Page 121 of A Wedding in Tuscany

‘Hey, girl,’ she says.

I hug her tightly and after a moment’s hesitation, she returns it. ‘Will I see you before you fly south for the winter?’ I ask when we step apart.

‘Hmm, doubtful. But it’ll go fast. It always does.’ She’s right. Their stints of living in the tropics seem to fly by and before we know it, she and Alistair are back in the UK.

‘Thank you again for everything, Jae.’

‘You’ve said that at least a dozen times already.’ She tempers her words with a one-dimpled smile.

‘Well, let’s make it a baker’s dozen and call it good.’

‘Deal.’ She hugs me again?short and sharp this time?then turns and goes before I become a blubbering mess?or maybe she’s worried that she will. Being with Alistair has softened the edges on my prickly friend and I love her all the more for it.

‘Cat, you gorgeous woman!’ From a rigid hug from Jaelee into the ample bosom of Siobhan. I laugh as she smothers me with her own unique brand of Siobhan love. ‘Now,’ she says, holding me at arm’s distance by my shoulders and staring down at me, ‘you absolutely must promise to come see me in Dublin.’

‘I promise. We promise.’

‘Good. Because I want you to meet Keely and I want to show you about, and we’ll go to all the best places and we’ll even do the touristy bits. Do you like Guinness? Never mind if you don’t?rite of passage for all visitors. And the view from the top of the factory is grand. You’ll love it.’ She hugs me again. ‘Oh, I am so happy for ye.’ She rocks me from side to side and I cling on for dear life. ‘Right, now I’ll let you go,’ she says, literally letting me go.

‘Thank you so much for coming. We’ve loved having you here.’

‘Wouldn’t have missed it.’ She smiles at me, her eyes twinkling, then lifts her head and scans our group. ‘Where’s that handsome husband of yours?’ She leaves before I can answer and no doubt is about to smother Jean-Luc in another effusive goodbye.

I get hugs from Lindsey and Nick and from Anders and Alistair?his comes with a promise to FaceTime as soon as they get to Bali in a few weeks?and then it’s time to go. Waving to our friends, we four make our way out of the resort?Josh and Jean-Luc with our luggage in hand?and find our ride.

It’s quiet during the seven-minute ride from the resort to the castle. No doubt my sister, brother-in-law, and husband are as exhausted as I am?physically and emotionally wrung out from the most intense and wonderful week of my life.

I lean my head against the window and cast my eyes across the expanse of the sky, now a deep blue punctuated with dozens of stars, then along the silhouettes of the tall, skinny conifers that dot the hilltops, my gaze landing on the warm glow from houses nestled in the valleys.

It’s so beautiful here.

‘Are you sure you have everything?’ Sarah asks. She’s just completed her third round of ‘final checks’ before we hand over the key to the castle apartment.

‘Definitely.’

‘Says the woman who left her wedding dress in Italy.’

‘Ouch. That’s not nice.’

‘Sorry.’

She makes a move towards the bedroom she and Josh have inhabited for the past week. ‘Sarah. You’ve checked it three times. We need to go.’ Jean-Luc and Josh are already in the rental car, our luggage stowed safely in the boot.

She pauses and looks at me. ‘I hate this part.’

‘So you’re stalling.’ She nods. ‘Come on.’ I grab hold of her hand and gently pull her across the threshold.

‘All good, Sarah?’ Josh calls from the car window.

‘Yeah. Be right there.’

Bianca is waiting at the bottom of the steps leading up to the castle and we walk along the crunchy gravel driveway to meet her. ‘Buongiorno,’ I say. A glimmer of a smile alights on her face, then disappears.

‘Buongiorno. Did you enjoy your stay?’ Two nights ago, she shared her deepest sorrows with me but none of that vulnerability is visible now. Perhaps she’s embarrassed.

‘Oh, totally,’ says Sarah. ‘You have a beautiful castle?and we loved the apartment. It’s so serene here.’

The memory of the killer wasp pops into my head and I stifle a laugh. Sarah glances sideways at me, shushing me. ‘And thank you for all your help with the wedding,’ I say hurriedly. Bianca nods curtly and that small smile appears again. ‘And, please, whatever you can salvage from the leftovers … the food …’