Angus shifted from foot to foot. He wished that Domenica had been there; she would have been able to deal with this sort of thing from her neighbour. Was Antonia turning peculiar? Was this a normal reaction to Italy – to go on and on about beauty and art and crying? Was she drunk? Some people had very little tolerance for alcohol, and it was possible that even this small glass could have had this effect on Antonia. He looked at his watch.

‘We mustn’t keep Domenica waiting,’ he said. ‘They could be opening the doors shortly.’

Antonia gasped. ‘Opening the doors?’

‘Yes. The Uffizi should open soon.’

She closed her eyes. ‘And we shall be inside too. Just think.’

Angus sighed. ‘Really, Antonia,’ he said, a note of irritation creeping into his voice. ‘You’re making a bit of a meal of it. It’s just a gallery. A very important one, of course, but just a gallery. You wouldn’t go on like this if you were paying a visit to the National Gallery on the Mound, would you? I’m sure you wouldn’t.’

Her reaction to this mild rebuke took him completely by surprise. ‘Oh, Angus,’ she shrieked. ‘Don’t you realise? Don’t you understand what is about to happen? We are about to come face to face with the fons et origo of Beauty itself, laid out before us, and you talk as if it were an entirely quotidian outing to … to Bathgate!’

Angus looked about him. ‘Please, Antonia, please don’t shout. People are looking at us.’

‘As well they might,’ Antonia retorted loudly. ‘They are looking and thinking: what a complete philistine that man is! What an insensitive brute! That’s what they’re thinking, Angus Lordie!’

79. Unbearable Beauty

‘Listen,’ whispered Angus as he drew Domenica aside. ‘Antonia is behaving very, very strangely.’

It was as much information as he could give without alerting their companion to the fact that she was being discussed. Domenica, though, was quick to sense that something was wrong, and nodded to Angus to confirm that she understood.

‘I don’t think I’ll go off for coffee,’ she announced. ‘I believe that the doors will be thrown open very shortly and this queue will begin to move.’

‘The doors will be opened,’ muttered Antonia. ‘Opened to beauty.’

Domenica and Angus exchanged glances.

‘Now we must agree what we are to do once we get in,’ said Domenica in a matter-of-fact tone. ‘I suggest that we split up and agree to meet somewhere in, say, three hours’ time. That will give us each an opportunity to linger in front of our favourite works of art without holding others up.’

Angus looked nervously at Antonia. ‘A good idea. Is that all right with you, Antonia?’