What Happens in Tuscany... by T A Williams

worse.’
    â€˜What sort of thing was he afraid of? Accident, illness?’
    Mrs Milliner lowered her voice. ‘All that, in fact just about everything. Maybe even kidnapping, or so I was told. You do know that this is one of the wealthiest families in Britain, don’t you? Back before the war, the Chalker-Pynes were hobnobbing with the Rothschilds, Rockefellers and the like. I believe Henry Ford himself came and stayed here on several occasions. You can imagine how tight security was around folk like that. Well, Sir Algernon grew up under that sort of regime and he got a real bee in his bonnet about it. That’s why he kept poor Miss Victoria locked up in here.’ Finally satisfied that the oven door was impeccable once more, she jettisoned the cloth and wiped her hands on her apron. ‘He loved her very dearly, but he couldn’t understand that the way he was treating her was so inhumane.’ She wiped some moisture from her eye. ‘He really thought he was doing his very best for her. Oh dear, oh dear, it’s so sad really. They had so very much and yet, they never were truly happy.’
    â€˜And now Victoria is the last of the Chalker-Pynes?’
    â€˜The last. But I’ll tell you this…Katie. She’s inherited one good thing from her father and that’s his strength of character. I often try to put myself into her position. I saw it, we all saw it as she grew up. Call it what you like, she was a prisoner here. For somebody weaker-willed, the results could have been disastrous. But not for Victoria. She’s come through her ordeal far, far better than I could ever have managed. She’s a remarkable girl and at least she’s had the common sense to try to break out of it and make a return to real life.’ She looked across at Katie with a gentle smile. ‘That’s where you come in. We were all a bit worried when she announced her plans, but now that we’ve got to know you, we are so very, very pleased you’ve come.’ She reached out and laid her hand on Katie’s arm. ‘What you’re doing is just what she needs. Do, please, do your best for her.’
    Katie had assured her that she would do all she could. And she meant it.
    Victoria ran into the lounge and stopped dead, her eyes fixed incredulously on the big television screen. Katie watched the rapt expression on her face. ‘How amazing! It’s so clear, the colours so real.’ She turned towards Katie, her eyes wide. ‘It’s almost like being there!’
    Katie grinned at her. ‘Well, I’ve got a bit more good news for you. After a lot of pleading and a few simulated tears, I have managed to persuade British Telecom to fix us up with a broadband connection early next week. That way, I can get you playing with the computers properly.’
    The previous evening, upon their return from Exeter, they had unpacked the laptops and the tablets. Victoria had casually passed one of each across to Katie.
    â€˜Here, these are for you. They’re a little present from me, but it’s also self-interest. If we both have the same equipment it’ll be easier for you to show me how to work them.’ Katie hadn’t really known what to say. A casual gift worth over a thousand pounds might be nothing to Victoria, but to Katie it meant so much. Together, they had powered up the laptops and then spent the evening going through the basics of computing from zero. For Katie it had been a surreal experience, having to explain such familiar words as mouse, enter and shift to somebody who had no previous experience. Victoria had taken to it like a duck to water.
    Just at that moment, the image on the screen changed to central London, with a commentator standing opposite the Houses of Parliament. Victoria was fascinated.
    â€˜I’ve been to London, you know?’ She turned her head briefly towards Katie, before returning her gaze to the screen. ‘I was