Here and Now by Santa Montefiore

Author:Santa Montefiore [Montefiore, Santa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781471169687
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Published: 2020-07-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Daisy spent the next few days playing with Julia Cobbold’s terrier in preparation for his portrait, and helping Lady Sherwood with the funeral arrangements. She did the seating plan for the church and printed labels for those who required reserved seats. She kept up with the growing list of those wanting to come and proofread the order of service. On top of that she walked Lady Sherwood’s dogs and managed to entice Taran to join her, even in the rain. Taran was not interested in talking about the farm, the woods or the beauty of the countryside, so Daisy gave up trying to steer him in that direction and hoped that, by being exposed to it, he might grow to love it as she had. After all, it belonged to him now. However, he never discussed his inheritance, or what he intended to do with it. They chatted about many things and enjoyed a light banter, but Daisy soon realized that, in spite of the time they spent together, she knew Taran little better than when she had first met him. He just wasn’t someone who enjoyed talking about himself and his feelings. He didn’t talk much about his father, either. He deftly skirted around the subject with what appeared to Daisy to be a well-practised art of avoidance, and she wondered whether he had developed that skill over years of eschewing emotions. The British stiff upper lip wasn’t something she had encountered until now. Taran was funny, charming, witty and kind, but he could also be remote and cold.

Daisy compared him to Luca, who was fiery and emotional, with a penchant for drama and exaggeration. Taran was phlegmatic and dry-humoured, and she doubted he exaggerated anything. Both men were creative and intelligent, however, with a strong sense of who they were and who they wanted to be. She had always liked that about Luca. He wasn’t a crowdfollower and he wasn’t concerned about what other people thought. He was unashamedly himself. She sensed Taran was like that too.

She was gazing out of the studio window, thinking of Taran and how unfathomable he was, when her phone rang. She had recently chosen a dog-bark ringtone and it gave her a sudden shock. For a split second, she thought there was a dog in the room. She was surprised to see Luca’s name on the screen. After a moment’s hesitation she picked up. She had nothing to lose; after all, she’d already lost everything.

‘Ciao, Luca,’ she said and sat down.

‘Ciao, Margherita,’ he replied, using the name he’d given her when they’d first met, which was a direct translation of daisy. ‘Thank you for taking my call. I thought you’d never speak to me again.’

‘I’m not angry anymore,’ she replied, savouring the sense of her old self as she slipped into speaking Italian again. It brought Italy and Luca back to her more acutely.

‘It’s good to hear your voice, my love.’

‘How are you?’ she asked.

‘In my life or in my heart?’

She smiled in spite of herself.

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