cross and wailed.

Matteo nodded solemnly. ‘Yes, I have been talking about making changes and yes, I was at Cedar Lodge. But it’s not because I want to live there. I’m hale and hearty and hope I have a lot longer than a year left.’

Matteo took a breath as he looked slowly around at everyone.

‘So, why did you want us all here?’ Maria asked her father. ‘You said you had something to tell us.’