Page 220 of Private Lives

‘So how are you enjoying Villa Sole?’ asked Anna. ‘Up to your standards?’

‘Oh yes. You should see tonight’s menu,’ said Sue Kennedy, an excited twinkle in her eye. ‘Truffles.’

Anna laughed. It was nice to see her parents both so relaxed, their slightly pink faces shining with pride. Anna had been so wrapped up in her own feelings towards Sophie, it was easy to forget that this must be a huge deal for them, seeing their first daughter tie the knot, and doing it in such grand surroundings too.

‘Oh Mum, this is my friend Matt,’ said Anna.

‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Matthew, pulling their cases from the car. ‘Where shall I put these?’

‘You’re in the two rooms at the very top of the house,’ said Sue, leading them both inside the house and showing Matt the staircase. ‘Fantastic views in the morning; you can see all the way to Siena.’ She looked over at Anna meaningfully. ‘And if you don’t need two rooms, I think the one overlooking the courtyard is the better one.’

Anna glanced at Matt – was he blushing?

‘I’ll just take these upstairs, then,’ he muttered, lugging the bags over his shoulder and disappearing up the stairs.

‘I want the room with the view,’ shouted Anna after him.

‘Yes, boss . . .’ came the weary reply, and Anna’s mother smiled.

‘Good-looking boy,’ she said.

‘Boy? He’s pushing thirty-five.’

‘Practically a geriatric,’ said her father.

Anna looked back and forth between her parents.

‘Now just because we’re at a wedding, don’t go getting any ideas,’ she said firmly. ‘He’s just a friend, okay?’

‘Whatever you say, darling,’ said her mother, turning to her husband and giving him a deliberate wink.

The sun was beginning to vanish over the scorched hillside and Anna gazed out at the carpet of wild flowers stretching across the meadow, scenting the evening air like cologne. Her mother was right. The view was spectacular from up here. In the dusky lavender light, the Chianti hills and vineyards folded and disappeared into one another, while just faintly she really could see the dark skyline of the great old town of Siena. Anna had spent many nights at Villa Sole but never in the eaves of the house, which were usually reserved for nannies or children – Sophie and her parents would be in the grand master suites on the lower floors.

Next door, she could hear Matt singing over the rushing sound of the shower at full blast. Was that ‘Karma Chameleon’? She giggled; Matthew Donovan really was full of surprises. She walked into her own bathroom and turned on the gold taps of her claw-foot bath, tipping in some lime-scented oil. When it was full, she peeled off her travelling clothes and sank gratefully down into the bath until the foam tickled her nose. Closing her eyes, she let the events of the past week float through her mind. Where was Helen Pierce this evening? she wondered. Matthew had called Larry from the airport, and apparently Helen had formally resigned from the firm that morning. And what would become of Peter Rees and his so-called friends, each of them equally marked and sullied by the affair? Would any of them ever pay for what they did? The Chronicle were putting pressure on the police to launch an inquiry into Amy’s death, but Anna knew there was no certainty of justice being done. And was there really such a thing as justice when you had money and a team of nimble lawyers at your disposal? She gave a crooked smile, remembering the argument she’d had with Matt that first day at Donovan Pierce, when she had so staunchly defended the legal system and a rich man’s right to use the law any way he pleased. She wasn’t at all sure she felt the same way now, not after having seen the Swann set hiding behind their millions. So where did that leave her? She knew she still believed in the law – you couldn’t give up on it just because the bad guys kept winning, otherwise who would protect people like Amy Hart? There had to be another way; a fair, honest way. Anna just supposed she’d have to find it.

Wrapping herself in a fluffy white towel, she unpacked her bag and laid the meagre contents on the bed. With everything that had happened, she hadn’t had time to go shopping for her sister’s wedding. She picked up the turquoise silk tunic dress she’d worn in Kerala, remembering the way Sam had smiled at her that night on the longboat.

She felt a knot in her chest just thinking about Sam and Jessica and that horrible scene on the drive outside Copley Manor. She took a deep breath and let it out. That was over now, she had to move on. And anyway, she looked hot in the dress, so why not?

She was just pinning her hair up on top of her head, exposing her long neck, when there was a knock on the door.

‘Come in,’ she muttered through the grips in her mouth. Matthew appeared at the door, looking relaxed in a pair of cream trousers and a pale blue shirt, open at the neck.

‘Look at George Clooney,’ she said appreciatively. She had never seen him in anything but a work suit, and casual looked good on him.

‘Well I know you like the screen-idol type,’ he joked.

‘Hey, cheeky,’ she scolded.

‘You’re not looking too bad yourself,’ he said as she finished her hair and turned around.

‘So why do I feel so nervous?’ she asked.

‘Nothing a glass of Chianti won’t sort out,’ he said, offering her his arm. ‘What’s the betting Villa Sole have their own vineyard?’

‘Actually they do.’ She smiled, enjoying the feel of him against her hip, enjoying the sense of feeling protected. They descended the staircase and went into the main hall, where Sophie and Andy were greeting guests.

Damn, she looks lovely, thought Anna. Sophie’s gown was floor length and the colour of a Bellini, a peach shade so soft it almost made her tanned skin glow.