How many of us have skeletons in the closet that we know nothing about? The skeletons we know about generally stay there, but those we do not, well, they have a habit of coming out of left field when we least expect it.
In this case, when you see your photo on a TV screen with the accompanying text that says you are wanted by every law enforcement agency in Europe, you’re in a state of shock, only to be compounded by those same police, armed and menacing, kicking the door down.
I’d been thinking about this premise for a while after I discovered my mother had a boyfriend before she married my father, a boyfriend who was, by all accounts, the man who was the love of her life.
Then, in terms of coming up with an idea for a story, what if she had a child by him that we didn’t know about, which might mean I had a half brother or sister I knew nothing about. It’s not an uncommon occurrence from what I’ve been researching.
There are many ways of putting a spin on this story.
Then, in the back of my mind, I remembered a story an acquaintance at work was once telling us over morning tea, that a friend of a friend had a mother who had a twin sister and that each of the sisters had a son by the same father, without each knowing of the father’s actions, both growing up without the other having any knowledge of their half brother, only to meet by accident on the other side of the world.
It was an encounter that in the scheme of things might never have happened, and each would have remained oblivious of the other.
For one sister, the relationship was over before she discovered she was pregnant, and therefore had not told the man he was a father. It was no surprise the relationship foundered when she discovered he was also having a relationship with her sister, a discovery that caused her to cut all ties with both of them and never speak to either from that day.
It’s a story with more twists and turns than a country lane!
What do you say, when everything that could be had been said, and then some.
What did marriage counselors know, other than they are right, and you are wrong?
I don’t think either of us, with the same belief, could be wrong. The marriage was over, and there was no use prolonging the agony.
Except we had to try to at least put some of the pieces back together, if only for the sake of walking away with a sense of closure and peace.
But, peace was the last thing in the atmosphere inside the car, and it had been like that since leaving Vancouver.
There had been a momentary truce in Kamloops where we had to stay, in separate rooms, and polite conversation over breakfast, until I put my foot in my mouth.
Again.
I’m not sure if I knew what to say to her anymore. To her, everything I said was laced with an agenda or a subliminal plot. I got it, I’d lied to her once too often, and once she proved one right, and, from there, it didn’t take long for the whole charade to unravel.
I’d been advised against marrying her, that I would not be able to do my job and have some sort of life with Eloise, but I wanted it.
And, fifteen months down the track, my employers had been proved right.
Eloise was driving. Her parents lived in Banff, and we had made the trip in all of the four seasons, and now winter, she was more used to the icy conditions than I.
It gave me a chance to look at her from my side of the mid-sized SUV. We were going to take her car, a rather small sedan, but it had broken down, so I hired a Ford Flex.
If you’re going to take on the elements, I wanted a car that could handle the conditions.
In that, I think I’d managed to surprise her, and not in a bad way.
For the first time in a long time.
Then, of course, she had to look sideways, and that ruined it. The frown followed by the pursed lips. Something caustic was about to come my way.
Except a very loud bang took us both by surprise, and skewing the car sideways, catching the edge of the ice on the road, and we started spinning.
As good as she was, there would be no containing this calamity.
I looked behind to see what the hell had hit us.
An F350 or RAM 2500, definitely larger than us, definitely deliberate, and definitely with intent to hurt us.
Or me.
My work had finally come home.
There was a scream just on the edge of her terror as the car had spun sideways and the car behind us slammed into it us again, arresting the spin and pushing us towards the edge of the road.
I could see what the pursuer’s intent was. Down the side, a roll if possible, then pick off the survivors as they scrambled from the wreckage.
Or not have to worry, the roll may do the job for them.
We hit the edge as the other car braked, and we continued on, that stifled scream from Eloise now erupting.
She could see what was going to happen, just as our car tipped.
Six seconds.
Seat belt or not, totally unprepared for what was about to happen, she was not going to walk away from this.
Unless I did something about it.
Seatbelt unhitched I dragged her to me and protected her as best I could. She didn’t resist, but the look in her eyes, terror laced with something else, no time to think about it now, told me she would do whatever I wanted.
Over on the roof, upside down, I prayed it stayed there, and slide, The ice, snow, and slush was going to help.
Seconds passed, taking what seemed forever, till we reached the bottom of the hill and hit a rock, arresting the movement with a loud bang and a crunch of bending metal.
Stopped.
Engine still running.
No movement from her. Yet.
And relief. No bones were broken, or none that I noticed.
Under me, she stirred.
Just as a bullet smashed the rear passenger window, and the shattered glass splattered the interior. A moment later, the side window, above my head did the same.
I lifted myself, whispering in her ear, “Slide towards the front window.” It was buried in the snow and dirt kicked up in the final run to the bottom. The shooter would not be able to see it, or her.
Above me, I reached up to feel under the seat and found the package.
A gun. Always be prepared.
Ten seconds since the last shot. From up top, the shooter would not be able to see us, or any movement. He was going to have to come down and finish the job.
And hope we were would not be able to fight back.
That was the purpose of running us off the road.
Pity then that he had not been given my file. If he had he would have driven off and tried again later.
That he was halfway down the hill when I saw him told me this operation had been cobbled together quickly, with no time to find a professional.
And now I knew why Barnes had told me to be careful.
A lone wolf looking to make a name for himself.
And failing.
Ten minutes, the police arrived.
Long enough to bury the body and the weapons under a lot of snow, in a ravine that no one would discover until the thaw.
The car that rammed us had gone. Soon as he saw his partner go down, he left. A wise man, he had stayed at the top of the hill, having more sense than his friend.
Live to fight another day,
The policeman asked the questions, and Eloise answered. Not one mention of being rammed, run off the road, being shot at, or that there was anyone else involved.
As cool as a cucumber.
It took her a minute after I shot our attacker to ask the questions I’d expected a week ago when she finally discovered my other life, prefaced by, “No more lies, just tell me the truth. What the hell is it you do for a living?”
“Make the world safe for people like you, and in my case right now, for you in particular. Sorry, I was sworn to secrecy.”
“Even from your wife?”
“Especially from you. You now know why.”
“Bit late for that now, do you think?”
“Just a little.”
And then I saw the look, the one I had fallen in love with 15 months ago. The one that made my heart miss a few beats.
“You do realize you are the biggest idiot on the planet, don’t you?”
“Does this mean I can stay?”
She punched me on the arm., OK, no broken bones, but there was going to be bruising, major bruising.
“If you promise to tell me only the truth from now on.”
What harm could it do? She knew enough.
“Good. We should probably do something with that man out there. I’m assuming the police do not take too kindly to you working in their jurisdiction.”
Too many thrillers, too much TV, or an educated guess, she was right. This would be impossible to explain, and Barnes was already angry at me.
I held out my hand and she took it as I helped her out of the wreckage. Out in the fresh, cold air, she took in a huge breath and let out a slow sigh.
“Is it always this exciting?”
“This is the Sunday in the park stroll. Wait till you have a hand held rocket boring down on you.”
Is that depression speaking, or am I just tired from all the late nights?
Unlike most writers, authors and bloggers I don’t have a day job. You could say it’s one of the benefits of getting old, this retirement thing, but after a while, not having a reason to get out of bed starts working on your subconscious.
The idea of having a job, and going to work, is a good reason to drag yourself out of bed every morning. And because of this, the idea of sleeping in takes on a whole new meaning.
You know, I’ll just lie here for a few more minutes, and then I’ll get up. Having turned off the alarm, the eyelids flutter, and before you know it, half an hour had passed, and you wake up in fright, knowing you’re going to be late.
In retirement, that doesn’t happen. There is no alarm, there is no guilty pleasure in spending those extra minutes in bed.
Of course, this tardiness, or lack of desire could be because I find I do my best writing in the dead of night, often not getting to bed before 2 a.m. Last night it was a little later because of a story I’m working on came to life with a new idea.
It had been stagnating because it’s part two and whilst I had an idea about where it was going to go, in the end, we’re off in a different direction, and the words flowed. You just don’t stop writing when you hit a vein.
But this isn’t always the case. This morning I have an excuse to stay in bed, but most others I don’t.
Perhaps I should find something else to do, something that will give me that same reason I used to have to get up every morning.
Or maybe I should be more organized in my retirement life, you know, set a schedule and do things according to a timetable. I was never one for being organized, but perhaps it’s time to start.
Just let me lie here for a few more minutes and think about that.
Background material used in creating a location, an explosive situation, and characters to bring it alive – the story – A Score to Settle
…
The world-weary agent – back for one more time
…
The Wreckage of Recovery: He’s Back in the Cold, Guarding His Past
In the world of espionage, the only way out is usually in a box. So when a veteran operative manages to survive a mission so catastrophic it nearly took his life, the recovery phase is supposed to be quiet. Long days of physical therapy, sterile white walls, and the slow, agonizing work of stitching a broken mind back together.
But sometimes, the world doesn’t care if you’re healed. Sometimes, the world demands you step back into the fire—especially when the flames are being deliberately fanned by the one person you were trying to forget.
We have a fascinating, terrifying scenario playing out on the global stage, and it centers on a man who desperately needed to stay out of the game, and a woman who refuses to follow advice.
From Scar Tissue to Suit: The Return of the World-Weary
Our protagonist—let’s call him ‘K’—was, until recently, a ghost. His last operation ended in failure, betrayal, and enough collateral damage to earn him a permanent benching. The physical scars have faded, but the echoes of that op—the one that ended in wreckage, not resolution—still ring in his ears. He is a man who knows the cold, bitter taste of failure, and he has spent his recovery time convincing himself he is done with the risk.
But the powers that be, desperate for a protector whose instincts are razor sharp, regardless of his mental state, have dragged him screaming back. His new assignment? Chief Protection Agent for one of the most famous, and most controversial, keynote speakers in the world.
And this is where the wires cross, the circuits fry, and the danger moves from external threat to emotional time bomb.
The Tinder Box and the Stubborn Star
The VIP—the keynote speaker—is currently a primary target. Her message is polarizing, her reach is global, and the threats against her security detail are mounting daily. Intelligence reports have advised strongly against her appearance at the upcoming summit. The venue is being called a tinder box; a complex security nightmare ripe for exploitation.
Yet, she ignores the warnings. She is charismatic, driven, and possesses an almost reckless belief in her own invulnerability. She will step onto that stage, no matter how many alarms are sounding.
And K is the man standing between her and whatever unseen forces are gathering in the shadows.
The History That Threatens the Present
The problem isn’t just the professional risk, the complex logistics, or the very real possibility of a sniper. The problem is the history K shares with the speaker.
Their connection is not just a footnote on a long-forgotten mission brief. It’s the kind of history that makes his hands shake when he reaches for his weapon; the kind of history that compromises judgment and muddies the tactical waters.
Was it a failed romance tangled up in a field investigation? A partnership that blew up under pressure? Whatever the specifics, the remnants of their intense, complicated past linger. For K, guarding her isn’t just a job; it’s a terrifying confrontation with a vulnerability he thought he had successfully buried beneath layers of medical gauze and psychological denial.
Can he protect a woman he once loved, or perhaps still feels deeply connected to, knowing that his last major emotional involvement ended in devastation?
He has been brought in because he is the best. But when the target is also the source of your deepest emotional baggage, being the best is rarely enough. The line between professional duty and catastrophic personal collapse is thinner than ever.
Disaster in the Offing?
K is walking into a situation where the external threat is immense, but the internal threat—his own broken concentration, his lingering guilt, the complicated chemistry between him and the VIP—is arguably far greater.
He knows better than anyone that when personal history is allowed to bleed onto the professional landscape, disaster is almost always the result. He is physically recovered, yes, but mentally? He is still standing precariously amidst the wreckage of his last mission.
The big question hanging over this high-stakes security detail isn’t if the enemy will strike, but rather: Will K be the protector who saves her life, or will his own complicated history with the woman he is guarding be the catalyst for yet another, final, devastating failure?
The clock is ticking. And in this tinder box, the past is about to light the fuse.
That’s an excellent choice! While the major sites like Taormina and the Valley of the Temples are stunning, Sicily’s true soul often lies in its quieter villages, ancient ruins, and dramatic nature reserves.
Here are five places or activities to explore on the road less travelled in Sicily:
1. Cycle and Swim the Egadi Islands (Favignana/Levanzo)
What it is: A small archipelago off the western coast near Trapani. Favignana is the largest and most accessible, and Levanzo is even smaller and more remote.
Why it’s less travelled: While popular with Italian vacationers, they remain largely car-free (especially Levanzo), promoting a slow, relaxed pace of travel that’s rare on the mainland.
Activity: Rent a bicycle upon arriving at Favignana’s port and spend the day cycling to the gorgeous turquoise coves like Cala Rossa and Cala Azzurra. On Levanzo, you can hike to the prehistoric Grotta del Genovese cave, featuring ancient Paleolithic rock carvings.
2. Explore the Labyrinthine Town of Erice
What it is: A beautifully preserved medieval hilltop town perched 750 meters above sea level, overlooking the city of Trapani and the western coast.
Why it’s less travelled: Many tourists bypass it for coastal towns. It’s famous for its atmospheric, narrow, cobbled streets and the frequent, dramatic mist that engulfs the town, making it feel completely isolated and otherworldly.
Activity: Wander the maze-like stone streets, visit the Norman Castello di Venere (Castle of Venus) built on the site of an ancient temple, and taste the famous local almond pastries from the historic Pasticceria Maria Grammatico.
3. Hike or Canyon the Gole dell’Alcantara
What it is: A spectacular series of gorges and canyons carved by the cold Alcantara River, located on the northern slopes of Mount Etna. The walls are made of dark, columnar basalt lava rock.
Why it’s less travelled: This is a nature and adventure destination that requires active participation, pulling visitors away from the historic towns.
Activity: Walk along the floor of the icy river (wetsuits/boots are highly recommended in the cooler months and often available for rent) or descend into the gorge for a dramatic, up-close view of the unique vertical lava formations.
4. Visit the Carved Cave Village of Sperlinga
What it is: A truly remote medieval village in the mountainous heart of Sicily, dominated by a Norman castle carved directly into the rock. The town’s name, Sperlinga, comes from the Greek word for “cave.”
Why it’s less travelled: Located deep in the rugged Sicilian interior, it is far from major tourist routes. It offers an incredible look at ancient rural life.
Activity: Explore the castle with its massive staircase carved from a single piece of rock, and wander through the small network of ancient cave dwellings (grottos) below the main structure that once housed the peasant community.
5. Discover the Hidden Baroque of Scicli
What it is: One of the spectacular Baroque towns of the Val di Noto (a UNESCO area), but significantly quieter and less visited than its neighbours, Noto and Ragusa Ibla.
Why it’s less travelled: It feels genuinely lived-in and has fewer large hotels, offering a relaxed and authentic glimpse of Sicilian life. It’s built into the cliffs of a canyon, giving it a unique layered appearance.
Activity: Stroll the main street, Via Francesco Mormino Penna, admire the honey-colored Baroque palaces and churches, and climb the hill to the top of San Matteo for a panoramic view of the town nestled in the valley.
You know, the sort of day where you have the best of intentions, you get up ready to start attacking the agenda you’ve told yourself you’re finally going to sit down and get on with.
The same set of words you’ve been using to fire up the enthusiasm you really don’t feel much of the time, but this time, have worked yourself into a high degree of positivity just before going to bed.
Everything is set up. All you have to do is bound out of bed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to go.
That was the first mistake. You went to be very late, around 2 am, and when you woke up, it feels like death warmed up. No bright eyes, and definitely no bushy tail.
But, there’s work to be done.
Before that, there’s other stuff, and as each succeeding chore is down, the less enthusiasm feels. I have to clean up the dining room, which, at the moment, is the go-to for all the tools, paint, tile glue, tiles, and everything that’s being used in the latest round of renovations.
Frankly, the room is a mess. I can move a lot of the tools out to the shed now that I’ve finished with them, and the rest, a few pain brushes and the tiling equipment, we be used over the next week.
An hour and a half later, the room is now clean.
I go out to the writing room and look at the list. Good thing I’d didn’t put a time against anything, because if I have, I was now looking at being at least four hours behind.
A phone call made that timeline worse. People always call when you don’t need any calls to distract you. It’s one of the reasons why I have seriously considered getting the landline cut off. And if it wasn’t for the grandchildren, who know they can call on that line, with a number that’s easier to remember than a mobile, I would.
But that of course leaves me open to the half dozen scam calls a day, trying to sell cladding, and solar panels, defend myself from a car crash that I never had, fend off illicit charges from Telcos, and now Amazon. Not forgetting my friend from the NBN who rings once, sometimes twice a day telling me my internet is about to be cut off.
To be honest, I wish they would, but as much as I tell them to cut it off they never do, perhaps knowing that if they do, they can’t scam call me anymore.
By the time I get back to my office, it’s time for a cup of tea.
Or something stronger.
The morning has gone, and the afternoon is half over, and all I’ve done is look at the list.
And since blog posts are on the list, this is why I’m writing this whinge.
How is your day going? I hope it’s better than mine.
Sardinia is famous for its glamorous coastlines, but the island truly shines when you venture inland or to its quieter corners. For a journey on the road less travelled, here are five of the best places and activities:
1. Hike the Gola Su Gorropu Gorge
What it is: Often called the “Grand Canyon of Europe,” this is one of the deepest gorges on the continent, carved by the Flumineddu River in the Supramonte mountain range.
Why it’s less travelled: It requires a moderate-to-challenging hike (or a 4×4 transfer) to access, keeping the crowds away. This activity takes you deep into Sardinia’s rugged, wild heart, offering a dramatic contrast to the beaches.
Activity: Trek through the immense canyon walls, navigating the huge boulders within the gorge floor.
2. Meet the Albino Donkeys of Asinara National Park
What it is: A protected, uninhabited island off the northwest coast, formerly a maximum-security prison and penal colony.
Why it’s less travelled: Access is restricted to preserve the environment. Its primary inhabitants are the rare wild albino donkeys (known as Asinara donkeys), horses, and other wildlife.
Activity: Take a ferry from Stintino or Porto Torres and explore the island by bike (or e-bike), following the paths that connect coves, ancient watchtowers, and abandoned prison infrastructure.
3. Explore the Dunes of Piscinas
What it is: Located in the Arbus area on the west coast, this is the largest desert in Europe, with vast, rolling golden dunes that stretch for miles and meet the sea.
Why it’s less travelled: It’s a remote area, part of the old mining region, far from the main tourist hubs. The landscape is unique, offering a “wild-west” feel.
Activity: Wander through the immense dunes, admire the rust-red lagoons, and spot the abandoned mining carts illuminated by the Milky Way at night.
4. Step Back in Time at Nuraghe Su Nuraxi
What it is: The largest and most complete example of the nuraghi, the massive stone defence structures erected by the ancient Nuragic civilisation (1800–700 BCE). It is a UNESCO World Heritage site located inland in the village of Barumini.
Why it’s less travelled: It’s located deep in the countryside, away from the coastal routes. While famous, it draws a different crowd focused on deep history and archaeology.
Activity: Take a mandatory guided tour to explore the ruins of the fortified complex, which has re-emerged in its entirety, offering a window into one of the oldest civilisations in the Mediterranean.
5. Walk the Streets of the Open-Air Museum of San Sperate
What it is: A small, vibrant agricultural village about 15 minutes from Cagliari, transformed into an open-air art gallery.
Why it’s less travelled: It’s often overlooked by tourists heading straight for the beaches. Since the 1960s, local and international artists have covered the exterior walls of homes and shops with colourful murals depicting social, political, and historical themes.
Activity: Get “lost” walking the quaint streets, admiring over 200 murals and the basalt sculptures by local artist Pinuccio Sciola, who started the town’s artistic renaissance.
John Pennington’s life is in the doldrums. Looking for new opportunities, and prevaricating about getting married, the only joy on the horizon was an upcoming visit to his grandmother in Sorrento, Italy.
Suddenly he is left at the check-in counter with a message on his phone telling him the marriage is off, and the relationship is over.
If only he hadn’t promised a friend he would do a favour for him in Rome.
At the first stop, Geneva, he has a chance encounter with Zoe, an intriguing woman who captures his imagination from the moment she boards the Savoire, and his life ventures into uncharted territory in more ways than one.
That ‘favour’ for his friend suddenly becomes a life-changing event, and when Zoe, the woman who he knows is too good to be true, reappears, danger and death follow.
Shot at, lied to, seduced, and drawn into a world where nothing is what it seems, John is dragged into an adrenaline-charged undertaking, where he may have been wiser to stay with the ‘devil you know’ rather than opt for the ‘devil you don’t’.
Background material used in creating a location, an explosive situation, and characters to bring it alive – the story – A Score to Settle
…
The world-weary agent – back for one more time
…
The Wreckage of Recovery: He’s Back in the Cold, Guarding His Past
In the world of espionage, the only way out is usually in a box. So when a veteran operative manages to survive a mission so catastrophic it nearly took his life, the recovery phase is supposed to be quiet. Long days of physical therapy, sterile white walls, and the slow, agonizing work of stitching a broken mind back together.
But sometimes, the world doesn’t care if you’re healed. Sometimes, the world demands you step back into the fire—especially when the flames are being deliberately fanned by the one person you were trying to forget.
We have a fascinating, terrifying scenario playing out on the global stage, and it centers on a man who desperately needed to stay out of the game, and a woman who refuses to follow advice.
From Scar Tissue to Suit: The Return of the World-Weary
Our protagonist—let’s call him ‘K’—was, until recently, a ghost. His last operation ended in failure, betrayal, and enough collateral damage to earn him a permanent benching. The physical scars have faded, but the echoes of that op—the one that ended in wreckage, not resolution—still ring in his ears. He is a man who knows the cold, bitter taste of failure, and he has spent his recovery time convincing himself he is done with the risk.
But the powers that be, desperate for a protector whose instincts are razor sharp, regardless of his mental state, have dragged him screaming back. His new assignment? Chief Protection Agent for one of the most famous, and most controversial, keynote speakers in the world.
And this is where the wires cross, the circuits fry, and the danger moves from external threat to emotional time bomb.
The Tinder Box and the Stubborn Star
The VIP—the keynote speaker—is currently a primary target. Her message is polarizing, her reach is global, and the threats against her security detail are mounting daily. Intelligence reports have advised strongly against her appearance at the upcoming summit. The venue is being called a tinder box; a complex security nightmare ripe for exploitation.
Yet, she ignores the warnings. She is charismatic, driven, and possesses an almost reckless belief in her own invulnerability. She will step onto that stage, no matter how many alarms are sounding.
And K is the man standing between her and whatever unseen forces are gathering in the shadows.
The History That Threatens the Present
The problem isn’t just the professional risk, the complex logistics, or the very real possibility of a sniper. The problem is the history K shares with the speaker.
Their connection is not just a footnote on a long-forgotten mission brief. It’s the kind of history that makes his hands shake when he reaches for his weapon; the kind of history that compromises judgment and muddies the tactical waters.
Was it a failed romance tangled up in a field investigation? A partnership that blew up under pressure? Whatever the specifics, the remnants of their intense, complicated past linger. For K, guarding her isn’t just a job; it’s a terrifying confrontation with a vulnerability he thought he had successfully buried beneath layers of medical gauze and psychological denial.
Can he protect a woman he once loved, or perhaps still feels deeply connected to, knowing that his last major emotional involvement ended in devastation?
He has been brought in because he is the best. But when the target is also the source of your deepest emotional baggage, being the best is rarely enough. The line between professional duty and catastrophic personal collapse is thinner than ever.
Disaster in the Offing?
K is walking into a situation where the external threat is immense, but the internal threat—his own broken concentration, his lingering guilt, the complicated chemistry between him and the VIP—is arguably far greater.
He knows better than anyone that when personal history is allowed to bleed onto the professional landscape, disaster is almost always the result. He is physically recovered, yes, but mentally? He is still standing precariously amidst the wreckage of his last mission.
The big question hanging over this high-stakes security detail isn’t if the enemy will strike, but rather: Will K be the protector who saves her life, or will his own complicated history with the woman he is guarding be the catalyst for yet another, final, devastating failure?
The clock is ticking. And in this tinder box, the past is about to light the fuse.
It was the first time in almost a week that I made the short walk to the cafe alone. It was early, and the chill of the morning was still in the air. In summer, it was the best time of the day. When Susan came with me, it was usually much later, when the day was much warmer and less tolerable.
On the morning of the third day of her visit, Susan said she was missing the hustle and bustle of London, and by the end of the fourth she said, in not so many words, she was over being away from ‘civilisation’. This was a side of her I had not seen before, and it surprised me.
She hadn’t complained, but it was making her irritable. The Susan that morning was vastly different to the Susan on the first day. So much, I thought, for her wanting to ‘reconnect’, the word she had used as the reason for coming to Greve unannounced.
It was also the first morning I had time to reflect on her visit and what my feelings were towards her. It was the reason I’d come to Greve: to soak up the peace and quiet and think about what I was going to do with the rest of my life.
I sat in my usual corner. Maria, one of two waitresses, came out, stopped, and there was no mistaking the relief in her manner. There was an air of tension between Susan and Maria I didn’t understand, and it seemed to emanate from Susan rather than the other way around. I could understand her attitude if it was towards Alisha, but not Maria. All she did was serve coffee and cake.
When Maria recovered from the momentary surprise, she said, smiling, “You are by yourself?” She gave a quick glance in the direction of my villa, just to be sure.
“I am this morning. I’m afraid the heat, for one who is not used to it, can be quite debilitating. I’m also afraid it has had a bad effect on her manners, for which I apologise. I cannot explain why she has been so rude to you.”
“You do not have to apologise for her, David, but it is of no consequence to me. I have had a lot worse. I think she is simply jealous.”
It had crossed my mind, but there was no reason for her to be. “Why?”
“She is a woman, I am a woman, she thinks because you and I are friends, there is something between us.”
It made sense, even if it was not true. “Perhaps if I explained…”
Maria shook her head. “If there is a hole in the boat, you should not keep bailing but try to plug the hole. My grandfather had many expressions, David. If I may give you one piece of advice, as much as it is none of my business, you need to make your feelings known, and if they are not as they once were, and I think they are not, you need to tell her. Before she goes home.”
Interesting advice. Not only a purveyor of excellent coffee, but Maria was also a psychiatrist who had astutely worked out my dilemma. What was that expression, ‘not just a pretty face’?
“Is she leaving soon?” I asked, thinking Maria knew more about Susan’s movements than I did.
“You would disappoint me if you had not suspected as much. Susan was having coffee and talking to someone in her office on a cell phone. It was an intense conversation. I should not eavesdrop, but she said being here was like being stuck in hell. It is a pity she does not share your love for our little piece of paradise, is it not?”
“It is indeed. And you’re right. She said she didn’t have a phone, but I know she has one. She just doesn’t value the idea of getting away from the office. Perhaps her role doesn’t afford her that luxury.”
And perhaps Alisha was right about Maria, that I should be more careful. She had liked Maria the moment she saw her. We had sat at this very table, the first day I arrived. I would have travelled alone, but Prendergast, my old boss, liked to know where ex-employees of the Department were, and what they were doing.
She sighed. “I am glad I am just a waitress. Your usual coffee and cake?”
“Yes, please.”
Several months had passed since we had rescued Susan from her despotic father; she had recovered faster than we had thought, and settled into her role as the new Lady Featherington, though she preferred not to use that title, but go by the name of Lady Susan Cheney.
I didn’t get to be a Lord, or have any title, not that I was expecting one. What I had expected was that Susan, once she found her footing as head of what seemed to be a commercial empire, would not have time for details like husbands, particularly when our agreement made before the wedding gave either of us the right to end it.
There was a moment when I visited her recovering in the hospital, where I was going to give her the out, but I didn’t, and she had not invoked it. We were still married, just not living together.
This visit was one where she wanted to ‘reconnect’ as she called it, and invite me to come home with her. She saw no reason why we could not resume our relationship, conveniently forgetting she indirectly had me arrested for her murder, charges both her mother and Lucy vigorously pursued, and had the clone not returned to save me, I might still be in jail.
It was not something I would forgive or forget any time soon.
There were other reasons why I was reluctant to stay with her, like forgetting small details, an irregularity in her character I found odd. She looked the same, she sounded the same, she basically acted the same, but my mind was telling me something was not right. It was not the Susan I first met, even allowing for the ordeal she had been subjected to.
But, despite those misgivings, there was no question in my mind that I still loved her, and her clandestine arrival had brought back all those feelings. But as the days passed, I began to get the impression my feelings were one-sided and she was just going through the motions.
Which brought me to the last argument, earlier, where I said if I went with her, it would be business meetings, social obligations, and quite simply her ‘celebrity’ status that would keep us apart. I reminded her that I had said from the outset I didn’t like the idea of being in the spotlight, and when I reiterated it, she simply brushed it off as just part of the job, adding rather strangely that I always looked good in a suit. The flippancy of that comment was the last straw, and I left before I said something I would regret.
I knew I was not a priority. Maybe somewhere inside me, I had wanted to be a priority, and I was disappointed when I was not.
And finally, there was Alisha. Susan, at the height of the argument, had intimated she believed I had an affair with her, but that elephant was always in the room whenever Alisha was around. It was no surprise when I learned Susan had asked Prendergast to reassign her to other duties.
At least I knew what my feelings for Alisha were, and there were times when I had to remember she was persona non grata. Perhaps that was why Susan had her banished, but, again, a small detail; jealousy was not one of Susan’s traits when I first knew her.
Perhaps it was time to set Susan free.
When I swung around to look in the direction of the lane where my villa was, I saw Susan. She was formally dressed, not in her ‘tourist’ clothes, which she had bought from one of the local clothing stores. We had fun that day, shopping for clothes, a chore I’d always hated. It had been followed by a leisurely lunch, lots of wine and soul searching.
It was the reason why I sat in this corner; old habits die hard. I could see trouble coming from all directions, not that Susan was trouble or at least I hoped not, but it allowed me the time to watch her walking towards the cafe in what appeared to be short, angry steps; perhaps the culmination of the heat wave and our last argument.
She glared at me as she sat, dropping her bag beside her on the ground, where I could see the cell phone sitting on top. She followed my glance down, and then she looked unrepentant back at me.
Maria came back at the exact moment she was going to speak. I noticed Maria hesitate for a second when she saw Susan, then put her smile in place to deliver my coffee.
Neither spoke nor looked at each other. I said, “Susan will have what I’m having, thanks.”
Maria nodded and left.
“Now,” I said, leaning back in my seat, “I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation as to why you didn’t tell me about the phone, but that first time you disappeared, I’d guessed you needed to keep in touch with your business interests. I thought it somewhat unwisethat you should come out when the board of one of your companies was trying to remove you, because of what was it, an unexplained absence? All you had to do was tell me there were problems and you needed to remain at home to resolve them.”
My comment elicited a sideways look, with a touch of surprise.
“It was unfortunate timing on their behalf, and I didn’t want you to think everything else was more important than us. There were issues before I came, and I thought the people at home would be able to manage without me for at least a week, but I was wrong.”
“Why come at all. A phone call would have sufficed.”
“I had to see you, talk to you. At least we have had a chance to do that. I’m sorry about yesterday. I once told you I would not become my mother, but I’m afraid I sounded just like her. I misjudged just how much this role would affect me, and truly, I’m sorry.”
An apology was the last thing I expected.
“You have a lot of work to do catching up after being away, and of course, in replacing your mother and gaining the requisite respect as the new Lady Featherington. I think it would be for the best if I were not another distraction. We have plenty of time to reacquaint ourselves when you get past all these teething issues.”
“You’re not coming with me?” She sounded disappointed.
“I think it would be for the best if I didn’t.”
“Why?”
“It should come as no surprise to you that I’ve been keeping an eye on your progress. You are so much better doing your job without me. I told your mother once that when the time came I would not like the responsibilities of being your husband. Now that I have seen what it could possibly entail, I like it even less. You might also want to reconsider our arrangement, after all, we only had a marriage of convenience, and now that those obligations have been fulfilled, we both have the option of terminating it. I won’t make things difficult for you if that’s what you want.”
It was yet another anomaly, I thought; she should look distressed, and I would raise the matter of that arrangement. Perhaps she had forgotten the finer points. I, on the other hand, had always known we would not last forever. The perplexed expression, to me, was a sign she might have forgotten.
Then, her expression changed. “Is that what you want?”
“I wasn’t madly in love with you when we made that arrangement, so it was easy to agree to your terms, but inexplicably, since then, my feelings for you changed, and I would be sad if we parted ways. But the truth is, I can’t see how this is going to work.”
“In saying that, do you think I don’t care for you?”
That was exactly what I was thinking, but I wasn’t going to voice that opinion out loud. “You spent a lot of time finding new ways to make my life miserable, Susan. You and that wretched friend of yours, Lucy. While your attitude improved after we were married, that was because you were going to use me when you went to see your father, and then almost let me go to prison for your murder.”
“I had nothing to do with that, other than to leave, and I didn’t agree with Lucy that you should be made responsible for my disappearance. I cannot be held responsible for the actions of my mother. She hated you; Lucy didn’t understand you, and Millie told me I was stupid for not loving you in return, and she was right. Why do you think I gave you such a hard time? You made it impossible not to fall in love with you, and it nearly changed my mind about everything I’d been planning so meticulously. But perhaps there was a more subliminal reason why I did because after I left, I wanted to believe, if anything went wrong, you would come and find me.”
“How could you possibly know that I’d even consider doing something like that, given what you knew about me?”
“Prendergast made a passing comment when my mother asked him about you; he told us you were very good at finding people and even better at fixing problems.”
“And yet here we are, one argument away from ending it.”
I could see Maria hovering, waiting for the right moment to deliver her coffee, then go back and find Gianna, the café owner, instead. Gianna was more abrupt and, for that reason, was rarely seen serving the customers. Today, she was particularly cantankerous, banging the cake dish on the table and frowning at Susan before returning to her kitchen. Gianna didn’t like Susan either.
Behind me, I heard a car stop, and when she looked up, I knew it was for her. She had arrived with nothing, and she was leaving with nothing.
She stood. “Last chance.”
“Forever?”
She hesitated and then shook away the look of annoyance on her face. “Of course not. I wanted you to come back with me so we could continue working on our relationship. I agree there are problems, but it’s nothing we can’t resolve if we try.”
I had been trying. “It’s too soon for both of us, Susan. I need to be able to trust you, and given the circumstances, and all that water under the bridge, I’m not sure if I can yet.”
She frowned at me. “As you wish.” She took an envelope out of her bag and put it on the table. “When you are ready, it’s an open ticket home. Please make it sooner rather than later. Despite what you think of me, I have missed you, and I have no intention of ending it between us.”
That said, she glared at me for a minute, shook her head, then walked to the car. I watched her get in and the car drive slowly away.
Thrills, Spills, and just a dash of Romance 