Excitement. The kind a small child would have creeping downstairs too early on Christmas morning and seeing the magic of the gifts under the tree. Gifts for her.
Did she dare to pick one up and rattle it? Tear off a tiny piece of wrapping paper to see if she could guess what was inside?
But what if it wasn’t what she wanted? Maybe the anticipation was better than reality.
‘I went to the hospital,’ Nico explained. ‘I knew you’d want to know how our man from yesterday was getting on.’
To her shame, no doubt due to the emotional roller-coaster the day had presented, Charlotte had barely given the man another thought. So much for her heartfelt presentation yesterday about the medicine they practised being about the people. But Nico was right. She could feel her face light up in her eagerness to know the outcome. This was the kind of excitement she was used to. This was what she needed to focus on.
‘He’s doing well.’ Nico’s smile was one of pure delight. ‘He had an angioplasty and half a dozen stents put in. His broken leg’s been sorted and he’s sitting up in the coronary care unit and you’d never know he’d been dead for a while. No evidence of any brain damage even.’
‘Really? That’s…astonishing. Our CPR must have been up to standard, then.’
‘A little more than that, I think.’ Nico put his arm around Charlotte’s shoulders as he turned towards Lady Geraldine. ‘We are an amazing team. And here we are, about to have an adventure. I am The happiest man on earth.’
Lady Geraldine was beaming at them. The check-in clerk was smiling mistily but then she collected herself. ‘Here are your boarding passes. We’ll take care of the suitcases and you can take your cabin baggage with you. I wish you the happiest of journeys.’
Lady Geraldine merely nodded. ‘It will be,’ she said softly. She winked at Charlotte. ‘All that remains to be seen is which of us is the happiest woman on earth today.’
Lady Geraldine needed some assistance to climb up the steps And negotiate the narrow corridor of the train carriage. The first impression was the glow of polished wood and brass. And lights. Lamps casting a soft glow. Fairy lights in honour of the season, looped at ceiling height on the internal wall and twinkling merrily. The doors had small wreaths festooned with artificial cherries and tiny golden bells.
Even more overwhelming than the warm glow of the wood and lights was a sense of confinement. The cabins were tiny with no more than a richly upholstered double seat and a tiny table beneath the window. A washstand was cleverly incorporated into a corner.
For most passengers this would have been their total space but with a suite, a door beside the washstand cabinet was open, leading to the adjoining cabin where the seats had already been turned into comfortable-looking bunk beds with crisp white linen and soft-looking towels folded on the ends.
For one person, it would have been the ultimate in spaciousness aboard the train. For a couple, it still would have been more than enough. To share this amount of space with Nico Moretti was something entirely different. There didn’t seem to be enough oxygen in the small spaces.
Their personal steward served champagne as the train pulled out of Santa Lucia station while Charlotte was checking that Lady Geraldine was settling comfortably into her suite. Nico joined them as the steward pointed out features of the cabins, including the bell that would summon him for assistance at any time of the day or night.
‘The maître d’ will visit your cabin soon to take your lunch and dinner reservations. Our restaurant cars have tables for two or four people.’
‘We are a party of three,’ Charlotte informed him. And how lucky was that? No chance of an intimate table for two with soft lighting and too much champagne. If she could put up good enough barriers around that part of her that was so drawn to this man she would be safe from making a complete fool of herself.
Was that a significant look that her grandmother was sharing with Nico?
‘This is your gift,’ Charlotte added, for good measure. ‘And we intend to share every possible moment of it with you. Don’t we, Nico?’
Nico seemed to be relishing the champagne and he merely lifted his glass in a toast of agreement.
There wasn’t room for three people to sit in one cabin. Charlotte sat beside her grandmother as they opened and perused the map of the journey. Nico stood near the door, apparently enjoying the scenery through the corridor windows and chatting to other passengers as they went past.
They chose the first sitting for lunch and it was Nico who insisted on helping Lady Geraldine negotiate the route and cope with the sometimes jerky motion of the train. It took a long time to get through several carriages and through the bar car before they got to one of the restaurant cars, especially when everything had to be explored and admired.
‘The bathroom is amazing,’ Lady Geraldine declared after their first stop to wait for her, which was right beside her suite at the end of their carriage. ‘The toilet seat is made of mahogany and everything else is brass. Even the cover for the paper. And it’s all so clean and shiny.’
The resident pianist was not yet playing the baby grand piano in the bar but they had to stop there as well.
‘Play something, Charlotte,’ Lady Geraldine commanded.
‘I can’t do that.’ Charlotte was horrified. ‘I haven’t played a piano for years and I’m quite sure it’s not allowed, anyway.’
But the handsome young man polishing glasses behind the wooden bar grinned. ‘Go ahead,’ he invited. ‘It’s too early to bother anyone.’
‘Please, Charlotte.’ Lady Geraldine was heading for a nearby seat. ‘For me? It’s so long since I heard you play.’
And she might never hear her again?
‘Yes…Please, Charlotte.’ Nico’s smile was mischievous. ‘I’m curious about your splinter skills.’
Oh, for heaven’s sake. Charlotte realised she wasn’t going to win and the best way of avoiding stress in getting through this voyage was clearly going to be taking the path of least resistance. She slid herself onto the piano stool and raised the lid on the gleaming keys. She had taken lessons for years as a child and playing for pleasure had been a feature of every visit to her grandmother’s house. Until…until her life had changed overnight.
Her hands shook for a moment as she held them over the keys. Maybe the least stressful response would have been to refuse to do this but now it was too late and if she didn’t, she might be expected to provide an explanation.
Flicking a glance upwards Charlotte knew that Nico had seen the tell-tale tremor of her hands. She willed them to be still. Willed herself to continue, much as she’d forced herself to start that presentation in Nico’s presence yesterday. The only piece she could think of to play by heart was Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’.
The first notes were tentative but the piano was beautiful and within a few bars Charlotte was drawn in to the haunting sound of the music. Her stiff fingers relaxed as she remembered the release that this had once brought her. The pleasure of doing something for herself that had nothing to do with work. Mindless and satisfying and restorative. Just…pleasure…
‘Bravo…’ Nico’s eyes were full of admiration as the last notes died away.
‘I knew those piano lessons were worth every penny.’ Lady Geraldine held her hand out for Nico to help her to her feet. ‘Now, let’s go and have some lunch.’
The lunch was three courses of beautifully prepared and presented food but Lady Geraldine only picked at hers and didn’t touch the tarte tatin served for dessert.
‘I’m a little tired,’ she confessed. ‘I think I’ll go back