The Silent Wife(33)

Massimo waved his arm in my direction. ‘Maggie’s just coming in for a coffee.’

‘I don’t want to intrude, I’ve already taken up enough of Lara’s time this afternoon,’ I began, waiting for Lara to step in with the drama of the afternoon, and if I was absolutely honest, a little smidge of gratitude.

‘Nonsense. We’re delighted to see you. You can catch me up on what you’ve been talking about,’ Massimo said, beckoning me up the steps.

Lara hovered on the threshold, a bit like automatic doors on the blink that can’t decide whether to move back and allow you entry or to seize up all together and block you out. I wondered how someone as buttoned-up and chilly as her had ever attracted someone warm and generous-spirited like Massimo. According to Nico, his first wife had been much more outgoing. Maybe he’d gone to the other extreme and had developed a penchant for enigmatic women. Or maybe there was a simple explanation – for all his apparent intelligence, the thing that motivated him most was that old chestnut of a much younger body. Then I had the very mean thought that if Lara’s main charm had been her size ten bottom when they met, she was living on borrowed time now. Massimo swept me through the door, saying, ‘I’m just going to change out of my suit. La, would you make us a pot of coffee?’

I followed Lara back into the kitchen. Everything about her was tense, her movements tight and stiff. I’d have felt more welcome taking a turn on the karaoke machine at a silent order of nuns. Maybe Lara liked ‘quality time’ on her own with Massimo as well.

I didn’t want to be a middle-aged gooseberry. ‘I won’t stay long. Sam will be home from football training soon.’

Lara glanced towards the hallway, then whispered, ‘Could you not mention the whole dog thing to Massimo? He’s so stressed at work at the moment, I don’t want him to feel I can’t cope with everything at home when he’s working so hard.’

I didn’t subscribe to all this bollocky ‘Mustn’t bother the big man with domestic detail’ especially when the ‘domestic detail’ had big snarling, snapping teeth. And Massimo didn’t look anywhere near as knackered strolling in from his accountant’s office at six-fifteen, as Nico did, bent and buckled from shifting stone statues in the garden centre at eight. But Lara looked so strung out that I nodded. ‘Okay, but you really ought to let him know how hard you’re finding it to cope with the dog. He’d be horrified if he knew.’

Lara didn’t respond for a second. Then she brightened. ‘I’m sure Lupo will grow out of this naughty phase. I never leave him with Sandro on his own. He only got into the garden today because he jumped over the stable door. And as Sandro matures a bit, he won’t get so frightened by everything. The last thing I need is Anna hearing what happened. She’ll inevitably find a way to make Lupo having a go at Sandro some terrible failing on my part.’

Then she looked startled, as though an opinion had swooped out of her mouth before she’d had a chance to bleach it into a bland statement of nothingness.

I wanted to cheer. It was one of the few occasions since I’d known her that she’d articulated something real and true. I’d only had a couple of years of bracing myself every time Anna whirled in with her opinions. They began innocently enough, little crumbs of observation, which then puffed up like carrier bags caught in the wind, whirling round the room, carrying clouds of criticism. Lara had had the benefit of her morale-crushing observations for nearly a decade and from a much younger, more vulnerable age. I was about to dig a little deeper – not least to find out if Anna had a key to their house as well – when Massimo trotted back in, bringing a waft of aftershave with him. In a pale green open-necked shirt, he looked as though he’d just stepped off a yacht moored in Sardinia. Then the moment was lost as Lara turned away, busying herself with arranging biscuits on a pretty plate, while Massimo opened the French windows and called in the dog.

As Lupo dashed in to greet him, Lara positioned herself behind the bar stools. Christ, if a dog frightened me that much, I’d have it down the rescue centre before you could say ‘Get in your basket’. Massimo barked a quick ‘lie’ at Lupo and he immediately dropped to the floor, head down, as though he spent the days meekly waiting for someone to remember he needed feeding.

‘So what have you been up to today?’ Massimo asked, as Lupo rolled onto his back.

Lara darted a look at me and rushed in with, ‘This and that. Sandro’s been playing on the trampoline. Gave me a little bit of time to get shipshape upstairs.’