‘I’m glad.’
He didn’t specify whether he was glad Ethan would get over it or whether he was glad she had rejected Ethan’s advances. She almost asked, but decided against it. Instead, she turned the conversation to more practical matters.
‘So, any plans for today?’
He nodded. ‘Sort of, if you’re agreeable. Talking to Erasmus last night it’s clear he wants to include at least a cameo of Orvieto in the movie. He and Katya stopped off there on their way up from Rome on Friday and he fell in love with the place. If you like, I thought I could drive you down there today so you can see it for yourself and take lots of photos for your boss.’
‘That sounds great, but what about the others?’
‘I think Marina and Rich could do with a lie-in and a lazy day.’ He cleared his throat and put on a mock-serious concerned expression, belied by the twinkle of humour in his eyes. ‘They’ve been looking a bit tired lately. Erasmus, once he’s meditated, said he wants to sit down with the two big stars and go over with them in detail what his plans for the movie are. He’s asked them to take a look at the screenplay this morning and then the three of them will get together after lunch for a few hours. He made it pretty clear that he wants this to be restricted to just the three of them, so that leaves you and me in the clear until this evening. So, Orvieto?’
Emma suppressed the urge to leap in the air and cheer. ‘Definitely.’
* * *
Orvieto was gorgeous, if crowded.
The journey down there in Mark’s grandfather’s cherished old sports car was more exciting than she had expected. Remembering what Emma had said, he insisted upon letting her drive and she loved it. The roof was down, the sun was warm on her shoulders, and the snarl of the exhaust was as stimulating as Mark’s presence beside her. If she were honest, her little Mini probably went faster, but it didn’t matter. Just being here in Italy on a beautiful day like this and being given the opportunity to drive such a classic car was amazing. And the man beside her was amazing too.
It took almost an hour and a half, but she wouldn’t have minded if it had taken twice as long. They chatted amicably as they drove along and the time passed easily. The road ran through tree-covered hills at first and then down the wide valley of the River Tiber as it wended its way towards Rome and the sea.
About halfway, they stopped at a roadside cafe and had coffee sitting outside underneath a parasol. He told her more about his childhood, about growing up here in Italy, with summer holidays spent with his British grandparents just outside Dorchester. She quizzed him about how he had been able to speak so fluently to Katya and he revealed that her native language was Czech. He told her he had spent time over there while working for the British government and had picked up the language in the process. Under cross-examination he then admitted that he was also ‘reasonably’ fluent in Russian, German and French. She was impressed, but he just shrugged.
‘Languages are just about the only thing I’m good at.’ She didn’t believe that for a second.
In return, she told him about her early years in rural Norfolk and the lucky chance that had resulted in her sharing a run-down house while at Nottingham University with, among others, an American girl called Janie. They had become close friends and it had been Janie who had suggested she try applying for jobs over in America. The result had been the job at JMGP.
‘And you’ve been there ever since?’
‘That’s right. Twelve years and I’ve loved every one of them.’
‘So, what’s the plan? Stay for another twelve years?’
‘For as long as it takes.’
‘To do what?’
‘To get where I’m going.’
‘And that’s the top?’
She nodded. ‘Or as near the top as I can get. Of course I’m not stupid – I know I’ll never take JM’s place. It’s a family affair and the top job’s going to Rich – we all know. But I’d like to prove to myself that I can get as high as any man could.’
‘That’s important to you?’
‘Yes, I think it is.’ She did her best to explain. ‘I grew up in a little village. The men worked in the fields and the women produced children and ran the home. All right, I know I’m exaggerating. It’s no longer the Middle Ages, but even my parents had no great expectations for me apart from hopefully finding myself a suitable husband. For suitable, read well off. I knew I wanted more.’
‘So you really would have had a lot in common with Emily, the suffragette. She was a woman struggling for women’s rights in a far less enlightened era.’
‘Absolutely. Like I told you, we’ve come a long way, but there’s still a lot further to go.’
‘By the sound of it, you’re well on your way. If it helps, I’d employ you to head up my media empire if I had one.’
When they left the cafe, she said it was only fair that he should drive the rest of the way, and she relaxed alongside him, admiring the views. Towards the end of their journey, after running alongside a broad lake ringed with trees, they emerged onto a major road in another valley. He pointed through the windscreen straight ahead. ‘Look, there’s Orvieto up there.’
Emma followed the direction of his finger. On the hill above them was a walled town perched on rocky cliffs high above the valley floor. They drove into the lower part of town through the modern suburbs on the valley floor and then he swung the car onto a narrower road that started to climb and climb. The closer they got to the old town, the more impressive the fortifications appeared. The natural defence provided by the cliff had been reinforced by massive stone walls and Emma felt sorry for any attacking army. Even just marching up here would have been difficult enough, let alone beneath a hail of fire from above. The higher the car climbed, the better the view became across the valley to the line of wooded hills on the other side, punctuated by iconic cypress trees and red-roofed farmsteads.
The road twisted and turned up the hillside until they reached a narrow stone gateway in the city wall. Mark drove through the gate and onwards into even narrower cobbled streets. Signs warned of prohibitive fines for illegal parking and Emma was just wondering where he intended leaving the car when he indicated left and squeezed into a vacant parking space clearly marked for the sole use of residents with parking permits. Unperturbed, he reached into the glove compartment and pulled out an official-looking card which he set on the dashboard. As he did so, he glanced across at her with a little smile and explained.
‘This place belongs to Claudio’s parents. They live in Rome and only use it now and then so he let me use his permit.’
Emma grinned. ‘It’s good to have friends.’
They climbed out of the car into the oppressive heat and he guided her barely a matter of a hundred metres or so until the narrow lane emerged into a wide square. She caught her breath. Erasmus hadn’t been joking: Orvieto was magnificent.
There, in front of them was the Duomo. The cathedral was built of alternating horizontal rows of white and black marble, and its numerous narrow, pointed spires reached up like fingers into the unbroken blue of the sky. The light cream-coloured façade with its three arched entrances was almost entirely either sculpted or covered in predominantly blue and gold mosaics of biblical scenes. It was breathtaking. Emma caught hold of Mark’s arm and looked up at him.