‘Oh, I see what you mean,’ I said, still feeling like playing devil’s advocate. ‘My mum’s from Kent, too,’ I replied, smiling at her.
Rosamund nodded, clearly undeterred. ‘And your dad?’
‘St Lucia.’
‘Ah!’ she said, all triumphant, like she’d finally got it out of me. ‘That’s what I meant!’
Yep. Course it was.
I took another mouthful of pizza, trying to enjoy it as much as I had been before, but the relaxed feeling I’d had a few moments before was gone now.
‘What time’s the tour tomorrow, Rosamund?’ piped up Sophia, completely oblivious to the fact that I felt as though I’d just had the life sucked out of me.
‘Mum, do I have to go on this wine-tasting thing?’ asked Daisy. ‘Can’t I stay at the hotel and watch YouTube in our room?’
‘No you cannot,’ snapped Sophia. ‘You can watch YouTube back in London. It’s beautiful out in the Tuscan countryside. Why don’t you bring a sketch pad, or something? Or take some photos?’
‘What, while you lot chug wine all day? Hardly seems fair,’ argued Daisy.
I thought she had a good point, actually. Why would she want to come on a wine-tasting tour when she was too young to actually taste any of it? I was tempted to say I’d stay behind and take her to a gallery or something, but I knew this was the highlight of the trip for Rosamund. I ought to show willing.
‘The concierge said to be in the foyer at 8.30,’ said Rosamund, ignoring Daisy.
‘A.M.?’ I said, to clarify.
‘Too early for you, Maddie?’ asked Peter.
‘She’s an early riser, Dad, so hardly,’ said Nick.
Rosamund called over the waiter to order another large glass of red wine for her and Peter. Everyone else had barely touched theirs. I supposed it was their anniversary, they were clearly celebrating. But her eyes were already looking quite glassy.
‘Can I at least have some wine then? If Ihaveto go?’ said Daisy, not giving up.
‘You can have a sip or two,’ replied Nick. ‘The laws out here are much more relaxed.’
Sophia glared at him. ‘Do you think that’s a good idea,Nick? You know what she’s like, she’ll get a taste for it. Next thing, she’ll be swigging cider out of paper bags on park benches.’
‘She won’t, Sophia. Give her some credit,’ said Nick.
I squeezed his knee. I loved it when he stood up for Daisy. God, the poor girl needed somebody on her side.
‘I’m glad one of my parents doesn’t think I’m a complete fuck-up,’ said Daisy.
‘Now, now,’ said Rosamund. ‘We don’t use that sort of language.’
I could have sworn Rosamund was slurring her words. We’d met them in the hotel bar, so it was anyone’s guess how much they’d had to drink before Nick and I had arrived.
‘I just don’t see why I have to go!’ said Daisy. ‘Who takes a fourteen-year-old on a wine-tasting tour?’
‘Daisy, that’s enough!’ snapped Sophia. ‘It is your grandmother and grandfather’s wedding anniversary and you will do whatever they ask you to do.’
My strained relationship with my own parents seemed quite manageable in comparison to this. Mind you, that was probably because I rarely argued back and I admired Daisy, actually, for having a go. There were some advantages, I supposed, to having had my mum and dad split up and have new families when I was very young. For a start, they were generally so preoccupied with their new lives that neither of them cared much what I was doing. It made sneaking out to parties and smoking in the parksomuch easier to get away with. On the other hand, it also made you feel kind of alone and pretty much invisible, which wasn’t exactly the best thing, either. That feeling of constantly falling under the radar, of never really making an impact, was a difficult one to shake.
‘Daisy,’ crooned Nick, ‘calm down. It’s just for a few hours.’
‘Six. Six hours, Grandma said!’
‘OK, then, it’s just six hours. Shall we do something nice before we go? Have a bit of a walk? We could have an early breakfast together in San Spirito. I think you’d like it there.’