Taking her time, she picked her way through the tables, glad she had chosen to sit towards the back – she wouldn’t have wanted to offend the musicians, with their wonderful mastery of the music, by leaving partway through, but luckily she was far enough away not to interrupt their concentration.
As Olivia saw the exit to the lobby, she took her eye off the route towards it and caught her elbow on one of the chairs, which sent her right crutch crashing to the ground.
Drat, drat, drat.
This action threw her completely and, before she knew it, she had lost her footing and was in danger of sliding to the ground. She reached out, searching for a surface to steady her, but instead her arm was caught gently but firmly as a body moved to her side, offering support and preventing her from falling.
Olivia felt her bottom lip wobble, but was able to right herself fully, and watched as the person beside her leant quickly to pick up the crutch from the floor of the ballroom.
As Olivia turned to face her rescuer, she found herself looking into two bright hazel eyes, belonging to a man in his fifties, around her own age. His full head of hair was auburn and he wore a blue open-necked shirt and buff-coloured trousers, he looked tanned and relaxed.
‘Crisis averted,’ he whispered, ‘no harm done.’
‘Thanks to you,’ Olivia whispered back, her voice still wobbly.
He looked over at the orchestra who were still deeply engrossed in their performance and, holding onto her crutch, nodded towards the exit, while holding out his arm for her to take.
A few moments later, she was seated at a quiet table in the lobby, looking out over the palazzo to the Lido beyond.
‘I feel so silly, making a fool of myself like that.’
The man shook his head. ‘You were as graceful as a swan, I assure you.’
This made Olivia laugh out loud, ‘I felt more like a dying duck!’
They both laughed at that, and Olivia noticed the way the man’s eyes crinkled appealingly at the corners.
‘I’m forgetting my manners,’ she said. ‘My name is Olivia Booth.’
‘And I’m Max Hillman-Clark.’
Olivia’s eyes widened. ‘Not the Max Hillman-Clark? The world-famous expert on the treasures of the Doge’s Palace? My husband has …’ she checked herself, ‘had … read everything you’ve ever written.’
‘I’m extremely flattered. Most people don’t have the faintest clue who I am.’ He gave a wry grin. ‘Is your husband here with you in Venice?’
A shadow passed over Olivia’s face, one that was obvious for Max to see. She still hadn’t got used to saying the words out loud. She hesitated, the wobble in her voice returning.
‘I’m afraid he died six months ago in a car accident.’
Max closed his eyes for a brief second, ‘My condolences, that must have been a terrible shock. Is that where …’ He indicated her crutches.
She nodded. ‘I’m meant to be recuperating, but I feel I made a mistake coming. Getting around is a lot harder than I thought, and I’m bored of sitting around feeling useless.’
To her horror, Olivia felt tears welling in her eyes. She blinked hard to keep them in check.
‘What am I thinking?’ Max said. ‘Let me get you something to drink.’
Olivia asked for a glass of water, and in moments a waiter had brought it to the table, along with a pot of English tea for Max.
Max was the perfect gentleman. Entertaining, and seemingly interested in her as well, rather than just being kind – Olivia couldn’t have borne that. She found herself opening up to him, telling him all about her long stay in hospital, and the months of recovery she’d undergone. The one thing she didn’t mention was the painful loneliness she had endured since Simon’s death, the torment that was worse than her injuries.
Max told her all about himself, too, and about his daughters, one of whom was at university in New England and the other who was training to be a doctor. He explained that he travelled a lot, while his wife ran her own high-end interiors business in London.
Olivia felt as if they had known each other for years, and was surprised when Gina hurried over to join them, a concerned look on her face.
‘Olivia, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. You’ve been missing for over an hour.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Olivia said, ‘I didn’t realize it had been that long—’
‘Ah Gina, you’re just the person I need,’ Max interrupted. Gina knew Max well, as he always stayed in the White Palace whenever he was in Venice. He proceeded to explain to Gina that he wanted her to get hold of a wheelchair for Olivia. ‘The best you can find in Venice,’ he grinned. ‘After all, we can’t have you sitting around twiddling your thumbs and getting under Gina’s feet, can we?’ Max told Olivia, his eyes full of mischief.
And for the first time in many months, Olivia felt her smile reach all the way down to her toes …
Five minutes later, the four of them were sitting in the White Palace restaurant, a bowl of ice cream in front of each of them as they chatted in a mixture of English and Italian. Gina had chosen pistachio gelato, Issy had gone for strawberry, while Daniela had opted for stracciatella – chocolate chip.
‘Just fruit for me,’ Olivia said. ‘I can’t even put on a gram before the big day.’
‘When is that?’ asked Issy.
‘In one week,’ Olivia beamed. ‘I feel like a teenager again in all the excitement. After I get married, I promise we’ll have all the gelato I can eat. I can’t wait for the day.’
Gina grinned. ‘Your wedding is going to be amazing,’ she told Olivia. ‘I’ve got a few surprises up my sleeve.’
‘Don’t tease me, Gina,’ Olivia gave a mock sigh, ‘you know I can’t bear surprises.’
‘You love surprises!’ Gina laughed.
‘Well, all I know is that we have left everything in the very best hands … Now, I’d better find Max, we’re supposed to be getting married, but all he can think about is Bellini’s San Zaccaria altarpiece! Goodbye, Daniela,’ Olivia said, and waved goodbye as she headed towards the lobby.
