Chapter Three #3
‘Are you going to give me even a teensy hint of what’s so special?’
‘There,’ he pointed as the historic villa came into view, rising above the treetops beside the lake. Its famed terraced gardens now obvious.
‘Wow.’
That was a common reaction. The house was passed by most boating tours of the lake and was a favourite with its classical style of columns and arches. However, the true treasure of the place wasn’t the house, as magnificent as it was, but the natural wonder the gardens held.
He pulled the launch up to the private jetty and jumped out, tying up the boat. Then he turned. Simone stood looking down at him as if getting ready to jump down herself.
‘Let me help you,’ he said.
‘Oh. Sure.’
Leo reached up, his hands spanning her slender waist. Taking her weight as she hopped down. Their bodies close, closer. She didn’t appear to be moving, like the day seemed to have paused on this moment. He should let her go, yet why didn’t he want to?
‘You okay?’ he asked instead.
He was just steadying her, that was all. Her lips parted as if Simone was trying to take in more air. He wished he could see her eyes. How stormy grey they were in this moment, which seemed charged with something electric.
‘Signor and Signora Zanetti. Welcome!’
The voice came from behind him. Leo released Simone and she swayed a little. He gently took her elbow and turned to see a man striding down the dock.
‘My name’s Guido and I’m the caretaker. I hope you both had a good journey?’
Leo shook the man’s hand and Simone smiled. She made such a glorious picture against the vibrancy of the lake, her blonde hair gleaming like gold in the sunshine.
‘I don’t think I can imagine anywhere much more beautiful,’ she said, looking around out over the water, up towards the house.
‘Then it’s my pleasure to welcome you here today. We have some refreshments, which will be served at the gazebo overlooking the lake. Would you like them now, or a little later?’
Leo looked over at Simone, his eyes raised, and she shook her head.
‘Grazie, later,’ he said. ‘We’ll explore some of the gardens first.’
‘It’s a good time to visit, we’ve had recent rains. The grounds are open to you for as long as you wish today. Should you need assistance, please ask one of the staff or come to my office. It’s in an outbuilding near the house. I’ll be here all day.’
The man waved and went on his way as they followed along the jetty till they reached a paved promenade stretching along the waterfront.
‘Where to now?’ she asked, the charged moment on the dock seemingly forgotten, by her at least.
‘Pick a direction. There’s no bad choice and we have plenty of time.’
Simone hesitated then turned left, the pathway taking them up through a series of garden rooms. From towering trees near the waterfront like some ancient forest, walking through to a riot of annual flowers, morphing into a wild looking meadow garden.
Prizewinning and world-renowned, the only place most people other than a privileged few, would ever see all this beauty, was in photographs.
As they moved further up the hillside the sound caught his ears.
Rushing water. Although if you didn’t know where the path led, you might mistake it for the sound of wind in the trees.
‘What is this place?’ Simone asked, stopping at a particularly beautiful view, framed by clipped olive trees and huge pots spilling over with red geraniums. Simone removed her sunglasses in the shade of the trees, took her phone out of her bag and snapped a photograph, slipping the phone into the pocket of her shorts.
‘A privately owned residence. I helped the owner source some items for a renovation after he’d inherited it. Building a pavilion.’
‘Are the owners here?’
‘It’s not the family’s main residence. They spend most of the year out of Italy.’
‘Why would you own this and not live here?’
‘I have homes all over the world that I don’t spend much time in.’
Though Leo was inclined to agree about this place.
Its beauty needed to be experienced, not hidden away.
When he’d come to know the place, he’d offered to buy it.
The owner wouldn’t sell, although they’d struck up a friendship and his client had said Leo could come back to visit.
For Simone, Leo had called in the favour.
She rolled her eyes. No one else would have dared but he’d always enjoyed her sass. ‘You forget. I know your property portfolio and you don’t have anything like this.’
Simone was the only woman on the planet who might leave him feeling a little chastened.
‘Are you trying to make me feel inadequate because of the size and breadth of my personal real estate?’
She cocked her head, her cool grey gaze almost assessing. The slightest wash of pink drifted across her cheeks again.
‘I think you’re doing just fine on the personal real estate front, Leo.’
The comment could have been innocent. It could also have meant something else entirely. The former was the safe conclusion. The latter, far more enticing.
Simone blew out a breath in a huff, lifting some stray hairs falling to her face.
She brushed them out of the way, then she turned and kept walking like he’d been dismissed.
It didn’t matter. They were getting close to the place that held the real magic of the home.
His heart beat a little faster. What would she think when she saw it?
She stopped at another beautiful view. Pink nerium vivid against the backdrop of the blue lake. Simone slipped her phone out of her pocket and took another photograph. There was something about her wanting memories that pleased him.
She turned to look at him, a slight frown creasing her brow. ‘Do you want a selfie together? To show us in wedded bliss?’
He’d never taken a selfie in his life. ‘Where would we post it? I don’t do personal socials.’
There were enough fan sites extolling his imagined and not so imagined virtues.
He didn’t have the time or inclination to do anything more.
His business sites were carefully managed by his marketing department.
He supposed Simone could have posted something on hers, if she had any.
Except when he and Simone had made the decision to marry, his marketing department suggested she make her own sites private. She’d told them she had none.
Simone Taylor was a ghost. A mystery.
She nibbled on her bottom lip. ‘Send it to PR and see what they say.’
There was something about her, a little uncertain. He wondered whether it wasn’t PR she was thinking of for the photograph, but herself. Once again, that pleased him in a way that was entirely foreign.
‘Good idea. Then we’ll let them decide.’
They positioned themselves with the magnificent view as a backdrop. Simone with her arm out, trying to catch the shot. It felt awkward, stilted like this. He guessed it would look even worse if it was ever shown to the public.
‘My arms are longer, how about I take it?’ he offered.
‘Sure, why not.’ She handed him her phone, warm from her touch.
He purposely didn’t think about how that warmth seeped into his palm as he held out the phone and they moved close.
Her smile didn’t seem genuine, her lips a little tight, which wouldn’t do.
He could give a winning smile, a money shot, on muscle memory alone.
‘Say, Taleggio.’
‘Why would I say that?’
‘Taleggio’s my favourite cheese.’
Her eyes widened and then she laughed. It was such a bright, joyful sound. Like birds waking at dawn. He smiled at the thought and took the photograph, then a few more for good measure.
The bare skin of her arm was soft against his own. She smelled like the citrus blossom that flowered everywhere at this time of the year. He didn’t want to move, but they couldn’t stand here like this any longer.
‘I think that’s enough to work with. Take a look.’
He handed back the phone. Simone scrolled through the pictures, looked up at him with a soft smile on her face.
‘They’re fantastic. Honestly, I don’t think there could ever be a bad photograph of you.’
Leo rarely thought about his own looks, despite his stratospheric modelling career. His face was nothing more than an accident of DNA. However, Simone’s simple comment sent a curl of pleasure through him.
‘Why Mrs Zanetti, are you handing me a compliment?’
‘It’s my job as your wife to keep you grounded, so I’d never do that.’ The corner of her lips tilted into a sly smile. ‘You get far too many anyway. One more would be superfluous.’
‘I don’t like the way you keep imposing gravity upon me.’
‘You’re a highflyer. I’m just trying to keep your feet on the ground occasionally. Remind you what life’s like, being a mere mortal like me.’
Her comment was an innocent one, said in a moment of fun, but it took him back to a time when he’d felt all too mortal. One he didn’t want to remember, not today. The breeze changed and the sound from before became louder. Unmistakeable.
‘What’s that noise?’ Simone asked, looking up the hill in its direction.
‘The real wonder of this place,’ he smiled, his heart rate picking up with anticipation. He wanted her to enjoy this, be struck by the wonder of it as he’d first been. ‘Come on, this way takes us through the arid garden which is a bit rocky.’
He held out his hand to her and she slipped hers into it with no hesitation.
They moved upwards, through the gravel paths and boulders, passing succulents and cactus, then onwards as the atmosphere began changing.
Tree ferns dotted the space, the undergrowth lush.
The air here cooler, more humid, almost like they’d been transported into a rainforest. The rush of water became even more pronounced as they rounded a corner.
Simone turned to him, her mouth open in wonder. ‘Is that what I think it is?’ Her voice was louder because the sound was now unmistakeable. The rush of water turning into a roar.