‘So, it was love at first sight?’ he asked her.

‘Oh, not quite, Max was married at the time you see …’

Olivia didn’t think she’d ever get used to walking with a stick, but finally she was starting to think of it as a help rather than a hindrance.

There’s worse that could happen – you could be dead.

Two years after her trip to Venice, when her mind and body were still feeling broken, Olivia was learning to embrace life again. There were times after losing Simon that she had wished she could have died too, but not any longer, and certainly not today.

‘You need to get out and about Mum,’ her daughter Sarah had told her. ‘You love history and architecture. Why don’t we go on a trip?’

‘Perhaps, darling, but I don’t want to go anywhere too far away,’ she answered, with slight reluctance.

‘What about Bath, Mum?’ Her daughter’s eyes lit up, reminding Olivia of her father for a moment. ‘I’ve always wanted to see the famous baths.’

‘I went with your father, years ago …’

‘Well, now you can go with me,’ Sarah insisted. ‘I’ll drive us there and we can stay in a hotel for a couple of nights.’

Once they arrived, Olivia was delighted that Sarah had talked her into it. Bath was a wonderful city, and in the sunshine it was truly sparkling. On each corner there was something beautiful to look at in the well-preserved Georgian town. That morning they had taken in the Royal Crescent, and now they were enjoying the wonder of the ancient thermal baths. Olivia had forgotten just what an extraordinary survival from the Roman era they were. But they had been on their feet a long time, and Olivia was flagging a little. Her injuries had healed remarkably quickly, but she could still tire easily.

‘Do you mind if I sit down, Sarah?’ There was a stone seat set into an alcove that looked directly on to the Great Bath. She sat on it with relief. ‘I’ll catch you up.’

‘If you’re sure, Mum?’

While Sarah went off to look at the gift shop, Olivia indulged her imagination and thought about the people who had ‘taken the waters’ in the two millennia since they were built by the Romans. She imagined bloated bureaucrats sharing the same waters as slaves from Abyssinia, Roman wives airing their grievances with each other in the warm spring water flowing down from the Mendip Hills. She was quite lost in her imagination, and barely noticed a man take a seat beside her. That was until he spoke.

‘Ad astra per aspera, Olivia.’

Olivia felt a strange sensation as she heard the voice, almost as if he was the person she was expecting to hear, or the person she most wanted to hear.

She turned to face the voice.

‘Max!’

‘Through adversity to the stars … It seemed appropriate for the moment – given that it’s a Roman saying, and to sum up how you seem right now. You look quite … restored.’

‘I can’t believe it’s really you! How are you? What are you doing here?’

‘I’m writing a book about Roman art and my research brought me here. What an extraordinary coincidence, running into each other like this.’

They held each other’s gaze for a moment, each revelling in the unexpected reunion.

Olivia and Max had not kept in contact since they had met in Venice, though Olivia had thought about him many times since. He was married, and that was that.

‘Well, quite a lot has changed …’ He gave her an intense look. ‘How about we grab a coffee and I’ll tell you all about it.’

‘I’m here with my daughter.’

‘Then let’s all have a coffee. I’d love to meet her.’

He stood, and put his arm out, which she took without even thinking. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, and an unbidden thought flitted across her mind.

I want this person always by my side.

They looked at each other again. A smile of a deeper connection was there for the first time, and Olivia wondered if it was her future that she could see reflected in his eyes.

‘Max told me he was in the middle of getting divorced,’ Olivia said to Inspector Gallo. ‘He and his wife had been growing apart for years, and well, it was all over. Anyway, he has been at my side ever since.’

‘That is a wonderful story, with a happy ending. I wish you every joy.’

‘Thank you, Roberto, but what are we going to do about you? How are we going to solve your case?’

Gallo shook his head. ‘There is a piece of the puzzle missing. I must find out what it is, but it is proving elusive.’

‘Well, Inspector Gallo, I always remember what I used to say to my dear old nanny when she couldn’t find her glasses.’

The detective raised a quizzical eyebrow.

‘Perhaps you should try looking right under your own nose …’

Chapter 21

‘Great job, everybody. Well done. Let’s take five,’ said Aaron Finch, the director of High Voltage 3.

Brad ran his hands through his hair, the gesture exposing his toned biceps and broad chest. From the sidelines, Issy watched, always on hand in case he needed anything. There wasn’t time to go back to his trailer between takes; there would be a short break while the crew reset, and then they’d go again.

They’d just filmed a fight scene in the Doge’s Palace, in the sumptuous Chamber of the Great Council. Brad had been incredible – Issy could never get over how good he was at what he did. He was always professional, imbuing the smallest of movements with the utmost meaning. Some people thought that action-hero acting was easy, that he was nothing more than a pretty face. But Issy had watched him at work, and knew he was dedicated, talented, and that making it look easy took a hell of a lot of skill.

Issy jumped as Brad’s BlackBerry, in her hand, began vibrating. Lexi’s name showed on the screen. Issy felt torn, and wondered whether to ignore it, her finger hovering temptingly over the red ‘cancel’ button. But then she glanced up and saw Brad walking towards her, grinning his adorable grin, and she instinctively held the phone out towards him.

‘Lexi,’ she said by way of explanation.

Brad’s face lit up as he took the BlackBerry from her and walked a few steps away. ‘Hey baby, what’s up …?’

Issy felt a strange sensation in her gut, as though someone had stabbed her with a knife and was slowly twisting it. On the pretence of rummaging through her handbag as though she was looking for something, Issy hovered nearby, straining to overhear the conversation. All around her, the film crew, like an army of ants, reset the scene, preparing for another take, as the cameras were moved back into position and the lighting minutely adjusted.

‘That’s awesome news! You don’t know how happy that makes me, baby,’ Brad was saying as Issy tensed, her shoulders tight. ‘Listen, I gotta go – they’re almost ready for the next take. But that’s amazing, I can’t wait. I love you.’

There were further terms of endearment, as Issy pretended to be engrossed in flipping through Brad’s diary. Then Brad hung up and strode over to her.

‘Awesome news,’ he beamed, handing the phone back to her. ‘Lexi can make it, after all. She’ll be in Venice next week.’

‘Oh! That’s great,’ Issy faltered, forcing a smile on her face, trying to sound upbeat. ‘Really … great.’

Lucia sashayed into La Sirena restaurant, looking like an old Hollywood movie star in a vintage fur coat and skyscraper heels. She was running late – partly because that was her nature, partly because she wanted to ensure Marco arrived first. Lucia de Santis was not going to be sitting on her own in a restaurant, waiting for a man.

To her delight, he was already there, though her mood blackened when she saw him sitting in a dark corner away from the window.