Page 157 of Modern Romance September 2026 Books 5-8

It was certainly visible in his easygoing attitude towards her as they lunched on the tonnarelli pasta that was a speciality of Lazio, served in earthenware bowls, washed down with robust local wine. They finished the meal with ripe peaches and the region’s trademark ricotta cream cheese. They made a leisurely meal of it, and when they returned to the car discovered it was surrounded by a handful of admiring young boys. Genially, Sanzio let the youngest sit in the driving seat, while the others leant on the bodywork and the oldest took photos of them all on his phone. As they finally drove away, Sanzio accelerated with a throaty roar, kicking up a cloud of road dust. He glanced in his rear-view mirror to wave at the boys gazing after them.

‘I remember lusting after a car like this when I was their age,’ he mused, slowing his pace to a more acceptable driving speed along the roadway.

‘And now you’ve got it,’ Eleanora said with a smile.

He glanced at her. ‘So I have,’ he agreed. He ran his hand around the leather wheel. ‘It feels good.’

‘And so it should,’ she told him. ‘You’ve worked hard to be able to afford it, and now you can.’

There was a fondness in her voice, and she did not suppress it. She meant what she said. He was a man to admire, as well as—

No. She put a stop to her thoughts. They were not relevant, and certainly not when spending time like this with him. Comfortable time, relaxed time, easy time.

Time I will always remember.

Whatever had prompted him to suggest taking off today, she was glad he had. A thought struck her. At the Palazzo, they kept company for a common purpose—restoring the place they both wanted to save. In Rome she was his glammed-up trophy wife. But today—

He’s just chosen to be with me for no reason other than to relax and enjoy.

The thought comforted her. Sanzio might have no romantic interest in her at all, but as a companion he did not reject her company… It was a poignant realisation, bringing an ache to her, and a consolation.

Perhaps it points the way to how it will be after we are divorced. We’ll be able to see each other, even be with each other sometimes, and it will be friendly and companionable and easy.

She must value that. Be content with it. Not yearn for more.

And today she was just glad to be spending this easygoing day with him.

As if echoing her thoughts, Sanzio smiled at her as he changed gear. ‘Glad for today?’ he asked.

‘Very,’ she answered.

‘Me too,’ he said, and his smile deepened.

They were making their way into hillier countryside, the road taking them up to a small medieval walled town with cobbled streets, to stop for coffee and cakes, before taking a look round the ancient church, where Eleanora lit a candle and Sanzio made a generous donation to the poor box. As they left, he put his arm around her waist, guiding her from the church out into the piazza. It was a casual gesture, but Eleanora found herself leaning into him, just as casually. She didn’t think about it, didn’t question it, she just did it. It seemed natural, and unforced.

They left the little town behind them, heading east still, further away from Rome. A road sign indicated a small Roman site, and they went off to check it out. It was nothing more than a modest villa with a mosaic floor, the remains of the walls, niches where the household gods had once been held. A place where a family had once lived their own lives so long ago now, yet had been real for all that. It was a strangely moving thought to her. They wandered around, and Eleanora found her hand being taken, at first to step her over an uneven section of the path around the ruins, but then not relinquished until they got back to the car. Again, as with his arm around her earlier, it was only a comfortable, casual gesture, and Eleanora accepted it as such.

‘What now?’ Sanzio asked before he started the engine.

‘I don’t mind,’ Eleanora replied. ‘You choose.’

He looked at her. ‘Well, we could head back to Rome—circle around and make our way back. Or—’ He paused.

Eleanora looked at him.

‘Or,’ he said, ‘we could not head back to Rome.’ He paused again, looking at her. ‘My phone is telling me that there’s an agriturismo a few kilometres away. It gets good ratings. It’s got a pool too, and specialises in local cuisine. Would you consider trying it out?’

‘For dinner?’ she asked.

‘Or even overnight if you felt like it. But, of course, we can just head back to Rome if you prefer.’

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Eleanora didn’t prefer. Today had been so relaxed, so easy, so enjoyable, so companionable, the countryside so good to drive through in a lazy, leisurely way, that the thought of being back in the city again was not appealing.

‘Oh, let’s try the agriturismo!’

Sanzio reached for his phone. ‘Sorted,’ he announced a couple of minutes later. ‘Do you want to buy a toothbrush or whatever before we turn up?’

‘Might be sensible,’ she agreed.