Tuscan Dreams at the Cornish Confetti Agency by Daisy James

Author:Daisy James [James, Daisy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-01-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

The journey back to San Lucciano was hair-raising as the rain lashed down on Theo’s hire car, with the occasional flash of lighting to punctuate the dark brooding sky, a spectacle so completely at odds with the cloudless azure of the day. When they arrived at the hotel, the rest of the wedding party were milling around the bar and the lobby, in high spirits after indulging in a three-hour dining marathon at one of the village’s local restaurants – each of the five courses served with a different wine from the region.

‘Good night!’

‘Buona notte!’

‘Arrivederci!’

‘See you tomorrow!’

Lexie was about to follow them up the marble stairs, anxious to reacquaint herself with her pillow, when she realised one of their group was missing, and she exchanged an enquiring glance with Theo.

‘Where’s Fabio?’

‘I’ll see if I can find him,’ said Theo. ‘You go up to bed.’

‘No, I’m coming with you.’

Lexie retraced her steps out of the hotel, looking left towards the tiny piazza where people were still enjoying a last drink of the evening, then to her right where the lights from the village’s trattoria washed the street with a warm amber glow. She followed Theo down a narrow alleyway at the side of the hotel that gave out onto a small cobbled courtyard in front of a fifteenth century church and, to her relief, there was Fabio, sitting on the steps leading to a huge arched wooden door, his head bent, his forearms resting on his knees, hands dangling between his legs, the very embodiment of dejection.

Theo was about to stride forward, but Lexie held him back, unsure whether they should respect the fact that he had sought out a few moments of solitude, for whatever reason, and might not want to share his troubles with them. However, it was also her responsibility as Nico and Isla’s wedding planner to iron out any issues that may affect the smooth running of the wedding and that included the best man sitting alone on the steps of a church, far away from home, very obviously upset about something. After receiving a nod of agreement from Theo, she sat down next to him, and Theo took the other side.

‘Fabio? Are you okay?’

‘Oh, erm, yes, fine, I… I just needed a few moments.’

He lifted his head to meet Lexie’s eyes and she was shocked to see his eyes were red-rimmed. His west coast American accent had become a great deal more pronounced with the heightened emotions, and sounded a little incongruous in their very Italian surroundings. As the silence stretched, she watched Fabio engage in a difficult internal debate as to whether he should confide in her and Theo, the indecision playing across his handsome features.

‘Fabio, it’s clear something is wrong. If you tell us what it is, we might be able to help,’ she said gently.

Fabio gave a hollow laugh.

‘Thanks, Lexie, but you can’t help with this. The deed is done.’

Lexie’s stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch. Was he confessing to the itching powder

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