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Piero will be making the arrangements today.”
    “My God!”
    “Felicity’s not that bad, is she?”
    “No, she’s just old, rather eccentric, and tremendously boring. Hardly good company for someone who’s being forcibly split up from her boyfriend.”
    “I want to get your sister away. By the time she comes back it will all be over.”
    “I admire your optimism.”
    Marta came in with fresh coffee.
    “Lovely, I’ll have just one more cup and then I must be off. Marta, my dear, send Jean Pierre up as soon as he arrives, please, oh, and could you ask Piero to take my car down to be washed. It looks grubby; all that summer dust shows up so much on black.”
    “Of course, Madam.” She set the coffee on the table, poured Ursula a cup and handed it to her before leaving the room.
    “Isn’t it a wonderful morning, just the way I like it,” said Ursula looking out of the window with approval as though she was personally responsible for the clear blue sky. She quickly downed the small cup of black coffee
    The door opened and Guido came in. “A truly fabulous day,” she said, moving towards Guido to give him a kiss.
    “Ursula, I saw Piero with the post. Why do you always let him go through it?” asked Guido, with undisguised irritation.
    “Guido, Piero has been seeing to the post for the last twenty-five years. I trust him implicitly,” she said rather sharply.
    “Should you?”
    “Unless I have reason not to, then I’m afraid I do. Things stand as they are.” She felt her good humour start to evaporate. Guido had to realise that she would not allow any kind of interference, no matter how well meant, in the running of her life.
    Guido appeared to be quite oblivious to the change in her tone of voice. “It’s just that that’s the sort of thing I can help you with. Why let a stranger go through your mail when I’m here.”
    “Dear boy, how thoughtful you are, but Piero is hardly a stranger.” Her eyes glittered coldly now. He looked so surprised that she softened that with, “We’ll see, shall we? I don’t want to upset him.”
    “Heaven forbid.” He sat down at the table and flicked his napkin open brusquely. If Ursula could be forceful, then so could he. He felt angry about the way she was putting him down. There was a lengthy silence, which Ursula decided not to break. She patted his head as she left the room.
    Lapo who had remained immobile and watchful during this fascinating little scene, now tittered audibly and reached for his coffee cup. Guido glared at him and received one of Lapo’s amazing smiles in response, which enraged him even further.
    “Shall I pour you some coffee, dear boy?” asked Lapo in a mocking tone, holding out his hand for Guido’s cup.
    Guido looked at him as though trying to work out what was going on. Lapo was academically brilliant but often behaved like a half-wit. He knew it would be a mistake to underestimate him. There was something cunning about him. As Lapo held his gaze, with blazing eyes, he also wondered whether he wasn’t quite mad.
     
    Later that morning Guido made it his business to bump into Piero. “I’ve already warned you, there’s going to be a few changes round here after my marriage, so be prepared. I don’t like the way you behave as though you think you own the place.”
    Piero looked at him with steely eyes. “Things have always been to Madam’s satisfaction.”
    “Well, they’re going to have to satisfy me too.”
    “Of course.”
    “Just watch it. I don’t think I trust you. You’ve always done as you please. Just remember I’ll be checking up on you from now on.”
    “I think you’ll find that everything’s as it should be.”
    “It’d better be.”
    Piero walked slowly down to the kitchen and told Marta about it. “Guido’s ruffling his plumage and making noises about the way I run things. He’s a little shit.”
    “You’ve dealt with that sort of thing before. Madam’s always been very supportive.”
    “Yes,