As she sat there on that warm summer night, the hairy body of the dog resting against her feet, she did her best to take a long, hard look at the facts, but, whichever way she looked at it, she kept coming back to how little she knew about Mark. And how little he knew about her.
Apart from anything else, he was a very handsome man; even the most beautiful woman in the world had made a play for him this weekend. For all she knew, there could be several girlfriends stashed away all over Europe. Maybe even in the Czech Republic if he had spent so much time over there. In fact, she only had his word for it that his sudden departure tonight had been to see his uncle. It might be another woman – although the repetition of the word ospedale in their telephone conversation had tended to lend support to the story he had given her. The more she thought about it, however, the more she worried that she really didn’t know much about him at all.
And then there was the physical side of things. His tiny kiss a few minutes earlier, electrifying as it had been, was the closest they had come to any form of real intimacy. She was reminded of one particular man, an executive from a rival production company, from her past. She had met him at a Hollywood party and had immediately found him attractive. He had asked her out and they had spent several pleasant evenings together as a result. And then he had taken her back to his apartment and his bed and the whole thing had blown up in her face. Within seconds of feeling his hands on her body she had realised that there was something wrong. Although she was hard put to identify exactly why, it had been patently clear that she and he were physically incompatible. Everything had felt wrong and she had mumbled a vague apology and left.
What if the same were to happen between her and Mark? Six thousand miles would be a hell of a long way for him to travel to find himself kicked out of her bed. She stared out over the lights of Gubbio and racked her brains. What to do? She was still mulling it over, quite some time later, when she returned to the villa and handed the, by now, sleepy Labrador over to Claudio.
Up in her room, she set her alarm. Erasmus and Katya had indicated their intention of leaving as soon after sunrise as possible and she wanted to see them off. A quick check on Google had indicated dawn, on what was almost the longest day of the year, at five thirty. Even so, it took her a long time before she finally dozed off that night and when she woke up in pitch darkness at five o’clock, she felt jaded and weary. By the time she had pulled on shorts and a T-shirt she was feeling a bit brighter and the grey light of day was creeping through the curtains.
Downstairs, she found Erasmus and Katya already in the lobby. Erasmus was dressed quite normally and soberly – although shoes might have helped complete his ensemble. Emma accompanied them out to the car park and waved them off. As they disappeared down the drive, she glanced towards the old stable yard and noticed that Mark’s car was absent. Presumably he had spent the night at the hospital.
She went back inside and asked if anybody minded if she took the dog for a walk. The porter at the front desk was only too pleased – presumably this might have otherwise been his task – and he went off to fetch her. Carmen arrived looking bright and breezy and delighted to go for a walk. Emma thought about taking her down to the pool for a swim but decided it was better not to get her wet. Wet dog isn’t the most appealing of aromas to find in a luxury hotel. Instead, they headed uphill through the trees along the track that the joggers used. Since arriving here, Emma had ducked out of the regular morning runs and she really didn’t feel like doing more than walking this early on a Monday morning.
She and the dog had been climbing steadily for almost twenty minutes when she heard pounding footsteps approaching from behind and turned to see Ethan and Sinclair racing up the hill towards her. Ethan was sweating profusely and had clearly been putting in a lot of effort, while Sinclair looked relatively unruffled. Emma remembered that he had been a world-class athlete in his twenties and was reminded of the rigorous exercise regime Ethan and other Hollywood stars had to endure in order to stay in trim. An early morning run was just a warm-up, and she knew he often spent as much as three or four hours a day in the gym. As they approached, Ethan slowed to walking pace alongside her.
‘Hi, there, English. You’re out early.’
‘Hi, guys. Going far?’
Ethan nodded. ‘We’re doing three circuits this morning. I ate too much yesterday. Gotta stay in shape.’ He grinned at her. ‘Otherwise you’ll start looking at other men.’
She grinned back. ‘You know I only have eyes for you, Ethan.’
‘Me and a certain someone? Right?’
Emma felt the colour rush to her cheeks, but she had very few secrets from Ethan. ‘That certain someone’s been at the hospital all night. His uncle’s had a stroke.’
‘Sorry to hear that. So that only leaves you, what, three or four nights to seal the deal before you jet off back to the US of A?’ He laughed as her blushes deepened. ‘Good luck for tonight.’
Doing her best to sound nonchalant, Emma tried to put him on the spot, but all it did was to broaden his grin even further. ‘How about you? Have a good night?’
‘Good? It was amazing.’ He glanced at Sinclair. ‘Come to think of it, Sinc, I must have burnt off a good few calories in bed. Maybe I can have another piece of cake for breakfast.’
Emma rolled her eyes at his response. ‘What time’s your flight?’
This time Sinclair answered. ‘Scheduled for 0900. We’re flying to London to drop Laney off and then on to Helsinki. Tomorrow we fly back to LA.’
‘So, leave here at eight?’ She checked her watch. It was still only just after six.
‘Great. That gives us time for the three circuits. See you later, Emma.’ Ethan blew her a kiss and set off up the hill again at a sprint. Sinclair fell easily into step beside him as if he was just walking down to the shops for a newspaper.
By the time eight o’clock came round, there was still no sign of Mark, so she sent him a text.
Hope all is well. Going to airport for 0900. Should be back at villa by ten latest.
She got a reply almost immediately.
Uncle doing well. Aunt less well. Could I join you guys in Bologna tonight? So sorry.
Emma texted straight back to tell him to take his time, although she knew she was going to miss seeing him all day. What, she asked herself, was it going to be like when she flew back to the States? Parking that thought for now, she supervised getting Laney into the car and dragging Marylou away from the breakfast buffet.
When they got to the airport, Laney air-kissed Emma and boarded the aircraft while Marylou stowed their luggage and Ethan’s bags in the hold of the aircraft without breaking into a sweat. Emma gave Ethan a big hug and kissed him on the cheeks. Just before he broke away, he whispered into her ear.
‘He’s a good guy, Emma, a really good guy.’ As he climbed the steps into the plane he turned back and waved. ‘And a lucky one. See you, English.’
Chapter 20
Even without Mark, it turned out to be a most enjoyable day. After thanking Claudio and his staff for a terrific weekend and saying goodbye to Carmen with considerable regret, Emma climbed into the back seat of the car and left Marina and Rich in the front. They drove back down into the valley and across to the charming little town of Gubbio, spending most of the morning climbing up and down the narrow streets; some so steep they deteriorated into flights of steps.