Second Chances in Chianti (Escape to Tuscany Book 2) by T.A. Williams (online e reader .TXT) 📕

There was also a message from Antonia that made interesting reading. Although it was brief and she didn’t go into detail, she confirmed that the outcome of her meetings in London over the past few days was that she and two other partners were setting up a brand-new production company. There was a throwaway line towards the end indicating that they might even have a job for Alice in the future. Although all Alice’s efforts were concentrated on tomorrow’s interview in London, it was reassuring to know that she might still have a second chance to get back into TV, if she ever changed her mind or if the auction house job didn’t work out.

Chapter 15

Alice got up early next morning and drove to Florence airport, leaving her car in the parking lot. The flight was uneventful and the temperature in London about ten degrees cooler than in Tuscany. She was at the auction house in good time for her two o’clock appointment, feeling a bit nervous but hoping for the best.

It soon transpired that her hopes were misplaced.

She was shown into the office of the stern-looking lady from the original interview panel, who was sitting at her desk with Tobias double-barrelled standing at her shoulder and looking chronically embarrassed. His female colleague had no such qualms. She reached into a drawer, produced a copy of one of this morning’s gaudier tabloids and pushed it across the desk towards Alice.

‘Your fame precedes you, Dr Butler.’ Her voice was sour, but with just a hint of barely concealed gloating in the background. ‘I’m sorry to bring you all the way from Italy for this, but it only came to our attention this morning and, of course, it was too late to contact you. I’m instructed to thank you for your interest in our firm but to tell you that we have offered the position to another candidate.’ She tapped the newspaper with a chubby finger. ‘I’m afraid this is not the sort of image we wish to portray here.’

Her finger had landed on that same damn photo taken by Carrie – alongside it, in case the reader didn’t immediately recognise the British star of Pals, the newspaper had put together a little collage of thumbnails of Alice back in her Polly days. Needless to say, the photos they had chosen were mostly those in which she was wearing scanty outfits. Alice looked up again and was about to launch into a spirited defence of herself, but the expression on the woman’s face said it all. She wasn’t getting the job and that was that. She met the woman’s gaze and nodded a couple of times.

‘I understand. I think you’re making a big mistake, but I thank you and your colleagues for your time. Goodbye.’ She turned on her heel and marched towards the door. Tobias double-barrelled hurried around to open it for her and he followed her out. Closing the door behind him, he gave her a sympathetic look.

‘I’m very sorry, Dr Butler. Believe me, I tried to fight your corner, but it was a lost cause, I’m afraid. It was two against one and I lost.’ As they walked back along the corridor to the stairs, he lowered his voice. ‘Between you and me, we all know you were the better candidate for the position. I’m sorry.’ He looked so miserable, Alice almost gave him a hug. Instead, she held out her hand and did her best to rise above it.

‘Thank you, Tobias, that’s kind.’

They shook hands and she left.

At her mother’s house in Crouch End she drank a lot of tea and received a lot of sympathy. As the afternoon progressed, Alice gradually recovered and managed to stop imagining ways of murdering both Carrie and Richie – preferably slowly and painfully. The one good thing about this disclosure was that she had barely had time to think about David and his betrayal, and she was genuinely able to tell her mother that she was glad their relationship was over. Interestingly, her mother revealed that she had never liked him much anyway.

A bottle of Chianti Classico, bought that morning at Florence airport, further helped to restore Alice’s equilibrium, and she started telling her mother about the house she had rented, the village, the local restaurant and the beauty of the surrounding countryside. As the bottle emptied, she eventually found herself talking about Matt and his dog, and she spotted considerable interest on her mum’s face.

‘So, are you telling me he lives alone in an old tower with just a dog for company? What’s wrong with the man?’ Her mother’s brow furrowed. ‘You don’t think he’s some sort of crazy person, do you?’

‘He’s no crazier than I am.’ Alice omitted to mention that she had just spent several hours in the afternoon dreaming up ways of wreaking mortal revenge on Richie and Carrie. ‘I honestly have no idea whether he lives alone or not. For all I know he might be married with six kids, but somehow I don’t think so.’

‘And is he renting the tower or does he own it?’

‘According to Paolo, the guy who looks after the villa, he owns it.’

‘And would I be right in thinking that medieval towers in Tuscany don’t come cheap?’ Alice nodded. ‘So where did he get all his money from?’

‘I’ve only just met the guy, Mum. I can hardly start asking that sort of thing. Maybe he won the lottery or something. Maybe his parents were loaded. I don’t know.’

‘So, what are you planning on doing about him?’

‘Well, I’m hoping to see him again, obviously. After that, we’ll just have to wait and see if anything develops.’

‘And you really don’t think he knows who you are?’

‘I honestly don’t. Of course, it’s possible that by the time I get back he may have seen my photo in the news but, as of yesterday, no, I don’t think he has any idea.’