partner to bring with you then?’
I looked at him with surprise. Maybe he wasn’t gay after all.
‘Some of these pathways are shocking,’ complained Lyn Russo as she joined us. She looked pale. ‘An accident waiting to happen. They really need to even them out.’
I glanced down at her platform sandals. ‘Umm …’
‘It’s antiquity!’ Donald had recoiled. ‘Older than Christ!’
‘Yep, that’s pretty old.’ Lyn looked even less impressed. ‘And definitely time for an upgrade. If they leave it like this, someone’ll fall and kill themselves. It’s—’ She stopped abruptly and then put a hand on Donald’s arm. ‘I am
so
sorry! How unthoughtful of me!’
He stared at her hand with distaste. ‘Ah, um …’
‘I am so sorry,’ said Lyn again, clearly mortified. She began to move away. ‘Me and my mouth! I’m always putting my foot in it!’
‘All the more reason to wear sensible shoes,’ commented Yen as she passed by. ‘Idiot woman. Nell, have you noticed what your daughter’s doing?’
I followed her pointing finger towards the remains of a small amphitheatre that swelled off the side of the walkway. Quinn and Griffin Russo were there, sitting on the top tier, deep in conversation. They didn’t seem to be doing any harm, although this opinion was clearly not shared by Darcy, who was watching them narrowly. Tessa was trying to distract him.
I turned back to Donald. ‘Lyn’s not the brightest but she does mean well.’ I paused. ‘It must be hard, though – continuing with the whole cruise, I mean, after what happened.’
He grimaced. ‘Yeah. We nearly didn’t. But she would have loved all this.’ He gazed around. We were standing beside a small cliff, where the weedy earth dipped towards a plateau of chalky-grey foundations.
‘Was she a history buff?’
He shrugged. ‘Do you need to be a history buff to be impressed here?’
‘No. Not at all.’
‘She’d have given that Lyn what for, though.’ He transferred his gaze to where the woman in question stood with one hand on a thousand-year-old wall as she lifted a foot to examine her platform sandal. ‘Met her in Rome and wasn’t much impressed. April had no patience for fools. And she didn’t have much tact either.’
‘Oh?’ It occurred to me that he didn’t have a great store of tact either. For all he knew, Lyn and I were friends, or even relations.
‘Yeah. Actually, she could be a bit of a bitch.’
‘Who’s a bitch?’ asked Petra. Scott, Deb and Phoebe had come up with her. ‘Are you talking about me?’
‘No, our friend. April. I was just saying she called a spade a spade.’
‘Don!’ Phoebe looked shocked, but also oddly delighted. ‘You can’t call someone a bitch when they only just … you know.’
‘Too soon?’
‘It’s true though,’ said Scott. He seemed quieter today, less beer and skittles. ‘Loved the woman, but she could be a little passive-aggressive at times.’
‘You two seem to be getting on well,’ said Deb, raising an eyebrow at me.
I shrugged. There wasn’t much to say to that.
‘Come along, everyone!’ Ali was waving his arms enthusiastically. ‘Now we continue! Keep up! Keep up!’
Phoebe giggled at his enthusiasm. It was an odd sound from a woman with grey hair. She was wearing her usual layers, along with a chiffon scarf tied around her head. She looked like a tree that had been draped with material. Ali had already started striding along the path so we hurried to catch up. Around the bend was an amazing view of the valley as it cascaded in folds towards farmland. The carcass of the ancient city traversed the hillside. It was part of the landscape, interwoven with lush foliage. It was amazing.
The day continued slowly, almost respectfully. Petra made a very conditional apology, which actually wasn’t much of an apology at all, but I chose to take it that way. After lunch, Ali left us to wander the site by ourselves. Lyn Russo stayed at the cafe, her feet up
I looked at him with surprise. Maybe he wasn’t gay after all.
‘Some of these pathways are shocking,’ complained Lyn Russo as she joined us. She looked pale. ‘An accident waiting to happen. They really need to even them out.’
I glanced down at her platform sandals. ‘Umm …’
‘It’s antiquity!’ Donald had recoiled. ‘Older than Christ!’
‘Yep, that’s pretty old.’ Lyn looked even less impressed. ‘And definitely time for an upgrade. If they leave it like this, someone’ll fall and kill themselves. It’s—’ She stopped abruptly and then put a hand on Donald’s arm. ‘I am
so
sorry! How unthoughtful of me!’
He stared at her hand with distaste. ‘Ah, um …’
‘I am so sorry,’ said Lyn again, clearly mortified. She began to move away. ‘Me and my mouth! I’m always putting my foot in it!’
‘All the more reason to wear sensible shoes,’ commented Yen as she passed by. ‘Idiot woman. Nell, have you noticed what your daughter’s doing?’
I followed her pointing finger towards the remains of a small amphitheatre that swelled off the side of the walkway. Quinn and Griffin Russo were there, sitting on the top tier, deep in conversation. They didn’t seem to be doing any harm, although this opinion was clearly not shared by Darcy, who was watching them narrowly. Tessa was trying to distract him.
I turned back to Donald. ‘Lyn’s not the brightest but she does mean well.’ I paused. ‘It must be hard, though – continuing with the whole cruise, I mean, after what happened.’
He grimaced. ‘Yeah. We nearly didn’t. But she would have loved all this.’ He gazed around. We were standing beside a small cliff, where the weedy earth dipped towards a plateau of chalky-grey foundations.
‘Was she a history buff?’
He shrugged. ‘Do you need to be a history buff to be impressed here?’
‘No. Not at all.’
‘She’d have given that Lyn what for, though.’ He transferred his gaze to where the woman in question stood with one hand on a thousand-year-old wall as she lifted a foot to examine her platform sandal. ‘Met her in Rome and wasn’t much impressed. April had no patience for fools. And she didn’t have much tact either.’
‘Oh?’ It occurred to me that he didn’t have a great store of tact either. For all he knew, Lyn and I were friends, or even relations.
‘Yeah. Actually, she could be a bit of a bitch.’
‘Who’s a bitch?’ asked Petra. Scott, Deb and Phoebe had come up with her. ‘Are you talking about me?’
‘No, our friend. April. I was just saying she called a spade a spade.’
‘Don!’ Phoebe looked shocked, but also oddly delighted. ‘You can’t call someone a bitch when they only just … you know.’
‘Too soon?’
‘It’s true though,’ said Scott. He seemed quieter today, less beer and skittles. ‘Loved the woman, but she could be a little passive-aggressive at times.’
‘You two seem to be getting on well,’ said Deb, raising an eyebrow at me.
I shrugged. There wasn’t much to say to that.
‘Come along, everyone!’ Ali was waving his arms enthusiastically. ‘Now we continue! Keep up! Keep up!’
Phoebe giggled at his enthusiasm. It was an odd sound from a woman with grey hair. She was wearing her usual layers, along with a chiffon scarf tied around her head. She looked like a tree that had been draped with material. Ali had already started striding along the path so we hurried to catch up. Around the bend was an amazing view of the valley as it cascaded in folds towards farmland. The carcass of the ancient city traversed the hillside. It was part of the landscape, interwoven with lush foliage. It was amazing.
The day continued slowly, almost respectfully. Petra made a very conditional apology, which actually wasn’t much of an apology at all, but I chose to take it that way. After lunch, Ali left us to wander the site by ourselves. Lyn Russo stayed at the cafe, her feet up
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