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Maya’s jaw dropped as she took in the square towers in each corner of the massive sandstone edifice and the teethlike projections high up along the walls between them. It seemed to ramble, if you could use such a word for such a formidable-looking building. ‘You live in a palace!’
‘Castello di Agosti is classified as a castle. My family have lived here since the thirteenth century, apart from a short period when it was used as a hospital during the Second World War.’
‘It’s...’
‘I have never seen a ghost.’
‘I wasn’t going to ask that.’ But, of course, now she was thinking it. ‘Are there many suits of armour?’
‘A few, hopefully not dusty. Relax, the place has been totally renovated with all mod cons. You look more apprehensive than the tenants did when I introduced some new eco-farming methods. We have a long-term strategy here.’
They were driving along a wide, smoothly surfaced driveway now that wound its way through lush parkland. As the road divided she saw a field with horses in.
‘Years ago our stud was world-renowned. We’ve just started building up a breeding programme again in a small way.’
It seemed to Maya that nothing here was built on a small scale.
‘Oh, my!’ She twisted her head to see the gardens that they were passing, stone terrace after stone terrace spilling flowers above a formal walled garden with a series of classical looking fountains.
She settled back into her seat as they drove away from the castle and through an archway into a gravelled area surrounded by low stone buildings.
The car stopped and a small welcoming party appeared: two young men in white shirts and dark trousers, who began to unload their luggage; a woman with no visible waist and a lovely smile and another young man, who were introduced by Samuele as the housekeeper, Gabriella, and his private secretary.
While the housekeeper got tearful over Mattio, Maya watched Samuele and his secretary talking quietly. A few moments later she could almost see him shrugging off his city persona; here he was king of the castle, though a very chilled-out king. In fact, he looked more relaxed than she had imagined possible.
‘I have some things to attend to, so I will see you at dinner. Gabriella will look after you,’ Samuele said, turning to her.
‘I don’t expect you to look after me,’ she blurted.
He tipped his head. ‘You are our guest.’ There was nothing in his words, but the light in his eyes made her stomach muscles quiver.
‘Our...is there a...do you have a...? Are you married or anything?’ She paused awkwardly, the idea he wasn’t single sending panic that was quite out of proportion with the possibility through her body as she stood there kicking herself for not asking earlier.
‘Not evenanythingat this present moment. It was just a figure of speech.’
At the outset Maya had no idea what her role was classified as being while she was here, and she had half expected to be accommodated in the servants’ quarters. Although if what she had seen was any indication the servants’ quarters would be pretty five star.
There were several gasp-out-loud moments as she was led by the housekeeper, who’d offered to carry the travel seat that Mattio was snuggled in, an offer Maya declined, through the vaulted hallway with its stone walls and up a grand staircase that divided into a gallery at the top.
‘The frescoes are in the west wing,’ Gabriella explained as she led the way along a long corridor that could have easily accommodated a couple of football pitches.
Maya nodded, as though she knew about wings or frescoes.
When they finally reached the suite of rooms she had been allocated it was clear that she was not expected to slum it. She was given the tour of the additional nursery first, which was decorated in lemon and blue and was utterly charming, as was the well-equipped mini kitchen stocked with enough baby formula to feed ten babies.
‘It’s all wired for sound,’ the housekeeper explained as she led her through to her own private sitting room, which was palatial in size and charmingly furnished with antique furniture, but nothing heavy or dark.
The bedroom, with its balcony, was dreamy with a four-poster and the same delightful feminine furniture, but it was her bathroom that stopped her in her tracks. Massive enough to dwarf the double-ended copper tub built for sharing, it boasted a stone fireplace complete with a wood burner, and a walk-in shower that had more touch buttons than a space module and a shower head the size of two dinner plates!
Setting Mattio’s seat down on the marble floor, she sniffed a couple of the oils in the crystal flagons set along the matching marble shelf and turned on a tap in one of the twin sinks.
She could, she decided, picking up a fluffy towel from the top of one of the stacks, quite happily just live in here.
In the meantime, it was time to check out the kitchen for Mattio’s feed.
‘So, kiddo, what do you think of your place...not bad, hey?’
CHAPTER SIX
