Determined to look forward rather than back, she spent the rest of the week varnishing the terrace doors, visiting the country park she and Ursula had never got around to exploring and provisioning the tiny kitchen in the apartment. Pleased with her efforts, she arranged to prepare a meal for Lucia and Durante on Friday.

Unfortunately, when Friday evening came and they were laying down their cutlery after emptying the dish that had held pasta, Piero turned up.

Durante waved him to a chair. ‘Zia is our hostess this evening! A delicious meal. I have a second helping and leave you none, my friend. I do not know you are coming. Sit down and take a glass of wine.’

After a hesitation, Piero sat, pouring himself half a glass of the Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Zia had chosen for its gorgeous clear pink. She was shocked to discover that despite a polite smile, his eyes were … hurt? Usually, if his visits happened to coincide with a mealtime Lucia and Durante would simply continue to eat. Did it feel different to him because Zia had cooked tonight? She tried and failed to conjure up a way of saying, ‘I should have invited you. It didn’t occur to me. I wasn’t deliberately excluding you to make the point that things have cooled between us.’ She was left listening to the others talk and nursing a chilly twinge of conscience.

Presently, two of the cottage guests came to hover at the top of the terrace steps – Zia thought they were the couple from Villino Il Tasso with the little dog – and Lucia went to the edge of the terrace to talk to them. Then she called to Durante, who, grumbling beneath his breath, joined her.

Zia’s heart lurched. She didn’t want to be left alone with Piero and began gathering plates until he laid a hand on her wrist, gentle, light, yet hard to ignore.

He said, ‘I’m sorry I was clumsy over Nicoletta and if I acted as if you leaving would be a good thing. I think you feel it devalued what we shared.’ Lucia said something to the guests and Durante laughed. Piero went on in a rush. ‘The way things went with Nicoletta, the pressure, the way she bad-mouthed me because I wouldn’t give her what she wanted, the issues at Tenuta Domenicali, they all felt like good reasons to avoid—’