Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
‘T his is really lovely,’ said Anna as they drove through beautiful green, rolling countryside, the hills topped with smatterings of rocks.
‘This is the Palava Protected Landscape Area. There are lots of trails and walks. You can walk from Pavlov to Mikulov, it’s not too difficult and takes about two hours.’
The town of Mikulov was an absolute delight, Anna decided, with its old stone buildings perched on the hillside, glowing in the early evening golden sunshine and topped by the distinctive Lock building, which Jan explained was a castle built in the 1200s. It had been burned to the ground in 1945 but restored in the ’50s and was a hodge-podge of cream buildings topped by terracotta roofs, with a verdigris onion-topped spire. Opposite was another striking rounded hill. ‘That’s Holy Hill,’ said Michaela. ‘Another good walk. It’s protected landscape with lots of wildlife and wildflowers and people make a pilgrimage to the church, St Sebastian. It is one of the oldest Ways of the Cross in the Czech Republic and people have been coming here for hundreds of years.’
When they reached the town centre, Anna’s attention was captured by a striking building.
‘I love that, what is it?’ she asked, pointing to the distinctive black-and-white decoration on an elegant house on one side of the town square. White figures dressed in mediaeval costumes covered the walls in little vignettes, boxed in with elaborate floral motifs.
‘That is sgraffito and dates back to the Renaissance.’
‘It’s beautiful. I think I saw something similar at Prague Castle but I didn’t know what it was.’
‘You mean the Schwarzenberg Palace. That is a very good example.’
‘Can we take a closer look?’ asked Anna.
‘Yes. I thought we could have a local beer here in the square. It is good for people-watching,’ said Jan.
‘Always need to try the local beer,’ said Leo, sitting up straighter in the back of the car. ‘Good for our beer education.’
‘Do you need any more beer education?’ Anna teased, determined that there wouldn’t be an atmosphere between them. Michaela and Jan were such good hosts, she didn’t want them to feel uncomfortable.
‘Always,’ said Leo.
Jan and Michaela laughed. ‘It would be rude for us not to help,’ said Jan.
As they were walking along the street, Michaela stopped and tugged at Anna’s arm. ‘This is where I bought the glasses and jug.’ She dragged Anna into the shop, leaving the men to continue along the road.
Inside were tasteful displays of stylish stationery, fragrant artisan soaps, pretty tablecloths, napkins, glasses – and the most adorable candle holder, which Anna immediately decided to buy. Just as they were about to leave Michaela pointed to a pretty red dress.
‘That would look lovely on you.’
Anna wrinkled her nose. ‘I’m not sure about red.’
‘Oh, but it would be perfect with your colouring,’ insisted Michaela, taking it down from the display, holding it up against Anna and guiding her to a nearby mirror.
Fifteen minutes later, Anna found herself emerging from the shop with the dress and a bag full of items that would make the apartment much more homely.
‘I’m not sure shopping with you is such a good idea,’ teased Anna.
‘Oh, it is. I know all the best places. And the dress you’ve bought is lovely.’
‘Thank you. It’s funny because I’m not really a dress person,’ said Anna. ‘But I love this one you’ve lent me and the one I’ve bought.’
‘Why not?’ demanded Michaela. ‘They suit you. You have an elegant shape.’
Anna laughed and fanned the fabric of Michaela’s dress around her legs, relishing the feel of the material wafting around her. No one had ever described her like that before. ‘Thank you.’
Michaela pressed her again. ‘Why don’t you wear dresses?’
Anna thought about it. ‘I don’t know. It was never a thing at home. My aunt always wears skirts and blouses and I don’t want to look like her, and my cousin Rebecca is either in jeans or sportswear. I guess I never think of buying one.’ Her mother had worn dresses, soft cotton summer dresses in the garden and smart shift dresses for special occasions.
They joined the men outside the Hotel Galant. Anna was not surprised to find that it had its own brewery on site and brewed four varieties of beer. Of course it did.
She and Leo pondered the choices for a little while at the bar, before Leo opted for the Galant 11, a dark lager, while Anna chose the much lighter, gold coloured Galant 10. They took their drinks to the garden, which had a view of Holy Hill.
They sat and chatted in the sunshine, talking mainly about Michaela and Jan’s plans for the chata , including Jan’s vision of a vegetable patch at the side of the house and Michaela’s ideas for the kitchen, including how they might revamp the old-fashioned dresser.
‘If you take off all the mouldings, sand it and paint it a dark blue, you could add light wood handles which would really stand out against the blue – and put a matching wooden top on it. Or you could put on trendy copper or brass handles. You can get these really cool satin copper ones, which would look lovely against the blue.’ Anna did a quick search on her phone and brought up the picture of the handles she’d been hankering after ever since she’d seen them.
‘I like that idea,’ said Michaela. ‘And we could paint the cabinets in the kitchen the same colour and it would all blend.’
‘Where will you get the cabinets?’
‘Jan is going to build them.’
Anna felt a tinge of envy that they had a project.
‘I could get used to this,’ said Leo, wiping the foam from his upper lip. ‘This place is idyllic.’
‘You should see it during the wine festival. It gets very busy with tourists from all over Europe. You must come and stay in September.’
Anna and Leo exchanged glances and it was Anna who spoke first. ‘We won’t be here.’
‘Ah, yes. The beer competition.’ Jan cocked an eyebrow. ‘How is it coming along?’
Anna nodded. ‘I think I’m nearly there but I need a name for my beer, which is the difficult part. The brewery is so old, it’s hard to find something traditional. And then we have to present our beer and our marketing and sales plan to a panel at the British Embassy in the next three weeks. And they’ll choose which one will be presented at the Christmas Beer Festival.’
‘Whereas the name is the easy part for me, but I don’t have the beer yet,’ mourned Leo. ‘And as for a presentation…’ He shuddered.
‘I thought you’d enjoy being the showman.’
‘That bit’s fine. It’s the computer bit, putting together slides and things. I don’t have the patience. But I don’t need to worry until I have a beer I’m happy with.’
‘Why haven’t you made the beer yet?’ asked Jan.
‘Because Karel is happy to let me play. And there are a thousand options. There’s no pressure because he likes to flit about from idea to idea.’ Leo’s mouth turned down. ‘There’s always the possibility of something better.’
‘Jakub has been quite strict. There is no deviation from the process, which was frustrating at first but has been good discipline. He has steered my direction but listened to my ideas.’ Anna didn’t want to rub it in but she was very happy with what was in the tank and she was looking forward to trying it in the next week or so.
‘But how can you have a name, if you don’t know the taste of the beer?’ she suddenly asked.
Leo wrinkled his nose at her. ‘Who says the name has to reflect the taste? It’s about marketing. A good name and branding sells. You’ve got the perfect one.’
‘I have?’
‘Yes. Láska . Love, in Czech. Your surname.’
‘I don’t think so.’ She laughed. ‘Not all of us have egos as big as yours.’
Leo clutched his heart. ‘You wound me.’
‘And now,’ said Michaela rising to her feet, ‘We’ll take you to dinner at one of our favourite restaurants, to say thank you for all the help.’
‘Surely we should be paying for dinner to say thank you for the accommodation,’ protested Anna as Michaela walked on a few paces ahead of them.
‘Next time,’ insisted Jan.
‘If you’re sure,’ said Anna.
‘Anna, be honest,’ teased Leo. ‘Wild woman-eating lions aren’t going to stop you coming back. You’re desperate to help Jan build that kitchen.’
‘Does it show that much?’ she asked with a laugh.
‘Yes. I had no idea you were so into this DIY stuff. You never used to be.’
‘I learned a lot in the last few years. People change.’
‘They do,’ said Leo, his eyes meeting hers with a steady look.
Anna experienced a tiny frisson of unease. ‘I don’t think you’ve changed a bit.’ Even as the words left her mouth, she knew they were untrue. Leo was even more lovable than he had been before but she couldn’t tell him that. Especially not when he clearly didn’t feel the same way anymore.
‘And that’s where you’re wrong. You’ve got no idea.’ She was shocked by the stricken look on his face and the bite of bitterness in his voice. ‘I’ve definitely changed, although some might say not for the better.’ He turned away from her and strode off to catch up with Michaela.
* * *
When they sat down at the restaurant, Leo kept quiet for the first few minutes, studying his menu, even though it was in Czech and only a few words were recognisable. He needed a moment to swallow his irritation.
‘Does anyone want an appetiser?’ asked Jan.
Leo shook his head. His appetite had seeped away.
Yes, he had changed and no, it wasn’t for the better. And he didn’t like himself for it. Once he’d been a one-man woman. Since their divorce, he’d jumped from bed to bed, determined not to get involved with anyone. In his defence, he’d always made his intent clear. No false promises. No commitment. No long-term plans.
He wasn’t the man he used to be or the man he was brought up to be. He knew his mother worried about him.
And the irony was that that Anna, with her latent mistrust, had been the one person who had had the best of him. He’d committed to her. He’d married her … for keeps.
‘I love this place,’ said Michaela, looking around the modern styling of the restaurant, at the contemporary bare bulbs suspended from the ceiling complemented by the greenery that trailed down the white walls. It was simple and sophisticated without being overly fussy.
‘They produce their own wine at the Silova Winery. The wines are excellent. We should have a bottle of Rivaner 2023, it’s a nice dry wine.’
‘Leo?’
He tuned back into the conversation, realising that the three of them were staring at him.
‘Sorry, miles away.’ He dredged up a smile.
‘Jan’s translating the menu. What do you fancy?’ explained Anna.
Leo really wasn’t that hungry but he listened to the choices, all of which sounded good.
‘Have you decided what you’re having?’ asked Anna, doing her best to look innocent.
‘What? So you can plan your choice around mine?’ Despite everything they knew each other so well. Where food was concerned, as in so many things, they shared similar tastes, and often chose things so that they could try what they both liked.
It reminded him that her throwaway comment hadn’t been meant to hurt him. He needed to keep his stupid heart under lock and key while she was around. She was never going to trust him and he couldn’t afford to fall for her again.
She gave him a winsome smile. ‘I can’t help it if I have food envy anxiety. I was thinking about the dumpling filled with pulled pork and kohlrabi or the venison or the rolled chicken with pumpkin mash and vegetables.’
‘And you’d like me to have one of them, so you can have a taste?’
The last remnants of his bad mood evaporated at her gleeful response. ‘That would be awesome.’
Now it was his turn to roll his eyes and grin back at her.
Jan persuaded Leo to order a beef broth while he had a creamy cauliflower soup. The smell when both arrived had Leo salivating. They were beautifully presented with herb trimmings and lacy crispy onion garnishes. When he took the first mouthful, he closed his eyes as the rich savoury taste, with a slight undertone of sweetness, streamed across his tongue. The flavour. It was extraordinary. He groaned and, when he opened his eyes, Anna was watching him with a thoughtful half-smile on her face.
‘Want to try some?’ he offered and dipped his spoon into the bowl and offered her a mouthful.
She gently held his wrist to keep it steady and all he could focus on was her mouth and throat as she swallowed. ‘Mmm,’ she said, her eyes on his, the husky appreciation in her voice reinforcing a sense of intimacy. A tingle shivered down his spine, lighting up desire. Judging from the way she was looking hungrily at his lips, he guessed he wasn’t the only one feeling it. Luckily Michaela and Jan were too absorbed in conversation to notice the silent communication between the two of them.
‘Good?’ he asked, his voice vibrating a little with the feelings rushing through him. What the hell? Why was he fighting this so hard? They were only going to be in Prague until the end of the year. Maybe he should prove Anna was right all along and suggest a no-strings thing.
‘Very good,’ she said, her eyes still locked on his.
‘You want more?’ he asked, deliberately lowering his voice so she had to lean forward to hear him. Her lips parted and all he could think about was kissing them. The urge was almost painful.
Her eyes widened at the question and the not so subtle subtext. Her gaze never wavered as she gave a slight nod and said, ‘Yes.’
His heart lurched. Warning bells ringing. The danger wasn’t that he would hurt Anna, but that she would irrevocably hurt him. She’d broken his heart once; there couldn’t be a second time.
Turning his gaze from hers, he picked up his wine and raised it in a toast. ‘To Michaela and Jan. Thank you for inviting us to your lovely chata .’
His main course was an absolute triumph of light fluffy dumpling and perfectly cooked sweet, savoury and salty pulled pork with a light rich jus. Anna’s venison was fall-apart tender in the mouth. Although the food was divine, he couldn’t wait for the meal to be over. Sitting opposite her was turning into torture.