Dreaming of Tuscany

by T A Williams

  ‘So does that mean it’ll be out soon?’

  Mimi shook her head. ‘Post-production can take months. I believe the plan is to get the movie out before Christmas, but I’m not holding my breath. The premiere of the Yorkshire one’s planned for October, I think, so I’ll have to be back in the UK for that.’

  Umberto returned with the news that dinner was served and the two of them took their seats at table. Ines brought in a plate of grilled lamb chops and chicken breasts and another one of her wonderful mixed salads. Earlier on, Bee had managed to convince her that neither she nor Mimi needed a pasta course as well, but clearly from the mountain of meat on the plate, Ines had decided to ensure the two of them didn’t go hungry. Mimi helped herself to a small piece of chicken and some salad and Bee couldn’t help reflecting, yet again, how her lifestyle, idyllic in the eyes of so many people, came with some serious disadvantages. She certainly didn’t pity Mimi, but she was beginning to appreciate that Hollywood made serious demands upon its chosen few.

  As they ate, they chatted, and Bee soon found herself telling Mimi about Jamie. Mimi listened with interest.

  ‘So it just sort of fizzled out? But you’re still talking to him?’

  Bee nodded. ‘I suppose we both realised the relationship wasn’t really going anywhere. He was… is… so set on his career. I always came second to that.’

  ‘And his career is?’

  ‘He’s a writer. In fact, a few weeks after we broke up, he went out to Hollywood. He’s desperate to get one of his screenplays read.’

  To her surprise, Mimi laughed, but then hastily explained.

  ‘Sorry, Bee, I’m not laughing at what happened to you. It’s just that everybody in LA has got an idea for a movie, if not a full screenplay in their bag. Everywhere I go, people are thrusting them at me. I’ve had several pushed through my car window, one even dropped into my garden from a drone, and I can’t tell you how many my PA gets through the post every week. He’ll have his work cut out to get his screenplay read.’

  It was a very pleasant evening and the conversation flowed, particularly from Mimi. It was as if she was trying to make up for all the lonely hours spent in her room. By the end, Bee felt she knew, and liked, the famous film star a lot more. Prompted by Mimi, Bee told her about her own career and how she had ended up in Tuscany.

  ‘The very late Middle Ages and early Renaissance are my period really. Pretty much anything in the two-hundred-year period from around 1300 to the discovery of America – by Columbus, not the Vikings. When I saw the advert for a Historical Consultant position based in Siena, it looked too good to be true. After all, Tuscany was the birthplace of the Renaissance and all around us there are so many amazing historic places. Today’s visit to San Gimignano has inspired me. In a week or two, as soon as I feel up to it, I’ve been thinking about renting a car and doing a bit of driving around.’

  Mimi looked up from her salad. ‘That sounds wonderful – once we are a bit more respectable. Why don’t we do that? I’d love to come with you if you don’t mind. That way, I’d have my own personal guide.’

  Bee thought for a moment. The idea of touring some of Tuscany’s hidden gems really did sound good and it would be nice to have company.

  ‘I’d love to do that, Mimi. Why don’t I go ahead and book a rental car for later in the month? Neither of us particularly wants to be seen in public at the moment, but from the anonymity of a car, we’d still be able to see lots of wonderful places.’

  Mimi’s eyes were shining. ‘Oh, yes, please do and, of course, I’m paying.’ She stopped for a moment as she had a better idea. ‘Or rather, Pan World can pay. They owe us. I’ll call Gayle and get her to rent us a nice comfortable car.’

  Bee shook her head slowly. ‘I’m all for Gayle paying for it, but I think we’d be better off with a small, unostentatious car so we don’t draw too much attention. Besides, the roads can be pretty narrow round here. I’ve rented a Fiat Cinquecento a few times before. Why don’t you ask for one of them. I’m happy to drive if you don’t want to.’

  ‘You know, Bee? I’ve seen those little Fiats and I’ve always wanted to try one. Yes, let’s get one of those. Leave it to me. I’ll call Gayle tonight.’

  Bee went to bed feeling delighted at the evident change in Mimi’s mood. Whatever problems had been troubling her since arriving here, they seemed to be fading away, to reveal a charming, friendly and unexpectedly normal person. Clearly, Gayle had been right all along. Underneath the daunting façade, Mimi was a sweetie.

  Chapter 9

  Later that evening the heavens opened and it rained right through until the following day. This was real heavy rain and Bee could hear it beating down outside her open windows. Next morning, looking out, she could see the vineyards running with water and the vine leaves bent under the weight of rain that had fallen.

  Mimi was still in her room, so after breakfast Bee returned to hers and checked her emails. To her surprise, there was another one from her ex. Its contents were, to say the least, perplexing.

  Hi Bee

  Glad to hear you’re doing well and getting better. Are you still in Italy? By coincidence I’m going to be in Tuscany in late July. Maybe we could meet up for old times’ sake. I’d love to see you again.

  x

  Jamie

  Although his upcoming visit to Tuscany was a surprise, the far bigger surprise was the tone of his message. Could it be he was missing her, maybe even hoping he and she could get back together? The thing was that, now, after her inexplicable reaction to meeting Luke, Bee knew that Jamie was definitely history. Whether Luke was the least bit interested in her, or any woman apart from his lost fiancée, was highly debatable, but the one thing she now knew for sure was that he had made far more of an initial impact upon her than Jamie ever had. On that basis, what would be the point of meeting up with Jamie and maybe encouraging him if, indeed, he really was trying to get her back? She now knew she wanted more from love and from life. The other thought going round in her head was that this was much more likely to be an attempt by him to wangle a meeting with Mimi. And that wasn’t going to happen.

  After a period of introspection, she decided the best thing would be to pour cold water on Jamie’s suggestion.

  Hi Jamie

  I’m afraid I’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement and can’t reveal where we are. Besides, it’s the middle of nowhere and I wouldn’t know where we could meet up. Enjoy yourself in Tuscany. B

  She closed her laptop. Looking out of the window, she was pleased to see the rain finally abate and patches of blue begin to appear in the sky above the villa. When she went down for lunch, she was delighted to find Mimi already there and, even better, with a broad smile on her face.

  ‘Hi Mimi. Joining me for lunch again? That’s good. And you’re looking cheerful.’

  ‘Yes, indeed. I’ve just had some really good news. I’ve been offered the part of a sort of Bridget Jones look-alike in a romcom to be set in LA.’

  ‘A romantic comedy sounds fun. And you could live at home.’

  ‘Yes, but that’s not the best part. The really good news is they want me to go up a dress size for the part, so you know what that means…?’

  Bee grinned at her. ‘Food?’

  ‘Food! Maybe you’d be kind enough to break the news to Ines.’ She was beaming. ‘I can eat! Whoopee!’

  Bee smiled back, delighted for her. ‘That’s great news. And I can’t recommend Ines’s cooking highly enough. It’s exquisite, and almost entirely local. You’ll love it.’

  Bee broke the news to Ines over lunch and they were promised a slap-up dinner that evening to celebrate. Mimi also gave Bee some other news.

  ‘I spoke to Gayle last night and I got an email from her just a few minutes ago. She’s booked us a little Fiat and the rental company are going to deliver it the last week of July. Hopefully we’ll both be looking a good bit more normal by then.’

  ‘Terrific. I’ll give some thought to the best places
to go. The sky’s the limit around here, but I know where I’d like to start. Have you ever heard of the sword in the stone?’

  ‘The Disney cartoon or King Arthur?’

  ‘Neither, or at least only indirectly. The fact is there’s a real twelfth century sword in a stone not that far away from where we are now. It’s housed in a little chapel about thirty kilometres away. Maybe you might like to start your tour of Tuscany there.’

  ‘I can’t wait.’

  Bee remembered Luke’s question to her the previous day. ‘By the way, Mimi, how long do you plan on staying here?’

  ‘I’ve been wondering that myself. The way things are going, I would hope my face will be back to normal by, say, the end of July or early August. The fact is, though, I’m not needed back in the US until September, so I’m thinking about maybe staying on a bit longer and making a real holiday of it, say until the middle or end of August. What about you?’

  ‘The doctor wants to see me again at the beginning of August and he seemed to think I should be reasonably presentable again by the end of the summer, so I’m more than happy to stay as long as you want.’

  ‘Terrific. There’s just one favour I have to ask of you. I’m going to have to learn my lines for a new movie over the summer. Would you maybe be prepared to give me a hand? You know, read the other parts to me.’

  ‘Yes, of course. That sounds like an interesting way to spend the summer.’ A thought occurred to her. ‘But isn’t there anybody waiting for you back in LA?’

  ‘A housekeeper, a pool boy and a sort of general factotum, that’s all.’ She met Bee’s eye for a moment. ‘As far as men are concerned, the answer’s no.’

  Bee was surprised, but she made no comment, knowing that it wasn’t her place to pry. Instead, she just waved vaguely towards the open windows. ‘This is such a gorgeous place. I can’t think of anywhere nicer to spend a summer.’

  Mimi nodded. ‘I feel the same way, and it’s the whole change of pace that’s so wonderful. It’s like I’ve taken a trip to another world. No stress, no early starts, no sneaking about avoiding paparazzi, no spending ages on my appearance. Do you realise? For the first few days I was still putting on make-up and dressing up as if I was going to be meeting God knows who. Then the penny finally dropped and I started to relax. I feel better and better with each passing day now and I can sense the tension just dropping away.’

  ‘So, are you up for a walk this afternoon?’

  ‘Definitely.’

  ‘It’ll be muddy, so wear old shoes.’

  From the look Mimi gave her, Bee could tell that Hollywood film stars didn’t have old shoes. Remembering the fate of her expensive sandals, she feared for whatever designer footwear Mimi would choose to wear. Still, it was great that Mimi had finally agreed to leave the sanctity not only of her room, but now of the villa walls as well. Much as she enjoyed walking with the dog, his conversation skills were sorely lacking and she knew it would be wonderful to have somebody with whom she could chat.

  * * *

  That afternoon, Bee and Mimi, accompanied by their canine companion, went for a walk down the valley. By now, the sky had cleared, the sun was out, it was baking hot once more and Bee had no doubt the puddles would soon dry up. In the meantime, however, on Umberto’s advice, they stayed on the main track and thus avoided almost all of the mud. Or rather, Mimi and Bee stayed on the track while Romeo disappeared into the vines, to emerge two-tone – top half black and lower half a rich brown. Mimi was quick to comment.

  ‘I’m sure artists must have a name for the brown of the mud round here.’

  ‘How about umber or burnt Siena? They sound suitably arty, although I seriously doubt whether Michelangelo ever had to scrape his paint off a Labrador.’

  When they got down to Luke’s house, they were in for a surprise. As they walked past, the front door opened and Luke appeared, raising his hand in greeting. He came walking towards them and Mimi stopped apprehensively, pulling her sunhat down over her face. Bee immediately leapt in to reassure her.

  ‘It’s all right, Mimi. It’s Luke, the estate manager. He knows all about us and he’s signed the non-disclosure agreement.’

  She saw Mimi begin to relax, although the brim of her hat remained pulled down.

  ‘Good afternoon, ladies. The weathermen were right about the rain, weren’t they, Bee?’

  ‘Hi, Luke. Yes indeed, and when it rains round here it really rains! Please let me introduce you to Mimi Robertson.’

  ‘Miss Robertson needs no introduction.’ Luke held out his hand gallantly. ‘I would have recognised you anywhere.’

  Mimi raised the brim of her hat and looked up as she took his hand and gave him a smile in return. Bee couldn’t miss the fact that this smile went a whole lot further than the greeting she had given Umberto and Ines. It was clear she really was pleased to see him. As she spotted the expression on Mimi’s face, an unexpected feeling ran through Bee’s body. Could it be she was jealous?

  ‘Luke, good afternoon. I’m very pleased to meet you.’ Mimi definitely looked as if she meant it.

  ‘I hope you’re enjoying your stay here at Montegrifone. Are Umberto and Ines looking after you well?’

  As Mimi and Luke chatted, Bee did her best to analyse her feelings. There was no doubt in her mind that the sight of the beautiful film star smiling and chatting to the hunky farmer had produced the sort of sensation in her that normally only comes when you have strong feelings for somebody. Did this mean she was developing strong feelings for Luke? She liked him. She felt sorry for him after the rough hand he had been dealt, but she could see full well that he wasn’t interested in her or any woman at present. Would that change if a beautiful film star suddenly appeared in the mix?

  As she was still mulling it over, her phone whistled. She pulled it out and checked the message she had just received. It was from Gayle and it was disconcerting.

  Hi Bee. A quick heads-up. I’ve heard from my guy in Siena that Joey knows where you are and he says he’s coming to visit. No idea how he found out, but be warned. Gayle.

  ‘I was just saying to Luke he should come and have dinner at the villa some time. Bee? Bee, are you listening?’

  Bee roused herself at the sound of Mimi’s voice.

  ‘Sorry, yes. Did you say dinner? Great idea.’

  In fact, although the idea of a quiet dinner à deux with Luke definitely did appeal, the thought of having to sit and watch as he and Mimi flirted most certainly didn’t. But, of course, there was nothing she could do about it so she mustered up a big smile as she slipped her phone back into her pocket.

  ‘Whenever you like, Luke. You’re the one who’s got to work.’

  ‘That’s very kind of you both. Well, maybe Saturday night? How would that suit you?’

  They both nodded and, after a bit more chat, he bade them goodbye and drove off in his pick-up. After he had left, Bee decided to risk taking Mimi up the steep path into the woods, hoping it wouldn’t be too soggy underfoot. This meant they had to walk one in front of the other so they weren’t able to talk, and Bee was dying to hear what sort of impression Luke had made upon Mimi. She felt pretty sure she already knew and it did nothing for her mood. Apart from this, there was now the complication of Joey, the Hollywood heart-throb, supposedly coming to visit her. And she didn’t need to be Hercule Poirot to have a pretty good idea what he would be hoping to get out of the visit.

  Bee’s spirits were raised by the discovery underneath what might have been a chestnut tree – her tree recognition skills weren’t much better than her bird recognition talents – of a little family of mushrooms that exactly fitted Luke’s description. Although long-since washed off the palm of her hand, Bee had memorised his sketch as well as more detailed descriptions from the internet, and felt pretty sure these were the legendary porcini mushrooms. Not having her little backpack this time, she took off her scarf and used it as a makeshift bag to carry them. A bit further on both she and Mimi found several more, one partly
nibbled by some animal, so by the time they got back to the villa, they had a decent collection.

  They went round to the kitchen door and found Ines picking roses in the garden. Bee showed her the mushrooms and the old lady was full of praise for the two of them.

  ‘What lovely porcini! Well done. Now, what are you going to do with them?’

  ‘Would you like them? I gather they’re considered a delicacy.’

  ‘They certainly are, but you found them, so they’re yours. If you want a suggestion, I’d say eat a couple of the little ones raw, sliced with a bit of grated Parmesan, and drizzled with olive oil. Or slice them, dip them in egg and breadcrumbs, and fry them. And you could use the others to make a wonderful pasta sauce. Why don’t I prepare a few of them for tonight as a starter, before the roast lamb?’

  ‘Wonderful, Ines.’ Mimi glanced at her watch. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to rush back and check my emails. Thanks for the walk, Bee. I really enjoyed it.’

  ‘Leave me your muddy shoes and I’ll clean them, Signorina.’ Ines pointed to the step. ‘Just leave them there.’

  As Mimi went off barefoot, Bee glanced across at the two-tone dog who was rolling in the grass, grunting to himself.

  ‘Talking of mud, Ines, I’m afraid Romeo’s going to need a bath. Why don’t I take him down to the river for a splash about?’

  She and the dog headed down to the bridge. After the rain, the river was considerably fuller than before and the dog wasted no time leaping into a pool and swimming enthusiastically, if fruitlessly, after the stones Bee threw into the water for him to fetch. The net result was that by the time he came out again he was, once more, a clean black Labrador. As they walked back up the hill to the villa, Bee scrupulously keeping him to the path, she found her head buzzing with thoughts of no fewer than three men. There was the farmer for whom she felt attraction, but who didn’t appear to want her; the actor who probably only wanted her for sex, but she didn’t want; and the former boyfriend who also maybe wanted her, but she no longer wanted. It was very confusing and, for somebody who had decided she had no interest in men, it was annoying.