What Happens In Tuscany.... T Williams A

stretched her arm around the other girl’s shoulders. She could feel her shaking with emotion. It was a while before Victoria was in a fit state to talk about it.

      ‘It’s just that we’re on a boat and we’re going abroad. Katie, I’ve dreamt of this for years and years and now, at long last, it’s happening. It’s an amazing feeling of liberation.’ She looked up, wiping her eyes with her forearm. ‘And it’s you I’ve got to thank for making it happen.’

      ‘No you haven’t.’ Katie handed her a tissue and stepped back. ‘You’re the one who decided the time was right to rejoin the real world. Don’t forget, it was you who got yourself a passport months ago with this in mind. If it hadn’t been me, it would have been somebody else here with you.’ She reached out and caught Victoria’s arm. ‘I’m just the means to the end and for what it’s worth, it’s an amazing experience for me to participate in this with you. For me it would just have been a boring old boat ride. Seeing it through your eyes makes me realise you should never take anything for granted in this life.’

      Victoria looked up at her, an expression of sorrow on her face. ‘How could he keep me cooped up like that? I know he wasn’t in his right mind, but that doesn’t make it any easier.’

      Katie gave her a sympathetic look. ‘But it’s over now. You’ve got to move on. Look at it this way. Every single place we go from now on will be brand new to you. Every person you meet, every castle, every hotel, every church and cathedral. It’s like going through the looking glass. You’re in another world now. Don’t look back, look forward. Just think of the wonders ahead of you.’