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

Zoë’s, rocking gently to and fro, and Alice saw tears fall from his eyes onto the stricken woman’s cheek. She was frankly astounded. It had been clear at the dinner party the previous week that he and Zoë got on well, but she hadn’t been expecting such an outpouring of totally genuine emotion. Any further conjecture was interrupted by Paolo, who came up alongside them and gave Alice an encouraging look.

‘Pierangelo’s waiting for the ambulance by the main gate. He’ll bring them up here to the side gate and we’ll carry her down on a stretcher.’ He patted Alice’s shoulder. ‘Thanks for reacting so quickly, Alice. The medics will be here soon.’

At that moment his phone rang and he answered it. After a short conversation, he flicked it off and returned his attention to Alice and Conrad. ‘That was Pierangelo. The ambulance will be here in five minutes. That’s remarkably fast, considering where we are.’

As he spoke, Alice already began to hear the distinctive wail of a siren in the distance, and it wasn’t long before a cloud of dust and the crunch of gravel announced the vehicle’s arrival along the track. Three minutes later Pierangelo came running up from the side gate, followed by two paramedics in uniform, carrying a stretcher. They knelt beside Zoë and took over from Conrad, who slowly rose to his feet and stared vacantly around, as if in a daze. Alice caught hold of his arm and gave him an encouraging squeeze.

‘Try not to worry, Conrad. She’s in good hands now.’ She saw his eyes gradually focus on her and he gave a hint of a nod.

‘Yes, yes, of course.’ He rallied. ‘And thank you, Alice. Thank God you were here.’

‘Yes, a lucky coincidence. I was just walking around the perimeter.’ She glanced down at the two paramedics, who were speaking quietly between themselves. After another few moments they reached for the stretcher and gently rolled Zoë onto it, securing her with straps. Finally, assisted by Paolo and Pierangelo, they lifted her up and set off down the hill towards the gate. Alice released her grip on Conrad’s arm, retrieved her discarded sketch pad and followed on.

As Zoë was loaded into the ambulance, Paolo explained to Conrad and Alice that it had been by sheer lucky chance that this ambulance and its crew had been in Greve, barely a few kilometres up the road, which explained why they had got there so quickly. Now they would take her back to the main hospital in Florence. Although Conrad wanted to go with Zoë in the ambulance, only one person could travel with her and Paolo volunteered, as he could speak both Italian and English. As the ambulance reversed back down the track, Pierangelo went to get the quad bike, while Alice accompanied Conrad down the path to the villa on foot. As they walked, he barely said a word and Alice could tell how upset he was. She was still at a loss to understand why, though. Clearly, he and Zoë were good friends, but what made their connection strong enough to bring tears to his eyes?

Back at the villa, Alice offered to go to the hospital with Conrad to help with translating – and just to keep an eye on him. His wife, Amber, was tremendously grateful and even kissed Alice before they set off in a car driven by Pierangelo. During the drive, Conrad continued to stay silent, lost in his thoughts. It was a relief when the car screeched to a halt outside the hospital and they hurried inside. They found Paolo waiting for them by the door with the news that Zoë had been wheeled in for examination and tests, so they would have to sit in the waiting area until called.

He went off to get them all some coffee, while Alice took a seat alongside Conrad. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before she risked a direct question.

‘How’re you doing, Conrad? Try not to worry. They’ll sort her out, I’m sure.’

He jerked his head up and looked at her, as if surprised to find she was there. His eyes were red and watery. ‘Alice, hi. Yes, thanks, I’m sure they’ll take good care of her.’

He lapsed into silence again but only for a few moments before beginning to talk, softly and quietly, his eyes once more directed down at his feet.

‘She’s very, very dear to me. I’d hate it if anything happened to her.’

Alice took the plunge, hoping to get him talking which should, hopefully, raise his spirits. ‘Have you known her long?’

‘All my life.’ His voice tailed off again. As Alice was still wondering what this might mean, she heard his voice again – if anything, now even lower and weaker. ‘She’s my sister.’

Alice struggled hard to stop an expression of amazement flooding across her face. Even for an experienced actress, it was a tough ask. Suddenly, the whole Zoë enigma was explained. The reason Conrad always stood by his controversial director was because she was family. It all fell into place. But why didn’t anybody know? As if reading her mind, Conrad raised his head and looked across at her.

‘Nobody knows because that’s the way she wanted it. Alice, I shouldn’t have told you, so please will you promise me you won’t tell anybody else? I know I can trust you.’

Even through her mystification, Alice felt a little surge of satisfaction that he thought highly enough of her to trust her with this secret. She nodded. ‘I promise, Conrad. What happens in the hospital stays in the hospital.’ She was pleased to see him summon a glimmer of a smile in return.

‘Thanks, Alice.’ His eyes returned to his feet, as he picked up the story once more. Clearly, he needed to talk. ‘She’s my little sister. Our mother died while we were still young and Zoë never quite recovered. She was a wild thing, growing up, and she and my father were always fighting. In